Portal:Myths

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Myth is a genre of folklore or theology consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that simply refers to something that is not true. Instead, the truth value of a myth is not a defining criterion.

Myths are often endorsed by secular and religious authorities and are closely linked to religion or spirituality. Many societies group their myths, legends, and history together, considering myths and legends to be true accounts of their remote past. In particular, creation myths take place in a primordial age when the world had not achieved its later form. Other myths explain how a society's customs, institutions, and taboos were established and sanctified. There is a complex relationship between recital of myths and the enactment of rituals. (Full article...)

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The Ludovisi Cnidian Aphrodite, Roman marble copy (torso and thighs) with restored head, arms, legs and drapery support

Aphrodite (/ˌæfrəˈdaɪtiː/ ^ⓘ, AF-rə-DY-tee) is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, procreation, and as her syncretized Roman goddess counterpart Venus, desire, sex, fertility, prosperity, and victory. Aphrodite's major symbols include seashells, myrtles, roses, doves, sparrows, and swans. The cult of Aphrodite was largely derived from that of the Phoenician goddess Astarte, a cognate of the East Semitic goddess Ishtar, whose cult was based on the Sumerian cult of Inanna. Aphrodite's main cult centers were Cythera, Cyprus, Corinth, and Athens. Her main festival was the Aphrodisia, which was celebrated annually in midsummer. In Laconia, Aphrodite was worshipped as a warrior goddess. She was also the patron goddess of prostitutes, an association which led early scholars to propose the concept of "sacred prostitution" in Greco-Roman culture, an idea which is now generally seen as erroneous.

In Hesiod's Theogony, Aphrodite is born off the coast of Cythera from the foam (ἀφρός, aphrós) produced by Uranus's genitals, which his son Cronus had severed and thrown into the sea. In Homer's Iliad, however, she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione. Plato, in his Symposium, asserts that these two origins actually belong to separate entities: Aphrodite Urania (a transcendent, "Heavenly" Aphrodite) and Aphrodite Pandemos (Aphrodite common to "all the people"). Aphrodite had many other epithets, each emphasizing a different aspect of the same goddess, or used by a different local cult. Thus she was also known as Cytherea (Lady of Cythera) and Cypris (Lady of Cyprus), because both locations claimed to be the place of her birth. (Full article...)

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... that Reeri Yakseya, who is believed to be the most cruel and powerful demon in Sinhalese folklore, can assume 18 different apparitions?

... that in Inuit mythology, an Angakkuq, or shaman, is told to be able to fly with the assistance of a spirit companion, or tuurngaq?

...that Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli (pictured) was the god of the planet Venus in Aztec belief?

...that Apaliunas, a Luwian deity of Wilusa (Troy) attested among gods in a treaty inscription, ca. 1280 BCE, is a likely precursor of Apollo of Greek mythology?

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calm seas — The seas of Orkney are calm during the periods of Sea Mither's reign.

Sea Mither, or Mither of the Sea, is a mythical being of Orcadian folklore that lives in the sea during summer, when she confines the demonic nuckelavee to the ocean depths. Each spring she battles with her arch-enemy Teran, another spirit of Orcadian legend capable of causing severe winter storms, to gain control of the seas and the weather. Eventually Sea Mither overcomes Teran and sends him to the depths of the ocean, but the effort of keeping him confined there along with her other benevolent labours during the summer exhaust her, until in the autumn Teran takes advantage of her weakness to wrest control from her once again.

Stories of the Sea Mither and Teran are among Orkney's oldest legends, perhaps invented to explain the vagaries of weather and other naturally occurring events. In Shetland, fishermen petition Sea Mither to afford them protection from the Devil. (Full article...)

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Vampire Fenrir Ala (demon) Sharabha Ratatoskr Huginn and Muninn Keshi (demon) Nuckelavee Boobrie Stoor worm Mermaid Dragon Siren (mythology) Hippocampus (mythology) Phoenix (mythology) Centaur Unicorn Serpent (symbolism) Anzû Cerberus

