For the past decade there has been a revolution in regards to how college educations are attained. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are free online courses available for anyone to enroll. I have found five courses for this list that I would like to share with everyone! I have personally completed all of these, and enjoyed them a lot. (In no particular order)
For this edition of Free Pagan Learning, we’ll concentrate on history classes. Ones that don’t delve too much in practical magic, or modern practices, but the historical foundations we all use to further our own beliefs.
Via Coursera – Free class, with optional fee if you want a certificate / credential. Self-paced with deadlines, but you can reset them if you fall behind.
There is also a companion class called A Voice of Their Own. Women’s Spirituality in the Middle Ages, but it’s not really Pagan per se.
From the site: “Magical thought has always attracted human imagination. In this course we will introduce you to the Middle Ages through a wide conception of magic. Students will have an approach to medieval culture, beliefs and practices from the perspective of History and History of Science. Popular magic, as well as learned magic (alchemy, geomancy and necromancy) will be addressed. Moreover, we will also deal with how eastern practices and texts influenced western culture. In July 2016, the course will contain a brand-new module devoted to astrology. Magic in the Middle Ages offers a captivating overview of medieval society and promotes reflection about certain stereotypes associated with this period.”
Link to Course HERE
EDX.org – Free class, self-paced. Only problem is that class is archived so you can no longer pay to get a certificate nor track your progress anymore.
The Medieval Icelandic Sagas is an introductory course on the single most characteristic literary genre of Medieval Iceland. Mainly written in the 13th century, the Icelandic Sagas are comprised of roughly 40 texts of varying length. In this course, you will learn about three Sagas, written at different times, with the aim of giving an overview of the writing period and the genre as a whole. These are Eyrbyggja Saga, Njáls Saga and Grettis Saga. We will explore the landscape and archaeology of Iceland to see how they can add to our understanding of the Sagas as well as take an in-depth look at the most memorable characters from the Sagas.
Link to Course HERE
TGC/TGC+ – While this may appear to be insanely expensive, one can actually get a free one month trial for “The Great Courses Plus” and burn through this entire class before the month ends then cancel. If you want to keep it, its about the same as a Netflix subscription. Or you could do like me and buy used DVDs of the $400.00 course on Ebay for $20.00!
As explorers and traders, the Vikings played a decisive role in the formation of Latin Christendom, and particularly of Western Europe. In this course, you will study the Vikings not only as warriors, but also in other roles for which they were equally extraordinary: merchants, artists, kings, raiders, seafarers, shipbuilders, and creators of a remarkable literature of myths and sagas.
Link to Course HERE
Via Coursera – Two classes, but they are basically halves of one class. Free classes, with optional fee if you want a certificate / credential. Self-paced with deadlines, but you can reset them if you fall behind.
Colossal pyramids, imposing temples, golden treasures, enigmatic hieroglyphs, powerful pharaohs, strange gods, and mysterious mummies are features of Ancient Egyptian culture that have fascinated people over the millennia. The Bible refers to its gods, rulers, and pyramids. Neighboring cultures in the ancient Near East and Mediterranean wrote about its god-like kings and its seemingly endless supply of gold.
Youtube – Free series of Lectures on Youtube from an Ivy League school. additional info found on the course website
Major developments in the political, social, and religious history of Western Europe from the accession of Diocletian to the feudal transformation. Topics include the conversion of Europe to Christianity, the fall of the Roman Empire, the rise of Islam and the Arabs, the “Dark Ages,” Charlemagne and the Carolingian renaissance, and the Viking and Hungarian invasions.
Link to Course HERE
Great Odin's Raven! 
[…] and it lacked the amount of content I am used to from other providers. For example, in my article Free Pagan Learning, I looked at a class on The Icelandic Sagas from the University of Iceland. This was akin to a […]
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