What are legends?

A legend is usually based on a true event in the past. However, the story may have changed over time to take on some special 'mythical' features.Legends usually have a real hero at the centre of the story and they are often set in fantastic places. The story will have been passed on from person to person, sometimes over a very long period of time.

What are myths?

A myth is not quite the same as a legend. Sometimes a myth is loosely based on a real event but, more often than not, it is a story that has been created to teach people about something very important and meaningful.

Myths are often used to explain the world and major events, which, at the time, people were not able to understand - earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, the rising and setting of the sun, illness and death.

What is the difference between legends and myths?

It is very hard to list the differences between myths and legends. In fact, it is often easier to say what they have in common than to say what makes them different from one another.

What we call legends are generally stories, which have an actual historical event or person as their starting point. Myths teach people how to behave or to give an explanation of the world around.

Retrieved and adapted from: http://myths.e2bn.org/about/info272-what-are-myths-legends-and-folktales.html 20/12/2016

For this unit of work, the distinction between the two types of story is not explored. Can You Catch A Mermaid? probably fits closer into the myth category, teaching that you cannot hold on to what does not belong to you, while The Seal Children and Beowulf fit more closely into the legend model, with historical roots. This information is mainly to inform us as adults and although the term myth and legend cannot be used interchangeably, we are safe to call them all stories!

Week 1 Adult Reference

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Week 1 Monday Comprehension 1 / Spoken language 1

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Pictures of merpeople - Mermaids and Mermen!

Website Extracts for Research

Merpeople fact file

Appearance: Half fish, half human, grey skin, dark green hair, yellow eyes and teeth

Dangers: Warlike tendencies, can drag people to their deaths underwater

Typical Habitats: An underwater colony in the Great Lake at Hogwarts

https://www.pottermore.com/explore-the-story/merpeople

Retrieved 06/12/16

Week 1 Monday Comprehension 1 / Spoken language 1

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Mermaid Mythology

The roots of mermaid mythology are more varied than one would expect. In modern myth, we tend to see mermaids in a singular way - kind and benevolent to humans who keep to their own kind in the deep waters of the ocean. Not all stories go this way, though, and in most cases the most ancient tales of mermaid mythology follow quite a different view.

The earliest known mermaid legends come from Syria around 1000 B.C. where the Syrian goddess Atargatis dived into a lake to take the form of a fish, but the powers there would not allow her give up her great beauty, so only her bottom half became a fish and she kept her top half in human form.

As myths tend to do, the story changed over time and Atargatis became mixed with Syrian goddess Ashtarte, who is generally considered the counterpart to Greek mythology's Aphrodite. Though Aphrodite is rarely portrayed in mermaid form, this evolution of mermaid mythology is what led to Aphrodite's role in the mythology of Pisces, which clearly has roots in Syrian mythology.

Later tales in the mythology of mermaids stem from Homer's epic "The Odyssey", where some mythologists believe the Sirens to have been in mermaid form. This was an extremely popular version of the mermaid throughout history. Many popular tales including legends from the British Isles and the famous Arabian Nights tales identify mermaids in exactly this fashion. In these myths, mermaids would sing to men on ships or shores nearby, practically hypnotising them with their beauty and song. Those affected would rush out to sea only to be either drowned, eaten, or otherwise sent to their doom.

The evil-intentioned mermaid is not the only way these creatures were seen as dangerous. Some believed that even well-intentioned mermaids would cause great danger to men who believed they saw a woman drowning and would dive into the waters to save them. Other tales suggest that mermaids either forgot or didn't understand that humans could not breathe underwater, and they would pull them down into the depths of the sea, accidentally drowning them in the process.

In the modern mythology of mermaids, however, this is rarely the case. Today these beings are more likely to be seen as innocent and sweet, if not helpful in many cases to human kind. Much of the modern interpretation of mermaids can be credited to the most famous tale in all of mermaid mythology - Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid" and the subsequent Disney movie of the same name.

