Portal:Myths

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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...)

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14th century Nepalese sculpture of Chamunda.

Chamunda (Sanskrit: चामुण्डा, IAST: Cāmuṇḍā), also known as Chamundeshwari, Chamundi or Charchika, is a fearsome form of Chandi, the Hindu mother goddess, Mahadevi and is one of the seven Matrikas.

She is also one of the chief Yoginis, a group of sixty-four or eighty-one Tantric goddesses, who are attendants of the warrior goddess Parvati. The name is a combination of Chanda and Munda, two demons whom Chamunda killed. She is closely associated with Kali, another fierce aspect of Parvati. She is identified with goddesses Parvati, Kali or Durga. (Full article...)

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 Ewale a Mbedi may have been the first Duala leader to trade with Europeans in Cameroon?

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

... that Xiuhcoatl was a mythological Aztec fire-serpent, viewed as the spirit form of Xiuhtecuhtli, the fire god, and was the lightning-like weapon of the god Huitzilopochtli?

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

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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

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Illustration of a winged, fire-breathing dragon by Friedrich Justin Bertuch from 1806

A dragon is a magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in Western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as winged, horned, and capable of breathing fire. Dragons in eastern cultures are usually depicted as wingless, four-legged, serpentine creatures with above-average intelligence. Commonalities between dragons' traits are often a hybridization of feline, reptilian, mammalian, and avian features. (Full article...)

