WORLD
Explore Myths, Gods and Legends from Around the World
Stories of gods, heroes, monsters and legendary worlds from every culture
Lemminkäinen
Lemminkäinen is one of the best-known heroes of Finnish mythology, especially through the Kalevala, the nineteenth-century epic compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Finnish and Karelian oral poetry. He is portrayed as handsome…
Rig
Rígr is a figure in Norse mythology who appears chiefly in Rígsþula (“The Lay of Rígr”), a poem preserved among the poems associated with the Poetic Edda. In the poem, Rígr travels through the human world, fathers or est…
Lir
Lir is a figure of Irish mythology best known as the father of the Children of Lir, the four children transformed into swans in one of Ireland’s most famous tragic legends. He is also associated with the sea through the …
Kipu Tytto
Kipu-Tyttö, also written Kiputyttö or translated as “Pain Girl,” is a little-known figure associated with Finnish folk belief and healing incantations. The name appears to personify pain as a female being, but Kipu-Tyttö…
Antinous
Antinous was a young man from Bithynia who became the beloved companion of the Roman emperor Hadrian and, after his death, the focus of a widespread religious cult. Unlike most figures classified under Roman mythology, A…
Amymone
Amymone is a figure in Greek mythology, best known as one of the fifty daughters of Danaus and as the mortal woman associated with the spring of Lerna. In the most familiar version of her story, the god Poseidon rescues …
Anna-perenna
Anna Perenna is a Roman goddess associated with the yearly cycle, continued life and the renewal of time. Her festival was celebrated on 15 March, the Ides of March, with outdoor feasting, drinking, songs and prayers for…
Amphitryon
Amphitryon is a mortal king and heroic figure in Greek mythology, best known as the husband of Alcmene and the social father of Heracles. His place in the myth is shaped by a deception: while Amphitryon is away from home…
Ogun
Ogun (also written Ògún or Ogún) is a major òrìṣà of Yoruba religious tradition. He is especially associated with iron, metalworking, hunting, warfare, clearing paths, labour, technology and the difficult work required t…
Oko
Oko, more fully known as Òrìṣà Oko or Orisha Oko, is a Yoruba deity associated chiefly with farming, cultivated land and the harvest. The name is commonly connected with the Yoruba word oko, “farm” or “farmland,” althoug…
Olorun
Olorun is a supreme divine being in Yoruba religious thought, traditionally associated with the sky, creation, life and the ultimate ordering of the universe. The name is commonly written Ọlọ́run in Yoruba, from elements…
Olokun
Olokun is a powerful divinity in Yoruba religious tradition, associated above all with the sea, its immense depths, its hidden riches and the forces that lie beyond ordinary human understanding. The name is commonly writ…
In
In is not a clearly identifiable, independently attested deity, spirit or legendary creature in the principal traditions of Japanese mythology. As a name written only in Roman letters, “In” is highly ambiguous: it may re…
Inari
Inari is one of the most widely worshipped kami in Japan, associated especially with rice, agriculture, food, prosperity, commerce and the well-being of households. Inari belongs primarily to Japanese Shinto, although ce…
Izanagi
Izanagi, also known as Izanagi-no-Mikoto, is a major creator kami in Japanese mythology and one of the central figures of the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, Japan’s earliest surviving mythological and historical chronicles. Tog…
Izanami
Izanami, also known as Izanami-no-Mikoto, is one of the principal creator kami of Japanese mythology. She appears most prominently in the Kojiki, compiled in 712, and the Nihon Shoki, completed in 720. In these early myt…
Nanook
Nanook, more accurately written Nanuq in many Inuit-language contexts, is the polar bear as a powerful being in Inuit religious traditions and oral histories. The name can refer both to the animal itself and to the spiri…
Negafook
Negafook is a name associated with cold weather in some modern accounts of Inuit mythology. He is commonly described as a spirit or deity responsible for severe cold, frost, or winter winds. The name is sometimes written…
Nerrivik
Nerrivik is a figure associated with the sea, marine animals and the survival of human communities in some Inuit traditions. Her name and stories vary across Inuit regions and languages, and she is often identified with …
Nootaikok
Nootaikok is a little-known figure associated in some modern accounts with Inuit traditions concerning icebergs, ice, and the northern landscape. Unlike widely documented figures such as Sedna, Sila, or Nanook, Nootaikok…
