Hello!
Today I started with my 5 a day. Need to practice my long division and so does my Mum. I also then went on to do my Sumdog challenge, but it was using words I’d never heard before. My mum then came and read it and decided she will research tonight and we will have a bash again tomorrow once she knows how to explain it. I then read the graphic novel of MacBeth on Epic to prepare for my task tomorrow. I’m going to write the text discussion.
I’ve then spent a lot of time researching Polar Bears in Myth and Folklore. I decided to write out some of the information I discovered.
Polar Bear Folklore and Myths
Polar bears feature a lot in Inuit myth and folklore.
Many tales and legends tell of the great, white bear, who wanders the Arctic realm.
In many legends the polar bear is seen as a kind of skin walker or shapeshifter that changes from a bear into a man at certain times of the day or when they enter their winter dens. Some reference this as a curse and the bear has to convince a girl to live with them for a year to break the curse. Others see this as a blessing. It is believed this came from the way polar bears would often walk on their back legs in a human like manner.
In Inuit religion there was tales of a polar bear called Nanook. It was believed Nanook was who decided whether their hunting trips for bears would be successful or not. When the Inuits killed a polar bear they treated the polar bear skins as a sacred object, placing them in a special part of their igloo. They offered the skins tools and objects as they believed the bear had wanted to be killed to gain these objects to take into the afterlife. They believed that if they treated the skin well the bear would tell other polar bears this person was a great hunter and person, so they should allow themselves to be killed by them.
According to Inuit tradition it was the Polar bear that taught humans how to hunt seals. The Polar bears are greatly respected for the symbol of strength and courage. Inuit shamans would often call on the spirit of the polar bear.
Lastly this is my picture a day…although it is a video. Lettuce decided she was a bit grumpy. Female mantis can be a bit dramatic sometimes. I took the video to show my mum, but it shows how beautiful all her colours are so I thought I’d share it here 🙂
Bye for now
Hi Cleo,
You are right, Lettuce’s wings are pretty. I had not realised they were so colourful. I also had not really thought about how much character they have! Thanks for sharing the video. You are teaching us a lot about mantis!
I think your Mum is being very sensible, sometimes we all need a bit of time to remind ourselves how to do things if we haven’t done it for a while!
The Polar Bear myths and legends was very interesting, well done, Cleo.
I probably need to practise my long division too – it’s not always easy to remember what to do if you haven’t done it for a while. You have done a lot of research into the myths and legends surrounding polar bears – well done Cleo. Your mantis is beautiful – her colours are amazing and she is demonstrating the wing display you talked about previously.
Hello Cleo
Inuit folklore is very interesting! I’m now looking at polar bears with a set of new eyes. Certainly learned a lot from your presentation. Job well done.
Hello Cleo
Inuit folklore is very interesting! I’m now looking at polar bears with a set of new eyes. Certainly learned a lot from your presentation. well done.
Hi Cleo
Your praying mantises wings are beautiful Cleo