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[Dino and Coop singing]

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So what do we really know about mythology? [Girl reading a book about mythology]

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Well, we know that it's probably full of myths, because, well, it’s right there in the word.

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But what’s a myth?

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Well, it's sort of like a story. [Coop pointing at a blackboard]

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Except a story can be about anything you could ever imagine, like a cotton candy breathing

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dragon…mmm…terrifying and delicious. [Guy looks excited]

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Myths, on the other hand, specifically try and teach us about nature, history, the origins [Dino pointing at a blackboard]

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of Earth, and the beings that live on it.

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Which unfortunately means, there's no myth about a cotton candy breathing dragon.

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Bummer.

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So let's check out an example.

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Take Hades, the God of the Underworld in Greek Mythology. [Pictures of Hades covered in flames]

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Now Hades, as you can probably imagine given that he's…y'know…the

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God of the Underworld, wasn't exactly the most pleasant guy to be around. [Hades talking about hate in a pit of fire]

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So when he took a wife – and we mean that literally, he literally kidnapped her – she

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wasn't all too happy about the arrangement.

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We're guessing she made Hades sleep on the couch. [Hades lying on the couch looking unhappy]

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Anyway, his wife was Persephone, a daughter of Zeus. [Dino pointing at a blackboard]

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And if you thought Hades being the God of the Underworld was fancy, guess what?

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Zeus is the King of the Gods. [Zeus stood in a cloud]

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Seriously, check his business card. [Zeus holding up his business card]

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…Okay, just kidding, Zeus didn't have business cards, but he was a big deal. [Stop sign appears]

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So back to our myth.

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Persephone was so torn up about the whole “being forced to marry the god of the underworld” [Persephone crying]

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thing, she refused to eat.

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Well…almost. [Persephone walks away from Hades at a restaurant]

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She ate a single pomegranate seed.

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We like to eat ice cream when we're sad, but hey, whatever works. [Girl sat on couch next to a big pile of empty ice cream containers]

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But then, Hermes, Persephone's brother, came to rescue her.

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So they left together, and all was merry and bright! [Hermes carries Persephone away]

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Well…almost.

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Since she ate that one seed, Persephone was forced to return to the underworld every year

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for six months.

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Lousy deal, huh? [Persephone going back to Hades]

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And so, whenever Persephone returns to the underworld, the season changes to winter…

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….and when Persephone is away from the evil Hades and his miserable abode, the season

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changes to summer.

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So that’s the myth!

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But what does it explain about the world?

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Well, what parts of this myth remind us of the world we know today? [Girl sat on a couch with ice cream around her mouth]

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Probably the part about winter and summer, right?

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So this myth explains….drum roll please…why there are different seasons! [Coop pointing at a blackboard]

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When Persephone is forced to go to the underworld for six months, it’s all dark and sad, so

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the whole Earth gets all dark and sad.

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But when she returns and escapes from that misery, winter ends and the world is full

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of warmth and light again.

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Okay, so this isn’t exactly the most scientific explanation for why we have seasons, [Unscientific stamp]

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but that's okay.

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Each mythology has its own unique and interesting explanations for how the world works, and

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there's something to learn from all of them.

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And next time, Persephone?

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Stick to ice cream. [Persephone looking happy as she eats ice cream]

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