WORLD
Explore Myths, Gods and Legends from Around the World
Stories of gods, heroes, monsters and legendary worlds from every culture
Fand
Fand is a woman of the Irish Otherworld who appears most prominently in the medieval tale Serglige Con Culainn, usually translated as The Wasting Sickness of Cú Chulainn. She is best known as the lover of the Ulster hero…
Aino
Aino is a tragic young woman in the Kalevala, the nineteenth-century Finnish epic compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Finnish and Karelian oral poetry. She is best understood not as an independently documented ancient goddess…
Svartalfheim
Svartalfheim is a realm associated with Norse mythology and with the beings called svartálfar, usually translated as “dark elves” or “black elves.” Its identity is uncertain because the surviving Norse sources do not pre…
Fea
Fea is a minor and difficult-to-define figure in Irish mythological tradition. Her name appears in medieval Irish material among the supernatural women associated with warfare, sovereignty and the Tuatha Dé Danann, but t…
Atalanta
Atalanta is a celebrated heroine of Greek mythology, renowned for her speed, hunting skill and refusal to accept the restricted domestic role expected of women in many Greek legends. She is not a goddess, although her ex…
Cloacina
Cloacina was a Roman deity or divine epithet associated with the cleansing and maintenance of Rome’s drainage system. She is most often known as Venus Cloacina, “Venus of the Cloaca,” and was connected with the Cloaca Ma…
Astraeus
Astraeus is a figure of Greek mythology associated with the stars, the winds and the changing sky. In the surviving ancient tradition, he is best known as the consort of Eos, the goddess of dawn, and as the father of sev…
Clementia
Clementia was the Roman personification of mercy, gentleness and the deliberate restraint of punishment. She belonged to the religious and political world of ancient Rome, where abstract qualities could be treated as div…
Bomazi
Bomazi is a name associated in some modern reference works with an African deity or spirit of death and the underworld. The figure is usually described as belonging to “Bantu mythology,” but that label is extremely broad…
Banga
Banga is an obscure and uncertain name in modern discussions of African mythology. It is sometimes presented as a water-associated spirit or supernatural being, but the name does not identify one universally recognised f…
Badimo
Badimo is a Setswana term commonly translated as “ancestors” or “ancestral spirits.” It belongs chiefly to the religious and cultural traditions of Batswana communities in Botswana and neighbouring parts of southern Afri…
Ataokoloinona
Ataokoloinona is a little-known name associated with Malagasy mythology and folklore, the traditional belief systems and oral storytelling cultures of Madagascar. Its identity is uncertain: surviving descriptions are spa…
Buga
Buga is a name associated chiefly with the supreme or highest divine power in the traditional religious world of the Evenki and, in some accounts, other Tungusic-speaking peoples of Siberia. The name is also used as a wo…
Erlik
Erlik, often called Erlik Khan, is a powerful underworld figure in the traditional religious world of several Turkic-speaking peoples of Inner Asia, especially the Altai peoples of southern Siberia. He is commonly descri…
Irkuiem
Irkuiem is the name given in modern accounts to an alleged bear-like creature associated with the remote regions of Chukotka and northeastern Siberia. It is often presented as a monster, an unknown animal, or a surviving…
Kutkh
Kutkh is a raven creator, culture hero and trickster associated chiefly with the traditional mythology of the Itelmen people of Kamchatka. In English-language writing, his name may also appear as Kutkha, Kutq or in other…
Rhpisunt
Rhpisunt is a little-documented name associated in modern reference works with Native American mythology, especially with the Blackfoot peoples of the North American Plains. It is usually described as a dangerous water b…
Shakuru
Shakuru is a name associated in some English-language accounts with the Sun in the religious traditions of the Pawnee, an Indigenous people of the central Great Plains of North America. The identification is not complete…
Sanopi
Sanopi is a name sometimes presented in online lists of Native American mythological beings, but its identity is uncertain. There is no broadly recognized, well-documented figure called Sanopi in the major published trad…
Sedit
Sedit is a name associated in some modern accounts with a serpent-like or sea-monster figure from the Indigenous traditions of northeastern North America. The identification is uncertain, however. Unlike well-documented …
Ndozin
Ndozin is a name associated in some modern accounts with Zapotec mythology, especially with earthquakes or forces beneath the earth. Its status is uncertain, however. Unlike better-attested Zapotec figures such as Cocijo…
Mse
Mse is a figure associated in some modern accounts with Zapotec mythology and identified as a deity or supernatural power connected with earthquakes. The surviving evidence for Mse is limited, however, and the name does …
Ndan
Ndan is a name associated in some modern accounts with Zapotec concepts of the earth, fertility and agricultural abundance. The identification is not fully secure, however. Unlike better-documented Zapotec deities such a…
Ndo’yet
Ndo’yet is a name associated with earthquakes and the power of the earth in some accounts of Zapotec mythology. The evidence for Ndo’yet is limited, however, and the figure is not documented as consistently or extensivel…
Pacariqtambo
Pacariqtambo is a place of origin in Inca mythology, associated with the emergence of the ancestors who founded the Inca royal dynasty and, ultimately, Cusco. It is not generally described as a god, spirit, or independen…