General images

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

Image 1Early Hebrew Conception of the Universe (from List of mythological objects)
Image 2Artist's impressions of the (unseen) Imperial Regalia of Japan (from List of mythological objects)
Image 3The Argo (c. 1500 – 1530), painting by Lorenzo Costa (from List of mythological objects)
Image 4King Svafrlame Secures the Sword Tyrfing (from List of mythological objects)
Image 5Longinus with his famous Spear (from List of mythological objects)
Image 6Opening 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 7The Dispute of Minerva and Neptune (c. 1689 or 1706) by René-Antoine Houasse, depicting the founding myth of Athens (from National myth)
Image 8Jug from Lydian Treasure Usak (from List of mythological objects)
Image 9Lord 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 10The 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 11Snake and world egg of the inhabitants of Tyre (from List of mythological objects)
Image 12The Fall of the Titans (1596–98) by Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem (from Comparative mythology)
Image 13Holy Robe in Trier (from List of mythological objects)
Image 14The famous sword of Excalibur painted by Howard Pyle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 15Several mythical creatures from Bilderbuch für Kinder (lit. 'picture book for children') between 1790 and 1822, by Friedrich Justin Bertuch (from Legendary creature)
Image 16An angel (Camael) expelling Adam and Eve with a flaming sword (from List of mythological objects)
Image 17Achilles wearing his armor (from List of mythological objects)
Image 18Hand of God (from List of mythological objects)
Image 19seven angels with seven trumpets (from List of mythological objects)
Image 20Heracles 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 21The Flying Dutchman (from List of mythological objects)
Image 22The fall of Icarus (from List of mythological objects)
Image 231929 Belgian banknote, depicting Ceres, Neptune and caduceus (from Myth)
Image 24Jacob blesses Joseph and gives him the coat of many colors (from List of mythological objects)
Image 25Claíomh Solais on an Ireland stamp printed in 1922 (from List of mythological objects)
Image 26This 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 27Yama with his famous Yama Pasha (from List of mythological objects)
Image 28Image 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 29Hanuman fetches the herb-bearing mountain, in a print from the Ravi Varma Press, 1910's (from List of mythological objects)
Image 30The 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 31Ahimelech giving the sword of Goliath to David, by Aert de Gelder. (from List of mythological objects)
Image 32As 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 33The 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 34Prometheus (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 35Goetia seal of solomon (from List of mythological objects)
Image 36Killing of Ravana Painting by Brahmstra of Arrow of Brahma (from List of mythological objects)
Image 37Thor wearing the magic belt Megingjörð (from List of mythological objects)
Image 38"The Fall of Man" by Lucas Cranach the Elder and the Tree of Knowledge is on the right (from List of mythological objects)
Image 39Golem and Loew (from List of mythological objects)
Image 40"Tizona", the sword attributed to El Cid, on exhibit in the Army Museum of Madrid (from List of mythological objects)
Image 41Väinämöinen, 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 42Vishnu with his Panchajanya (from List of mythological objects)
Image 43Tissot Moses and Joshua in the Tabernacle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 44Giza pyramids (from List of mythological objects)
Image 45Jason returns with Golden fleece (from List of mythological objects)
Image 46Symbolic power: a dragon in the Imperial City, Huế, Vietnam (from Legendary creature)
Image 47Ancient 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 48The Crown of Immortality, held by the allegorical figure Eterna (Eternity) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 49Aura, a field of luminous radiation surrounding a person or object (from List of mythological objects)
Image 50Riding a Flying Carpet, an 1880 painting by Viktor Vasnetsov (from List of mythological objects)
Image 51Golden cosmic egg Hiranyagarbha by Manaku (from List of mythological objects)
Image 52Erlang Shen (二郎神), or Erlang is a Chinese God with his spear (from List of mythological objects)
Image 53Shiva with his Trishula (from List of mythological objects)
Image 54Edith Hamilton's Mythology has been a major channel for English speakers to learn classical Greek and Roman mythology (from Myth)
Image 55Houyi, the God of Archery (from List of mythological objects)
Image 56Hop-o'-My-Thumb stealing the Seven-league boots from the Ogre, by Gustave Doré (from List of mythological objects)
Image 57The Shrine of the Three Kings in Cologne Cathedral (from List of mythological objects)
Image 58Lichas bringing the garment of Nessus to Hercules (from List of mythological objects)
Image 59Fortune Wheel (from List of mythological objects)
Image 60The Celestial Chariot, Pushpaka Vimana from Ramayana (from List of mythological objects)
Image 61Greek God Kronos/Saturnus with sickle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 62Amenonuhoko (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 6314th century Goryeo painting of Ksitigarbha holding a cintamani (from List of mythological objects)
Image 64The sheyd אַשְמְדּאָי (Ašmodai) in bird-like form, with typical rooster feet, as depicted in Compendium rarissimum totius Artis Magicae 1775 (from Comparative mythology)
Image 65Perillos being forced into the brazen bull that he built for Phalaris (from List of mythological objects)
Image 66A 19th-century drawing of Sun Wukong featuring his staff (from List of mythological objects)
Image 67Voodoo doll with pins in it, Museum of Witchcraft (from List of mythological objects)
Image 68Pied piper (from List of mythological objects)
Image 69Myths and legends of Babylonia and Assyria (1916) (from Myth)
Image 70Joan of Arc with her famous sword (from List of mythological objects)
Image 71Ancient Sumerian cylinder seal impression showing the god Dumuzid being tortured in the Underworld by galla demons (from Comparative mythology)
Image 72Shield of Achilles (illustration) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 73The Ash Yggdrasil by Friedrich Wilhelm Heine (from List of mythological objects)
Image 74Surya on His Celestial Chariot (from List of mythological objects)
Image 75Dietrich von Bern and Hildebrand fight against dragons (from List of mythological objects)
Image 76Vishnu holding his legendary sword Nandaka (from List of mythological objects)
Image 77Rectangular tablets passed down by the Hand of God in the 10th century Byzantine Leo Bible (from List of mythological objects)
Image 78Ballads of bravery (1877) part of Arthurian mythology (from Myth)
Image 79The Honest Woodcutter, also known as Mercury and the Woodman and his famous Golden Axe (from List of mythological objects)
Image 80Fountain of Youth (from List of mythological objects)
Image 81Azoth, a universal medicine or universal solvent sought in alchemy. (Medieval legend) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 82Adam's Bridge also called as Rama Setu (from List of mythological objects)
Image 83Veronica holding her veil, Hans Memling, c. 1470 (from List of mythological objects)
Image 84 Odysseus Overcome by Demodocus' Song, by Francesco Hayez, 1813–1815 (from Myth)
Image 85Sampo, 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 86Fig trees often represent talismans with the udumbara (from List of mythological objects)
Image 87The 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 88Thor kicks Litr onto Baldr's Hringhorni, illustration by Emil Doepler (ca. 1905) (from List of mythological objects)