Classical Mythology

Overview

Course No. 243
Professor Elizabeth Vandiver guides you through the fascinating world of Greek and Roman mythology in this digitally remastered course. You’ll explore:

• Creation myths from Hesiod’s Theogony to Ovid’s Metamorphoses
• The Olympian gods and their complex relationships
• Heroic tales including Theseus, Hercules, and the Trojan War
• Psychological and structuralist interpretations of myths
• The transition from oral tradition to literary works

Discover how these ancient stories continue to shape our understanding of culture, psychology, and the human experience.

Video Lessons

1. Introduction (31 min)
   Defining key terms and outlining challenges in studying classical mythology.
2. What Is Myth? (31 min)
   Examining influential theories about myth’s origin and function.
3. Why Is Myth? (30 min)
   Exploring psychological and structuralist approaches to mythology.
4. “First Was Chaos” (31 min)
   Comparing creation stories in Hesiod and Ovid.
5. Reign of the Olympians (31 min)
   Analyzing Zeus’s rise to power and his divine justice.
6. Immortals and Mortals (31 min)
   Studying Prometheus, Pandora, and the Greek view of society.
7. Demeter & Persephone (31 min)
   Understanding this famous myth of death and rebirth.
8. Eleusinian Mysteries (31 min)
   Investigating ancient Greek views of the afterlife.
9. Apollo & Artemis (30 min)
   Contrasting these twin deities of reason and wildness.
10. Hermes & Dionysos (31 min)
    Examining gods of boundaries and ecstasy.
11. Aphrodite (31 min)
    Exploring Greek and Roman concepts of love and desire.
12. Cultural Origins (32 min)
    Tracing Mesopotamian, Minoan, and Mycenaean influences.
13. Humans & Heroes (31 min)
    Comparing Hesiod’s and Ovid’s accounts of humanity.
14. Theseus (31 min)
    Following the Athenian hero through his legendary trials.
15. Myth to History (30 min)
    Interpreting the Minotaur story through multiple lenses.
16. Hercules (31 min)
    Analyzing the contradictions in Greece’s greatest hero.
17. Trojan War (31 min)
    Understanding this pivotal event in Greek mythology.
18. House of Atreus (31 min)
    Unraveling this dark tale of family curses.
19. Blood Vengeance (32 min)
    Examining Aeschylus’s dramatic treatment of justice.
20. Oedipus (31 min)
    Revisiting Freud’s and Lévi-Strauss’s interpretations.
21. Monstrous Females (32 min)
    Analyzing Amazons, Medea, and male anxieties.
22. Roman Foundations (30 min)
    Comparing Greek borrowings with native Roman myths.
23. “Gods Are Useful” (31 min)
    Understanding Ovid’s literary and ironic approach.
24. Ovid’s Legacy (30 min)
    Tracing mythology’s influence through modern culture.