Hindu Mythology

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course surveys the history of Sanskrit Hindu Mythology from its inception in the Vedic period to its height in Sanskrit Epics and Puranas. Welcome to the world of Hindu Mythology where everything is turned up-side down. Demons are virtuous. Gods are powerless. Everyone shape-shifts. And women dictate the trajectory of the universe. How and why do ancient Hindus describe the world we inhabit in this way? This course surveys the history of Sanskrit Hindu Mythology from its inception in the Vedic period to its height in Sanskrit Epics and Puranas. Students will explore how premodern Hindu writers used such myths to navigate key religious themes: the problem of evil; power and sovereignty; gender and sexuality; love and war; and body politics.