WORLD
Explore Myths, Gods and Legends from Around the World
Stories of gods, heroes, monsters and legendary worlds from every culture
Ód
Ód, more fully written in Old Norse as Óðr, is a little-known figure associated with Freyja in Norse mythology. He is described primarily as her husband and as the father of Hnoss and Gersemi. Unlike Odin, Thor or Freyja…
Fomorians
The Fomorians are a powerful and often hostile group of supernatural beings in Irish mythology. In Irish tradition they appear as ancient inhabitants, rulers, raiders and enemies of other peoples who claim Ireland, espec…
Joukahainen
Joukahainen is a young human figure in Finnish mythic poetry, best known from the Kalevala, Finland’s national epic. He is a proud and inexperienced singer who challenges the older sage Väinämöinen to a contest of knowle…
Ull
Ullr is a comparatively obscure god of Norse mythology, associated in surviving sources with archery, shields, skiing and possibly hunting. He belongs to the religious world of pre-Christian Scandinavia, but the myths pr…
Bonus-eventus
Bonus Eventus was a Roman divine personification of a successful or favourable outcome. His name literally means “good result” or “fortunate outcome”: bonus means “good”, while eventus means “outcome”, “issue” or “result…
Arcas
Arcas is a legendary king and culture hero of Arcadia in Greek mythology. He is best known as the son of Zeus and Callisto, the young hunter who nearly killed his mother after she had been transformed into a bear, and th…
Mens
Mens was a Roman divine personification of the mind, understanding, intelligence and sound judgment. Although the Latin word mens is an ordinary noun meaning “mind” or “intellect,” Roman religious practice could treat su…
Arachne
Arachne is a mortal weaver in the best-known Greek myth of artistic rivalry, pride and transformation. According to the account preserved by the Roman poet Ovid, she was so exceptionally skilled that she challenged Miner…
Abuk
Abuk is a female figure in the traditional religious world of the Dinka people of South Sudan. She is commonly described as the first woman, a mother of humanity, and a goddess or sacred ancestral figure associated with …
Abassi
Abassi is a creator and supreme deity associated primarily with the traditional religion of the Efik people of southeastern Nigeria and the adjoining Cross River region. In English-language references, the name is also w…
A-bol
A-bol is an obscure name associated with African mythology in some modern listings, but its identity and cultural origin are uncertain. Unlike widely documented figures such as Anansi, Mami Wata, or the Yoruba orisha, A-…
Abiku
Abiku is a concept in Yoruba religious tradition concerning a child believed to move repeatedly between the human world and the spirit world. The Yoruba term is commonly written àbíkú, often translated as “born to die” o…
Ekibiogami
Ekibiogami is a Japanese term for a deity or spirit associated with epidemic disease. It is commonly written 疫病神 and may be romanised as ekibyōgami, ekibyougami or, in some English-language contexts, ekibiogami. The name…
Jimmu-tenno
Jimmu-tennō, also written Emperor Jimmu or Jinmu-tennō, is presented in Japanese tradition as the first emperor of Japan and the founder of the imperial line. He is a legendary ruler rather than a figure whose historical…
Hoderi
Hoderi is a figure in early Japanese mythology, best known from the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki as the elder brother of Hoori. He is associated with the sea, fishing, and the inherited “luck” of the ocean. In the central stor…
Hoori
Hoori is a figure in Japanese mythology who belongs to the divine genealogy leading to the imperial ancestors. He is best known as the mountain hunter who loses his brother’s fishing hook, enters the underwater palace of…
Utset
Utset is a name associated in some modern reference works with a female creator or earth-mother figure of the Pueblo peoples of the American Southwest. The identification is uncertain, however. “Pueblo” does not describe…
Wabasso
Wabasso is a name found in English-language accounts of Algonquian and especially Anishinaabe—also called Ojibwe—traditional stories. It is most often associated with a rabbit or hare, sometimes specifically a white rabb…
Wakan Tanka
Wakan Tanka is a sacred concept in Lakota religious tradition, commonly translated into English as “Great Mystery,” “Great Sacred,” or, less precisely, “Great Spirit.” The name is associated with the holy and mysterious …
Wendigo
Wendigo is a powerful and dangerous being associated chiefly with Algonquian-speaking peoples of the Great Lakes, the northern woodlands and parts of subarctic North America. The name appears in several related forms, in…
