These 24 lectures are a vibrant introduction to the primary characters and most important stories of classical Greek and Roman mythology. Among those you'll investigate are the accounts of the creation of the world in Hesiod's Theogony and Ovid's Metamorphoses ; the gods Zeus, Apollo, Demeter, Persephone, Hermes, Dionysos, and Aphrodite; the Greek heroes, Theseus and Heracles (Hercules in the Roman version); and the most famous of all classical myths, the Trojan War. Professor 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'll also consider the relationship between mythology and culture (such as the implications of the myth of Demeter, Persephone, and Hades for the Greek view of life, death, and marriage), the origins of classical mythology (including the similarities between the Theogony and Mesopotamian creation myths), and the dangers of probing for distant origins (for example, there's little evidence that a prehistoric "mother goddess" lies at the heart of mythology). Taking you from the surprising "truths" about the Minotaur to Ovid's impact on the works of William Shakespeare, these lectures make classical mythology fresh, absorbing, and often surprising. Disclaimer: Please note that this recording may include references to supplemental texts or print references that are not essential to the program and not supplied with your purchase.

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