Name: Crash Course: World Mythology
Uploaded: 2017
Description: Crash Course Mythology with Mike Rugnetta is here! We'll be fulfilling all of your hunger for foundational cultural stories and whatnot.

Crash Course Mythology with Mike Rugnetta is here! We'll be fulfilling all of your hunger for foundational cultural stories and whatnot.

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 foundational stories of a bunch of different cultural traditions.

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What Is Myth? Crash Course World Mythology #1

Today on Crash Course Mythology we?re starting in on creation stories. This week, we?ll focus on the creation of the universe out of nothing, or Ex Nihlio creation. Basically, a god decides to make a universe out of nothing.

Creation from the Void: Crash Course World Mythology #2

In which Mike teaches you about the creation of the universe, with sex. This week we're talking about creations stories from Egypt, West Africa, Greece, China, and Persia that have a lot in common with human sexual reproduction.

Cosmic Sexy Time, Eggs, Seeds, and Water: Crash Course World Mythology #3

So, we?re still talking about sex this week, but we?re talking about Earth Mothers and their children. We'll start with Gaia, and her son Kronos, who had a classic childhood rebellion and castrated his father.

Earth Mothers and Rebellious Sons - Creation Part 3: Crash Course World Mythology #4

In which Mike Rugnetta sits you down for a little talk about myth as a way to construct or reinforce social orders. Specifically, we?re going to look today at stories from around the world that establish or amplify the idea that the errors of women have brought bad things into the world.

Social Orders and Creation Stories: Crash Course World Mythology #5

In which Mike Rugnetta brings you the final installation of our unit on creation myths. This week, we're talking about human beings and their relationship to the natural world. It turns out foundational stories have a lot to teach us about the ways in which people relate to the physical world.

Humans and Nature and Creation: Crash Course World Mythology #6

In which Mike Rugnetta begins our unit on pantheons, which are families of gods. We further define pantheons and talk about why they're important. Then, we discuss pantheons from the myths of the ancient Mediterranean, starting with ancient Sumer in Mesopotamia.

Pantheons of the Ancient Mediterranean: Crash Course World Mythology #7

In which Mike Rugnetta continues our unit on pantheons with the complex Indian pantheon, focusing on stories that were written in Sanskrit. We start with a violent creation story. We talk about the concept of Brahman, and the personification as three deities: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.

Indian Pantheons: Crash Course World Mythology #8

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, Pluto, Diana, Vulcan, Mars, and...Apollo.

The Greeks and Romans - Pantheons Part 3: Crash Course World Mythology #9

This week, we're headed north. To check out the gods of the Northmen. Or the Norse. That's right, we're talking Thor, Loki, Freyr, Freya, Odin, Frigg, Baldr, and Tyr. And Fenrir. And the Frost Giants.

The Norse Pantheon: Crash Course World Mythology #10

So, today we?re talking about African Pantheons. Now, you might say, that?s ridiculous. Africa isn?t a single place with a single pantheon, and we?d be fools to try and cover all that in an eleven-minute video. You?d be right.

African Pantheons and the Orishas: Crash Course World Mythology #11

This week, we're talking about theories of Myth. We'll look at the different ways mythology has been studied in the last couple of millennia, and talk about the different ways people have interpreted myth, academically.

Theories of Myth: Crash Course World Mythology #12

This week on Crash Course Mythology, we're talking archetypes. Specifically, we're talking about archetypes as they're applied to female deities. Goddesses, man. You'll learn about prehistoric fertility goddesses like the Venus of Willendorf, life and death goddesses like the Ancient Greek Fates.

Great Goddesses: Crash Course World Mythology #13

This week, we?re continuing our talk about the characteristics of Goddesses, and we?re going to look in-depth at two stories from parts of the world we haven?t visited much in this series so far.

Fire and Buffalo Goddesses: Crash Course World Mythology #14

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 Destruction.

Archetypes and Male Divinities: Crash Course World Mythology #15

This week on Crash Course mythology, Mike is talking to you about floods. You may have heard the story of Noah and the Ark from the Bible, but that is not the only flood story humans tell. Turns out, it's a common thing across cultures.

Noah's Ark and Floods in the Ancient Near East: Crash Course World Mythology #16

On this Crash Course in World Mythology, Mike Rugnetta is teaching you about floods and deluges, specifically in China. In Chinese myth, flood stories pretty much all revolve around a guy named Yu the Great, or Yu the Engineer.

Yu the Engineer and Flood Stories from China: Crash Course World Mythology #17

We don?t want to deluge you with information on the subject, but this week on Crash Course Mythology, Mike Rugnetta is talking once again about floods. We?re looking at ancient flood myths in the Americas, and what they can tell us about the stories that people tell.

American Floods: Crash Course World Mythology #18

This week on Crash Course World Mythology, it's the Circle of Life. And Death. And sometimes, Life again. Mike Rugnetta is teaching you about Dying Gods, by which I mean gods that die, and then return to life.

The Dying God: Crash Course World Mythology #19

This week, Mike introduces you to Tricksters, starting with Anansi, the West African trickster god who is also sometimes a spider. Tricksters are, well, tricky. They're wise and foolish, they're promiscuous and amoral, but in a lot of ways, they're good guys.

