WORLD
Explore Myths, Gods and Legends from Around the World
Stories of gods, heroes, monsters and legendary worlds from every culture
Kuu
Kuu is the Finnish word for the Moon and, in discussions of Finnish mythology, may refer either to the celestial body itself or to a personified lunar power. It is sometimes presented in modern summaries as a Finnish moo…
Síbilja
Síbilja is not a securely attested goddess, giantess, valkyrie, or other independent figure in the surviving mythology of medieval Scandinavia. The name appears in some modern lists of “Norse gods and beings”, but those …
Maga
Maga is an obscure name associated with Irish mythological tradition. Unlike figures such as Macha, the Morrígan, Brigid or Medb, Maga does not possess a clearly established biography, mythology or cult in the surviving …
Kyllikki
Kyllikki is a human heroine of the Finnish and Karelian oral-poetry tradition, best known as the wife of Lemminkäinen in the Kalevala. She is not a goddess, spirit or supernatural creature. Her story belongs to the cycle…
Albunea
Albunea is a prophetic female figure associated with Roman Italy, the waters of the Anio River and the ancient town of Tibur, now Tivoli. She is described in different traditions as a nymph of a sacred spring, a local go…
Alpheus
Alpheus is a river god of Greek mythology, identified with the Alpheus River in the western Peloponnese. In Greek, his name is written Alpheios (Ἀλφειός), while “Alpheus” is the usual Latin and English form. He belongs t…
Aius-locutius
Aius Locutius was a Roman divine voice associated with a warning that preceded the Gallic capture of Rome in the early fourth century BCE. Unlike Jupiter, Mars, Venus or other major Roman gods, Aius Locutius was not a br…
Aloadae
The Aloadae were Otus and Ephialtes, gigantic twin brothers in Greek mythology. Their name means the “sons of Aloeus,” although several ancient traditions identify Poseidon rather than Aloeus as their biological father. …
Oya
Oya is a major òrìṣà in Yoruba religious tradition, associated especially with wind, sudden change, storms, transformation and the boundary between the living and the dead. Her name is also written Ọ̀ya, while related tr…
Sopona
Sopona is a Yoruba divinity associated chiefly with smallpox and other dangerous epidemic diseases. The name appears in several spellings, including Ṣọ̀pọ̀nná, Soponu, Shopona and Shapona. In Yoruba religious thought, So…
Yansan
Yansan is a name used chiefly in the African diaspora for Ọya, one of the powerful òrìṣà of Yoruba religious tradition. She is especially associated with wind, storms, sudden change, warfare, transformation and the bound…
Nyambe
Nyambe is the supreme creator figure in the traditional religious thought of the Lozi people of western Zambia, especially in the cultural region historically known as Barotseland. He is generally described as the maker …
Kasha
Kasha (火車, commonly read kasha) is a frightening being associated with Japanese Buddhist folklore and tales of the dead. Its name means “fire cart” or “fiery vehicle.” In traditional stories, a kasha descends during a fu…
Kashiwa-no-kami
Kashiwa-no-kami is best understood as a Japanese tree kami associated with the kashiwa, usually identified with the daimyo oak (Quercus dentata) or, in some contexts, with oak trees more generally. The name can be transl…
Kawaya-no-kami
Kawaya-no-kami (厠神), also written in English as Kawaya no Kami or “the deity of the privy,” is a Japanese household and folk-religious kami associated with the toilet, latrine, and other places used for bodily eliminatio…
Kitsune
Kitsune are foxes in Japanese mythology, folklore and religious tradition. The word kitsune normally means “fox” in Japanese, but in stories it often refers to a fox with exceptional intelligence, supernatural powers and…
Hototo
Hototo is a name associated with a katsina—often written “kachina” in English—within Hopi religious and ceremonial traditions of northern Arizona. Hototo is not one of the universally standardized figures of Hopi mytholo…
Huruing Wuhti
Huruing Wuhti is a female spiritual being associated with Hopi mythology, although descriptions of her identity and role vary considerably between published accounts. Her name is also written in forms such as Huruing Wuh…
Kachinas
Kachinas, more accurately written katsinam in many Hopi contexts, are sacred spirit beings, ceremonial identities, and masked dancers in the religious traditions of the Hopi people of northeastern Arizona. The English wo…
Kokyangwuti
Kokyangwuti, commonly known in English as Spider Grandmother or Spider Woman, is an important female figure in Hopi sacred narrative. She is associated with creation, emergence, wisdom, protection and the guidance of hum…
