22.30 - 22.50 hrs | Zuiderkapel | Friday 12 September 2025 | English spoken
As long as humans have been around, we’ve told stories to each other. From tales around the campfire to binging an epic show on Netflix, stories are an enormously important part of culture.
But how do humans create myths, and why do some myths have more staying power than others?
Historian Arjan Sterken explores the infinite potential and possibilities that lie within myths and legends.
This lecture is in English.
About the speaker
Arjan Sterken is a comparative religion scholar at Radboud University. He studies how we project our desires and fears onto the supernatural. In doing so, he focuses primarily on mythology and folklore in India and the Germanic region. He also has extensive knowledge of Indo-European comparative mythology and Gnostic, Chinese, and Saxon folklore.
Infinity. Science Festival on and around the Stevens' Skywalk.
This program is part of Infinity, Radboud University's science festival on, in and around the Steven's Church in the center of Nijmegen on Thursday 11 and Friday 12 September 2025. Join us to a great height and be surprised.