When a volcano erupts it is hard to comprehend the destruction and devastation that may occur with the event. In ancient times when there was no science to explain why a mountain would spew fire, rocks, and ash cultures look for an alternative justification. Many cultures came to the conclusion that the best way to explain such an event was through legends, myths, and stories. The gods and goddesses described in these tales would do things that would create an eruption, such as Pele the Hawaiian goddess of fire living in the island of Hawaii or Vulcan the Italian god of fire having his blacksmith’s workshop below the island of Vulcano. The Maori, Hawaiians, Greeks, Romans, and Native Americans used stories of their gods to explain what they did not understand.
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When an extraordinary event occurs, like a natural disaster the human brain looks for a way to rationalize and justify the event (rationalization, n.d.). In the present day, data that comes from scientific research can usually answer many of those questions and provide a plausible reason for the situation. In terms of volcanic eruptions the data that explains why eruptions take place is very advanced and provides a level of comfort to present day cultures, yet people still struggle to comprehend the phenomena of a mountain exploding and releasing lava. Thousands of years ago when ancient cultures experienced volcanoes there was no science to explain why the eruptions took place, thus the people attempted to explain the events in a different way. People today find themselves looking to God for answers to so-called miracles, and so did the cultures of the past (Vendantam, 2010). At a time when there was no science to explain volcanic eruptions, ancient civilizations like the Maori, Hawaiians, Greeks, Romans, and Native Americans created stories that used their Gods to explain why volcanic eruptions
When an extraordinary event occurs, like a natural disaster the human brain looks for a way to rationalize and justify the event (rationalization, n.d.). In the present day, data that comes from scientific research can usually answer many of those questions and provide a plausible reason for the situation. In terms of volcanic eruptions the data that explains why eruptions take place is very advanced and provides a level of comfort to present day cultures, yet people still struggle to comprehend the phenomena of a mountain exploding and releasing lava. Thousands of years ago when ancient cultures experienced volcanoes there was no science to explain why the eruptions took place, thus the people attempted to explain the events in a different way. People today find themselves looking to God for answers to so-called miracles, and so did the cultures of the past (Vendantam, 2010). At a time when there was no science to explain volcanic eruptions, ancient civilizations like the Maori, Hawaiians, Greeks, Romans, and Native Americans created stories that used their Gods to explain why volcanic eruptions