This famous tale was likely the introduction of the mermaid to many children and adults alike, which makes it no surprise that people tend to stick with that version of this widely recognized creature. Not that Mr. Andersen was alone in this interpretation. Many cultures believed that these beings were immortal and had powers ranging from the ability to cure disease to granting wishes to being able to share their immortality.http://www.gods-and-monsters.com/mermaid-mythology.html Retrieved and adapted 06/12/16

Week 1 Monday Comprehension 1 / Spoken language 1

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Mermaids & Mermen: Facts & Legends

By Benjamin Radford, Live Science Contributor

With nearly three-quarters of the Earth covered by water, it's little wonder that, centuries ago, the oceans were believed to contain many mysterious creatures, including sea serpents and mermaids.

C.J.S. Thompson, a former curator at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, noted in his book "The Mystery and Lore of Monsters" (Kessinger, 2010), "Traditions concerning creatures half-human and half-fish in form have existed for thousands of years, and the Babylonian deity Era or Oannes, the Fish-god, is represented on seals and in sculpture, as being in this shape over 2,000 years B.C. He is usually depicted as having a bearded head with a crown and a body like a man, but from the waist downwards, he has the shape of a fish covered with scales and a tail."

In folklore, mermaids were often associated with bad luck and misfortune. They lured errant sailors off course and even onto rocky shoals, much like their cousins, the sirens — beautiful, alluring half-bird, half-women who dwelled near rocky cliffs and sung to passing sailors. The sirens would enchant men to steer their ships toward the singing — and the dangerous rocks that were sure to sink them. Homer's "Odyssey", written around 800 B.C., tells tales of the brave Ulysses, whose ears were tortured by the sweet sounds of the sirens. In other legends — from Scotland and Wales, for example — mermaids befriended, and even married, humans.

'Real' mermaids?

There are many legends about mermaids and even a few dozen historical claims of supposedly "real" mermaid sightings. Hundreds of years ago, sailors and residents in coastal towns around the world told of encounters with sea-maidens. One story, dating back to the 1600s, claimed that a mermaid had entered Holland through a dike, and was injured in the process. She was taken to a nearby lake and was soon nursed back to health.

Another supposed mermaid encounter is described in Edward Snow's ‘Incredible Mysteries and Legends of the Sea’ (Dodd Mead, 1967). A sea captain off the coast of Newfoundland described his 1614 encounter: Captain John Smith saw a mermaid 'swimming about with all possible grace’. He pictured her as having large eyes, a finely shaped nose that was 'somewhat short,' and well-formed ears that were rather too long. Smith goes on to say that 'her long green hair imparted to her an original character that was by no means unattractive’. In fact, Smith was so taken with this lovely woman that he began ‘to experience the first effects of love’ as he gazed at her.Another story, from 1830 in Scotland, claimed that a young boy killed a mermaid by throwing rocks at it; the creature looked like a child of about 3 or 4, but had a salmon's tail instead of legs. The villagers are said to have buried it in a coffin, though there seems to be no historical evidence of this fishy tale.

http://www.livescience.com/39882-mermaid.html Retrieved and abridged 06/12/16

Week 1 Monday Comprehension 1 / Spoken language 1

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1) Name and describe the main characters in the story. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2) What do you most like (or dislike!) about the story, and why? Give reasons with as much detail as you can. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3) Why do you think Eliza decided to return the mirror to Freya? What were her feelings at this point in the story? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4) How did Eliza change as the story progressed? Why did she change, do you think? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Think about the story ‘Can you Catch A Mermaid?’ by Jane Ray.

First, talk through your ideas with a partner, and then answer these

questions.

Week 1 Tuesday Comprehension 2

Can you catch a Mermaid? By Jane Ray

And that day, Eliza made new friends. Now she loves playing with the other children. They collect shells and Eliza shows them how to build mermaids out of sand.

When she puts the beautiful pink and gold shell to her ear she still hears Freya’s sweet voice singing to her, and the songs she sings are of her ocean home and the silver fishes that play there.

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But that day, Tom came back with nets full of fish.

And from that day on, the village fishing nets were always full, and Tom’s was the fullest of all.

And sometimes, in still rock pools or in the deep green ocean, when Eliza is out in Tom’s boat, she thinks she sees Freya smiling up at her through the water.

Or maybe it’s her own reflection.

