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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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Carnivàle is an American television series set in the United States during the Great Depression. The series traces the disparate storylines of a young carnival worker named Ben Hawkins and Brother Justin Crowe, a preacher in California. The overarching story is built around a good and evil theme, which serves as a human-scaled metaphor within a complex structure of myth and allegory. Samson, who is a dwarf and manages the carnival, sets up the show's mythology with a prologue in the pilot episode, talking of "a creature of light and a creature of darkness" being born "to each generation" preparing for a final battle.

Most mythological elements in Carnivàle relate to so-called Avatars (or Creatures of Light and Darkness), fictional human-like beings with supernatural powers who embody good and evil. In its first season Carnivàle does not reveal its characters as Avatars beyond insinuation, and makes the nature of suggested Avatars a central question. By the second season it is established that Ben is a Creature of Light and Brother Justin a Creature of Darkness. Other than through the characters, the show's good-and-evil theme manifests in the series' contemporary religion, the Christian military order Knights Templar, tarot divination, and in historical events like the Dustbowl and humankind's first nuclear test. Show creator Daniel Knauf did not respond to questions about the mythology but did provide hints about the mythological structure to online fandom both during and after the two-season run of Carnivàle. Nevertheless, many of the intended clues remained unnoticed by viewers. Knauf left fans a production summary of Carnivàle's first season two years after cancellation. This so-called Pitch Document, originally written to give HBO and Knauf's co-writers an overview of the intended storyline, backed up and expanded upon the assumed mythological rules. (Full article...)

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...that Chamunda (pictured), a fearsome aspect of the Hindu Divine Mother, was worshipped by ritual human and animal sacrifices along with offerings of wine?

... that the supreme god of the southern African Bushmen is Cagn, a trickster who shapeshifts into a praying mantis?

... that human sacrifices to the K'iche' Maya patron deity Tohil had their severed heads placed on a rack in front of the temple?

... that the white horse in mythology is associated with the sun chariot, warrior-heroes, fertility or an end-time saviour?

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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...)

