Portal:Myths

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Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the veracity 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 factual accounts of their remote past. In particular, creation myths take place in a primordial age when the world had not achieved its later form. Origin myths explain how a society's customs, institutions, and taboos were established and sanctified. National myths are narratives about a nation's past that symbolize the nation's values. There is a complex relationship between recital of myths and the enactment of rituals. (Full article...)

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Goddess Ishtar on an Akkadian Empire seal, 2350–2150 BCE. She is equipped with weapons on her back, has a horned helmet, places her foot in a dominant posture upon a lion secured by a leash and is accompanied by the star of Shamash.

Inanna is the ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, war, and fertility. She is also associated with sensuality, procreation, divine law, and political power. Originally worshipped in Sumer, she was known by the Akkadian Empire, Babylonians, and Assyrians as Ishtar (and occasionally the logogram 𒌋𒁯). Her primary title was "the Queen of Heaven".

She was the patron goddess of the Eanna temple at the city of Uruk, her early main cult center. In archaic Uruk she was worshipped in three forms: morning Inanna (Inana-UD/hud), evening Inanna (Inanna sig) and princely Inanna (Inanna NUN), the former two reflecting the phases of her associated planet Venus. Her most prominent symbols included the lion and the eight-pointed star. Her husband was the god Dumuzid (later known as Tammuz), and her sukkal (attendant) was the goddess Ninshubur, later conflated with the male deities Ilabrat and Papsukkal. (Full article...)

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... that on every Wednesday and Saturday, the demons of Sri Lanka assemble to give an account of their activities to their king?

... that some modern K'iche' Maya revere rival syncretised forms of the pre-Columbian Moon goddess Awilix that are said to be the lovers of St. James?

...that according to Inca mythology, lunar eclipses are caused by animals attacking Mama Quilla, the goddess of the moon?

...that according to Greek mythology, Adonis was slain by a boar at the foot of the waterfall in Apheca in modern-day Lebanon?

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Featured Articles: Ahalya, Ancient Egyptian literature, King Arthur, Ganesha, Iravan, Orion (mythology), Vampire, Vithoba

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A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths in the neighbourhoods which they inhabited while they were alive. They wore shrouds and were often described as bloated and of ruddy or dark countenance, markedly different from today's gaunt, pale vampire which dates from the early 19th century. Vampiric entities have been recorded in cultures around the world; the term vampire was popularized in Western Europe after reports of an 18th-century mass hysteria of a pre-existing folk belief in Southeastern and Eastern Europe that in some cases resulted in corpses being staked and people being accused of vampirism. Local variants in Southeastern Europe were also known by different names, such as shtriga in Albania, vrykolakas in Greece and strigoi in Romania, cognate to Italian 'Strega', meaning Witch.

In modern times, the vampire is generally held to be a fictitious entity, although belief in similar vampiric creatures (such as the chupacabra) still persists in some cultures. Early folk belief in vampires has sometimes been ascribed to the ignorance of the body's process of decomposition after death and how people in pre-industrial societies tried to rationalize this, creating the figure of the vampire to explain the mysteries of death. Porphyria was linked with legends of vampirism in 1985 and received much media exposure, but has since been largely discredited. (Full article...)

