Teaching Mythology: Recent Episodes
Lesli | Education is Powerful
Teaching Mythology is a podcast for teachers who want to explore the meanings and applications of myths through a modern-day lens.
Today we are discussing the final stages of the Hero's Journey and illustrating each stage with examples from popular films like Star Wars, Harry Potter, and The Lord of the Rings. Next I'll describe how to teach these concepts in a classroom setting, including the use of movies like Disney's Hercules and Willow to help students identify the stages of the Heroic Journey. The Heroic Journey has universal appeal in teaching shared human experiences and connections across cultures.
Looking for materials to teach the Heroic Journey in your class?
- Heroic Journey PPT
- Heroic Journey Project
- SAVE by buying the bundle
Time Stamps
00:00 Diving Into the Hero's Return: The Final Stages of the Heroic Journey
00:41 Refusal of the Return: Heroes' Reluctance to Go Back
01:15 Magic Flight and Pursuit: The Thrilling Escape
02:21 Rescue from Without: Unexpected Help in Dire Times
04:11 Crossing the Return Threshold: The Journey Home
04:53 Master of Two Worlds: Achieving Balance and Recognition
05:59 Freedom to Live: The Ultimate Victory
06:49 Applying the Heroic Journey in the Classroom
08:49 Encouraging Creative Exploration of the Heroic Journey
11:21 Integrating the Heroic Journey into Mythology Lessons
12:41 Conclusion: The Universal Appeal of the Heroic Journey
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I've made this Google Doc of How I Map out My Year of Mythology to help you. In it, I have links to resources, website, and myths. This is a living document, so I am continually adding to it as I find new things, record podcasts, write blog posts, and create products for teachers.
Click here to get 3 Free Mythology Lessons.
I'd love to connect with you! Join me over at ...
- Teaching Mythology Facebook Group
- Website
- Check out my TPT Store
I'd also love to send you my FREEBIE and keep you updated on all the goings-on.
Click HERE to get a free poster of the Greek God Family Tree.
In this episode, we continue exploring the Hero's Journey in Part Two, focusing on the Initiation or Road of Trials. Using examples from popular stories like Harry Potter and Star Wars, the episode discusses various stages of the initiation. Each stage is analyzed, providing insights into how these events shape the hero and prepare them for their ultimate quest.
Want to teach the Heroic Journey to your classes? Check out the ppt I use here.
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I've made this Google Doc of How I Map out My Year of Mythology to help you. In it, I have links to resources, website, and myths. This is a living document, so I am continually adding to it as I find new things, record podcasts, write blog posts, and create products for teachers.
Click here to get 3 Free Mythology Lessons.
I'd love to connect with you! Join me over at ...
- Teaching Mythology Facebook Group
- Website
- Check out my TPT Store
I'd also love to send you my FREEBIE and keep you updated on all the goings-on.
Click HERE to get a free poster of the Greek God Family Tree.
After a two-year hiatus, I'm back discussing Joseph Campbell's Monomyth or Heroic Journey. Diving into this narrative archetype used in storytelling worldwide, I'll use examples from 'Star Wars' and 'Harry Potter' to illustrate the stages of this journey, including the departure, initiation, and return. This episode covers the first act, elaborating on the hero's separation from their known world, the call to adventure, doubts and fears, mentorship, talismans, allies, and crossing the threshold into the unknown. I will go over the stages of initiation and return in the upcoming episodes.
00:14 Introduction and Return to Podcasting
00:26 The Heroic Journey: An Overview
01:06 Understanding the Monomyth
02:02 The Ordinary World
03:58 The Call to Adventure
07:29 Mentors and Supernatural Aide
10:09 The Hero's Allies and Talisman
11:27 Crossing the Threshold: The Hero's Challenge
14:18 The Hero's Journey: A Personal Reflection
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I've made this Google Doc of How I Map out My Year of Mythology to help you. In it, I have links to resources, website, and myths. This is a living document, so I am continually adding to it as I find new things, record podcasts, write blog posts, and create products for teachers.
Click here to get 3 Free Mythology Lessons.To read the transcript, click HERE.
I'd love to connect with you! Join me over at ...
Instagram
Facebook
Teaching Mythology Facebook Group
Website
Check out my TPT Store
I'd also love to send you my FREEBIE and keep you updated on all the goings-on.
Click HERE to get a free poster of the Greek God Family Tree.
