Sun. March 22

Last call!

One of the most inspirational books I ever read was Carl Sagan's "The Demon Haunted World," which looked back through history and exhumed the phantasmagorical creations humans made to try and explain the inexplicable. The Roman gods, the various monsters and witches, the roots of religion. You could say he took a more scientific, yet populist, approach to some of the things Bill Maher does now. The Museum of Science is looking at some of those creatures in an exhibit called "Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids," and today Sunday March 22 is the days it's up. To the best of our knowledge, it does not have an exhibit of, say, "dragon bones" or a "mermaid skeleton, but it does look at the cultural roots of some of those creatures from Asia, Europe, the Americas and beyond. How were those creatures portrayed? Considered? How were they accepted as "reality?" Fascinating questions all, and not all of these things are the province of ancient man. We're still not quite sure about certain UFOs, say. The British are planning on releasing some pretty bizarre files from their archives soon. "Nightline" gave us a recent peak. It reminded me of my early flying saucer experience - for real, yes, but for another time - and made me wonder even more about things that are beyond our comprehension. We like to think nothing is; it simply ain't so.
But at the Mos, they've got what they call both a "captivating and whimsical' exhibition looking at dragons, unicorns and other not-quite-species.The promise eye-popping models, paintings,
and textiles, along with other cultural objects—ranging from shadow puppets to Japanese armor—thatbring to light surprising similarities and differences in the ways people around the world have beeninspired by nature to envision and depict these strange and wonderful creatures.
And, of course, for many centuries, humans have brought mythic creatures to life through stories, music, and worksof art. Today these fabled creatures, which were sometimes inspired by fossils or living animals,continue to delight. Hello, Stephen King!
“Mythic Creatures explores rich, ancient cultures, nature, and folklore from around the world,” says Paul Fontaine, Vice President of Education at Museum of Science. “This fascinating exhibit looks at the relationship between real and imaginary creatures through a comprehensive examination of art, animals, and artifacts.”
Mythic Creatures uses preserved specimens from the American Museum of Natural History and other museums’ collections as well as fossils of prehistoric animals to investigate how they could have—
through misidentification, speculation, fear,orimagination—inspired the invention of legendary creatures. Visitors will discover how narwhal tusks from the North Sea, introduced to continental Europe by Scandinavian traders, lent credence to the centuries-old belief in the unicorn,and how dinosaur fossils uncovered by Scythian nomads may have been mistaken for the remains of griffins, mythical beasts that are depicted as part eagle, part lion. Persistent stories of the sea may have resulted from sightings of strange, but very real marine animals. For example, the sinuous oarfish was often mistakenly identified as a wicked sea serpent. Further, with its large eyes andundulating tentacles, the deep sea dwelling giant squid likely inspired frightening tales of sea monsters. (Hell, yes, these are sea monsters!) Exhibition highlights include: A 120-foot-long Chinese parade dragon, recently used in New York
City’s Chinatown to perform the traditional dragon dance at the Lunar New Year; a “Feejee mermaid,” of the type made famous by showman P. T. Barnum, created by sewing the head and
torso of a monkey to the tail of a fish; and a 10-foot-long unicorn. Hands-on, interactive stations invite visitors to examine casts of a narwhal tusk; build their own dragon; and peruse a library of video interviews with experts. Admission: $19. Hours: Sat. - Thurs. 9-5, Friday 9-9.

Science Park, 617-723-2500 www.mos.org