Portal:Myths

Portal topics: Activities; Culture; Geography; Health; History; Mathematics; Nature; People; Philosophy; Religion; Society; Technology; Random portal

The Myths Portal

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...)

Refresh with new selections below (purge)

Selected article - show another

Dali (also Daal or Dæl; Georgian: დალი) is a goddess from the mythology of the Georgian people of the Caucasus region. She is a hunting goddess who serves as the patron of hoofed wild mountain animals such as ibexes and deer. Hunters who obeyed her numerous taboos would be assured of success in the hunt; conversely, she would harshly punish any who violated them. She is most prominently attested in the stories of the Svan ethnic subgroup in northwestern Georgia. Other groups in western Georgia had similar figures considered equivalent to Dali, such as the Mingrelian goddess Tkashi-Mapa (Mingrelian: ტყაში-მაფა).

She was usually described as a beautiful nude woman with golden hair and glowing skin, although she sometimes took on the form of her favored animals, usually with some marking to differentiate her from the herd. She was said to reside in a cavern high in the mountains, where she kept watch over the hoofed game animals who live on the cliffs. Dali was styled with a variety of regional epithets reflecting her different roles and associations. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Did you know? - show different entries

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

... that in Hindu mythology, the demoness Putana (pictured, centre) tried to kill the infant-god Krishna by breastfeeding him poisoned milk?

... that the pre-Columbian Zapotec storm god Cocijo was said to have created the world from his breath?

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

More did you know facts

Recognised content

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

Featured Lists: List of valkyrie names in Norse mythology

Good Articles: 2012 phenomenon, Æsir–Vanir War, Ala (demon), Anu, Aphrodite, Athena, Ardhanarishvara, Battle of Barry, Bhikshatana, Catalogue of Women, Chamunda, Chhinnamasta, Consorts of Ganesha, Cú Chulainn, Dhumavati, Dumuzid, Einherjar, Eir, Enlil, Fairy Flag, Fenrir, Gerðr, Hel (being), Huginn and Muninn, Iðunn, Ila (Hinduism), Inanna, Kabandha, Kali, Kamadhenu, Kangiten, Keshi (demon), Khandoba, Kratos (mythology) Krishna, Kubera, LGBT themes in Hindu mythology, Manasa, Mandodari, Matangi, Matrikas, Maya Sita, Mohini, Myrrha, Mythology of Carnivàle, Naraka (Hinduism), Ninurta, Prester John, Prithu, Putana, Rati, Ratatoskr, Revanta, Satyavati, Satyr, Sharabha, Shashthi, Shiva, Sif, Tara (Ramayana), Troilus, Tuisto, Valhalla, Valkyrie, Vampire folklore by region, Varaha, Varahi, Veðrfölnir and eagle Zduhać

...Recognised content on Wikipedia

Wikiversity

Mythology portal on Wikiversity

Selected creature - show another

The serpent, or snake, is one of the oldest and most widespread mythological symbols. The word is derived from Latin serpens, a crawling animal or snake. Snakes have been associated with some of the oldest rituals known to humankind and represent dual expression of good and evil.

In some cultures, snakes were fertility symbols. For example, the Hopi people of North America performed an annual snake dance to celebrate the union of Snake Youth (a Sky spirit) and Snake Girl (an Underworld spirit) and to renew the fertility of Nature. During the dance, live snakes were handled, and at the end of the dance the snakes were released into the fields to guarantee good crops. "The snake dance is a prayer to the spirits of the clouds, the thunder and the lightning, that the rain may fall on the growing crops." To the Hopi, snakes symbolized the umbilical cord, joining all humans to Mother Earth. The Great Goddess often had snakes as her familiars—sometimes twining around her sacred staff, as in ancient Crete—and they were worshiped as guardians of her mysteries of birth and regeneration. (Full article...)

List of selected creatures
Vampire 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 Anzû Cerberus