Our Christmas and holiday traditions are steeped in centuries-old traditions and folktales that date back to the pagan era. In this episode, I will retell and discuss 11 different witches, , grandmothers, trickster boys and old me, and goddesses from mythology that all relate to the winter solstice and winter holiday traditions.
Here is who I will be talking about in brief (you can use the chapter markers to jump to the one you really want to hear).
Greek Mythology - Chione
Norse Mythology - Skadi
Roman Mythology - Strenua
Bafana from Italy
Gryla (and her Yule Lads and Yule Cat) from Scandinavia
Olentzero from the Basque country
Perchta from Bavaria - and the surrounding areas
Nikolaus from Greece
The Gray Mare from Wales
Krampus from Austro-Bavaria - the anti-Santa Claus
Read the transcript HERE
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I’ve made this Google Doc of How I Map out My Year of Mythology to help you. In it, I have links to resources, websites, and myths. This is a living document, so I am continually adding to it as I find new things, record podcasts, write blog posts, and create products for teachers.
Click here to get 3 Free Mythology Lessons.
I’d love to connect with you! Join me over at …
Instagram
Facebook
Teaching Mythology Facebook Group
Website
Check out my TPT Store
I’d also love to send you my FREEBIE and keep you updated on all the goings-on.
Click HERE to get a free poster of the Greek God Family Tree.
Take a walk with me through the Greek Underworld, past the river Styx, through the gates of Hades as we explore the Elysian Fields and Tartarus. What you may think the Underworld is like, is probably not really how it is. I also share my favorite assignment to do with my students to help them explore the Underworld - students create their own map of the Underworld as they read descriptions of it.
You can check out the Map of the Underworld Project here.
Read the transcript HERE
________________________________________________________________
I've made this Google Doc of How I Map out My Year of Mythology to help you. In it, I have links to resources, websites, and myths. This is a living document, so I am continually adding to it as I find new things, record podcasts, write blog posts, and create products for teachers.
Click here to get 3 Free Mythology Lessons.
I'd love to connect with you! Join me over at ...
Instagram
Facebook
Teaching Mythology Facebook Group
Website
Check out my TPT Store
I'd also love to send you my FREEBIE and keep you updated on all the goings-on.
Click HERE to get a free poster of the Greek God Family Tree.
According to the Greeks, we have seasons thanks to Demeter, Persephone, and Hades. But you may not know that the myth of seasons is really a myth about life, death, and rebirth. It is also one of the greatest love stories in Greek Mythology. It is a story about the love of a mother for her daughter and the love between Persephone and Hades. Don't believe me? Take a listen.
Read the transcript HERE
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I've made this Google Doc of How I Map out My Year of Mythology to help you. In it, I have links to resources, websites, and myths. This is a living document, so I am continually adding to it as I find new things, record podcasts, write blog posts, and create products for teachers.
Click here to get 3 Free Mythology Lessons.
I'd love to connect with you! Join me over at ...
Instagram
Facebook
Teaching Mythology Facebook Group
Website
Check out my TPT Store
I'd also love to send you my FREEBIE and keep you updated on all the goings-on.
Click HERE to get a free poster of the Greek God Family Tree.
It seems as though every culture or mythological system has death myths. The preoccupation with the afterlife is something that has transferred very quickly into our modern world. We see it with the never-ending pursuit of that youthful glow. In Ancient Greece, Sisyphus's obsession over not dying led him to trick Gods, force his wife to not bury him, and negotiating with the goddess Persephone. He was able to trick death two times, but the third time was his failure. As punishment, he is forced to roll an enchanted boulder up a hill for eternity. It is his Sisyphean task.
Join me as I give a summary of the myth of Sisyphus, talk about how I connected the myth to modern poetry, and question how I will greet death when he comes for me.
I've made this Google Doc of How I Map out My Year of Mythology to help you. In it, I have links to resources, websites, and myths. This is a living document, so I am continually adding to it as I find new things, record podcasts, write blog posts, and create products for teachers.
Click here to get 3 Free Mythology Lessons.Read the transcript HERE
Links Mentioned
Ancient Greece's Most Wanted Podcast Notes - to listen to with your students. It retells the myth of Sisyphus.
I'd love to connect with you! Join me over at ...
Instagram
Facebook
Teaching Mythology Facebook Group
Website
Check out my TPT Store
I'd also love to send you my FREEBIE and keep you updated on all the goings-on.
Click HERE to get a free poster of the Greek God Family Tree.
