WORLD
Explore Myths, Gods and Legends from Around the World
Stories of gods, heroes, monsters and legendary worlds from every culture
Emer
Emer is one of the central women of Irish mythology and the wife of Cú Chulainn, the greatest warrior of the Ulster Cycle. She is usually portrayed as a mortal noblewoman rather than a goddess or supernatural being. Her …
Teutates
Teutates is a name associated with the religious traditions of ancient Gaul, the Celtic-speaking region that included much of modern France, Belgium and neighbouring areas. The name appears in several forms, including Te…
Narfi
Narfi is a name attached to more than one figure in Norse mythological tradition. Most often, it refers either to a son of Loki who is killed after the death of Baldr, or to Nörfi, a giant presented as the father of Nótt…
Ethlinn
Ethlinn is a figure of Irish mythology best known as the mother of Lugh, one of the greatest heroes and divine figures of the Tuatha Dé Danann. She is usually identified with Ethniu or Eithne, the daughter of Balor, a po…
Pleiades
The Pleiades are a group of seven sisters in Greek mythology who were transformed into stars. In mythological tradition, they are the daughters of the Titan Atlas and the Oceanid Pleione, and their name is also given to …
Credulitas
Credulitas is a Latin name associated with credulity, readiness to believe, or an excessive willingness to accept claims without sufficient proof. It is sometimes presented in modern lists as a minor Roman goddess, but t…
Athena
Athena is one of the principal goddesses of ancient Greek religion. She is associated with wisdom, strategic warfare, civic order, skilled crafts and the protection of cities, especially Athens, whose name was traditiona…
Consus
Consus was an obscure but significant deity of ancient Roman religion, associated above all with stored grain, agricultural resources and the protection of hidden or secret things. His cult was centred on an underground …
Chonganda
Chonganda is a name associated in some modern accounts with a frightening serpent-like being from African, especially Zambian, folklore. The identity is not securely documented in the way that better-known figures such a…
Chiuta
Chiuta is a name associated with a supreme or creator deity in several traditions of south-central Africa, especially among Tumbuka-speaking communities in Malawi and eastern Zambia. The related form Chauta is also used …
Chedi-bumba
Chedi-bumba is a name associated in some modern accounts with African mythology, but its identity is uncertain. It is not a consistently documented deity or legendary being with a clearly established tradition, language,…
Candit
Candit is a name associated in some English-language accounts with the religious traditions of the Dinka people of South Sudan, especially with rain, fertility and the life-giving power of the sky. The identification is …
Sukreep
Sukreep is a monkey king and military leader in the Thai Ramakien, Thailand’s national epic and adaptation of the Indian Ramayana. He corresponds broadly to Sugriva, the vanara king who becomes an ally of Rama. Thai trad…
Suvannamaccha
Suvannamaccha is a mermaid princess in the Thai Ramakien, the Thai adaptation of the Ramayana. Her name is commonly translated as “golden fish” or “golden fish-tailed woman.” She appears in one of the epic’s best-known e…
Thotsakan
Thotsakan is the principal antagonist of the Thai Ramakien, the national epic based on the wider South and Southeast Asian tradition of the Ramayana. He is a powerful yak—a giant or demon-like being in Thai literary and …
Wat Pho
Wat Pho is one of Thailand’s most important Buddhist temples and one of Bangkok’s best-known cultural landmarks. Its formal name is Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram Rajwaramahawihan, although it is commonly called W…
Pamit
Pamit is a name sometimes presented in modern lists of Native American mythological beings, but its identity and cultural origin are uncertain. Unlike well-documented figures such as Glooskap, Coyote, Raven, or Pamola, P…
Pipinoukhe
Pipinoukhe is a name associated with a supposed creature of Native American mythology, but its identity and cultural origin are uncertain. In modern English-language lists of legendary beings, the name is sometimes conne…
Poia
Poia, often translated as Scarface, is a heroic figure in traditions of the Blackfoot peoples of the northern Plains. The name is associated especially with a story about a young man who journeys to the Sun after being r…
Poshaiyankayo
Poshaiyankayo is a name associated in some modern reference works with the traditional religious beliefs of the Havasupai, an Indigenous people of northern Arizona. The figure is often described as a creator or supreme s…
