Did you know that gang wars are older than you think–and date back to Sumerian mythology and two rival sister goddesses: one who ruled the land of the living and one who ruled the land of the dead?  Or that Orpheus in Greek mythology wasn’t the only one who ventured into the Underworld to retrieve the woman he loved?  A Japanese god named Izanagi did the same thing–but his story ends in bitterness and resentment.  In Latin American countries, parents threatened their children with stories of a bogeyman called el Cuco in order to make them behave, and used the legend of La Llorona to warn children not to go wandering in the forest or near rivers after dark. In this course, we will be studying world mythology, which may include mythology from the following cultures or countries: Egyptian, Babylonian, Sumerian, African, Japanese, Chinese, Native American, Incan, Aztec, and Mayan, focusing on the major gods and goddesses, heroes, archetypes, and cultural messages.