Week 1 Wednesday Grammar 1

The present perfect: how to form it, and how it is used! – A Guide for Adults

The structure of the present perfect form of the verb is:

subject + auxiliary verb + main verb

have past participle

Here are some examples of the present perfect:

subject auxiliary verb main verb

+ I have seen the Ice Age.

+ You have eaten my apple.

- She has not been to France.

- We have not taken your ball.

? Have you finished?

? Have they done it?

Contractions with the present perfect

When we use the present perfect in speaking, we usually contract the subject and auxiliary verb. We also sometimes do this when we write.

I have I've

You have You've

He hasShe hasIt hasAlison hasThe dog has

He'sShe'sIt'sAlison'sThe dog's

We have We've

They have They've

For a detailed explanation of how the present perfect is used, look at http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar/verbs/present-tense/present-perfect

© Original plan copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users. Y4 Spr F1 Myths & Legends. We refer you to our warning, at the foot of the plan, about links to other websites.

Examples: when hot-seating Eliza, you could ask questions such as:

Have you seen Freya recently?

Have you ever been out fishing with your Dad?

Have you ever found any other interesting things on the beach?

Since you met Freya, how many other friends have you made?

Do you think Freya has gone back to her mother?

Week 1 Wednesday Grammar 1

What would they ask?

Write questions in the speech bubbles that Freya and Eliza might ask each other? What answers might they give? Practise saying them. Use present perfect form.

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Freya, have you ever...

Eliza, have you ever...

Week 1 Wednesday Grammar 1

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Selkies are mythological creatures. Selkies are said to live as seals in the sea but shed their skin to become human on land.

Male selkies appear in folktales, but female selkies are more common. If a man steals a female selkie's skin she will become his wife. Female selkies are said to make excellent wives, but because their true home is the sea, they will often be seen gazing longingly at the ocean. If she finds her skin she will immediately return to her true home in the sea.

Retrieved and adapted from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selkie 17/12/2016

Week 1 Friday Spoken language 2 / Grammar 3

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Text Extract 1

Questions to Discuss

1) What signs were there that it was time for the sea-woman to return to the sea?

2) What time of year did she leave?

3) What does the verb ‘plunged’ tell you about how she entered the water?

4) How did Ewan feel once she had left? Give examples to explain your thinking.

5) What features of myths/legends can you spot in this extract?

Week 2 Monday Comprehension 3

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Text Extract 2

Questions to Discuss

1) What powerful verbs and adjectives can you spot?

2) Why is Ffion both happy and sad when she sees Morlo?

3) What might Ffion be thinking as she climbs the steep path home?

4) Both stories have loss as a theme. What and who is lost in each?

5) Do the stories end happily? Explain your thinking.

Week 2 Monday Comprehension 3

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A Village by the Sea – the setting for ‘The Seal Children’ by Jackie Morris

Maes y Mynydd is the setting for the village in The Seal Children. This ruined village lies behind a high ridge of rock to the north of St David’s in west Wales.

Once it was a small but busy community, with upwards of thirteen cottages. The people who lived there were fishermen and farmers, the cottages tied to the rich farms over the hill. In the later years of the life of the village the people who lived there were thought to be Quakers, escaping from religious intolerance on the other side of the hill.

Life for the villagers was little more than slavery, with even small children working hard in the fields. The villagers kept their fishing boats in a sheltered cove called The Gessel, and as late as the 1940's it was possible to descend a steep path to the cove where iron rings that the boats would have been fastened to could still be seen rusting in the rock face. The path has long since fallen away and now only seals and oystercatchers are seen on the beach.

In the 1890's there were only 6 people left in the village, all over the age of 60. All the other people had left for what they believed would be a better life in the towns, working in the coal mines. These six old people lived in a place with no roads, no electricity, they drew their water from a well and the nearest small town was 3 miles away. By the turn of the century the village was empty and, after that, the houses were occasionally used by travelling workers. Stones were taken away, roofs fell in, and now all that remains are the echoes of past lives carried on the wind and the bones of a few cottages.