General images

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

Image 1A 19th-century drawing of Sun Wukong featuring his staff (from List of mythological objects)
Image 2Prometheus (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 3Achilles wearing his armor (from List of mythological objects)
Image 4Pied piper (from List of mythological objects)
Image 5Thor wearing the magic belt Megingjörð (from List of mythological objects)
Image 6Yama with his famous Yama Pasha (from List of mythological objects)
Image 7King Svafrlame Secures the Sword Tyrfing (from List of mythological objects)
Image 8Fortune Wheel (from List of mythological objects)
Image 9Veronica holding her veil, Hans Memling, c. 1470 (from List of mythological objects)
Image 10Thor kicks Litr onto Baldr's Hringhorni, illustration by Emil Doepler (ca. 1905) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 11Early Hebrew Conception of the Universe (from List of mythological objects)
Image 12Surya on His Celestial Chariot (from List of mythological objects)
Image 13Perillos being forced into the brazen bull that he built for Phalaris (from List of mythological objects)
Image 14The 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 15Lord 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 16Shield of Achilles (illustration) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 17Jason returns with Golden fleece (from List of mythological objects)
Image 18The Fall of the Titans (1596–98) by Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem (from Comparative mythology)
Image 19Azoth, a universal medicine or universal solvent sought in alchemy. (Medieval legend) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 20Hand of God (from List of mythological objects)
Image 21Riding a Flying Carpet, an 1880 painting by Viktor Vasnetsov (from List of mythological objects)
Image 22The Shrine of the Three Kings in Cologne Cathedral (from List of mythological objects)
Image 23Longinus with his famous Spear (from List of mythological objects)
Image 24The 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 25Lichas bringing the garment of Nessus to Hercules (from List of mythological objects)
Image 26Ahimelech giving the sword of Goliath to David, by Aert de Gelder. (from List of mythological objects)
Image 27Rectangular tablets passed down by the Hand of God in the 10th century Byzantine Leo Bible (from List of mythological objects)
Image 28Golden cosmic egg Hiranyagarbha by Manaku (from List of mythological objects)
Image 29The sheyd אַשְמְדּאָי (Ašmodai) in bird-like form, with typical rooster feet, as depicted in Compendium rarissimum totius Artis Magicae 1775 (from Comparative mythology)
Image 30As 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 31Voodoo doll with pins in it, Museum of Witchcraft (from List of mythological objects)
Image 32Hop-o'-My-Thumb stealing the Seven-league boots from the Ogre, by Gustave Doré (from List of mythological objects)
Image 33Edith Hamilton's Mythology has been a major channel for English speakers to learn classical Greek and Roman mythology (from Myth)
Image 34"Tizona", the sword attributed to El Cid, on exhibit in the Army Museum of Madrid (from List of mythological objects)
Image 35Goetia seal of solomon (from List of mythological objects)
Image 36Väinämöinen, 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 37The Ash Yggdrasil by Friedrich Wilhelm Heine (from List of mythological objects)
Image 38Tissot Moses and Joshua in the Tabernacle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 39Jacob blesses Joseph and gives him the coat of many colors (from List of mythological objects)
Image 40Sampo, 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 41The Dispute of Minerva and Neptune (c. 1689 or 1706) by René-Antoine Houasse, depicting the founding myth of Athens (from National myth)
Image 42Houyi, the God of Archery (from List of mythological objects)
Image 43The Flying Dutchman (from List of mythological objects)
Image 441929 Belgian banknote, depicting Ceres, Neptune and caduceus (from Myth)
Image 45The Crown of Immortality, held by the allegorical figure Eterna (Eternity) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 46Ancient Sumerian cylinder seal impression showing the god Dumuzid being tortured in the Underworld by galla demons (from Comparative mythology)
Image 47An angel (Camael) expelling Adam and Eve with a flaming sword (from List of mythological objects)
Image 48Vishnu with his Panchajanya (from List of mythological objects)
Image 49Golem and Loew (from List of mythological objects)
Image 50The fall of Icarus (from List of mythological objects)
Image 51Ballads of bravery (1877) part of Arthurian mythology (from Myth)
Image 52Artist's impressions of the (unseen) Imperial Regalia of Japan (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 54seven angels with seven trumpets (from List of mythological objects)
Image 55Ancient 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 56"The Fall of Man" by Lucas Cranach the Elder and the Tree of Knowledge is on the right (from List of mythological objects)
Image 57Heracles 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 58Hanuman fetches the herb-bearing mountain, in a print from the Ravi Varma Press, 1910's (from List of mythological objects)
Image 59Several mythical creatures from Bilderbuch für Kinder (lit. 'picture book for children') between 1790 and 1822, by Friedrich Justin Bertuch (from Legendary creature)
Image 60This 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 61Adam's Bridge also called as Rama Setu (from List of mythological objects)
Image 6214th century Goryeo painting of Ksitigarbha holding a cintamani (from List of mythological objects)
Image 63 Odysseus Overcome by Demodocus' Song, by Francesco Hayez, 1813–1815 (from Myth)
Image 64The Honest Woodcutter, also known as Mercury and the Woodman and his famous Golden Axe (from List of mythological objects)
Image 65Myths and legends of Babylonia and Assyria (1916) (from Myth)
Image 66The 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 67Holy Robe in Trier (from List of mythological objects)
Image 68Snake and world egg of the inhabitants of Tyre (from List of mythological objects)
Image 69The Celestial Chariot, Pushpaka Vimana from Ramayana (from List of mythological objects)
Image 70Joan of Arc with her famous sword (from List of mythological objects)
Image 71Killing of Ravana Painting by Brahmstra of Arrow of Brahma (from List of mythological objects)
Image 72The Argo (c. 1500 – 1530), painting by Lorenzo Costa (from List of mythological objects)
Image 73The famous sword of Excalibur painted by Howard Pyle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 74Fig trees often represent talismans with the udumbara (from List of mythological objects)
Image 75Aura, a field of luminous radiation surrounding a person or object (from List of mythological objects)
Image 76Symbolic power: a dragon in the Imperial City, Huế, Vietnam (from Legendary creature)
Image 77The 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 78Jug from Lydian Treasure Usak (from List of mythological objects)
Image 79Greek God Kronos/Saturnus with sickle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 80Claíomh Solais on an Ireland stamp printed in 1922 (from List of mythological objects)
Image 81Shiva with his Trishula (from List of mythological objects)
Image 82Fountain of Youth (from List of mythological objects)
Image 83Erlang Shen (二郎神), or Erlang is a Chinese God with his spear (from List of mythological objects)
Image 84Giza pyramids (from List of mythological objects)
Image 85Opening 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 86Image 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 87Dietrich von Bern and Hildebrand fight against dragons (from List of mythological objects)
Image 88Vishnu holding his legendary sword Nandaka (from List of mythological objects)