Long ago in China there was a power seeking dragon named Kung Kung. He was very large and ferocious and had a gigantic horn sticking out of his head. His wish was to take away the power of the Emperor, who was the head of the country, and to be ruler over all of the land. For this reason Kung Kung waged a fierce and bloody war against the Emperor.
In the end, the Emperor was more clever than Kung Kung and, although he was not killed, Kung Kung lost the war. This, of course, made Kung Kung absolutely furious and he angrily tried to destroy the whole world by tearing down the sky. He went high up to the mountain tops, using his huge horn to lift and rip apart the mountains which, as everyone knew in ancient China, were what held up the sky.
Kung Kung did much damage, but he was unable to destroy the entire world because his war against the Emperor had left him too weak. Even so, in his destructive rampage, he had lifted one mountain so high that a huge hole had been torn into the sky. In this hole there came to live a flaming red dragon which some believed to be the angry spirit of Kung Kung. When the dragon opened his eyes it was daylight. Night came to earth when the dragon closed them again. The dragon's breathing caused the winds to blow. Cold winter winds came when the dragon breathed out, and the warm winds of summer came as he breathed in. When the dragon stopped breathing altogether, there would be no winds or rain And so it was the anger of Kung Kung that caused the weather on earth.
THINK ABOUT IT
What makes a myth? Think about other myths you have read. Reread How Kung Kung Caused the Weather and identify some ingredients that are needed to create a myth. Also think about why ancient people had the need to create myths in the first place. Write your ideas below. Be prepared to see how many of your classmates came up with similar ideas. After describing what elements make up a myth, you should create your own myth
What Makes a Myth?