TED-Ed
TED-Ed: A tour of the ancient Greek Underworld | Iseult Gillespie
Achilles, just slain in the Trojan War, arrives in the Underworld and is greeted by Sibyl of Cumae— a prophetess and also the realm’s local guide. Though it gets a bad rap, Sibyl is determined to prove to the newcomer that hell is...
Crash Course
Mythical Horses: Crash Course World Mythology #37
Horses have been human companions for thousands of years, and have been essential companions and tools for the development of human culture. So, it makes sense that horses would make their way into our most important stories. Today,...
Crash Course
Crash Course World Mythology Preview
Crash Course Mythology with Mike Rugnetta is here, and we have the preview video to prove it. We'll be uploading Friday afternoons to fulfill all your hunger for foundational cultural stories and whatnot.
Crash Course
Archetypes and Male Divinities: Crash Course World Mythology
This week on Crash Course Mythology, Mike is teaching you about the archetypes that are often associated with male divinities. We're going to talk about Fathers & Sons, Kings & Judges, Saviors & Sages, Shamans, Tricksters, and Lords of...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The myth of Pandora's box - Iseult Gillespie
Pandora was the first mortal woman, breathed into being by Hephaestus, god of fire. The gods gave her gifts of language, craftsmanship and emotion. From Zeus she received two gifts: the trait of curiosity and a heavy box screwed tightly...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The myth of Narcissus and Echo | Iseult Gillespie
One day, Echo was drifting through the woods and fell in love with a handsome young hunter named Narcissus. Cursed by Hera to only repeat the last words spoken by another, Echo was unable to converse with him and was soon cruelly...
Crash Course
Herakles. Or Hercules. A Problematic Hero: Crash Course World Mythology
This week, Mike Rugnetta re-introduces Herakles, the strong man of Greek and Roman myth. Strongman with a darkside, that is. You'll learn about Herakles' 10 actually 12 labors, the story of his birth, his death, some of his marriages,...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The myth of Pegasus and the chimera | Iseult Gillespie
Shielded from the gorgon's stone gaze, Perseus crept through Medusa's cave. When he reached her, he drew his sickle and brought it down on her neck. From Medusa's neck sprung two children. One was a giant wielding a golden sword; the...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The myth of Zeus' test | Iseult Gillespie
It was dark when two mysterious, shrouded figures appeared in a hillside village. The strangers knocked on every door in town, asking for food and shelter. But, again and again, they were turned away. Soon, there was just one door left:...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The myth of Sisyphus - Alex Gendler
Sisyphus was both a clever ruler who made his city prosperous, and a devious tyrant who seduced his niece and killed visitors to show off his power. While his violation of the sacred hospitality tradition greatly angered the gods, it was...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The tragic myth of the Sun God's son | Iseult Gillespie
Every morning, Helios unleashed his golden chariot, and set out across the sky. As the Sun God transformed dawn into day, he thought of his son, Phaethon, below. To prove to Phaethon that he was truly his father, Helios decided to grant...
Crash Course
What Is Myth? Crash Course World Mythology
Welcome to Crash Course World Mythology, our latest adventure (and this series may be literally adventurous) in education. Over the next 40 episodes or so, we and Mike Rugnetta are going to learn about the world by looking at the...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The myth of Prometheus - Iseult Gillespie
Before the creation of humanity, the Greek gods won a great battle against a race of giants called the Titans. Most Titans were destroyed or driven to the eternal hell of Tartarus. But the Titan Prometheus, whose name means foresight,...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Can you solve the riddle and escape Hades? | Dan Finkel
The underworld is overcrowded, and Zeus has ordered Hades to let some spirits out. Hades arranges all the souls of the dead in a line before Cerberus. When one of his three heads bites down on the soul in front of it, they'll get...
Crash Course
The Greeks and Romans - Pantheons Part 3: Crash Course World Mythology
This week, we continue our look at various Pantheons, and Mike digs deep into the gods of the ancient Greeks. We're talking Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Artemis, Hephaestos, Ares, and Apollo. We're also talking Jupiter, Juno, Neptune,...
Wonderscape
The Ancient Olympics: From Religious Ceremony to Legendary Games
This video delves into the origins of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece, which began in 776 BC as a religious ceremony to honor Zeus. It explores the events, the sacred truce, and the olive wreaths given to winners. The ancient games...
Wonderscape
Greek Gods and Goddesses: Myths, Temples, and Beliefs
This video explores the polytheistic beliefs of the ancient Greeks, focusing on their gods and goddesses, such as Zeus, Athena, and Poseidon. It explains how the Greeks built temples to honor the gods, believed they lived above Mount...
Curated Video
The Whacky Papyrus
Historian Richard Janko, University of Michigan, talks about the discovery and recovery of the Derveni Papyrus, the oldest surviving European book, which was found burnt in a funeral pyre and contained a very unorthodox religious text.
Curated Video
Mythology: Pandora
Mr. Griot provides information about the characteristics of mythological stories as he shares the myth "Pandora."
Curated Video
Why Prometheus Risked Everything For Humans
Greek Gods are notorious for petty squabbling, brutal punishments, and meddling in people’s love lives. But in the myth of Prometheus, an immortal makes the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of humankind. A wily Titan who stole fire from...
Curated Video
Gaia: The Mother of Creation
Imagine being the mother to every single living thing. What would you do if one of your children threatened the safety of the others? Would you kill or imprison your progeny to save the world? Gaia would know. As Greek mythology’s...
Curated Video
Persephone: Bringer of Life or Destruction?
In Greek mythology, the magnificent mother and daughter duo Demeter and Persephone were the bringers of food and fair weather and were worshiped in lush harvest celebrations. But their story has a darker side – one involving violence,...
Curated Video
The Fates: Greek Mythology's Most Powerful Deities
In this episode, we examine the Fates - three shadowy figures who seem to have a near omnipresent influence in the goings-on throughout the Greek mythical universe - and who show up in stories and religions from cultures whose time and...
Curated Video
It’s Just a Myth of the Seasons
Mr. Griot defines a myth and discusses the characteristics of and elements contained in a fictional story, specifically how it relates to the myth, Myth of the Seasons.