Myths and legends about landforms for kids

In a few weeks I’m starting a unit for my third graders in which we’ll study the science of various landforms (at a very basic level–in our last unit I had multiple students draw rivers than ran around the borders of oceanic islands, so we’ve working on some definitional stuff here). At the same time, we’ll be reading myths and legends about land forms; students will finish the unit by writing their own myth or legend about a specific landform.

What I’m looking for are myths or legends that I can give kids access to. I have some funds for ordering books.

Here’s what would be ideal:
-Specific book titles are better than general myths (I know about the ice-cow that was buddies with Ymir, but I don’t know a picture book about this story, for example).
-Stories from around the world are great: I know about Mt. Atlas, but I don’t know much about stories about African mountains.
-Books that are appropriate for third-graders is an absolute must.
-The landforms we’ll talk about include mountains, volcanoes, valleys, canyons, caves, and islands. Stories that focus on these landforms are perfect.
-If you include a URL where it can be found for sale, you’re the best.

What thoughts do folks have?

D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths

D’Aulaire’s Book of Norse Myths

From Sea to Shining Sea has some Native American stories about creation and illustrations as well.

You can’t go wrong with The Legend Of The Sleeping Bear Dunes and the Manitou Islands.

Paul Bunyan’s tale includes an explanation of the formation of the Rocky Mountains.

The Kojiki includes a description of the creation of the Japanese islands by the gods.

The legend of Devil’s Tower

Maori myths are full of stories like this.

The Fish of Maui based on this book.

The battle of the Mountainsis another good one.

Many Maori place names are records of myths such as this (or even abbreviated retellings of the entire myth).

Indigenous Australians have lots of landscape stories, too. In fact, songlines are the paths that creator spirits take/took over the land, sea and sky, and are the way these stories have been passed on through generations. A very famous one is the Rainbow Serpent.

We used to get the story of Gurangatch and Mirragan from the library all the time. I doubt you can buy it in the US but there is a web version at least.

Specifically for Cape Town, there’s the Cape of Storms-as-Titan legend of Adamastor

and there’s Van Hunks and His Pipe (although Rosetti gets the legend wrong as to who was the victor in the smoking contest)

The Legend of the Parson and the Clerk. (I heard this, and saw the sea stacks in question, when on vacation in the area when I was a boy.)

The Devil’s Punch Bowl.

The Giant’s Causeway.

The Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland was built to facilitate a fight between local boy Finn McCool and Scottish challenger Benandonner,it says here.

And that is why we always preview before posting.

Also the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River, if lakes and rivers count.

Thank you all for the suggestions–I much appreciate them! I’ll take some time this afternoon to go through them and make some purchases.

I read landforms, but immediately thought of this.:slight_smile:

I have no idea if this book is any good - but it claims to be about the legend about the northwest volcanoes and looks to be for that age range (or a little younger).

In The Silmarillion, major transformations in the landscape seem to be an inescapable by-product of clashes between the Valar and Morgoth. Mortals should probably stay the hell away from said clashes.

Mt St Helens

The Devil bit the top off a mountain in Co. Tipperary and now it is the Devil’s Bit. He dropped the piece of mountain and it became theRock Of Cashel.