The creatures of Classical myth have fired the imagination and inspired artists and creators of every sort from the ancient world up to the very modern day. Indeed, Classical mythology is very often what draws people to the Greek and Roman worlds in the first place. The aim of this course is to bring together what previous knowledge students may already have and re-explore it through Classical works and how the Greeks and Romans themselves approached the supernatural and the divine. Prior knowledge is not, however, a requirement.

All 10 sessions (2hrs each) will be held online. Kindly check the table below for specific dates of lessons. All lessons will be running from 6pm till 8pm on the indicated days.

The course fee is €100 (€80 for registered MCA members) payable via ban transfer, Revolut, PayPal or BOV Mobile. To register for the course or to ask for more information, kindly email the MCA on [email protected].

Classical Mythology

3rd July - The Use and Abuse of Classical Mythology Students are to be provided with a basic introduction to the study of myth, focusing upon questions such as “What is myth?”, “How is myth created?” and “Why study myth?”, along with an overview of the etymology and history of the word “myth”. Students are introduced to some basic approaches to the interpretation of myth, using examples from Greek mythology to facilitate the discussion. Students are also introduced to the primary sources available to us with regards to Greek myth.
10th July - The Birth of the Cosmos Mythological narrative: the “Creation” myth and the rise of the Olympian gods. Theoretical Focus: Myth-Ritual Framework. Students are provided with an overview of Creation Myths from world mythology and are encouraged to compare these to the Greek “creation” myth. Students are also provided with a basic overview of “religion” in ancient Greece and the way in which myth interfaces with ritual. Side Quest: Introduction to Gender and Myth in terms of the cosmogony.
17th - The Blessed Gods of Olympus July Mythological narrative: the Olympian Gods – symbols, attributes and (some) myths on each god. Theoretical focus: the myth-history approach. Students are provided with a basic overview of the twelve Olympian gods, along with their symbols and attributes. The discussion on “religion” and cult worship in Greece is expanded. Myths about the individual gods are to be elicited from the students or supplied by the lecturer. Side Quest: students are introduced to the relationship between art (not necessarily from the ancient world) and myth.
24th July - The First Men Mythological Narrative: Prometheus and the First Men, including Pandora, The Ages of Men, the Flood of Deucalion; Hellen and the First Greeks. Theoretical Focus: Aetiological Myth. Side quest: Herodotus and Myth, Myth of Io.
31st July - The Hero's Journey Mythological Narrative: The Myth Perseus of Perseus. Theoretical Focus: Psychoanalytical approach – C. Jung and J. Campbell; the Hero’s Journey. Students are provided with an overview of the “hero” in the ancient world, supplemented by a discussion on the “hero” in the modern world. Students are introduced to the works of Jung and Campbell; these theories are to be applied to the myth of Perseus. Side Quest: the Myth of Sisyphus.
7th August - The Age of Heroes Mythological Narrative: The Myths of Heracles and Theseus. Side Quest: Minor Heroes, e.g. Jason, Bellerophon.
14th August - A Thousand Ships Mythological Narrative: The Trojan War. Students are to be provided with the necessary context to the Trojan War (sources, archaeology, mythological context). Following from previous lessons, the concept of the Homeric Hero is discussed and compared to the Hero-Saviour. Side Quest: The Iliad.
21st August - The Wanderings of Odysseus Mythological Narrative: Fall of Troy, the Nostoi, and the Wanderings of Odysseus. Side Quest: The Odyssey, Neo-Platonist reading of the Odyssey (Porpherius).
28th August - Myth in Tragedy and Philosophy Students are to be provided with an overview of tragedy, its beginnings, and the Poetics of Aristotle, with emphasis on the relationship between myth and tragedy. Side Quest: Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, Euripides’ Medea. Students are to be provided with an overview of the relationship between mythos and logos, as a continuation of the first lecture. Some philosophical approaches to myth are discussed, as a continuation of lecture 8. Side Quest: Plato’s Symposium, Plato’s Euthyphro.
4th September - Myth in the Modern World Students are introduced to the notion of Classical reception and its importance in the study of Classics. Examples of myth in the modern world, primarily from literature and film, are discussed with reference to their effect upon the ancient world and the work in question.