WORLD
Europe
Explore myths, traditions and legendary beings grouped under Europe.
Last articles
Fionn Mac Cumhaill
Fionn Mac Cumhaill, also widely known as Finn McCool or Fionn mac Cumhaill, is one of the central heroes of Irish mythology. He is the leader of the Fianna, a celebrated band of warrior-hunters, and the principal figure …
Hiisi
Hiisi is a figure and sacred-place concept in Finnish mythology whose meaning changed considerably over time. In older Finnish tradition, hiisi could refer to a holy grove, a wooded place, a rocky landscape or another lo…
Norns
The Norns are female beings associated with fate, destiny and the ordering of life in Norse mythology. The best-known Norns are Urðr, Verðandi and Skuld, who appear together in medieval Icelandic accounts beneath the wor…
Fir Bolg
The Fir Bolg are a people of medieval Irish mythology, remembered chiefly in the stories of Ireland’s successive invasions. In the traditional sequence preserved in Irish learned literature, they arrive in Ireland before…
Ilmarinen
Ilmarinen is a master smith and one of the principal culture heroes of Finnish mythology. He is best known from the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic, where he forges the mysterious Sampo, creates remarkable objects fr…
Nott
Nótt is the personified night in Norse mythology. Her name is the Old Norse word for “night,” and surviving mythological texts describe her as a female figure who travels across the sky in a horse-drawn chariot. She belo…
Fódla
Fódla is a figure of Irish mythology associated with the land of Ireland and with the sovereignty of the country. In medieval Irish tradition, she is one of the three sisters who represent or personify Ireland, alongside…
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…