Myths about Earth

In cultures around the world, humans have developed stories to help them understand how the Earth came to be, and why things happen. Many of these stories share interesting similarities, which point, perhaps, to deep common concerns of human beings. Explore the links in this section to find out about myths related to Earth, and phenomena that occur at the Earth’s surface.
A view of the Earth as seen by the <a href="/space_missions/apollo17.html&dev=1">Apollo 17</a> crew while traveling to the <a href="/earth/moons_and_rings.html&dev=1">Moon</a> on December 7, 1972. Africa, Madagascar, and the Arabian Peninsula are visible, and you can barely make out the <a href="/earth/polar/antarctica.html&dev=1">Antarctic</a>, shrouded in the heavy <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/cloud.html&dev=1">cloud</a> cover in the southern hemisphere. Arching cloud patterns show the presence of <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/front.html&dev=1">weather fronts</a>.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of NASA/Apollo 17.</em></small></p>Does Earth science matter? The power outage experienced by residents in New York City on 10/30/2012 due to Hurricane Sandy demonstrates the interconnectedness of our society, and the power of the Earth system. Every person should have an understanding of how the Earth system works so they can live better lives, protect those they love, and make wise choices. Earth science education is critical!<p><small><em>Image courtesy of Hybirdd, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.</em></small></p>

Explore Myths about Earth

Egyptian: Geb

Thousands of years ago, Geb was worshipped in lower Egypt as the earth god. Geb was depicted ...Read more

Aztec: Coatlicue

Coatlicue, whose name means "Serpent Skirt," was the Earth goddess of life and death in the ...Read more

Greek: Gaea

Gaea, or Mother Earth, was the great goddess of the early Greeks. She represented the Earth ...Read more

Chinese: Hou Ji

Hou Ji was originally a Chinese hero of royal descent. His ancestor was Huang Di. Tang, the ...Read more

Inca: Pachamama

Incas of ancient Peru believed that Pachamama personified the Earth. Incas ruled Peru from ...Read more

Maya: Bacabs

The Maya believed the Earth was flat with four corners. Each corner represented a cardinal ...Read more

Maori: Papa

According to the Maori people of New Zealand, Rangi was the Sky Father and his wife was the ...Read more

Norse: Midgard

Midgard is the realm where humans live, the Earth. It was created when the god Odin and his ...Read more

Sumerian: Enlil

Enlil was the Sumerian god of Earth and air. Sumerians were living more than three thousand ...Read more

Aspects of the Earth

Explore myths related to phenomena on Earth like storms, wind, rainbows, and more. ...Read more

Historical Events

Full Earth and Space Science    History Calendar (Members only)

Teacher Opportunities

Full Teacher Events Calendar (Educator Members only)

Did you know?

Did you know that the Maya and the Aztecs were early observers of Venus?

Did you know that the Japanese god Susanowo was the god of the sea and storms, and that he had a terrible temper?

 

Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day

Do you know what this word or phrase means?

Shadow zone
xShadow zone : The shadow zone is the area of the earth from angular distances of 104 to 140 degrees from a given earthquake that does not receive any direct P waves. The shadow zone results from S waves being stopped entirely by the liquid core and P waves being b

Click on the word to find out!

Research Highlights

Geologists Uncover Major Ancient Human Ancestor in South Africa

Scientists have discovered two fossil skeletons of an ancient human ancestor – a species related to humans that had never been found before. The fossils, a young male and an adult female, formed almost...Read more


Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA