WORLD
Explore Myths, Gods and Legends from Around the World
Stories of gods, heroes, monsters and legendary worlds from every culture
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…
Fraoch
Fraoch, also written Fróech or Froech, is a heroic figure of medieval Irish literature associated especially with the tale Táin Bó Fraích, usually translated as The Cattle Raid of Fraoch. He belongs to the heroic world o…
Joulupukki
Joulupukki is the Finnish Christmas gift-bringer, but his name and older imagery do not originally describe the same figure as the modern international Santa Claus. In Finnish, joulupukki literally means “Christmas goat”…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…
Bona-dea
Bona Dea, whose name means “the Good Goddess,” was a Roman goddess associated with women, fertility, healing, and protection. Her worship was among the most secretive rituals of ancient Rome. Men were excluded from her p…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…
Aganju
Aganju, also written Aganjú or Agayú in some West African and African-diaspora traditions, is an orisha associated with powerful natural forces, difficult landscapes and the strength required to cross them. He belongs to…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…
Fujin
Fujin (風神, commonly romanised as Fūjin) is the Japanese deity or divine figure associated with wind. In traditional art he is usually shown as a wild, muscular, often demon-like being carrying a large bag from which the …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…
Weywot
Weywot is a figure associated with the traditional mythology of the Tongva, an Indigenous people of the Los Angeles Basin and the Southern Channel Islands in present-day California. In commonly circulated accounts of Ton…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…
Chimalman
Chimalman, also written Chimalma, is a female figure in Nahua and Aztec-era mythological traditions, best known as the mother of Quetzalcoatl and the companion of Mixcoatl. She is important chiefly through her place in t…
Cihuateteo
Cihuateteo are the sacred and dangerous spirits of women who died in childbirth in the religious traditions of the Nahua peoples of central Mexico, including the Mexica commonly known as the Aztecs. Their name is usually…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…
Supay
Supay is a name from the Quechua-speaking Andes that Spanish missionaries and later writers commonly translated as “devil,” “demon,” or “evil spirit.” It is often presented as an Inca god of death or the underworld, but …
Tunupa
Tunupa is a sacred and highly variable figure of the central Andes, associated especially with the highlands of present-day Bolivia and southern Peru. He is often described as a wandering creator, prophet, culture hero o…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…
Namorodo
Namorodo is a name used in English-language accounts for a dangerous spirit being associated particularly with Aboriginal traditions of western Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. The name is also written…
Ngalyod
Ngalyod is a powerful ancestral being of western Arnhem Land in northern Australia, especially in Kunwinjku and related Aboriginal traditions. Ngalyod is commonly described in English as a Rainbow Serpent, although that …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…
St. Peter Canisius
St. Peter Canisius was a sixteenth-century Dutch Jesuit priest, theologian, teacher and missionary whose work helped shape Catholic life in the German-speaking lands during the Reformation. He is especially remembered fo…
Bethor
Bethor is an Olympic spirit in the Renaissance magical tradition, especially in the sixteenth-century grimoire Arbatel of Magic. He is associated with the planet Jupiter and with the qualities traditionally attributed to…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…
Malphas
Malphas is a demon of early modern European grimoire tradition, best known as the thirty-ninth spirit listed in the Ars Goetia, the first section of the Lesser Key of Solomon. He is described as a great president of Hell…
Lix Tetrax
Lix Tetrax is an obscure name in European demonological catalogues, usually described as a spirit or demon associated with the north-west wind. Unlike figures such as Satan, Asmodeus or Belial, Lix Tetrax has no substant…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.