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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.
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Explore Myths about Earth
Egyptian: Geb
Thousands of years ago, Geb was worshipped at the city of Heliopolis in lower Egypt as the ...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 was the great deity of the early Greeks. She represented the Earth and was worshipped ...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 Earth was conceived by the Maya as 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 human beings live. Midgard, the Earth, was created from the flesh ...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 moreHistorical Events
5/30 7.5 magnitude quake hits Quetta, Pakistan in 1935
5/31 7.9 magnitude earthquake hits Peru in 1970
6/8 Giovanni Cassini, an Italian-French astronomer, was born on this date in 1625 Details
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Did you know?
Did you know that Huizilopochtli was dressed with hummingbird feathers on his head?Did you know that in Norse mythology, there is a huge rainbow bridge called Bifrost that connects Midgard, the realm of humans, to Asgard, the home of the gods?
Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day
Do you know what this word or phrase means?Graben
xGraben : A graben is a down-dropped block of the earth's crust resulting from extension, or pulling, of the crust.
Click on the word to find out!
Research Highlights
Mysterious Clouds Produced When Aircraft Inadvertently Cause Rain or Snow
As turboprop and jet aircraft climb or descend under certain atmospheric conditions, they can inadvertently "seed" mid-level clouds, causing narrow bands of snow or rain to develop and fall to...Read more
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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.