Macuilmalinalli
Macuilmalinalli is a relatively obscure figure in the religious traditions of central Mexico. The name is usually translated from Nahuatl as “Five Grass” or “Five Grass-Stalk,” combining macuil, “five,” with malinalli, a…
Macuilcuetzpalin
Macuilcuetzpalin is a calendrical figure in Nahua, commonly called Aztec, religious tradition. The name is usually translated as “Five Lizard”: macuil means “five,” while cuetzpalin refers to a lizard or similar small re…
Macuiltochtli
Macuiltochtli, whose Nahuatl name means “Five Rabbit,” is a figure associated with drunkenness, pulque and the wider religious symbolism of excess in Aztec and other Nahua traditions. He is commonly connected with the Ce…
Macuilcozcacuahtli
Macuilcozcacuahtli is a little-known figure associated with Aztec and wider Nahua religious tradition. His name is usually translated as “Five Vulture” or “Five [the] Vulture,” from macuil, “five,” and cozcacuahtli, a Na…
Anatiwa
Anatiwa is a poorly documented name sometimes presented online as belonging to South American mythology. Unlike well-attested figures such as Mama Quilla, Anhangá, or the Mapuche Antu, Anatiwa does not have a securely es…
Anchimallén
Anchimallén is a luminous spirit associated chiefly with Mapuche and, in some accounts, neighbouring southern Chilean traditions. It is usually described as a small, fast-moving light seen at night, although other versio…
Ariconte
Ariconte is a name associated with South American mythological and folkloric material, but its identity is uncertain. Unlike well-attested figures such as Inti, Pachamama, Viracocha or the Mapuche Pillán, Ariconte does n…
Aroteh
Aroteh is an uncertain name associated in some modern mythology lists with South American tradition. Its identity, cultural origin and meaning are not securely established in the surviving historical and ethnographic rec…
Wawalag
Wawalag refers most often to two ancestral sisters in the traditions of Yolngu peoples of north-eastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. They are also known in English-language sources as the Wawilak o…
Widjingara
Widjingara is a name associated in some modern English-language references with Australian Aboriginal mythology, but its identity is not securely established across the traditional records of any single Aboriginal nation…
Wuluwait
Wuluwait is a name associated in some modern accounts with Australian Aboriginal mythology, particularly with a spirit or supernatural being connected with rain, weather, or the sky. The identification is uncertain, howe…
Wuraka
Wuraka is a name associated in some modern lists with Australian Aboriginal mythology, but its identity is not securely established in the surviving record. Unlike better-documented figures such as Baiame, Bunjil, Daramu…
Barbiel
Barbiel is an angelic name found chiefly in Renaissance and later occult systems of correspondences. In the best-known tradition associated with the name, Barbiel is the angel assigned to October. The figure does not hav…
St. Peter Of Tarentaise
St. Peter of Tarentaise, also known as Peter II of Tarentaise or Pierre de Tarentaise, was a twelfth-century French Cistercian monk and archbishop. He is remembered within the Christian tradition as a reforming churchman…
Barrattiel
Barrattiel is an obscure angelic name found mainly in later angelological and occult lists. Unlike Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, or other angels with substantial scriptural and liturgical traditions, Barrattiel has no widel…
St. Philip
Saint Philip is traditionally remembered as one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. He appears especially in the Gospel of John, where he brings Nathanael to Jesus, participates in the feeding of the multitude, and a…
Focalor
Focalor is a demon described in early modern European demonological literature, most famously in the Ars Goetia, the first section of the Lesser Key of Solomon. He is presented as a powerful duke of Hell associated with …
Flauros
Flauros is a demon listed in early modern European grimoires, most notably the Ars Goetia, the first section of the Lesser Key of Solomon. He is described as a powerful duke who initially appears as a leopard and can tak…
Enepsigos
Enepsigos is a female demon who appears in the Testament of Solomon, a late antique work that presents itself as the account of King Solomon’s dealings with demons. She is associated with changing shape, lunar imagery an…
Eligos
Eligos, also written Eligor or Abigor, is a demon in the ceremonial magic tradition commonly known as the Ars Goetia. He is listed as the fifteenth spirit in its catalogue and is ranked as a Great Duke of Hell. The descr…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.