TED-Ed
The Myth of Hercules: 12 Labors in 8-bits
Hercules had to slay a lion, capture a bull, and steal a herd of cattle from a three-headed giant, and he was just getting started. Scholars watch an inventive animated video that uses a video game format to describe the 12 labors of...
TED-Ed
Zen KōAns: Unsolvable Enigmas Designed to Break Your Brain
Why do people attempt to explain the unexplainable? Scholars explore the topic by learning about ancient philosophical thought experiements known as kōans. After watching a brief yet informative video, pupils answer questions and engage...
TED-Ed
Why Should You Read "One Hundred Years of Solitude"?
How does One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez represent the genre of magical realism? Scholars explore the topic by watching an informative video. Next, they answer quiz questions and join an online...
TED-Ed
Why Should You Read "Don Quixote"?
What value could there possibly be in a story about a man who sets out to fight windmills? Turns out, quite a bit! A video and interactive lesson about the novel Don Quixote sets out to explain the answer to the question. Viewers track...
TED-Ed
Why Should You Read "Waiting for Godot"?
Sometimes life feels like a tragic comedy. A video about the play Waiting for Godot describes the play as a tragic comedy. Viewers see a summary of the famous drama and its history before answering multiple-choice and open-ended...
TED-Ed
Why Should You Read Edgar Allan Poe?
Edgar Allen Poe's writing goes far beyond the familiarity of "The Raven" and "The Tell-Tale Heart." An intriguing video lesson explores the work, history, and style of the famous Gothic writer. Animations engage viewers in the video, and...
TED-Ed
The Myth of Sisyphus
Having an eagle eat your liver sounds like a form of cruel and unusual punishment. As explained in an interesting video lesson, it's nothing compared to the punishments doled out in "The Myth of Sisyphus." A summary introduces the...
TED-Ed
Why Should You Read "A Midsummer Night's Dream?"
Set the stage for a study of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream with an engaging animated video that is sure to stoke the interest of readers as it gets to the bottom of the key themes of the comedy. The narrator's arguments...
Crash Course
Mythical Language and Idiom: Crash Course World Mythology #41
Learning about mythological idioms can be quite an odyssey. The 41st and final installment in the Crash Course World Mythology series makes the topic manageable and interesting. Scholars explore the language of mythology and investigate...
Crash Course
Witches and Hags: Crash Course World Mythology #39
Where did the term nightmare originate? According to Norse mythology, hags (known as "mares") come at night and are responsible for bad dreams. Scholars explore the topic further using the 39th of 41 videos in the Crash Course World...
Crash Course
Cities of Myth: Crash Course World Mythology #35
Grab a compass and road map ... it's time to explore some mythological cities! With the 35th video of 41 from the Crash Course World Mythology series, viewers meet two characters from Roman mythology, Romulus and Remus. Scholars also...
Crash Course
Mythical Trees: Crash Course World Mythology #34
Hopefully scholars won't make like a tree and leave before watching the 34th video in the Crash Course World Mythology series. Pupils analyze stories about mythical trees from Biblical, Norse, Hindu, and Buddhist traditions. In addition,...
Crash Course
The Epic of Gilgamesh: Crash Course World Mythology #26
Meet a scary demon named Humbaba in the 26th installment of the 41-episode Crash Course World Mythology series. Scholars learn about The Epic of Gilgamesh, an ancient Mesopotamian poem. Viewers also consider how the epic relates to...
Crash Course
The Apocalypse: Crash Course World Mythology #23
Beasts, dragons, natural disasters ... modern-day zombie thrillers just don't measure up to ancient apocalypse stories! The 23rd video from the Crash Course World Mythology series is all about the end of days. Scholars learn about...
Crash Course
Hermes and Loki and Tricksters Part 2: Crash Course World Mythology #21
Cunning characters are so much fun, and that's no trick! The 21stt video in the 41-part Crash Course World Mythology series discusses how tricksters are culture heroes. Pupils learn about the trickster gods Hermes, from Greece, and Loki,...
Crash Course
Tricksters: An Introduction: Crash Course World Mythology #20
From Bart Simpson to Bugs Bunny to Jack Sparrow, people love a good trickster. With the 20th video from the Crash Course World Mythology series, scholars explore the mythological trickster archetype. Viewers also listen to the story of...
Crash Course
Yu the Engineer and Flood Stories from China: Crash Course World Mythology #17
Ancient China is flooded with myths about deluges. Scholars explore Chinese flood myths using the 17th video from the Crash Course World Mythology series. Learners meet an emperor named Yu the Engineer, who worked tirelessly to end...
Crash Course
Theories of Myth: Crash Course World Mythology #12
The 12th installment from the 41-part Crash Course World Mythology series addresses the topic of interpreting myths. Viewers learn all about the theories of myths according to philosophers like Plato, Tertullian, and Clement.
Crash Course
African Pantheons and the Orishas: Crash Course World Mythology #11
Ogiyan is the African god of crushed cassava—how specific! Using the 11th video from the Crash Course World Mythology series, scholars learn about African pantheons. They explore some of the orishas from the myths of the Yoruba religion...
Crash Course
Creation from the Void: Crash Course World Mythology #2
How did people from ancient civilizations make sense of the world around them? The second installment of the Crash Course World Mythology series explores the creation of the universe. Scholars learn about the creation myths associated...
Crash Course
Freud, Jung, Luke Skywalker, and the Psychology of Myth: Crash Course World Mythology #40
How were modern thinkers influenced by ancient mythology? Scholars investigate the topic with the 40th of 41 videos in the Crash Course World Mythology series. Viewers meet two psychologists, Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, and learn about...
Crash Course
Serpents and Dragons: Crash Course World Mythology #38
What role do giant, winged, fire-breathing dragons play in ancient mythology? The 38th installment in the 41-episode Crash Course World Mythology series is all about slithering serpents and fiery dragons. Learners explore dragons from...
Crash Course
Mythical Horses: Crash Course World Mythology #37
Horses have been instrumental to human cultures, so it's no wonder they are so abundant in mythology. Scholars explore the topic in the 37th of 41 videos in the Crash Course World Mythology series. Learners meet the mythical horses...
Crash Course
Monsters. They're Us, Man: Crash Course World Mythology #36
A wendigo is a man-eating, yellow-eyed ogre from Canadian folklore that puts all other monsters to shame. Viewers discover the terrifying creature, and many others, in the 36th video of the 41-part Crash Course World Mythology series....