Why We Begin History with Mythology

When people ask when to start teaching history, they usually expect a date: first grade, second grade, maybe even later. But in our home, we didn’t begin with timelines, maps, or dates. We began with stories — the stories of gods, heroes, monsters, and mortals that shaped how ancient people understood the world.

When This week, Henry and I opened A Child’s Introduction to Greek Mythology by Heather Alexander, and as I read aloud the first chapter, something shifted. His eyes widened at the idea of a world ruled by powerful gods and unpredictable forces. These weren’t just “old stories” — they were the very first human attempts to answer the same questions children still ask today:

• Who made the world?
• Why do storms come?
• What is courage?
• What happens when we die?

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🌿 Why Mythology Comes First

Children live in a world of imagination. Before they are ready for the dry bones of dates and empires, they need the heartbeat of stories. Mythology connects naturally to:

• Fairy tales and fables they already know.
• Art and literature they will encounter later (Homer, Shakespeare, sculpture, constellations).
• Moral imagination, showing choices, consequences, and human struggles.

Instead of treating mythology as “pretend” and history as “real,” we treat mythology as the entry gate to history — the way ancient people themselves made sense of their lives and their world.

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🏛️ The Axis History Path

Here’s the gentle roadmap we’re following in our homeschool:

Stage 1: Story Foundations (Ages 6–8)

• Greek mythology, Norse myths, Egyptian gods, Native American creation stories.
• Living picture books and beautifully illustrated anthologies.
• Focus: wonder, characters, choices, imagination.

Stage 2: Ancient Civilizations (Ages 8–10)

• Greece, Rome, Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, Indus Valley.
• Biographies of key figures (Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra).
• Hands-on projects: timelines, myths retold, simple maps.

Stage 3: Chronological Sweep (Ages 10–12)

• A four-year cycle: Ancient → Medieval → Early Modern → Modern.
• History spines like Story of the World, DK History, Usborne timelines.
• Integrating science discoveries, art, and literature alongside history.

Stage 4: Deeper Analysis (Ages 13+)

• Primary sources (Plutarch, Herodotus, historical documents).
• Debates, essays, projects linking past to present.
• Comparative study: mythology → philosophy → theology.

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🌌 Why This Matters

By beginning with mythology, history becomes more than a list of events. It becomes a human story — full of longing, courage, mistakes, and hope. Isaac isn’t just memorizing facts; he’s walking beside Hercules, listening to Athena, and imagining the choices of mortals who lived thousands of years ago.

Later, when he learns about the rise of Athens or the fall of Troy, it won’t feel abstract. He’ll already know the stories that animated those people. He’ll understand that history is not only about what happened, but about how people understood what was happening.

And that is the heart of Axis: education rooted in story, memory, and meaning.

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