General images

The following are images from various myth-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Thor kicks Litr onto Baldr's Hringhorni, illustration by Emil Doepler (ca. 1905) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 2Early Hebrew Conception of the Universe (from List of mythological objects)
Image 3seven angels with seven trumpets (from List of mythological objects)
Image 4Hop-o'-My-Thumb stealing the Seven-league boots from the Ogre, by Gustave Doré (from List of mythological objects)
Image 5Giza pyramids (from List of mythological objects)
Image 6The third gift — an enormous hammer (1902) by Elmer Boyd Smith and the ring Draupnir is visible among other creations by the Sons of Ivaldi (from List of mythological objects)
Image 7Voodoo doll with pins in it, Museum of Witchcraft (from List of mythological objects)
Image 8Lichas bringing the garment of Nessus to Hercules (from List of mythological objects)
Image 9Amenonuhoko (天沼矛 or 天之瓊矛 or 天瓊戈, "heavenly jeweled spear") is the name given to the spear in Shinto used to raise the primordial land-mass, Onogoro-shima, from the sea (from List of mythological objects)
Image 10Rectangular tablets passed down by the Hand of God in the 10th century Byzantine Leo Bible (from List of mythological objects)
Image 11Vishnu holding his legendary sword Nandaka (from List of mythological objects)
Image 12The Giving of the Seven Bowls of Wrath / The First Six Plagues, Revelation 16:1–16. Matthias Gerung, c. 1531 (from List of mythological objects)
Image 13The Honest Woodcutter, also known as Mercury and the Woodman and his famous Golden Axe (from List of mythological objects)
Image 14Image showing the sacred tree to the right of the temple, from Olaus Magnus' Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus (1555). To the right of the tree is a depiction of a man being sacrificed in the spring (from List of mythological objects)
Image 15The Crown of Immortality, held by the allegorical figure Eterna (Eternity) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 16Golden cosmic egg Hiranyagarbha by Manaku (from List of mythological objects)
Image 17Claíomh Solais on an Ireland stamp printed in 1922 (from List of mythological objects)
Image 18Väinämöinen, the wise demigod and one of the significant characters of Finnish mythological 19th-century epic poetry, The Kalevala (Väinämöinen's Play, Robert Wilhelm Ekman, 1866) (from Myth)
Image 19Adam's Bridge also called as Rama Setu (from List of mythological objects)
Image 20An angel (Camael) expelling Adam and Eve with a flaming sword (from List of mythological objects)
Image 21Fig trees often represent talismans with the udumbara (from List of mythological objects)
Image 22The Ash Yggdrasil by Friedrich Wilhelm Heine (from List of mythological objects)
Image 23Thor wearing the magic belt Megingjörð (from List of mythological objects)
Image 24Several mythical creatures from Bilderbuch für Kinder (lit. 'picture book for children') between 1790 and 1822, by Friedrich Justin Bertuch (from Legendary creature)
Image 25Tissot Moses and Joshua in the Tabernacle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 26Vishnu with his Panchajanya (from List of mythological objects)
Image 27Erlang Shen (二郎神), or Erlang is a Chinese God with his spear (from List of mythological objects)
Image 28Achilles wearing his armor (from List of mythological objects)
Image 29Houyi, the God of Archery (from List of mythological objects)
Image 30Pied piper (from List of mythological objects)
Image 31Edith Hamilton's Mythology has been a major channel for English speakers to learn classical Greek and Roman mythology (from Myth)
Image 32Fortune Wheel (from List of mythological objects)
Image 33Sampo, a magical artifact of indeterminate type constructed by Ilmarinen that brought riches and good fortune to its holder, in the Finnish epic poetry Kalevala (The Forging of the Sampo, Joseph Alanen, 1911) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 34Jug from Lydian Treasure Usak (from List of mythological objects)
Image 35Lord Vishnu took the form of Beauty Mohini and distributed the Amrita (Ambrosia, Elixir) to Devas. When Rahu (snake dragon) tried to steal the Amrita, his head was cut off (from List of mythological objects)
Image 36Joan of Arc with her famous sword (from List of mythological objects)
Image 37Ballads of bravery (1877) part of Arthurian mythology (from Myth)
Image 38Shield of Achilles (illustration) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 39Hand of God (from List of mythological objects)
Image 40Ahimelech giving the sword of Goliath to David, by Aert de Gelder. (from List of mythological objects)
Image 41Myths and legends of Babylonia and Assyria (1916) (from Myth)
Image 42Veronica holding her veil, Hans Memling, c. 1470 (from List of mythological objects)
Image 43The Shrine of the Three Kings in Cologne Cathedral (from List of mythological objects)
Image 44Jason returns with Golden fleece (from List of mythological objects)
