Cultures across the world have rich traditions of stories, mostly orally transferred from generation to generation, containing fascinating references to local geographies. For a long time, and still often, modern science has largely denied any real knowledge in such stories, relegating them to mere myth. However, some scientists take a closer and more open-minded look at the messages in traditional and sometimes ancient stories.

Perhaps surprisingly to some, many of these stories convey memories of actual geological events, interpreted within a context that made sense to those who witnessed them. For example, the Loch Ness Monster might very well be an interpreted account of observing earthquake effects on the lake’s surface. And what about legends of sunken islands or flooding coastlines? This is what the science of geomythology is after – discovering new knowledge about geological events on Earth from traditional stories and folk tales.

You can learn more by listening to this podcast episode that includes many fascinating examples of legends revealing things about our planet’s history science did not know before. Enjoy!

Keeping up the “Spreading the Word” tradition, I hope to share an insightful and thought-provoking article, podcast episode or video every weekend. Humans have always turned and returned to storytelling to find meaning. My weekends’ “Spreading the Word” posts are an online version of sharing meaningful stories.   

keep exploring and storytelling!

_{Image credit: Image by Alexa Sabarth from Pixabay}