Portal:Myths

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 religious (when they are closely linked to religion or spirituality) and secular authorities. 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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In Norse mythology, a valkyrie (from Old Norse valkyrja "chooser of the fallen") is one of a host of female figures who decide who will die in battle. Selecting among half of those who die in battle (the other half go to the goddess Freyja's afterlife field Fólkvangr), the valkyries bring their chosen to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin. There, when the einherjar are not preparing for the events of Ragnarök, the valkyries bear them mead. Valkyries also appear as lovers of heroes and other mortals, where they are sometimes described as the daughters of royalty, sometimes accompanied by ravens, and sometimes connected to swans.

The Old Norse poems Völuspá, Grímnismál, Darraðarljóð, and the Nafnaþulur section of the Prose Edda book Skáldskaparmál provide lists of valkyrie names. Other valkyrie names appear solely outside these lists, such as Sigrún (who is attested in the poems Helgakviða Hundingsbana I and Helgakviða Hundingsbana II). Valkyrie names commonly emphasize associations with battle and, in many cases, with the spear—a weapon heavily associated with the god Odin. Scholars such as Hilda Ellis Davidson and Rudolf Simek propose that the names of the valkyries themselves contain no individuality, but are rather descriptive of the traits and nature of war-goddesses, and are possibly the descriptive creations of skalds, a type of traditional Scandinavian poet. (Full article...)

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... that the demon Maha Sohona, whose head has been replaced with that of a bear, haunts graveyards and feasts on human flesh?

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

... that in Hopi mythology, the Kachina Nataska enforces good behavior among children?

... that in Maya mythology, wayob were the powerful spirit forms of lords, priests and gods?

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Ninurta with his thunderbolts pursues Anzû stealing the Tablet of Destinies from Enlil's sanctuary (Austen Henry Layard Monuments of Nineveh, 2nd Series, 1853)

Anzû, also known as ^dZû and Imdugud (Sumerian: 𒀭𒅎𒂂 ^dim.dugud^mušen), is a monster in several Mesopotamian religions. He was conceived by the pure waters of the Abzu and the wide Earth, or as son of Siris. Anzû was depicted as a massive bird who can breathe fire and water, although Anzû is alternately depicted as a lion-headed eagle.