Chalmecatecuhtli
Chalmecatecuhtli is an obscure figure associated with Aztec, or more precisely Nahua, religious tradition in central Mexico. His name appears in colonial-era records and later catalogues of Nahua deities, but surviving e…
Chicomexochtli
Chicomexochtli is a little-known figure in the religious traditions of central Mexico. His name is usually written in English as Chicomexochtli or Chicomexochitl and is commonly interpreted from Nahuatl as “Seven Flower.…
Chiconahuiehecatl
Chiconahuiehecatl is a Nahuatl name usually interpreted as “Nine Wind” or “Nine Wind-Breath.” In discussions of Aztec religion, it is most safely understood as a calendrical name, title or aspect associated with Ehecatl,…
Cihuacoatl
Cihuacoatl was an important female deity and political title in the religious and governmental world of the Nahua peoples, especially the Mexica, commonly called the Aztecs. Her name is usually translated as “Serpent Wom…
Piguerao
Piguerao is an obscure name associated with Inca mythology, but its identity is not securely established in the surviving record. Modern lists of Inca beings sometimes describe Piguerao as a supernatural bird, usually co…
Quinoa-mama
Quinoa-mama is a name used for a mother or female spiritual presence associated with quinoa, the highland Andean grain known scientifically as Chenopodium quinoa. It is often presented in modern accounts as an Inca godde…
Rímac
Rímac is best understood as a sacred river and an associated spiritual presence of the central Peruvian coast rather than as a clearly defined, universally recognized Inca god. The name belongs to the Quechua word rimaq,…
Si
Si is a name sometimes listed in modern references as an Inca lunar goddess. The identification is uncertain, however. In the best-documented accounts of Inca religion, the Moon is called Quilla or Killa and is personifi…
Mudungkala
Mudungkala is an ancestral being in the traditions of the Tiwi people of northern Australia. The Tiwi live primarily on Melville Island and Bathurst Island, in the Apsley Strait region north of Darwin in the Northern Ter…
Multultu
Multultu is a name associated in some modern references with a dangerous creature of Australian Aboriginal tradition, usually described as a water-dwelling monster. Its identity is uncertain, however. Unlike widely docum…
Mumba
Mumba is a name found in some modern English-language lists of Australian Aboriginal mythological beings, where it is usually described as a dangerous water creature or aquatic spirit. Its identity is uncertain, however.…
Nadubi
Nadubi is a name sometimes listed in modern collections of Australian Aboriginal mythology, but its identity and traditional context are not securely established. Unlike well-documented figures such as Baiame, Bunjil, Da…
St. Perpetua Of Carthage
St. Perpetua of Carthage was a Christian martyr who was executed in Carthage in Roman North Africa during the early third century. She is remembered chiefly through the Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity, an unusual…
Cahethal
Cahethal is a name found in some modern and esoteric lists of angels associated with the Shem ha-Mephorash, the “explicit name” or “divided name” tradition of Jewish mystical angelology. The name is also written as Cahet…
St. Peter
St. Peter is one of the central figures of Christianity and one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. In the New Testament he appears as Simon, a Jewish fisherman from Galilee who becomes a leading disciple, a prominent witne…
Briathos
Briathos is a highly obscure name associated in some modern angelological and occult compilations with an angelic or celestial being. Unlike Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, or Uriel, Briathos does not have a clearly establish…Marax
Marax, also spelled Morax in some sources, is a demon of early modern European ceremonial magic. He is best known from the Ars Goetia, the first part of the Lesser Key of Solomon, where he is listed as the twenty-first s…
Mephistopheles
Mephistopheles is a demon and tempter best known from the European Faust tradition. He is not a major figure of ancient mythology or a universally recognised demon in Christian scripture. Instead, Mephistopheles emerged …
Marchosias
Marchosias is a demon in the Solomonic tradition of Western ceremonial magic, best known from the Ars Goetia, the first section of the Lesser Key of Solomon. He is listed as the thirty-fifth spirit and is given the rank …
Marbas
Marbas is a demon in the ceremonial-magical tradition associated with the Ars Goetia, the first section of the early modern grimoire commonly known as The Lesser Key of Solomon. He is traditionally described as a powerfu…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.