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&edu=elem">Apollo 17</a> crew while traveling to the <a href="/earth/moons_and_rings.html&edu=elem">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&edu=elem">Antarctic</a>, shrouded in the heavy <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/cloud.html&edu=elem">cloud</a> cover in the southern hemisphere. Arching cloud patterns show the presence of <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/front.html&edu=elem">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

Geb was worshipped in lower Egypt as the Earth god. He was depicted as a bearded man with a ...Read more

Aztec: Coatlicue

Coatlicue, whose name means "Serpent Skirt," was the Earth goddess of the Aztecs. Aztecs were ...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 was the Earth goddess. Pachamama and her husband ...Read more

Maya: Bacabs

The Maya believed the Earth was flat with four corners. Each corner was a direction shown by ...Read more

Maori: Papa

The Maori people of New Zealand believe that at the beginning of time the sky was so in love ...Read more

Norse: Midgard

In Norse mythology, Midgard is the Earth. It was created when the supreme 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

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Did you know?

Did you know that Egyptian hieroglyphics remained a mystery until around 1800? It wasn't until then that the Rosetta Stone helped crack the code!

Did you know that the Maya believed that the Earth was flat, and that there was a jaguar called a bacab in each corner that supported the sky?

 

Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day

Do you know what this word or phrase means?

Dip-slip fault
xDip-slip fault : Dip-slip faults are inclined fractures where the blocks have mostly shifted vertically. If the rock mass above an inclined fault moves down, the fault is termed normal, whereas if the rock above the fault moves up, the fault is termed reverse.

Click on the word to find out!

Research Highlights

Even in the Desert, Plants Feel the Heat of Global Warming

Scientists who study plants in the Sonoran Desert are worried about global warming. Desert winters have become warmer and drier over the years, and climate changes have pushed the arrival of winter rains...Read more


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