Are you fascinated by stories of Greek gods and goddesses? Are you enchanted by heroic tales of danger and adventure? Do you enjoy legends of star-crossed lovers, man-eating monsters, and swashbuckling soldiers? Are you intrigued by fables of mystery, fantastical beasts, and general mayhem? Are you interested in the world of the ancient Greeks and Romans? Have you read the Percy Jackson books? Do you get excited about books, movies, and television shows with fantasy and mythological themes? Do you have a favorite myth, god/goddess, or hero? If you answered "yes" to one, all, or some of these questions, then join us week to week as we explore some of the greatest mythological stories of the ancient Greeks and Romans.

This is an ongoing course in which learners will come together weekly to discuss mythological stories of the classical world. This is a club-style class that is designed to be social and to allow for good discussion. Each week, via around-the-campfire style storytelling, I will tell an ancient Greek or Roman myth. Many of the stories in the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson books are sourced from these ancient myths, but I will be telling them as the ancients told them, and my source material will be numerous texts and authors from the ancient world. (Please note:  This is NOT a reading class. I will not be reading aloud to tell the story, though I may occasionally quote an ancient author. There is no text or texts required for this class.) As there are often several variations of a single myth, I will provide alternative versions where warranted. Some weeks, we may focus on more than one myth. 

Learners are invited to share what they may already know about the story if they are familiar with it (any such familiarity would come from their own reading or experience outside of class--this is an ongoing class, so myths are new from week to week, and any preexisting knowledge should come from a learner's own independent learning--there is NO preexisting knowledge of mythology necessary for this course), and I will pose questions to the learners as a way of facilitating discussion. Learners may wish to draw scenes or characters from each myth, and they are encouraged to do so if they desire (and are welcome to share their images with their classmates). As Greek and Roman mythology was often the inspiration for works of art throughout history, I may use slides to provide visual representations of art from ancient, medieval, Renaissance, and more modern times. For stories that may involve some of the Greek or Roman gods and goddesses, I may share images of temples and archeological  sites. We'll also work together as a class to create our own alternative versions for the weekly myth, so creativity and imagination are very much welcome in this class (types of questions that may prompt the creation of the alternative version: What if a certain character had made a different decision? What decision would that be? Why would they make that decision? What would be the outcome if the character had made that decision? Could this character have special powers (if they don't already)? What would they be? etc.). We'll also spend time in each class discussing why certain myths may have been told:  What themes do they illustrate? What lessons are being taught? What in the observable world does the myth seek to explain?

Each week of class will feature a different myth (or myths). Learners can expect to hear stories of transformation, adventure, tragedy, romance, strange and fantastical beasts, mythological monsters, and more. We'll discuss some of the most famous Greek heroes, and one week of each section will be deemed "Monster Week," where we'll discuss many of Greek and Roman mythology's most famous monsters and beasts, and learners can imagine their own monster. As many of these ancient mythological stories provide the basis and inspiration for some of the stories in the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson series, as well as for stories in a number of graphic novels and other books with mythological themes, learners who have read these series may wish to share their understanding of how the myths are presented in those books, so that we can discuss what modern changes may have been made to these ancient stories, and why those changes may have been made. 

I very much want student interest, preferences, and requests to guide the stories I choose to tell from week to week. As Outschool requires that ongoing classes have set schedules/topics for at least the first four weeks (this class is designed to be ongoing and will continue past the fourth week), the stories for those weeks are as follows:

Week of May 26: Phaethon and Helios
Week of June 2: Daedalus and Icarus (Please note that there will be no class on Sunday, July 4th)
Week of June 9: Procne and Tereus
Week of June 16: Heracles and Some of His Labors

Again, the stories I choose from week to week may be influenced by student interest, so there is flexibility from week to week. The story for the following week will be decided a week in advance, and learners and parents can message if they are interested in joining the class but wish to know what the upcoming week's primary topic will be. Again, all stories are sourced from ancient texts, and may include stories from Greek tragedies and such famous works as the Odyssey, the Iliad, and Ovid's Metamorphoses; the works of such ancient authors as Seneca, Apollodorus, Pseudo-Apollodorus, Apollonius-Rhodus, Hyginus, Pausanias, and many others will also be consulted. The stories themselves are adjusted to be age-appropriate. 

Though I will be presenting material to learners at the beginning of the class, this is a discussion class, and so interaction with me and with other learners is absolutely encouraged. This is a relaxed, casual, club-style class where learners should feel free to bring snacks, to wear their most comfortable clothes, and to relax and have fun. This is an ongoing class, so learners can join at any time; though each week will have a different primary topic for discussion, there is no prerequisite for any of the class meetings, and lessons do not build upon each other from week to week. Learners do not need to have any preexisting knowledge of mythology to take this class. This is a class for learners who have an interest in mythology and/or who love good stories and wish to not only hear them, but to discuss them and to get creative with them! Come and join us as we delve deeply into the world of the ancient Greeks and Romans to find some of the best stories of classical mythology--stories that have not only influenced art, literature, and drama across the ages, but which we are still telling today.