Most students entering this class assume that the study of mythology involves reading about famous Greek heroes and mythological characters. And we will be doing that. But there is so much more to the study of mythology.

Our myths define who we are. They answer the great questions of life about who we are, where we come from, why things happen, and how we should live. And every culture has its own stories that answer these and similar questions.

The United States is a part of what historians refer to as Western civilization which is rooted in the mythologies of the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and Europe. The Europeans who migrated to what would become the United States brought these mythologies with them. The original inhabitants of the Americas also had a variety of mythological beliefs and stories, which have become part of our national heritage. And in the years following our inception as a nation, people have come to our country from all over the world, bringing with them the stories of their cultures. The U.S. is a smorgasbord of people and cultures, each with their own myths, that influence how we see the world, ourselves, and others. For instance, Christmas celebrates the birth of Christ (Christianity) and is celebrated on December 25th (the Roman Saturnalia) with mistletoe and evergreens (Norse myth).

These myths also permeate our literature and media. Novels like Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land or John Steinbeck's East of Eden take their titles from the Bible. Companies like Midas or Nike take their names from classical (Greek and Roman) mythology. TV shows like Andromeda, StarGate, or X Files have taken character names and plots from a variety of mythological sources. Even the names for the days of the week find their roots in classical and Norse myth. Without a knowledge of mythology, these cultural allusions are often missed. But for the knowledgeable person, these allusions open up a deeper level of understanding and appreciation.

During the course of this semester, we will be reviewing the myths of cultures from around the world with a special emphasis on classical and Norse mythology. But we will also be exploring the ways in which myths are studied and discussed, and the implications myth and mythology have, not just on our understanding of the past, but our lives in the present and for days to come.