Malinalxochi
Malinalxochi, also written Malinalxochitl or Malinalxoch, is a female figure associated with Mexica, commonly called Aztec, migration traditions. She is usually presented as the sister of Huitzilopochtli, the Mexica patr…
Mayahuel
Mayahuel is a goddess associated with the maguey or agave plant, its nourishing sap, and pulque, the fermented drink made from that sap in central Mexico. She belongs to the religious traditions of the Nahua peoples, inc…
Metzli
Metzli is a name associated with the Moon in Aztec, or Mexica, religious tradition. The name is more securely documented as the Classical Nahuatl word for “moon” than as the title of a single, clearly defined deity. For …
Mexitl
Mexitl is a name associated in colonial-era Nahuatl traditions with Huitzilopochtli, the patron deity of the Mexica and one of the most important gods of the Aztec Empire. The name also appears in accounts of the Mexica …
Chiminigagua
Chiminigagua is a creator figure in the traditional religious worldview of the Muisca, an Indigenous people of the northern Andes whose historical homeland lay mainly on the high plateau of present-day central Colombia. …
Chonchon
Chonchon is a supernatural being associated chiefly with Mapuche and Chilean folklore. It is commonly described as a human head that separates from the body and flies through the night, using enlarged ears as wings. In m…
Colo Colo
Colo Colo is a frightening being associated with the mythology and rural folklore of Chile, especially traditions connected with the Mapuche cultural area. Its description is not uniform: in some accounts it resembles a …
Cuchavira
Cuchavira is a figure associated with the rainbow in the religious traditions of the Muisca, also called the Muysca, an Indigenous people of the Andean highlands of present-day Colombia. She is commonly described as a fe…
Aroonoona
Aroonoona is a little-known name associated with Polynesian mythology, but its identity is uncertain. Unlike major figures such as Tangaroa, Māui, Tāne, or Hina, Aroonoona is not securely documented across a broad, recog…
Atanua
Atanua is a figure in the traditional mythology of the Marquesas Islands, an island group in Eastern Polynesia and part of present-day French Polynesia. She is generally identified as a goddess or personification of dawn…
Atea
Atea is a name associated with primordial beings and creator figures in several eastern Polynesian traditions, especially those of the Marquesas and Mangareva. The name is not a single, universally defined Polynesian god…
Tangata-manu
Tangata-manu is the Rapa Nui name commonly translated as “bird-man” or “bird person”. It refers primarily to the winner of an important ritual competition held on Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, rather than to a s…
Azrael
Azrael is the name commonly given to the angel of death in Islamic tradition. In Arabic, the name is usually written ʿAzrāʾīl or ʿIzrāʾīl, while “Azrael” is a familiar English form. His principal role is to receive or ta…
St. Pontian
St. Pontian, more precisely Pope Pontian or Pontianus, was a bishop of Rome who served during a period of internal conflict in the Christian Church and severe imperial persecution. He became bishop of Rome around 230 and…
Azbogah
Azbogah is a little-known angelic name associated with Jewish angelology and later esoteric traditions. Unlike Michael, Gabriel, Raphael or Uriel, Azbogah does not belong to the small group of angels whose names and stor…
St. Zachary
St. Zachary is a name used for more than one Christian saint, and the identity intended depends on the religious, historical, or liturgical context. The most widely recognized figure is Zachary the priest, the father of …
Belphegor
Belphegor is a demon of Christian demonology whose name ultimately derives from Baal-Peor, a deity or cult title mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. The figure known in later European demonology is not simply identical with t…
Belial
Belial is a name associated with wickedness, lawlessness and opposition to divine order in Jewish and Christian religious traditions. In the oldest Hebrew texts, however, Belial is usually not the name of an independent …
Beleth
Beleth, also spelled Bileth, Byleth or Belet in different texts, is a king of demons in the early modern European grimoire tradition. He is best known from the Ars Goetia, the first part of the Lesser Key of Solomon, whe…
Behemoth
Behemoth is a colossal creature described in the Hebrew Bible, chiefly in the divine speeches of the Book of Job. Its name and nature have been debated for centuries. In the biblical passage, Behemoth is not presented as…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.