Mathew followed the mermaid as she hurried down to the sea. Together, Mathew and Morveren slowly sank beneath the waves in each other’s arms. No one ever saw either of them again.
The Aztec people of Mexico worshipped a mythical serpent god named Quetzalcoatl (KET-sull-koh-ah-tull). It had a snake’s body and beautiful green, blue, and red feathers like those of the quetzal bird. Quetzal feathers were on the headdresses of Aztec kings and priests as a symbol of their god.
Aztecs believed that Quetzalcoatl created the universe. He was the god of the wind and the morning star.
Corn was a big part of the Aztec diet. In one story, a huge red ant led Quetzalcoatl to a mountain covered with grains and corn. Quetzalcoatl took the corn to the other gods. They all agreed that it was a good food, and people have been eating it ever since.
Four thousand years ago, the ancient Egyptians made a huge statue of a mythical animal called a sphinx. It has the body of a lion and the head of a person. Experts think the sphinx was there to guard the tombs of Egyptian kings.
The ancient Greeks also had myths about the sphinx. In one story, a sphinx struck terror into the hearts of a Greek town called Thebes. The sphinx said that she would kill all the townspeople unless someone answered her riddle.
The riddle was: What animal has four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening? One man solved it. He said that the answer was a person.
Think about it. Babies crawl on four legs. Adults walk on two legs. And when they get old, they might need a cane, which gives them three legs.
Love learning with Jack and Annie? Then track the facts with your favorite brother-and-sister team in these Magic Tree House® Fact Trackers!
Mary Pope Osborne
is the author of many novels, picture books, story collections, and nonfiction books. Her New York Times number one bestselling Magic Tree House series has been translated into numerous languages around the world. Highly recommended by parents and educators everywhere, the series introduces young readers to different cultures and times in history, as well as to the world’s legacy of ancient myth and storytelling. She and her husband, writer Will Osborne (author of Magic Tree House: The Musical), live in northwestern Connecticut with their three dogs. Ms. Osborne is coauthor of the companion Magic Tree House Fact Trackers with Will and with her sister, Natalie Pope Boyce.
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