We will try to answer the question "What is mythology?" by looking closely at the mythological world created by the ancient Greek imagination. We will also study Norse mythology, for comparative purposes, and some parallel myths from other cultures, including what we decide are current myths from our contemporary culture. Since all cultures create myths, we assume there is a universal need for them, and we will consider various theories that seek to explain why people create mythologies.

Prof. Joseph Russo                                                                 Office: 8 Hall

jrusso@haverford.edu                                                             tel: 610-896-1052 

Date                 Topic                                                                                       Readings

1/17                 Introduction: about this course

1/24                 Creation; Structure of the Cosmos; Titans                   H 12-16, 61-90 (103)

                        and Olympians; Male & Female Principles                 CM 61-73, 91-94

1/31                 Prometheus, Pandora and the “Woman Problem”                   H 23-29

                        Myth of the Five Ages;  Aphrodite                          CM 15-51; HH 123-141

2/7                   Younger Olympians:Apollo, Artemis,                                    HH 59-122

Hermes, Athena                                                                      CM s.v.

2/14                 Demeter and Persephone; Eleusinian                      HH 29-58, CM s. v.

            Mysteries; The Mother Goddess                     & index, X, (Burkert, Martin)

2/21                 Norse Cosmos, from Creation to Destruction               NE 9-38, 190-223, X

                             (Ginnungap to Ragnarok)

2/28                 Stories of Odin, Thor, Loki, Frey and Freya                 NE 39-127, 176-189

2/30                 MID-TERM PAPER DUE:  TOPIC # 1

[3/14]              NO CLASS

3/21                 Hero Myths: Herakles, Perseus, Jason, Theseus             CM s.v. ,  (Martin)

                        Question: What are the Heroine Myths?

3/24:   4:30 lecture by Bill Hansen, author of CM

3/28                 The Oedipus Myth; Film of Oedipus the King                  CM s.v., (Martin)

4/4                   Dionysos; The Trickster: A Universal Archetype?                 CM s.v., X     

4/11                 The Orpheus Myth and Maenads                                            CM s.v.                                   Orpheus on Film

4/18                 Myths from today’s world;  Class Presentations

                        (Start working on your final paper!)

4/25                 More Presentations

                        (Keep working on your final paper!)

4/28                 FINAL PAPER DUE: TOPIC # 2

      NO EXTENSIONS, NO EXCEPTIONS

Course Texts

CM=William Hansen, Classical Mythology

H=Hesiod, Works and Days and Theogony (tr.Lombardo)

HH=Homeric Hymns (tr. Shelmerdine)

NE=Hilda R. Davidson, Gods and Myths of Northern Europe

X=xerox handouts

To Consult (On Reserve)

Walter Burkert, Greek Religion

Richard Martin, Myths of the Ancient Greeks

E.O.G. Turville-Petre, Myth and Religion of the North

Paul Radin, The Trickster

Further References: Feel free to browse the Library shelves for books relating to our topics, and let me know (e-mail, or in class) what interesting things you are finding. Myth study has prompted many amateur, eccentric, and unreliable writings, so be careful. Books published by genuine scholars and university presses are safest to use. Information from websites may be unreliable and should be double-checked against what you find in reputable books.

Class rules and expectations

            I take weekly attendance. Missing a class means missing a full week of work, so you are expected to attend all meetings. The only excused absences are medically verifiable ones. More than two unexcused absences lowers your grade, more than three is an automatic failure. You should arrive in class having done all the assigned readings and prepared to talk about them. Please keep a class notebook where you write down your reactions to the readings--whatever strikes you as needing more explanation, or provokes a strong reaction or curiosity, or just plain don’t make sense. I am especially interested in what you think is really weird or really wonderful (not mutually exclusive qualities).

            PAPER TOPICS are: Topic # 1,  something you want to explore further or comment on or analyze in either Greek mythology, or in Norse mythology, or an interesting combination of parallels and differences between Greek and Norse myth. Topic # 2 will come from either (a) the readings beginning 3/21, or (b)  a mythology we have not studied, or  (c) the contemporary mythology of our own society.

            At the last two class meetings, I’d like a few people to give oral presentations on their paper-in progress. If the presentation is substantial--e.g. uses visuals, or charts, or handouts, etc.-- it can count as your final paper and you can simply submit a short outline of what you presented.