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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 1Shiva with his Trishula (from List of mythological objects)
Image 2Opening 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 3 Odysseus Overcome by Demodocus' Song, by Francesco Hayez, 1813–1815 (from Myth)
Image 4The Ash Yggdrasil by Friedrich Wilhelm Heine (from List of mythological objects)
Image 5Aura, a field of luminous radiation surrounding a person or object (from List of mythological objects)
Image 6Veronica holding her veil, Hans Memling, c. 1470 (from List of mythological objects)
Image 7Image 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 8The Honest Woodcutter, also known as Mercury and the Woodman and his famous Golden Axe (from List of mythological objects)
Image 9The 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 10The Fall of the Titans (1596–98) by Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem (from Comparative mythology)
Image 11Giza pyramids (from List of mythological objects)
Image 12The Shrine of the Three Kings in Cologne Cathedral (from List of mythological objects)
Image 13The Dispute of Minerva and Neptune (c. 1689 or 1706) by René-Antoine Houasse, depicting the founding myth of Athens (from National myth)
Image 14Joan of Arc with her famous sword (from List of mythological objects)
Image 15Vishnu holding his legendary sword Nandaka (from List of mythological objects)
Image 16Lord 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 17Dietrich von Bern and Hildebrand fight against dragons (from List of mythological objects)
Image 18Amenonuhoko (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 19Several mythical creatures from Bilderbuch für Kinder (lit. 'picture book for children') between 1790 and 1822, by Friedrich Justin Bertuch (from Legendary creature)
Image 20As 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 21Tissot Moses and Joshua in the Tabernacle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 22Rectangular tablets passed down by the Hand of God in the 10th century Byzantine Leo Bible (from List of mythological objects)
Image 231929 Belgian banknote, depicting Ceres, Neptune and caduceus (from Myth)
Image 24Hop-o'-My-Thumb stealing the Seven-league boots from the Ogre, by Gustave Doré (from List of mythological objects)
Image 25Väinämöinen, 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 26Hand of God (from List of mythological objects)
Image 27Jacob blesses Joseph and gives him the coat of many colors (from List of mythological objects)
Image 28Perillos being forced into the brazen bull that he built for Phalaris (from List of mythological objects)
Image 29Snake and world egg of the inhabitants of Tyre (from List of mythological objects)
Image 30Golem and Loew (from List of mythological objects)
Image 3114th century Goryeo painting of Ksitigarbha holding a cintamani (from List of mythological objects)
Image 32Edith Hamilton's Mythology has been a major channel for English speakers to learn classical Greek and Roman mythology (from Myth)
Image 33Surya on His Celestial Chariot (from List of mythological objects)
Image 34Longinus with his famous Spear (from List of mythological objects)
Image 35seven angels with seven trumpets (from List of mythological objects)
Image 36Adam's Bridge also called as Rama Setu (from List of mythological objects)
Image 37Houyi, the God of Archery (from List of mythological objects)
Image 38Shield of Achilles (illustration) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 39Lichas bringing the garment of Nessus to Hercules (from List of mythological objects)
Image 40Artist's impressions of the (unseen) Imperial Regalia of Japan (from List of mythological objects)
Image 41The 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 42"The Fall of Man" by Lucas Cranach the Elder and the Tree of Knowledge is on the right (from List of mythological objects)
Image 43Fortune Wheel (from List of mythological objects)
Image 44The Argo (c. 1500 – 1530), painting by Lorenzo Costa (from List of mythological objects)
Image 45Symbolic power: a dragon in the Imperial City, Huế, Vietnam (from Legendary creature)
Image 46The Celestial Chariot, Pushpaka Vimana from Ramayana (from List of mythological objects)
Image 47This 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 48Golden cosmic egg Hiranyagarbha by Manaku (from List of mythological objects)
Image 49Achilles wearing his armor (from List of mythological objects)
Image 50The 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 51The famous sword of Excalibur painted by Howard Pyle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 52Jason returns with Golden fleece (from List of mythological objects)
Image 53Ballads of bravery (1877) part of Arthurian mythology (from Myth)
Image 54Ahimelech giving the sword of Goliath to David, by Aert de Gelder. (from List of mythological objects)
Image 55Claíomh Solais on an Ireland stamp printed in 1922 (from List of mythological objects)
Image 56"Tizona", the sword attributed to El Cid, on exhibit in the Army Museum of Madrid (from List of mythological objects)
Image 57Hanuman fetches the herb-bearing mountain, in a print from the Ravi Varma Press, 1910's (from List of mythological objects)
Image 58Voodoo doll with pins in it, Museum of Witchcraft (from List of mythological objects)
Image 59Fountain of Youth (from List of mythological objects)
Image 60A 19th-century drawing of Sun Wukong featuring his staff (from List of mythological objects)
Image 61Fig trees often represent talismans with the udumbara (from List of mythological objects)
Image 62Prometheus (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 63Erlang Shen (二郎神), or Erlang is a Chinese God with his spear (from List of mythological objects)
Image 64Killing of Ravana Painting by Brahmstra of Arrow of Brahma (from List of mythological objects)
Image 65Holy Robe in Trier (from List of mythological objects)
Image 66Ancient Sumerian cylinder seal impression showing the god Dumuzid being tortured in the Underworld by galla demons (from Comparative mythology)
Image 67The fall of Icarus (from List of mythological objects)
Image 68The Crown of Immortality, held by the allegorical figure Eterna (Eternity) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 69Vishnu with his Panchajanya (from List of mythological objects)
Image 70Yama with his famous Yama Pasha (from List of mythological objects)
Image 71Sampo, 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 72Jug from Lydian Treasure Usak (from List of mythological objects)
Image 73Pied piper (from List of mythological objects)
Image 74The 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 75Ancient 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 76Riding a Flying Carpet, an 1880 painting by Viktor Vasnetsov (from List of mythological objects)
Image 77Goetia seal of solomon (from List of mythological objects)
Image 78King Svafrlame Secures the Sword Tyrfing (from List of mythological objects)
Image 79Thor kicks Litr onto Baldr's Hringhorni, illustration by Emil Doepler (ca. 1905) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 80Early Hebrew Conception of the Universe (from List of mythological objects)
Image 81Heracles 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 82Thor wearing the magic belt Megingjörð (from List of mythological objects)
Image 83Azoth, a universal medicine or universal solvent sought in alchemy. (Medieval legend) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 84An angel (Camael) expelling Adam and Eve with a flaming sword (from List of mythological objects)
Image 85Greek God Kronos/Saturnus with sickle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 86Myths and legends of Babylonia and Assyria (1916) (from Myth)
Image 87The sheyd אַשְמְדּאָי (Ašmodai) in bird-like form, with typical rooster feet, as depicted in Compendium rarissimum totius Artis Magicae 1775 (from Comparative mythology)
Image 88The Flying Dutchman (from List of mythological objects)