Tricksters: An Introduction: Crash Course World Mythology #20

In which Mike Rugnetta continues to teach you about tricksters. In this episode, we're talking about tricksters as cultural heroes.

Hermes and Loki and Tricksters Part 2: Crash Course World Mythology #21

Mike Rugnetta continues to teach you about Tricksters in myth, and this time we're headed to the Americas. Coyote and Raven appear in stories from many Native American groups, and more often than not, they're tricky.

Coyote and Raven, American Tricksters: Crash Course World Mythology #22

Mike Rugnetta is going to tell you stories of death, destruction, divine judgment, damnation, and the occasional happy ending. That's right, this week we're talking about the Apocalypse. Actually, we're talking about a bunch of ways the world could end.

The Apocalypse: Crash Course World Mythology #23

Ragnarok! It's the end of the world, Norse style. It's got everything you want in an apocalypse. Earthquakes, destruction, armies of the dead, a giant evil wolf, giants with flaming swords, and a kind of happy ending.

Ragnarok: Crash Course World Mythology #24

Let's get Heroic with Mike Rugnetta. This week on Crash Course World Mythology, we're talking about the Hero's Journey and the Monomyth, as described by Joseph Campbell. Campbell's theories about the shared qualities of human storytelling are pretty cool.

The Hero's Journey and the Monomyth: Crash Course World Mythology #25

This week, we're continuing our discussion of heroes by talking about Gilgamesh, star of one of the earliest written hero stories, The Epic of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh was a terrible ancient king who left his kingdom seeking adventure, and eventually on the prowl for immortality.

The Epic of Gilgamesh: Crash Course World Mythology #26

The next entry in our parade of heroes is Rama, the protagonist of the Ramayana, one of India?s oldest stories. We?re going to be talking about Rama?s importance to Hindu culture, and how Rama fits into Campbell?s idea of the Hero?s Journey. Although, Rama may not even be the hero.

Rama and the Ramayana: Crash Course World Mythology #27

In which Mike Rugnetta quests for knowledge of the Holy Grail of Mythology. Which is the actual, literal Holy Grail! The cup of Christ! Legends about the Holy Grail are often connected to the British legends of King Arthur, and this episode is definitely about this.

Galahad, Perceval, and the Holy Grail: Crash Course World Mythology #28

In which Mike Rugnetta teaches you about the hero of The Congo, Mwindo! Mike will tell you the stories of Mwindo's birth, his many deaths, and his evolution from a braggy superhuman baby to a wise, superhuman leader of his people.

The Mwindo Epic: Crash Course World Mythology #29

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.

Herakles. Or Hercules. A Problematic Hero: Crash Course World Mythology #30

In which Mike Rugnetta teaches you about Ma'ui, a prominent hero of many cultures in Oceania, aka the Pacific Island nations. Ma'ui is just the kind of hero we're interested in here at Crash Course. He's a culture hero, he's an adventurer, he has a divine birth, AND he's a trickster.

Ma'ui, Oceania's Hero: Crash Course World Mythology #31

This week, Mike Rugnetta is teaching you about mythical gardens and caves, which appear in cultures all over the world. Caves and gardens can stand for different things, but in the two stories we're talking about today, they tie into the creation of the world in general.

Mythical Caves and Gardens: Crash Course World Mythology #32

Our mythical places series continues, and this week Mike Rugnetta is talking about some stories that revolve around mountains. Mountains loom large in human stories, not least because mountains are, well, large.

Mythical Mountains: Crash Course World Mythology #33

This week on CC Myth, Mike Rugnetta is teaching you about mythical trees. There are lots of trees in myth, and we've touched on some of them before, but today we're going to focus on three trees from three different traditions.

Mythical Trees: Crash Course World Mythology #34

This week on Crash Course Mythology, we're getting urban. Mike Rugnetta is the man with the orange umbrella who's about to give you a free tour of mythical cities.

Cities of Myth: Crash Course World Mythology #35

This week, we're starting our discussion of Mythical Creatures with the WORST creatures. Monsters. What makes a monster monstrous though? Mike Rugnetta will guide you through the fine line between a magical creature and a monster.

Monsters. They're Us, Man: Crash Course World Mythology #36

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.

Mythical Horses: Crash Course World Mythology #37

This week, Mike is teaching you about the most mythic of mythological creatures: Dragons. Cultures across the world (and across Westeros) tell stories of dragons, and their power to destroy, their power to prop up kings, and their power to cause a nice, refreshing rain shower.

Serpents and Dragons: Crash Course World Mythology #38

In which Mike Rugnetta teaches you about the stories we tell about witches and hags. It's definitely unfortunate that a lot of social orders have generated stories about evil women with magical powers.

Witches and Hags: Crash Course World Mythology #39

In which Mike Rugnetta teaches you about Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, and how a lot of their work was influenced by myth and mythology.

Freud, Jung, Luke Skywalker, and the Psychology of Myth: Crash Course World Mythology #40

It's the end of the world, everybody. Well, it's the end of our mythology series, anyway. This week, we're talking about how mythological themes have made their way into the English language.