Cavillaca
Cavillaca is a female huaca who appears in the Huarochirí traditions of the central Andes. Her best-known story concerns an extraordinary pregnancy, the powerful creator figure Cuniraya Viracocha, and her flight with her…
Chasca
Chasca, also written Ch'aska or Chaska, is a celestial figure associated in Inca and wider Quechua tradition with the planet Venus, especially when it appears as the morning star. Colonial-era accounts also connect Chasc…
Chas
Chas is an uncertain name in accounts of Inca mythology. A distinct, widely attested Inca deity called exactly “Chas” is not securely established in the surviving historical sources. The name is most plausibly a shortene…
Kunapipi
Kunapipi is an ancestral mother and ceremonial tradition associated with several Aboriginal peoples of Arnhem Land in northern Australia. The name may refer both to a powerful ancestral being and to the large body of rit…
Gurumukas
Gurumukas is a name associated in some English-language reference works with a supernatural being, or group of beings, from Australian Aboriginal mythology. The identification is uncertain, however. Unlike widely documen…
Ipilya
Ipilya is a name associated in some English-language accounts with an Aboriginal Australian rain-making being, often described as a spirit or deity connected with rainfall and the life-giving power of water. The identifi…
Julana
Julana is an obscure and uncertain name associated in some modern lists with Australian Aboriginal mythology. Unlike widely documented figures such as the Rainbow Serpent, Baiame, Bunjil or Tiddalik, Julana does not have…
St. Paschal I
St. Paschal I was a ninth-century pope and Christian saint who led the Roman Church from 817 until his death in 824. He lived during a period when the papacy was closely connected with the Carolingian Empire, while Rome …
Diniel
Diniel is an obscure and uncertain angelic name found chiefly in later angelological, occult and folklore-oriented compilations. Unlike Michael, Gabriel, Raphael or Uriel, Diniel does not have a widely established identi…
St. Patrick
St. Patrick is the best-known patron saint of Ireland and one of the central figures of Irish Christian tradition. He is remembered as a missionary, bishop, teacher and defender of the Christian faith. His feast day, 17 …
Dardariel
Dardariel is an obscure angelic name found chiefly in later angelological and occult name-lists associated with Jewish and Christian esoteric traditions. Unlike Michael, Gabriel, Raphael or other widely attested angels, …
Valac
Valac is a demon described in the Solomonic grimoire tradition, especially in versions of The Lesser Key of Solomon. He is listed among the 72 spirits of the Ars Goetia, where he is identified as a powerful president of …
Sitri
Sitri is a demon of European grimoire tradition, best known from the Ars Goetia, the first section of the Lemegeton or Lesser Key of Solomon. In that text, Sitri is described as a powerful prince who first appears with a…
Sorath
Sorath is an esoteric demon or adversarial spirit associated especially with the Sun, the number 666 and apocalyptic opposition to divine or Christ-centred revelation. The name belongs chiefly to later Western occultism …
Stolas
Stolas, also called Stolos in some versions, is a spirit of early modern European demonology. He is best known from the Ars Goetia, the first section of the Lesser Key of Solomon, where he is listed as the thirty-sixth s…Mythology and the Stories of Ancient Civilizations
Mythology is the collection of stories, beliefs and traditions that ancient cultures used to explain the world around them. Long before modern science, myths offered answers to fundamental questions about the creation of the universe, natural phenomena, human existence, death and the forces believed to govern destiny.
Every civilization developed its own mythological tradition. Greek mythology tells of powerful Olympian gods, heroic warriors and terrifying monsters. Norse mythology describes a universe of interconnected worlds inhabited by gods, giants, elves and legendary creatures. Egyptian mythology revolves around divine kingship, the journey into the afterlife and the eternal struggle between order and chaos.
Beyond the most familiar traditions, thousands of myths emerged across Asia, Africa, the Americas, Oceania and the ancient Middle East. Hindu mythology contains vast cycles of gods, avatars and cosmic events. Japanese folklore is filled with kami, spirits and mysterious beings, while Celtic traditions preserve stories of warriors, magical lands and supernatural powers.
Although these traditions developed independently, many share recurring themes. Creation myths, great floods, journeys to the underworld, divine battles and heroic quests appear in cultures separated by enormous distances.
Gods and goddesses often represented the forces that shaped everyday life. Some ruled over storms, oceans, war or agriculture, while others protected families, cities or the dead.
Mythical creatures also played an essential role in these stories. Dragons, giants, spirits, shapeshifters, demons and hybrid beasts could act as enemies, guardians, warnings or symbols of forces beyond human control.
Myths were not simply invented as entertainment. They were connected to religious rituals, social customs, political power and cultural identity.
Many mythological stories survive today through literature, art, cinema, television and video games. However, modern adaptations often differ considerably from the original traditions.
At WorldMythos, you will find articles organised by mythology, culture and subject. Our aim is to present legendary stories in a clear and engaging way while distinguishing between ancient sources, folklore, historical interpretation and modern popular culture.