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Fenrir Ala (demon) Sharabha Ratatoskr Huginn and Muninn Keshi (demon) Nuckelavee Sea Mither 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 1The Flying Dutchman (from List of mythological objects)
Image 2Holy Robe in Trier (from List of mythological objects)
Image 3The Crown of Immortality, held by the allegorical figure Eterna (Eternity) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 4Ancient Sumerian cylinder seal impression showing the god Dumuzid being tortured in the Underworld by galla demons (from Comparative mythology)
Image 5This 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 614th century Goryeo painting of Ksitigarbha holding a cintamani (from List of mythological objects)
Image 7The 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 8Tissot Moses and Joshua in the Tabernacle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 9The Ash Yggdrasil by Friedrich Wilhelm Heine (from List of mythological objects)
Image 10Greek God Kronos/Saturnus with sickle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 11The Shrine of the Three Kings in Cologne Cathedral (from List of mythological objects)
Image 12Snake and world egg of the inhabitants of Tyre (from List of mythological objects)
Image 13Shiva with his Trishula (from List of mythological objects)
Image 14Voodoo doll with pins in it, Museum of Witchcraft (from List of mythological objects)
Image 15Giza pyramids (from List of mythological objects)
Image 16Ancient 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 17Väinämöinen, 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 18The 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 19The Dispute of Minerva and Neptune (c. 1689 or 1706) by René-Antoine Houasse, depicting the founding myth of Athens (from National myth)
Image 20Edith Hamilton's Mythology has been a major channel for English speakers to learn classical Greek and Roman mythology (from Myth)
Image 21Image 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 22Joan of Arc with her famous sword (from List of mythological objects)
Image 23Thor kicks Litr onto Baldr's Hringhorni, illustration by Emil Doepler (ca. 1905) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 24A 19th-century drawing of Sun Wukong featuring his staff (from List of mythological objects)
Image 25 Odysseus Overcome by Demodocus' Song, by Francesco Hayez, 1813–1815 (from Myth)
Image 26Sampo, 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 271929 Belgian banknote, depicting Ceres, Neptune and caduceus (from Myth)
Image 28Jug from Lydian Treasure Usak (from List of mythological objects)
Image 29Perillos being forced into the brazen bull that he built for Phalaris (from List of mythological objects)
Image 30Jacob blesses Joseph and gives him the coat of many colors (from List of mythological objects)
Image 31The fall of Icarus (from List of mythological objects)
Image 32Golem and Loew (from List of mythological objects)
Image 33"Tizona", the sword attributed to El Cid, on exhibit in the Army Museum of Madrid (from List of mythological objects)
Image 34Yama with his famous Yama Pasha (from List of mythological objects)
Image 35Several mythical creatures from Bilderbuch für Kinder (lit. 'picture book for children') between 1790 and 1822, by Friedrich Justin Bertuch (from Legendary creature)
Image 36Achilles wearing his armor (from List of mythological objects)
Image 37The Honest Woodcutter, also known as Mercury and the Woodman and his famous Golden Axe (from List of mythological objects)
Image 38Hop-o'-My-Thumb stealing the Seven-league boots from the Ogre, by Gustave Doré (from List of mythological objects)
Image 39Prometheus (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 40Houyi, the God of Archery (from List of mythological objects)
Image 41Killing of Ravana Painting by Brahmstra of Arrow of Brahma (from List of mythological objects)
Image 42Vishnu with his Panchajanya (from List of mythological objects)
Image 43As 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 44Ahimelech giving the sword of Goliath to David, by Aert de Gelder. (from List of mythological objects)
Image 45Longinus with his famous Spear (from List of mythological objects)
Image 46Lichas bringing the garment of Nessus to Hercules (from List of mythological objects)
Image 47Riding a Flying Carpet, an 1880 painting by Viktor Vasnetsov (from List of mythological objects)
Image 48Azoth, a universal medicine or universal solvent sought in alchemy. (Medieval legend) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 49King Svafrlame Secures the Sword Tyrfing (from List of mythological objects)
Image 50Golden cosmic egg Hiranyagarbha by Manaku (from List of mythological objects)
Image 51An angel (Camael) expelling Adam and Eve with a flaming sword (from List of mythological objects)
Image 52The Argo (c. 1500 – 1530), painting by Lorenzo Costa (from List of mythological objects)
Image 53Amenonuhoko (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 54Myths and legends of Babylonia and Assyria (1916) (from Myth)
Image 55Artist's impressions of the (unseen) Imperial Regalia of Japan (from List of mythological objects)
Image 56Jason returns with Golden fleece (from List of mythological objects)
Image 57Symbolic power: a dragon in the Imperial City, Huế, Vietnam (from Legendary creature)
Image 58Pied piper (from List of mythological objects)
Image 59Rectangular tablets passed down by the Hand of God in the 10th century Byzantine Leo Bible (from List of mythological objects)
Image 60"The Fall of Man" by Lucas Cranach the Elder and the Tree of Knowledge is on the right (from List of mythological objects)
Image 61Heracles 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 62The Fall of the Titans (1596–98) by Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem (from Comparative mythology)
Image 63Veronica holding her veil, Hans Memling, c. 1470 (from List of mythological objects)
Image 64The 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 65The famous sword of Excalibur painted by Howard Pyle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 66Dietrich von Bern and Hildebrand fight against dragons (from List of mythological objects)
Image 67Fountain of Youth (from List of mythological objects)
Image 68Goetia seal of solomon (from List of mythological objects)
Image 69The Celestial Chariot, Pushpaka Vimana from Ramayana (from List of mythological objects)
Image 70Early Hebrew Conception of the Universe (from List of mythological objects)
Image 71Lord 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 72Adam's Bridge also called as Rama Setu (from List of mythological objects)
Image 73Vishnu holding his legendary sword Nandaka (from List of mythological objects)
Image 74Hanuman fetches the herb-bearing mountain, in a print from the Ravi Varma Press, 1910's (from List of mythological objects)
Image 75Fig trees often represent talismans with the udumbara (from List of mythological objects)
Image 76Surya on His Celestial Chariot (from List of mythological objects)
Image 77Opening 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 78Claíomh Solais on an Ireland stamp printed in 1922 (from List of mythological objects)
Image 79Hand of God (from List of mythological objects)
Image 80seven angels with seven trumpets (from List of mythological objects)
Image 81Aura, a field of luminous radiation surrounding a person or object (from List of mythological objects)
Image 82Shield of Achilles (illustration) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 83Ballads of bravery (1877) part of Arthurian mythology (from Myth)
Image 84The 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 85Erlang Shen (二郎神), or Erlang is a Chinese God with his spear (from List of mythological objects)
Image 86Thor wearing the magic belt Megingjörð (from List of mythological objects)
Image 87Fortune Wheel (from List of mythological objects)