The fields worked by the people are still farmed, and the walls surrounding the small gardens of the houses can still be seen. Stonecrop and moss grow on the walls and birds and mice wander the ruins. In one of the cottages the chimney can still be seen, with it held up by a rotten piece of wood for a lintel, a piece of wood that may well have come ashore as driftwood centuries ago. When this breaks the chimney will fall.

A hawthorn tree grows from a window. In spring, it is covered with white blossom like sea spray before the wind catches it and blows the tree bare. Buzzards call a mournful mew, and if you listen carefully you can catch the song of the seal on the wind.

Retrieved from: http://www.jackiemorris.co.uk/village.htm 18/12/2016

© Original plan copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users. Y4 Spr F1 Myths & Legends. We refer you to our warning, at the foot of the plan, about links to other websites.

Week 2 Monday Comprehension 3

Write a paragraph describing the scene from the illustration

Try to use powerful imagery, and make your writing sound like the language in the book! Can you use some of the words or phrases you magpied?How would you describe the sea? The Moon? And the feelings of the children at this point?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

*To magpie – a term coined by Pie Corbett: to take good words and use them in your own writing.

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Week 2 Tuesday Spoken Language 3/ Composition 1

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Legendary Language

What examples of story language can you think of?

For

example,

The bold knight made a solemn oath to rid the land of sorrow. He would seek the foul fiend that dwelt at the edge of the kingdom and challenge his foe to a fight to the death. All the folk would rejoice when he returned on his steed, having ended their plight.

Week 2 Composition Resource – Provide for chn or use for adult reference

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Everyday Modern Language Legendary Story Language

liveplace

countrypeopleanimalhouseenemy

special mealsailor

act/actionsadness

celebratelook forprettybrave

promisehorse

problemsoldier

dwellland

kingdomfolk

beastcottage

foefeast

seafarerdeed

sorrowrejoice

seekfairboldoathsteedplightknight

Rewrite this paragraph from Beowulf’s point of view.Remember to change the pronouns from third person to first person!

So Beowulf went to his bed, and his men too, but in truth

they slept only fitfully, for there was not one of them, not

Beowulf himself even, who could be certain of how the night

would end, whether any of them would ever again see the

light of dawn. They all knew well enough how many brave

Danes this Grendel creature had dragged lifeless and

bleeding from Heorot, how unlikely it was that some, or all of

them, would ever see their hearth and home. In silent prayer,

each of them placed his life in the hands of his Almighty

Maker who had from the very beginning ruled supreme in all

the affairs of men.

Week 2 Wednesday Grammar 4/ Transcription 1

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First person pronouns (singular) I me my (plural) we our us

Third person pronouns (singular) he she it his her (plural) they their them

Week 2 Wednesday Grammar 4/ Transcription 1

© Original plan copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users. Y4 Spr F1 Myths & Legends. We refer you to our warning, at the foot of the plan, about links to other websites.

Beowulf: A Viking legend

Most legends contain all or most of the features listed below. Can you identify the characters, events and themes in Beowulf that make it a legend? Complete the table below!

Feature Y/N How does this happen in Beowulf?

Story has a basis in truth (different to myths)

Includes brave or heroic characters

Includes mythical creatures or magical objects

Characters may have magical or superhuman powers

The story features battles, journeys or struggles

Good usually triumphs over evil

The storytelling language makes it feel different from everyday

Week 2 Thursday Comprehension 4

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Write the opening passage of a legend of your own. Use the structure of the opening of ‘The Seal Children’ to write your

own opening paragraph.

Remember to:

- Use a real place (e.g. a hidden valley in Yorkshire)- Use the ‘rule of three’ - Use story language. It may be useful to use a thesaurus for this!- Use perfect form to express something that still affects your

setting today (It has seen…)

Begin: There is a place.....where...........

Describe the landscape where your legend takes place, remembering to use commas to separate clauses.Describe what can be seen, heard, even smelled on the air! In your last sentence, hint at something relating to the mythical creature that you have created to star in your story!

When you have finished, ask a partner to read your passage and comment on whether you have used the tips above in your opening passage!

Week 3 Monday Composition 3 / Spoken Language 4/Grammar 6

© Original plan copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users. Y4 Spr F1 Myths & Legends. We refer you to our warning, at the foot of the plan, about links to other websites.