Written by Elizabeth Vandiver
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 32 Kbps

Professor Elizabeth Vandiver anchors her presentation in some basics. What is a myth? Which societies use myths? What are some of the problems inherent in studying classical mythology? She also discusses the most influential 19th- and 20th-century thinking about myth's nature and function, including the psychological theories of Freud and Jung and the metaphysical approach of Joseph Campbell.

You consider the relationship between mythology and culture. What are the implications of the myth of Demeter, Persephone, and Hades—as recounted in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter—for the Greek view of life and death, marriage and gender roles?

What are the origins of classical mythology? Professor Vandiver examines similarities between the Theogony and Mesopotamian creation myths and considers the possible influences that the prehistoric Greek cultures, the Minoans and Mycenaeans, may have had on classical mythology.

She also cautions you about the dangers of probing for distant origins. For example, there is little evidence, as many today believe, that a prehistoric "mother goddess" lies at the heart of mythology. This notion may simply be wishful thinking—a modern myth about ancient myth.

In addition, Professor Vandiver explores the challenges we face in studying mythology—which is rooted in oral tradition and pre-literate society—through the literary works that recount them. How do we disentangle the original myth from its portrayal in Aeschylus's The Oresteia, or Sophocles's Oedipus the King? The more renowned the author, the more difficult this task becomes.

24 Lectures
30 minutes / lecture

1 Introduction
2 What Is Myth?
3 Why Is Myth?
4 “First Was Chaos”
5 The Reign of the Olympians
6 Immortals and Mortals
7 Demeter, Persephone, and the Conquest of Death
8 The Eleusinian Mysteries and the Afterlife
9 Apollo and Artemis
10 Hermes and Dionysos
11 Laughter-Loving Aphrodite
12 Culture, Prehistory, and the "Great Goddess"
13 Humans, Heroes, and Half-Gods
14 Theseus and the "Test-and-Quest" Myth
15 From Myth to History and Back Again
16 The Greatest Hero of All
17 The Trojan War
18 The Terrible House of Atreus
19 Blood Vengeance, Justice, and the Furies
20 The Tragedies of King Oedipus
21 Monstrous Females and Female Monsters
22 Roman Founders, Roman Fables
23 “Gods Are Useful”
24 From Ovid to the Stars