7-1-I-Search-Paulina

= Mythical Creatures = by Paulina media type="custom" key="806093"

**Introduction**
Since childhood, I have been fascinated by the mythical world. Lectures and exhibits on the subject have intensified my curiosity for the "weird: world. An exhibit shown in the Museum of Natural History presents an interesting and unexpected perspective on how the ideas of these fantasy figures were created. Throughout the entier exhibit, bones of past and excite animals appeared in every corner. According to the research conducted by the museum, past human beings mistook bones they were unfamiliar with for mythical creatures, thus the birth of the idea of fantastical worlds! However, that is not where my wondering ended, I seemed to have the answer but there were many more creatures that their "bones" were not shown or mentioned. Where did the other animals come from? I sometimes wonder is there a world outside of our own containing these beings and if not how did these unknown beings become known? While answering the question, are mythical creatures real some argue yes, that seeing is not always believing, and some argue no, we have never caught a glimpse of this magnificent creatures therefore they don't exist. By looking at the closely at the argument made, other questions arise. One of those questions are, if mythical creatures aren't real, are there ideas based on actual mistaken events or conjured by human imagination. Or, in other words are these fantastical creatures created by human mind or an "explanation" to odd events. Yes, there have been cases in which photographs have been taken and appear to be a mythical animal, however how do we know that the person taking the picture knew the actual animal but just wanted to receive some attention? This theory might seem far fetched one can underestimate the reasoning of a human-being. To find the answer to this wondering, we need to look at aspects of the past, situations and fossils, how did they develop this idea?

**Search**
On my investigation to answer the question, were mythical creatures based on truth or conjured by human imagination and are they real, I stumbled upon a website that intrigues me. On the site named Mythical creatures on display at Field Museum, there was a picture of a fish that appeared to have the head and arms of a human but the body of a fish. "Wow", I said to myself, "so is this were the idea came from?". As I kept reading the information provided, my understanding of the origin of the unknown creatures only shrunk. According to the article, there were actual recollections and evidence (such as the picture) of mythical creatures, implieing that they actually existed and the idea came from real events. On the other hand, later on in the article it says that a bone that appeared in Greek times, appeared to have one eye socket (one gawping hole) however, it just was the socket that held the trunk of an elephant. Did the ideas come from actual seeings or mistaken bones? The article left me with more questions than answers. After leaving that site terribly disappointed I then went on and searched for general facts about mythical creatures, hoping that more knowledge about them would get me closer to the answer. I then visited the site of wikipedia on mythical creatures. A list of each fantastical being lay there for everyone to see. I was astonished at how many there were, they didn't give a definite number but I could presume that there were about 200 (or exactly 28 clicks from the top to arrive at the bottom of the list). Then i got even more stumped. "How could so many mythical creatures either been seen or have a bone that looks like it?" I asked myself. Then again, the human could have always made up the fantasy for attention, but that many? And how did that picture on the previous site mean? My head was zooming with questions that I couldn't answer. Did anyone know the origin of the mythical creature. Then I thought and looked up the types of jobs that involve mythological creatures. The occupation "folklorist" popped up everywhere. Maybe if I talked to a folklorist i could find out the various or distinct origins of these unknown beings.

