WORLD
Europe
Explore myths, traditions and legendary beings grouped under Europe.
Last articles
Sheela Na Gig
Sheela Na Gig is the modern name usually given to a distinctive group of carved female figures found on churches, castles, and other buildings in Ireland and Britain. Their most striking feature is an exaggerated display…
Sampsa
Sampsa is a figure from Finnish mythology and folk tradition, best known from the Kalevala, where he appears as a mysterious cause of fertility and abundance. The name is usually associated with growth, plenty, and the m…
Surt
Surt is a giant or fire-being from Norse mythology, best known as the guardian or wielder of the fires of the south and as a central figure in the destruction of the world at Ragnarök. In the surviving Old Norse sources,…
Tailtiu
Tailtiu is a figure from Irish mythology and early Irish tradition, best known as a goddess or divine ancestress associated with the land, sovereignty, clearing of territory, and the funeral games that later gave their n…
Piru
Piru is a figure from Finnish mythology and folk belief, most often understood as a name for a devil-like or demon-like being, especially in later Christian-era tradition. The word appears in Finnish vernacular usage wit…
Suttung
Suttung is a figure from Norse mythology best known as the giant who guarded the mead of poetry, a precious drink associated with inspiration, wisdom and poetic skill. In the surviving Old Norse sources he appears as a m…
Tír Na Nog
Tír na nÓg is the legendary “Land of Youth” in Irish mythology, a supernatural otherworld associated with everlasting vitality, beauty, plenty and the suspension of ordinary time. It belongs to the wider Irish tradition …
Sampo
Sampo is a mysterious and much-discussed object in Finnish mythology, best known from the national epic Kalevala. In traditional Finnish oral poetry and later literary retellings, the Sampo is a wonder-working source of …
Swan Maidens
Swan maidens are a widespread figure in folklore and myth: supernatural women who can transform into swans, or who take human form after removing a feathered garment. In a Norse mythology context, the term is often used …
Tuatha Dé Danann
Tuatha Dé Danann are a supernatural people in Irish mythology, remembered as one of the great mythic populations of Ireland. In the surviving medieval texts, they appear as skilled, otherworldly beings associated with so…
Suonetar
Suonetar is a figure from Finnish mythology and folk tradition, commonly understood as a supernatural being connected with veins, blood, and healing or affliction in the human body. Like many beings in Finnic folklore, S…