Image 45Ancient Sumerian cylinder seal impression showing the god Dumuzid being tortured in the Underworld by galla demons (from Comparative mythology)
Image 46A 19th-century drawing of Sun Wukong featuring his staff (from List of mythological objects)
Image 47Riding a Flying Carpet, an 1880 painting by Viktor Vasnetsov (from List of mythological objects)
Image 48Snake and world egg of the inhabitants of Tyre (from List of mythological objects)
Image 49Killing of Ravana Painting by Brahmstra of Arrow of Brahma (from List of mythological objects)
Image 50Goetia seal of solomon (from List of mythological objects)
Image 51The Fall of the Titans (1596–98) by Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem (from Comparative mythology)
Image 52Ancient Roman relief from the Cathedral of Maria Saal showing the infant twins Romulus and Remus being suckled by a she-wolf (from Comparative mythology)
Image 531929 Belgian banknote, depicting Ceres, Neptune and caduceus (from Myth)
Image 54Heracles would use arrows dipped in the Hydra's poisonous blood to kill other foes during his Labours, such as Stymphalian birds and the giant (from List of mythological objects)
Image 55King Svafrlame Secures the Sword Tyrfing (from List of mythological objects)
Image 56Azoth, a universal medicine or universal solvent sought in alchemy. (Medieval legend) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 57The Stone of Destiny (Lia Fáil) at the Hill of Tara, once used as a coronation stone for the High Kings of Ireland (from List of mythological objects)
Image 58Golem and Loew (from List of mythological objects)
Image 59The famous sword of Excalibur painted by Howard Pyle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 60Greek God Kronos/Saturnus with sickle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 61Shiva with his Trishula (from List of mythological objects)
Image 62Longinus with his famous Spear (from List of mythological objects)
Image 63Surya on His Celestial Chariot (from List of mythological objects)
Image 64Fountain of Youth (from List of mythological objects)
Image 65Dietrich von Bern and Hildebrand fight against dragons (from List of mythological objects)
Image 66The Argo (c. 1500 – 1530), painting by Lorenzo Costa (from List of mythological objects)
Image 67Jacob blesses Joseph and gives him the coat of many colors (from List of mythological objects)
Image 68The Dispute of Minerva and Neptune (c. 1689 or 1706) by René-Antoine Houasse, depicting the founding myth of Athens (from National myth)
Image 69Aura, a field of luminous radiation surrounding a person or object (from List of mythological objects)
Image 70Hanuman fetches the herb-bearing mountain, in a print from the Ravi Varma Press, 1910's (from List of mythological objects)
Image 71Artist's impressions of the (unseen) Imperial Regalia of Japan (from List of mythological objects)
Image 72This panel by Bartolomeo di Giovanni relates the second half of the Metamorphoses. In the upper left, Jupiter emerges from clouds to order Mercury to rescue Io. (from Myth)
Image 73The Flying Dutchman (from List of mythological objects)
Image 7414th century Goryeo painting of Ksitigarbha holding a cintamani (from List of mythological objects)
Image 75The Deluge, frontispiece to Gustave Doré's illustrated edition of the Bible. Based on the story of Noah's Ark, this engraving shows humans and a tiger doomed by the flood futilely attempting to save their children and cubs. (from Comparative mythology)
Image 76Opening lines of one of the Mabinogi myths from the Red Book of Hergest (written pre-13c, incorporating pre-Roman myths of Celtic gods):
Gereint vab Erbin. Arthur a deuodes dala llys yg Caerllion ar Wysc...
(Geraint the son of Erbin. Arthur was accustomed to hold his Court at Caerlleon upon Usk...) (from Myth)
Image 77As is usual in bestiaries, the lynx in this late 13th-century English manuscript is shown urinating, the urine turning to the mythical stone Lyngurium (from List of mythological objects)
Image 78Perillos being forced into the brazen bull that he built for Phalaris (from List of mythological objects)
Image 79Prometheus (1868) by Gustave Moreau. In the mythos of Hesiodus and possibly Aeschylus (the Greek trilogy Prometheus Bound, Prometheus Unbound and Prometheus Pyrphoros), Prometheus is bound and tortured for giving fire to humanity. (from Myth)
Image 80"Tizona", the sword attributed to El Cid, on exhibit in the Army Museum of Madrid (from List of mythological objects)
Image 81 Odysseus Overcome by Demodocus' Song, by Francesco Hayez, 1813–1815 (from Myth)
Image 82Yama with his famous Yama Pasha (from List of mythological objects)
Image 83The Celestial Chariot, Pushpaka Vimana from Ramayana (from List of mythological objects)
Image 84Holy Robe in Trier (from List of mythological objects)
Image 85The fall of Icarus (from List of mythological objects)
Image 86"The Fall of Man" by Lucas Cranach the Elder and the Tree of Knowledge is on the right (from List of mythological objects)
Image 87Symbolic power: a dragon in the Imperial City, Huế, Vietnam (from Legendary creature)