Great courses (DVD). Literature & language

Lecturers: Professor Kathryn McClymond (Ancient Europe, The Middle East, and South Asia), Georgia State University ; Julius H. Bailey (Africa), University of Redlands ; Robert André LaFleur (Asia and the Pacific), Beloit College ; Grant L. Voth (The Americas), Monterey Peninsula College

The deep-seated origins and wide-reaching lessons of ancient myths built the foundation for our modern legacies. Explore the mythologies of Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Learn what makes these stories so important, distinctive, and able to withstand the test of time. Discover how, despite geographical implausibilities, many myths from across the oceans share themes, morals, and archetypes

Rated TVPG

Mode of access: World Wide Web

Episode 1

The Titans in Greek Mythology

Episode 2

Complex Goddesses: Athena, Aphrodite, Hera

Episode 3

Gods and Humanity in Greek Thought

Episode 4

Herakles and the Greek Hero

Episode 5

Odysseus, Master of Schemes

Episode 6

The Golden Fleece and the Hero's Return

Episode 7

Romulus, Remus, and Rome's Origins

Episode 8

Roman Heroes and Traitors

Episode 9

The Mother Goddess in Rome and Beyond

Episode 10

The Dagda's Harp and Other Celtic Myths

Episode 11

Norse Tales of Odin and Thor

Episode 12

Hammers, Rings, and Other Norse Magic

Episode 13

The World's Oldest Myth: Gilgamesh

Episode 14

The Babylonian Creation Story

Episode 15

Chaos and Order in Egypt

Episode 16

Horus, Osiris, and Ra

Episode 17

Myths of the Pharaohs

Episode 18

The Book of Job

Episode 19

The Great Indian Epics

Episode 20

The Bhagavad Gita

Episode 21

Stories of the Buddha

Episode 22

Persia's Book of Kings

Episode 23

One Thousand and One Nights

Episode 24

Tales of Flood and Fire

Episode 25

The Beauty of African Mythology

Episode 26

African Creation Stories

Episode 27

African Religious Cosmology

Episode 28

Tricksters of Africa

Episode 29

Africa's Gods and Humanity

Episode 30

Close Encounters with African Divinities

Episode 31

Culture Heroes of African Myth

Episode 32

The African Morality Tale

Episode 33

The Dausi and African Epics

Episode 34

The Epic of Bakaridjan Kone

Episode 35

Death and the Afterlife in African Myth

Episode 36

African Heroes in the Underworld

Episode 37

Culture and Cosmos in Chinese Mythology

Episode 38

Chinese Heroes, Kings, and Destroyers

Episode 39

Peasant Folktales and Chinese Scholarship

Episode 40

Spirits and Syncretism in Korean Myth

Episode 41

Korea's Warring Kingdoms and Flying Dragons

Episode 42

Japanese Tales of Purity and Defilement

Episode 43

Gods, Rice, and the Japanese State

Episode 44

Nature Gods and Tricksters of Polynesia

Episode 45

Creation and Misbehavior in Micronesia

Episode 46

Melanesian Myths of Life and Cannibalism

Episode 47

Origins in Indonesia and the Philippines

Episode 48

Aboriginal and Colonial Myths of Australia

Episode 49

Nature in Native American Myth

Episode 50

Inuit and Northern Forest Mythology

Episode 51

Tales and Rituals of the Iroquois League

Episode 52

Southeast Amerindian Origin Stories

Episode 53

Mythology of the Plains Peoples

Episode 54

Amerindian Tales from the Northwest

Episode 55

The Navajo Emergence Myth

Episode 56

Stories of the Pueblo

Episode 57

Native American Tricksters

Episode 58

The Maya and the Popol Vuh

Episode 59

Aztec Myth Meets Hernán Cortés

Episode 60

Inca Myth as Imperial Mandate