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Course | Mythical Creatures

Report

THIS COURSE WAS IN DUTCH |'Witte wieven', the Chinese dragon and werewolves. Our world is full of mythical creatures that play an important role in our daily lives. They appear in films, children's books and are the subject of folk festivals. Whether or not they actually exist, mythical creatures carry a wealth of meaning. In five lectures, religious scholar Arjan Sterken explained why mythical creatures are so important and what role they still play today.

March-April 2025 and April-May | Location: Latijnse School| Radboud Reflects |This course has been rated with an average score of 8.7.

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Retrospect

I thought the course was fantastic, I learned a lot, the interaction was incredibly interesting and Arjan is a good teacher.

A very special course with a lot of content and quality. It was also interactive and offered plenty of room for discussion.

As far as I'm concerned, the course could be a bit longer to allow for more in-depth study. 

It was an inspiring course that was presented in a stimulating way. The texts strongly supported the material covered and the lectures were full of stories. If there is a follow-up, I would sign up again immediately.
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Announcement

Do mythical creatures exist?

In this course Arjan Sterken explains what supernatural, mythical creatures are and what their role and significance is. Why do we like to believe in monsters? Why are mythical creatures elusive and ambiguous? And how are they used as political symbols? And did you know that there is actually scientific research into the existence - or non-existence - of mythical creatures?

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Articles (in Dutch)

Programme

  1. Why there are so many monsters: Big Foot, the Loch Ness Monster and werewolves. Mythical creatures are often monsters. What do they mean to us? Monsters reflect our everyday problems, but they do more than that. Why is the belief in monsters such an important part of a culture?
  2. Why Santa Claus is not a God: Santa Claus and St Nicholas are in some ways similar to God. They can be in several places at once, know your deepest wishes and have an inexhaustible supply of gifts. But what exactly is a god, and why is Santa not one? Find out about different types of mythical creatures.
  3. Why the beauty of sirens deceives: Angels are good and demons are bad - you can tell by their appearance. But if you look at cultures around the world, the difference between good and bad creatures is not so clear-cut. Beautiful creatures, like the sirens, can lure you into a trap, and repulsive creatures can protect you. Why are mythical creatures often elusive, indeterminate and ambiguous?
  4. Why dragons are symbols of power: Humans and supernatural beings inhabit the same worlds and live together. It is therefore natural for mythical creatures to respond to human phenomena. For example, mythical creatures such as the Loong, or Chinese dragon, are a symbol of political power. Or mythical creatures like the Huldufólk in Iceland are actually a protest against modernisation and the destruction of nature. Why do mythical creatures take on political forms?
  5. Why we sometimes believe in ghosts and sometimes not: We do not relegate all mythical creatures to the realm of dreams. There are many people who believe in the existence of ghosts and aliens. There are even scientific searches for certain creatures. In this final lecture, you will use the knowledge gained to look at the existence - or non-existence - of mythical creatures.

Teacher

Arjan Sterken is a scholar of comparative religion at Radboud University. He studies how we project our desires and fears onto the supernatural. He mainly looks at mythology and folklore in India and the Germanic area. He is also well versed in comparative Indo-European mythology and Gnostic, Chinese and Saxon folklore.

Contact information

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Organizational unit
Radboud Reflects