This is a serious episode today - more serious than I originally intended when I planned it. Today, I'm going to talk about whether or not we should censor mythology and things you should consider when choosing what myths to teach in your classroom.
I've made this Google Doc of How I Map out My Year of Mythology to help you. In it, I have links to resources, website, and myths. This is a living document, so I am continually adding to it as I find new things, record podcasts, write blog posts, and create products for teachers.
Click here to get 3 Free Mythology Lessons.Read the transcript HERE
I'd love to connect with you! Join me over at ...
Instagram
Facebook
Teaching Mythology Facebook Group
Website
Check out my TPT Store
I'd also love to send you my FREEBIE and keep you updated on all the goings-on.
Click HERE to get a free poster of the Greek God Family Tree.
Are you teaching mythology, but don't know where to start or what to include for the time you have? In this episode, I outline what I would teach if I had 2 weeks, 1 month, 1 quarter, 1 semester, or a full year of teaching mythology.
I've made this Google Doc of How I Map out My Year of Mythology to help you. In it, I have links to resources, website, and myths. This is a living document, so I am continually adding to it as I find new things, record podcasts, write blog posts, and create products for teachers.
Click here to get 3 Free Mythology Lessons.To read the transcript, click HERE.
I'd love to connect with you! Join me over at ...
Instagram
Facebook
Teaching Mythology Facebook Group
Website
Check out my TPT Store
I'd also love to send you my FREEBIE and keep you updated on all the goings-on.
Click HERE to get a free poster of the Greek God Family Tree.
Are you looking for resources for teaching Mythology? Do you need some help with how to get started teaching Mythology? Here are some of my favorite resources and tips for teaching mythology. I mention a ton of links in the show. I have the links below, but you can also get them at the Show Notes on my blog.
Click here to get 3 Free Mythology Lessons.
Here are my two blog posts I talk about in the Podcast:
- 4 Resources for Teaching Mythology You Might Not Know About
- 5 Quick Tips for Teaching Mythology
Books Mentioned
- D'Aulaire's Greek Myths
- D'Aulaire's Norse Myths
- Percy Jackson's Greek Gods by Rick Riordan
- The Olympians: Zeus by George O'Connor
- Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell
- Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
- Mythology by Edith Hamilton
- Mythology by Thomas Bullfinch
- Here is the Free text on Gutenberg
Some of my favorite blogs about mythology are:
- GreekMythology.com
- Theoi
- Encyclopedia Mythica
- Mythopedia
- Greek Legends and Myths (I use the A to Z index)
- Myth Web
- The Big Myth
Media with Mythology
- Greeking Out Podcast
- Apple
- Spotify
- Click HERE to get a free student notes sheet with Episode 1 of Greeking Out.
- Ted-Ed Videos about mythology
To read the transcript, click HERE.
I'd love to connect with you! Join me over at ... Teaching Mythology Facebook Group
*contains affiliate links
I love looking for similarities in myths from around the world. The Myth of Pandora and the story of Eve both teach us that the Ancient World believed that the curiosity of the first women brought about all the evils in the world. Come with me and we explore the similarities of these two myths and I explain how a lesson on symbolism with the myth of Pandora led to an unexpected social-emotional lesson.
Additional Resources
Click here to get my Pandora Lesson and Activity.
To read the transcript, click HERE.
I'd love to connect with you! Join me over at ...
Instagram
Facebook
Teaching Mythology Facebook Group
Website
Check out my TPT Store
I'd also love to send you my FREEBIE and keep you updated on all the goings-on.
Click HERE to get a free poster of the Greek God Family Tree.
The ancient Greeks had two different myths explaining the creation of man. The first being told by Hesiod, where he describes the four ages of men. The other myth involves Prometheus creating man to be like the Gods, stealing fire from the Gods, and incurring the wrath of Zeus. But both myths teach us about hierarchy in the ancient (and modern) world.
Additional Resources
Want my Greek Creation PowerPoint Slides to use in your class - get them HERE.
To read the transcript, click HERE.
I'd love to connect with you! Join me over at ...
Instagram
Facebook
Teaching Mythology Facebook Group
Website
Check out my TPT Store
I'd also love to send you my FREEBIE and keep you updated on all the goings-on.
Click HERE to get a free poster of the Greek God Family Tree.
Today I'm going to share with you a graduation speech that I gave a few years ago. There's something about high school graduations that are special. They're life events that your entire family gets involved in, in the community you have parties and barbecues. I have been in charge of graduations a two different schools - they are massive events and the culmination of 12 years of school. Talk about pressure!
