Medieval Folklore

In this class, we will be covering folklore (legends, myths, ancient, and regional histories) that tie into the Medieval Period (476 CE – 1500 CE). This lore will involve stories and discussions about unicorns, dragons, ogres, and tales of magic.

The stories we will be looking at are a collection of tales primarily from the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, and the European Mediterranean Region. 

The class is taught in a lecture and slideshow style. This one-time presentation will be broken up between the different categories of folklore: Animal Tales (unicorns; werewolves), Realistic Tales (Knight's Templar), Tales of Magic (Merlin; witchcraft) Tales of the Stupid Ogre (The Ogre and the Cat), and Regional Stories (Robin Hood; Appollonius of Tyre; King Lear). Just to give a few examples. We will also be discussing our thoughts on several of the stories and our current point of view as compared to when the story was written. 

All of the stories, contemporary documents, and questions will be showing in the slideshow for students to follow along with the instruction. No additional materials are needed for the class. Students are welcome to participate in the lecture, or to just listen; whichever is the most comfortable for them.