Myths & Monsters

The strange Slavic story of Ivan and Koschei the Deathless; the origins of King Arthur and the wizard Merlin; Odysseus resists the song of the Sirens; Sigurd and his battle with the dragon Fafnir.

Romulus and Remus; Vikings and the Valkyries who ushered them to the next world; the Trojan War; how Homer's "The Iliad" influenced Alexander the Great; Vlad the Impaler.

The medieval romance of Tristan and Isolde; how the abandonment of Dido by Aeneas paved the way for Rome; Norse attitudes of sex and marriage in "Lay of Thrym"; Medea murders her children.

The role of myths and legends in the establishment of the rules of society, as well as the punishments that result from the violation of the rules.

The ancient Greek myth of Antigone, who defied laws to bury her dead brother; the Norse god Baldr; flood narratives found in myth; fascination with the undead; history of the vampire.