Two years after I left one school because I moved to a different state, the sophomore class that I had my last year asked me to come back and speak at their graduation.
I was so honored. It's incredible to think that two years after you leave a school that the students would want you to come back.
So I'm going to share today the speech that I gave at graduation and it's about the heroic journey, our own journeys, and the roles that we play in other's journeys. I hope you enjoy.
Additional Resources
If you want to teach the Heroic Journey in your class I have some great resources from an introductory PPT to a Project where students look for the Heroic Journey in the books and movies they love. You can save even more by buying them in the bundle.
You can read this speech over at my teaching blog - HERE.
I'd love to connect with you! Join me over at ...
Instagram
Facebook
Teaching Mythology Facebook Group
Website
Check out my TPT Store
I'd also love to send you my FREEBIE and keep you updated on all the goings on.
Click HERE to get a free poster of the Greek God Family Tree.
In today's episode, we continue the Greek Creation story. We left Zeus off on the island of Crete. As he grows stronger, Gaia whispers to Zeus to overthrow his father Kronos. With the help of a magic potion, a massive amount of vomiting, and the cyclopes, Zeus is able to overthrow Kronos in an epic battle called the Titanomachy.
Additional Resources
Want my PowerPoint Slides to use in your class - get them HERE.
To read the transcript, click HERE.
I'd love to connect with you! Join me over at ...
Instagram
Facebook
Teaching Mythology Facebook Group
Website
Check out my TPT Store
I'd also love to send you my FREEBIE and keep you updated on all the goings-on.
Click HERE to get a free poster of the Greek God Family Tree.
Today we're going to talk about the Greek creation story, a whole lot about castration ,and about cannibalism too. Hold on tight because the Greek creation is a wild story that is a little bit about creation and a whole lot about the gods, goddesses, and Titans that ruled the ancient world!
Additional Resources
Want my PowerPoint Slides to use in your class - get them HERE.
Want to try the Clash of the Gods in your class - get the video guide here.
To read the transcript, click HERE.
I'd love to connect with you! Join me over at ...
Instagram
Facebook
Teaching Mythology Facebook Group
Website
Check out my TPT Store
I'd also love to send you my FREEBIE and keep you updated on all the goings on.
Click HERE to get a free poster of the Greek God Family Tree.
The first day of class is probably always the worst day. You have to go over rules and procedures, answer questions about homework and grading, and force students to "get to know each other" through awkward ice-breaker games. Or do you?
Here is my first day lesson plan for my mythology classes. Did I teach routines and procedures - sure, but they were how to have discussions and work together - not how to ask to go to the bathroom.
Once I started asking students to define what mythology was on the first day of class, my engagement soared. It started the semester off on the right foot.
In this episode, I outline what I did step by step and retell the four myths that I would have students read the first day of mythology class.
Additional Resources
Check out the blog post all about this.
Want to get the Lesson Plan over at TPT and save a ton of time! Click HERE.
To read the transcript, click HERE.
I'd love to connect with you! Join me over at ...
Instagram
Facebook
Teaching Mythology Facebook Group
Website
Check out my TPT Store
I'd also love to send you my FREEBIE and keep you updated on all the goings on.
Click HERE to get a free poster of the Greek God Family Tree.
Today I'm going to share with you my background and why I wanted to start a podcast.
I've been in education for 15 years and was incredibly lucky to be a mythology teacher for several years in a high school. When I first started teaching, I was given some horrible advice about what to teach and what not to teach. And boy, am I grateful I didn't listen to that teacher.
So come on in and get to know me a little bit better before we start our journey in exploring mythology.
To read the transcript, click HERE.
I'd love to connect with you! Join me over at ...
Instagram
Facebook
Teaching Mythology Facebook Group
Website
Check out my TPT Store
I'd also love to send you my FREEBIE and keep you updated on all the goings on.
Click HERE to get a free poster of the Greek God Family Tree.
Welcome to the Teaching Mythology Podcast. This podcast is for teachers wanting to learn more about the myths, get ideas for lessons, and talk about the myths through a modern-day lens.
I'd love to connect with you! Join me over at ...
Instagram
Facebook
Teaching Mythology Facebook Group
Website
Check out my TPT Store
I'd also love to send you my FREEBIE and keep you updated on all the goings on.
Click HERE to get a free poster of the Greek God Family Tree.