Before interviewing a folklorist, I wanted to make sure i was fully informed with past "encounters" with mythical creatures and keep track of the many birth places of the animals. After surfing the Internet for a couple of minutes, I stumble upon a page that astonishes me! They have footage of an actual giant squid getting caught in Japan! After reading the article and watching the video provided on MSNBC, I sat, jaw dropped. Maybe mythical creatures do exists and this is one lucky and ground-breaking encounter with one! If if can be labed as a fantastical creature then this could answer my question, the story is truly fascinating! According to MSNBC, this incident was the first time a giant squid capture was caught on tape, the female squid fell short of the usual length, which is usually around 60 feet (the squid was not fully grown at the moment). Now, knowing where this sea creature can be found, scientists are excited to conduct more studies on this giant animal. Well, thats one encounter with a mythical creature, but is that it? "I need to find more encounters!", I said to myself, "to actually find out if there are mythical animals". After another painstacking 20 mintues surfing the 'net" for other encounters, I thougth enough is enough. I wasnt able to locate a desitnt website the specifically told me about searching for the fantastical animal. I put everything aside and paid another visit to my local libary. However, funny enough this visits actually was worth the trip. Laying on the shelf of the libary is the perfect book for me, called Mythical Creatures. The name said it all so I picked it up and borrowed it! According to the Book Mythical Creatures, there have been several sightings of mythical creautres, however none of those seeings (captured on film and now seen on picture) were confirmed with human interaction with the animal. Big Foot and the Louchnews Monster have been photographed, but could just be a trick of the human eye. The objects that we believe to be hidden fantastical creautres, could be large trees or other animals posing/looking like the animals we have in our minds. There is no way to know for sure. These pictures could be little black blobbs of other everyday animals that happen to take shape of the unkown creatures. Or are they really the mutated animals we have been looking for? With these to debats in my mind, I went on reading, In the length of a few pages my main question was answered. One whole page was deticated to the origin of mythical cretures. Upon seeing the title I ran up to my room, ploobed on my bed and started to read. Basically what is going to be said, mixed with a few of my findings and thoughts is the answer to the essential question, are mythical creatures based on truth or conjured by human imagination? Mythical creautres were created by human imagination, made and modified by the figures in thier religon. There have been many similarites between the egyption religon and other fantatical creautres. However, there are some doubts to this throey. How do you explain the finding of the giant squid by the Japanese? I guess we will never know for sure, but for now the answer that makes sense is that they came from human imagintion.

Even though I was sure I had the answer to my question, there was no doubt in my mind that I was well informed to now interview a true Folklorist. On the search of a Folk i turned to my teacher of technology, at BSGE, to put me in touch with a person speacilized in the area. Turns out, Dr. Brownstone was a Folklorist herself. Questions pooped into my head. Why did she have to careers and how did she manage them together.  " How did you get interested in the carreor of being a folklorist?", I asked her. "  I didn’t think of it as a career, in fact, I had never heard of a profession such as folklorist. I had been working in the theater for around 13 years after college and had become more and more interested in indigenous performances rather than staged events," she responded. Managing to tell me that she now aquired her "  Master’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies that combined: folklore, anthropology and American history".  "Wow" she must be very smart in mythical creautres. but what to do you study and how? I soon learned. "  For a long time, folklorists only studied stories. They tried to trace the path a story would take over time and through various geographical regions. They would study the various motifs in tales and document how the stories changed over time and through regional areas. Folklorists also studied folk motifs in literature. They numbered the motifs by a complex numbering system. But at the time I studied folklore, the field was changing to more interest in living people and how the used creativity in their everyday lives. Folklorists now are mostly interested in performance—how something is currently in use. Living traditions." They study various aspects of the history and curent condition of  mythicl creautres now and days. I concluded by asking, "  The origin of mythical creatures is unknown, however do you have an idea as to where they orginated," i asked. she responeded, "  he origin of mythical creatures is from the human desire to understand that which is unfathomable. We create stories and images to help us understand those phenomena that science cannot yet explain. Mythology is associated with religious beliefs, usually stories of origins".

**Conclusion**
Throughout the whole proccess of writing this paper, I have learned multiple things I didnt even intend on learning about. I am now fasinated even more about the fnatastical creatures adn beings that might excist in our world without our consent. Ther is an endles amount of knowlodge that can be gained from this subject and i intend to discover them. I had an excellent experinece exploring this area of animals and i hope ot learn more!

=Works Cited=

1) Cumming. "Mythical Creatures on Display At Field Museum." __Mythical Creatures & Beasts Wiki__. 27 Apr. 2008. 3 Apr. 2008 <[|http://www.mythicalcreaturesguide.com/page/Mythical+creatures+on+display+at+Field+Museum?t______>.]

2) Associated Press. "Japan Researchers Film Live Giant Squid." __MSNBC__. 22 Dec. 2006. 13 Apr. 2008 <[|http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16322895/%3E.>.] __"List of Legendary Creatures."__ Wikipedia the Free Encyclopdia. 13 Apr. 2008. 10 Apr. 2008 <[|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_legendary_creatures>.]

3) "Lost of Legendary Creatures." __Wikipedia the Free Encyclopdia__. 10 Apr. 2008. 13 Apr. 2008 <[|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_legendary_creatures%3E.>.]

4) Madeline Brownstone Tachnology Teacher at BSGE and Folkloritst