WORLD
Explore Myths, Gods and Legends from Around the World
Stories of gods, heroes, monsters and legendary worlds from every culture
Taranis
Taranis is a Gaulish deity known chiefly through Roman-era literary evidence, inscriptions and archaeological interpretations. He is generally understood as a god associated with thunder, storms and the power of the sky,…
Mysterious Three
Mysterious Three is not an established Old Norse name for a single group of beings. In modern English, the phrase is sometimes used as a descriptive label for the three prominent Norns—Urðr, Verðandi and Skuld—who appear…
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…
Cupid
Cupid is the Roman god of erotic desire, attraction and passionate love. He is usually portrayed as a winged child carrying a bow and arrows, whose shots can inspire sudden and sometimes uncontrollable love. In Roman tra…
Atlas
Atlas is a Titan of Greek mythology, best known for carrying or supporting the heavens at the western edge of the world. His punishment follows the defeat of the Titans by Zeus and the younger gods, although different an…
Cuba
Cuba is a minor Roman goddess associated with sleep, lying down, and the care of young children. Her name is connected with the Latin verb cubare, “to lie down” or “to recline,” and she belongs to a group of highly speci…
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 …
Da
Da is a name associated with a serpent power in the religious traditions of the Fon and neighbouring peoples of present-day southern Benin and Togo. The name is not completely standardized: English-language sources may w…
Nimba
Nimba is a name commonly associated with a monumental female masquerade figure of the Baga-speaking peoples of coastal Guinea, in West Africa. The figure is especially known through a large wooden headdress, sometimes wo…
Chuku
Chuku is a spelling used for Chukwu, the supreme creator deity in many Igbo religious traditions of southeastern Nigeria and adjacent areas. Chukwu is commonly understood as the highest divine power, the source of life a…
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…
Phra Witsawakam
Phra Witsawakam is the Thai name commonly used for a divine craftsman, architect and master of construction. He is associated with the Sanskrit figure Vishvakarman, the “all-maker” of Hindu tradition. In Thailand, Phra W…
Ramakien
Ramakien is Thailand’s national epic and the most influential Thai adaptation of the Ramayana, the ancient South Asian story of Rama. It belongs to Thai literary, theatrical, visual and court traditions, but it is not si…
Sahatsadecha
Sahatsadecha is a giant king and enemy of Phra Ram in the Thai Ramakien, the Thai adaptation of the wider Rama tradition. He is generally portrayed as an exceptionally powerful yak or yaksha, the class of supernatural be…
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…Otter
Otter is not the name of one single deity or legendary creature shared by all Native American peoples. Instead, otters appear in many Indigenous traditions of North America as animals, clan or kinship emblems, helpers, d…
Owiot
Owiot is a figure associated with the traditional religious narratives of the Luiseño people, who call themselves the Payómkawichum, in Southern California. He is commonly described in English-language reference works as…
Pah
Pah is a lunar deity in Pawnee religious tradition, associated with the Moon and with the ordered movements of the heavens. The Pawnee are a Caddoan-speaking Indigenous nation of the Great Plains, historically centred in…
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…
Coqui Bezelao
Coqui Bezelao is a figure associated with death and the realm of the dead in accounts of Zapotec religious tradition. The name is also written Coqui Bezelao, Coqui Pezelao, Pitao Bezelao and in several other forms becaus…
Coqui Huani
Coqui Huani is a name associated with Zapotec mythology, although its identity is uncertain and its traditional documentation is limited. Unlike better-attested Zapotec figures such as Cocijo, the rain-and-lightning deit…
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…
Apacheta
Apacheta is the name commonly given to a sacred stone cairn or roadside shrine found at mountain passes and other significant places in the Andes. It belongs to the religious landscape of Quechua- and Aymara-speaking com…
Illapa
Illapa is a major weather deity in accounts of Inca religion, especially associated with thunder, lightning, rain and hail. He was connected with the atmospheric forces that could nourish crops or destroy them, making hi…
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…
Daramulum
Daramulum is an important ancestral being in the traditional religious systems of several Aboriginal peoples of south-eastern Australia, especially communities of the coastal and inland regions of New South Wales. He is …
Darana
Darana is a name associated in some modern reference works with Australian Aboriginal mythology, where it is usually described as a female sea being or sea goddess. The evidence for a clearly defined traditional figure o…
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…
Eiael
Eiael is a name found in later occult and devotional lists of the seventy-two angels associated with the Shem ha-Mephorash, a mystical “explicit name” of God in Jewish esoteric tradition. In these catalogues, Eiael is us…
St. Pambo
St. Pambo was an Egyptian Christian ascetic and one of the respected elders of the fourth-century desert-monastic movement. He lived at Nitria, a major monastic centre in Lower Egypt, and became known in later tradition …
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…
Tatzelwurm
The Tatzelwurm is a legendary creature associated with the German-speaking Alps, especially regions of Switzerland, Austria, Bavaria and, in some accounts, northern Italy. Its name is usually understood as a combination …
Kushtaka
Kushtaka is a supernatural being in Tlingit tradition, associated especially with the coastal communities of southeastern Alaska and parts of western British Columbia. The name is commonly translated into English as “lan…
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…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.