Crash Course Mythology - Episode Guide

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 story telling are pretty cool. And they've been hugely influential on the way we tell stories today. So, consider this your Call to Destiny. Crash Course is going to help you Cross the Threshold into the Belly of the Whale that is YouTube, and escort you through the Many Trials, on our way to the Ultimate Boon of knowledge. And there are a bunch of other steps in there, too. So, come along heroes! Let's learn this stuff!

The Epic of Gilgamesh

Episode: 1x26 | Airdate: Sep 8, 2017

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. Along the way, he checks pretty much all the boxes on the checklist of Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey.

Rama and the Ramayana

Episode: 1x27 | Airdate: Sep 22, 2017

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.

Galahad, Perceval, and the Holy Grail

Episode: 1x28 | Airdate: Sep 29, 2017

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. Except we're not talking much about Arthur, since he never actually found the grail. Instead, we're going to talk about a couple different versions of the Grail legend, the stories of Perceval and Galahad. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy learning Grail lore. You have chosen wisely!