Coqui Xee
Coqui Xee is a name associated with Zapotec ideas of creation and primordial divinity. In many modern summaries of Zapotec mythology, Coqui Xee is presented as an ancient creator or “first lord,” a being connected with t…
Cozichacozee
Cozichacozee is a name associated with Zapotec mythology and is usually described in modern reference works as a deity connected with lightning, storms, or rain. The figure is poorly documented, however, and the survivin…
Cozaana
Cozaana is a figure associated with Zapotec religious tradition, although the name, identity and role are not described consistently in surviving accounts. The form Cozana is also common, and some modern summaries presen…
Ndubdo
Ndubdo is a name associated in some modern compilations with Zapotec mythology, but its identity is uncertain. Unlike well-attested Zapotec deities such as Cocijo, Pitao Cozobi and Pitao Pezelao, Ndubdo does not have a c…
Inti
Inti is the principal sun deity of the Inca religious tradition, which developed in the central Andes before and during the expansion of the Inca Empire. The Quechua word inti means “sun,” and the name could refer both t…
Viracocha
Viracocha is one of the most important creator figures associated with Inca religion and the wider religious traditions of the Andes. Usually written as Viracocha in English, his name also appears in forms such as Wiraqo…
Ataguchu
Ataguchu is the name commonly used for a creator deity associated with the Huamachuco region of the northern Peruvian Andes. The figure is often placed under the broad label of Inca mythology, but that classification req…
Ayar
Ayar is the name associated with a group of ancestral brothers in one of the best-known Inca origin traditions. In the story, four brothers and their female companions emerge from a sacred place, travel through the centr…
Dhakhan
Dhakhan is a name associated in some English-language accounts with a serpent-like being in Australian Aboriginal mythology. The available information is limited, and the name is not documented with the same consistency …
Dilga
Dilga is a figure associated with the traditional religious traditions of the Karadjeri, or Karajarri, people of the West Kimberley region of Western Australia. She is commonly described in English-language references as…
Djanggawul
Djanggawul is the name commonly used for a group of ancestral beings in the mythology and religious traditions of the Yolngu peoples of north-eastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. The group usually …
Dreamtime
Dreamtime is a widely used English term for the religious traditions, ancestral narratives and continuing cultural laws of Aboriginal peoples in Australia. Many Aboriginal communities prefer the term the Dreaming, or use…Eae
Eae is an obscure angelic name whose identity is uncertain and whose traditional background is not securely established. Unlike Michael, Gabriel, Raphael or Uriel, Eae does not have a clear role in the Hebrew Bible, the …
St. Pammachius
St. Pammachius was a Christian senator of late-fourth-century Rome who became known for ascetic devotion, charitable work and support for Christian learning. He belonged to the Roman aristocracy but used his wealth and s…
Dumah
Dumah is a figure associated principally with Jewish angelology, especially with silence, death and the realm of the dead. The name appears in several different contexts, however, and does not always refer to the same en…
St. Pancras
St. Pancras is a Christian martyr traditionally believed to have died in Rome during the persecution of the emperor Diocletian, probably in the early fourth century. He is remembered as a very young saint, often describe…Cadair Idris Demon
The Cadair Idris Demon is not a clearly defined demon in the surviving mythology of Wales. The name is better understood as a modern or descriptive label for the supernatural dangers associated with Cadair Idris, a mount…
Zepar
Zepar is a demon listed in the Ars Goetia, the best-known first section of the early modern grimoire commonly called the Lesser Key of Solomon. He is described as a great duke of Hell whose powers concern sexual attracti…
Zagan
Zagan is a demon in the learned demonology of early modern European occult literature, especially the Ars Goetia, the first section of the Lesser Key of Solomon. He is described as a powerful spirit who initially appears…
Uvall
Uvall, also written Vual or Voval, is a spirit described in early modern European demonological grimoires. He is best known from the Ars Goetia, the first section of the Lesser Key of Solomon, where he is presented as th…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.