Stephanie Dalley, in Myths from Mesopotamia, writes that "the Epic of Anzu is principally known in two versions: an Old Babylonian version of the early second millennium [BC], giving the hero as Ningirsu; and 'The Standard Babylonian' version, dating to the first millennium BC, which appears to be the most quoted version, with the hero as Ninurta". However, the Anzu character does not appear as often in some other writings, as noted below. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Artist's impressions of the (unseen) Imperial Regalia of Japan (from List of mythological objects)
Image 2Jason returns with Golden fleece (from List of mythological objects)
Image 3Dietrich von Bern and Hildebrand fight against dragons (from List of mythological objects)
Image 4Ahimelech giving the sword of Goliath to David, by Aert de Gelder. (from List of mythological objects)
Image 514th century Goryeo painting of Ksitigarbha holding a cintamani (from List of mythological objects)
Image 6The Celestial Chariot, Pushpaka Vimana from Ramayana (from List of mythological objects)
Image 7The 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 8"The Fall of Man" by Lucas Cranach the Elder and the Tree of Knowledge is on the right (from List of mythological objects)
Image 9Vishnu with his Panchajanya (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 11Opening 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 12Rectangular tablets passed down by the Hand of God in the 10th century Byzantine Leo Bible (from List of mythological objects)
Image 13Surya on His Celestial Chariot (from List of mythological objects)
Image 14Fortune Wheel (from List of mythological objects)
Image 15Snake and world egg of the inhabitants of Tyre (from List of mythological objects)
Image 16Longinus with his famous Spear (from List of mythological objects)
Image 17Lord 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 18Tor's Fight with the Giants (1872) by Mårten Eskil Winge. Thor is the god of thunder in Norse mythology. (from Myth)
Image 191929 Belgian banknote, depicting Ceres, Neptune and caduceus (from Myth)
Image 20The Ash Yggdrasil by Friedrich Wilhelm Heine (from List of mythological objects)
Image 21Joan of Arc with her famous sword (from List of mythological objects)
Image 22Shield of Achilles (illustration) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 23Symbolic power: a dragon in the Imperial City, Huế, Vietnam (from Legendary creature)
Image 24Edith Hamilton's Mythology has been a major channel for English speakers to learn classical Greek and Roman mythology (from Myth)
Image 25The Crown of Immortality, held by the allegorical figure Eterna (Eternity) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 26Tissot Moses and Joshua in the Tabernacle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 27Jacob blesses Joseph and gives him the coat of many colors (from List of mythological objects)
Image 28Golden cosmic egg Hiranyagarbha by Manaku (from List of mythological objects)
Image 29Giza pyramids (from List of mythological objects)
Image 30The Dispute of Minerva and Neptune (c. 1689 or 1706) by René-Antoine Houasse, depicting the founding myth of Athens (from National myth)
Image 31Azoth, a universal medicine or universal solvent sought in alchemy. (Medieval legend) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 32Achilles wearing his armor (from List of mythological objects)
Image 33Heracles 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 34Houyi, the God of Archery (from List of mythological objects)
Image 35Fountain of Youth (from List of mythological objects)
Image 36This 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 37Hanuman fetches the herb-bearing mountain, in a print from the Ravi Varma Press, 1910's (from List of mythological objects)
Image 38Adam's Bridge also called as Rama Setu (from List of mythological objects)
Image 39The Shrine of the Three Kings in Cologne Cathedral (from List of mythological objects)
Image 40Ancient Sumerian cylinder seal impression showing the god Dumuzid being tortured in the Underworld by galla demons (from Comparative mythology)
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 42Odysseus Overcome by Demodocus' Song, a mythological painting by Francesco Hayez, 1813–1815 (from Myth)
Image 43A 19th-century drawing of Sun Wukong featuring his staff (from List of mythological objects)
Image 44Voodoo doll with pins in it, Museum of Witchcraft (from List of mythological objects)
Image 45Thor kicks Litr onto Baldr's Hringhorni, illustration by Emil Doepler (ca. 1905) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 46Yama advances to smite Ravana with the weapon of death (from List of mythological objects)
Image 47Riding a Flying Carpet, an 1880 painting by Viktor Vasnetsov (from List of mythological objects)
Image 48Lichas bringing the garment of Nessus to Hercules (from List of mythological objects)
Image 49Aura, a field of luminous radiation surrounding a person or object (from List of mythological objects)
Image 50Killing of Ravana Painting by Brahmstra of Arrow of Brahma (from List of mythological objects)
Image 51The famous sword of Excalibur painted by Howard Pyle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 52Claíomh Solais on an Ireland stamp printed in 1922 (from List of mythological objects)
Image 53Early Hebrew Conception of the Universe (from List of mythological objects)
Image 54As 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 55Goetia seal of solomon (from List of mythological objects)
Image 56Sampo, 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 57Prometheus (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 58An angel (Camael) expelling Adam and Eve with a flaming sword (from List of mythological objects)
Image 59Pied piper (from List of mythological objects)
Image 60The 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 61Erlang Shen (二郎神), or Erlang is a Chinese God with his spear (from List of mythological objects)
Image 62King Svafrlame Secures the Sword Tyrfing (from List of mythological objects)
Image 63The Argo (c. 1500 – 1530), painting by Lorenzo Costa (from List of mythological objects)
Image 64seven angels with seven trumpets (from List of mythological objects)
Image 65Perillos being forced into the brazen bull that he built for Phalaris (from List of mythological objects)
Image 66Yama with his famous Yama Pasha (from List of mythological objects)
Image 67Golem and Loew (from List of mythological objects)
Image 68Veronica holding her veil, Hans Memling, c. 1470 (from List of mythological objects)
Image 69Hand of God (from List of mythological objects)
Image 70Hop-o'-My-Thumb stealing the Seven-league boots from the Ogre, by Gustave Doré (from List of mythological objects)
Image 71"Tizona", the sword attributed to El Cid, on exhibit in the Army Museum of Madrid (from List of mythological objects)
Image 72Amenonuhoko (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 73Thor wearing the magic belt Megingjörð (from List of mythological objects)
Image 74Jug from Lydian Treasure Usak (from List of mythological objects)
Image 75Image 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 76The Fall of the Titans (1596–98) by Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem (from Comparative mythology)
Image 77Myths and legends of Babylonia and Assyria (1916) (from Myth)
Image 78The Honest Woodcutter, also known as Mercury and the Woodman and his famous Golden Axe (from List of mythological objects)
Image 79Holy Robe in Trier (from List of mythological objects)
Image 80The Flying Dutchman (from List of mythological objects)
Image 81The 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 82Shiva with his Trishula (from List of mythological objects)
Image 83Ancient 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 84Vishnu holding his legendary sword Nandaka (from List of mythological objects)
Image 85Fig trees often represent talismans with the udumbara (from List of mythological objects)
Image 86Ballads of bravery (1877) part of Arthurian mythology (from Myth)
Image 87The fall of Icarus (from List of mythological objects)
Image 88Several legendary creatures from Bilderbuch für Kinder (lit. 'picture book for children') between 1790 and 1822, by Friedrich Justin Bertuch (from Legendary creature)
Image 89Greek God Kronos/Saturnus with sickle (from List of mythological objects)