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Explore myths, traditions and legendary beings grouped under Europe.
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Fraoch
Fraoch, also written Fróech or Froech, is a heroic figure of medieval Irish literature associated especially with the tale Táin Bó Fraích, usually translated as The Cattle Raid of Fraoch. He belongs to the heroic world o…
Joulupukki
Joulupukki is the Finnish Christmas gift-bringer, but his name and older imagery do not originally describe the same figure as the modern international Santa Claus. In Finnish, joulupukki literally means “Christmas goat”…
Otr
Otr, or Ótr in Old Norse, is a shapeshifting figure in the Völsung tradition of Norse mythology. He is the son of Hreidmar and the brother of Fafnir and Regin. By day, Otr takes the form of an otter and catches fish; by …
Fúamnach
Fúamnach is a woman of the supernatural world in Irish mythology, best known as the first wife of Midir, a powerful Otherworld figure associated with Brí Léith. She appears chiefly in the medieval Irish tale Tochmarc Éta…
Jumala
Jumala is a Finnish word with two closely connected but historically distinct uses. In traditional Finnish religion, jumala could mean a god, deity, or supernatural power, while Jumala later became the Finnish name for t…
Radgridr
Radgridr, usually written Ráðgríðr in Old Norse, is a named valkyrie in the surviving literature of Norse mythology. She is one of the female figures associated with choosing or serving the fallen warriors who are taken …
Gae Assail
Gáe Assail is a magical spear associated with Lugh, the renowned hero and champion of the Tuatha Dé Danann in Irish mythological literature. It is usually counted among the Four Treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann, a group…
Lempo
Lempo is a figure of Finnish mythology whose identity changed significantly across time. In older layers of Finnish oral tradition, the name may have been connected with love, sexual attraction, or a powerful spirit of t…
Ran
Rán is a female figure associated with the sea in Norse mythology. She is best known as the wife of Ægir, a personification or divine being connected with the ocean, and as the owner of a net used to seize people who ven…
Goibhniu
Goibhniu is a divine smith of Irish mythology and one of the most important craftsmen of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the supernatural people who appear in medieval Irish literature as rulers of Ireland before the coming of the…
Kalevala
The Kalevala is Finland’s national epic and one of the most important written records of Finnic oral poetry. It presents a world of powerful singers, smiths, spirits, enchanted objects and rival communities, especially t…