WORLD
Explore Myths, Gods and Legends from Around the World
Stories of gods, heroes, monsters and legendary worlds from every culture
Ilmatar
Ilmatar is a female figure in Finnish mythology best known from the Kalevala, the national epic compiled by Elias Lönnrot in the nineteenth century. She is described as a maiden of the air and as the mother of Väinämöine…
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…
Britannia
Britannia is the Roman personification of Britain and the province that Rome established in parts of the British Isles. She is usually represented as a helmeted woman seated beside a shield, holding a spear or military s…
Arion
Arion, also spelled Areion in transliterations of the Greek name, is a miraculous horse in Greek mythology. He is best known as the exceptionally swift and often immortal horse associated with the hero Heracles and the A…
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…
Andriambahomanana
Andriambahomanana is a figure associated with Malagasy mythology, the traditional religious and storytelling cultures of Madagascar. He is commonly described in modern summaries as the first human or an early ancestor of…
Achimi
Achimi is an obscure name associated with African mythology in some modern English-language catalogues of gods, spirits and legendary beings. Its identity, cultural origin and traditional role are not securely establishe…
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…
Daikoku
Daikoku, more fully Daikokuten (大黒天), is a Japanese Buddhist deity associated with prosperity, food, agriculture, household abundance and good fortune. He is commonly shown as a broad-faced figure standing on rice bales,…
Ebisu
Ebisu is a Japanese kami associated with the sea, fishing, trade, prosperity and good fortune. He is best known as one of the Seven Lucky Gods (Shichifukujin), usually shown smiling, carrying a fishing rod and holding a …
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…
Uncegila
Uncegila, also written Unhcegila, is a great serpent or water monster found especially in Lakota traditional narratives. The name is often rendered in English as “the great serpent,” although translations and spellings v…
Untunktahe
Untunktahe is a name associated with a powerful water being in traditions connected with the Lakota and other Dakota-speaking peoples of the northern Great Plains. The spelling is not uniform, and the form “Untunktahe” m…
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…
Chalchiuhtecólotl
Chalchiuhtecólotl is an obscure figure associated with Nahua, especially Mexica or “Aztec,” religious traditions. The name is commonly translated as “Precious Owl” or “Jade Owl,” from Nahuatl elements connected with a pr…
Chalchiuhtotolin
Chalchiuhtotolin is a deity or divine manifestation in Nahua religious tradition, especially the religious world commonly called Aztec. His name is usually translated as “Jade Turkey” or “Precious Turkey.” He is most clo…
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.…Pachacamac
Pachacamac was a major deity and oracle of the central Peruvian coast, worshipped at the large ceremonial centre now known as Pachacamac, south of modern Lima. Although often described as an Inca god, Pachacamac was prob…
Paricia
Paricia is a little-known figure associated in some modern accounts with Inca mythology, particularly with rain, floods and the destruction of an early human age. The evidence for Paricia is limited, however. Unlike bett…
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…
Mopaditis
Mopaditis is a very obscure name associated in some modern reference lists with Australian Aboriginal mythology. Its identity, cultural origin and traditional role are uncertain. Unlike well-documented figures such as Ba…
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.…
Camael
Camael is a name used in several later systems of angelology, especially Christian occultism, Renaissance esotericism and modern interpretations of Kabbalistic symbolism. He is commonly presented as a powerful angel asso…
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…
Naamah
Naamah is a name associated with several different women and supernatural figures in Jewish tradition. In the Hebrew Bible, Naamah is the sister of Tubal-cain and one of the few women named in the genealogies of Genesis.…
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 …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.