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

In Norse mythology, Veðrfölnir (Old Norse "storm pale", "wind bleached", or "wind-witherer") is a hawk sitting between the eyes of an unnamed eagle that is perched on top of the world tree Yggdrasil. Veðrfölnir is sometimes modernly anglicized as Vedrfolnir, Vedurfolnir or Vetrfolnir.

The unnamed eagle is attested in both the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, while Veðrfölnir is solely attested in the Prose Edda. In both the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, the squirrel Ratatoskr carries messages between the unnamed eagle and Nidhöggr, the worm that resides below the world tree. Scholars have proposed theories about the implications of the birds. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Did you know? - show different entries

... that the self-decapitated Hindu goddess Chhinnamasta (pictured) standing on a copulating couple signifies that life, death and sex are interdependent?

...that Ugaritic culture hero Danel may have been a model for the Biblical Daniel of Ezekiel?

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

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

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 gentle and pensive maiden has the power to tame the unicorn, fresco by Domenichino, c. 1604–1605 (Palazzo Farnese, Rome)

The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead.

In European literature and art, the unicorn has for the last thousand years or so been depicted as a white horse- or goat-like animal with a long straight horn with spiralling grooves, cloven hooves, and sometimes a goat's beard. In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, it was commonly described as an extremely wild woodland creature, a symbol of purity and grace, which could be captured only by a virgin. In encyclopedias, its horn was described as having the power to render poisoned water potable and to heal sickness. In medieval and Renaissance times, the tusk of the narwhal was sometimes sold as a unicorn horn. (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 Serpent (symbolism) Anzû Cerberus

General images

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

Image 1Lord 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 2Symbolic power: a dragon in the Imperial City, Huế, Vietnam (from Legendary creature)
Image 3Pied piper (from List of mythological objects)
Image 4The Fall of the Titans (1596–98) by Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem (from Comparative mythology)
Image 5An angel (Camael) expelling Adam and Eve with a flaming sword (from List of mythological objects)
Image 6The Flying Dutchman (from List of mythological objects)
Image 7The fall of Icarus (from List of mythological objects)
Image 8Giza pyramids (from List of mythological objects)
Image 9Perillos being forced into the brazen bull that he built for Phalaris (from List of mythological objects)
Image 10Achilles wearing his armor (from List of mythological objects)
Image 11The 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 12Holy Robe in Trier (from List of mythological objects)
Image 13Opening 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 1414th century Goryeo painting of Ksitigarbha holding a cintamani (from List of mythological objects)
Image 15Surya on His Celestial Chariot (from List of mythological objects)
Image 16Fig trees often represent talismans with the udumbara (from List of mythological objects)
Image 17seven angels with seven trumpets (from List of mythological objects)
Image 18The Shrine of the Three Kings in Cologne Cathedral (from List of mythological objects)
Image 19Fountain of Youth (from List of mythological objects)
Image 20Hop-o'-My-Thumb stealing the Seven-league boots from the Ogre, by Gustave Doré (from List of mythological objects)
Image 21Greek God Kronos/Saturnus with sickle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 22Aura, a field of luminous radiation surrounding a person or object (from List of mythological objects)
Image 23Tissot Moses and Joshua in the Tabernacle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 24Ballads of bravery (1877) part of Arthurian mythology (from Myth)
Image 25Early Hebrew Conception of the Universe (from List of mythological objects)
Image 26The 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 27Veronica holding her veil, Hans Memling, c. 1470 (from List of mythological objects)
Image 28Hanuman fetches the herb-bearing mountain, in a print from the Ravi Varma Press, 1910's (from List of mythological objects)
Image 29A 19th-century drawing of Sun Wukong featuring his staff (from List of mythological objects)
Image 30King Svafrlame Secures the Sword Tyrfing (from List of mythological objects)
Image 31The 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 32Vishnu with his Panchajanya (from List of mythological objects)
Image 33Riding a Flying Carpet, an 1880 painting by Viktor Vasnetsov (from List of mythological objects)
Image 34Azoth, a universal medicine or universal solvent sought in alchemy. (Medieval legend) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 35Sampo, 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 36Thor wearing the magic belt Megingjörð (from List of mythological objects)
Image 37Killing of Ravana Painting by Brahmstra of Arrow of Brahma (from List of mythological objects)
Image 38"Tizona", the sword attributed to El Cid, on exhibit in the Army Museum of Madrid (from List of mythological objects)
Image 39Voodoo doll with pins in it, Museum of Witchcraft (from List of mythological objects)
Image 40The Celestial Chariot, Pushpaka Vimana from Ramayana (from List of mythological objects)
Image 411929 Belgian banknote, depicting Ceres, Neptune and caduceus (from Myth)
Image 42Amenonuhoko (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 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 44Snake and world egg of the inhabitants of Tyre (from List of mythological objects)
Image 45"The Fall of Man" by Lucas Cranach the Elder and the Tree of Knowledge is on the right (from List of mythological objects)
Image 46Fortune Wheel (from List of mythological objects)
Image 47Jug from Lydian Treasure Usak (from List of mythological objects)
Image 48Dietrich von Bern and Hildebrand fight against dragons (from List of mythological objects)
Image 49Claíomh Solais on an Ireland stamp printed in 1922 (from List of mythological objects)
Image 50Houyi, the God of Archery (from List of mythological objects)
Image 51Adam's Bridge also called as Rama Setu (from List of mythological objects)
Image 52 Odysseus Overcome by Demodocus' Song, by Francesco Hayez, 1813–1815 (from Myth)
Image 53The Honest Woodcutter, also known as Mercury and the Woodman and his famous Golden Axe (from List of mythological objects)
Image 54Goetia seal of solomon (from List of mythological objects)
Image 55The famous sword of Excalibur painted by Howard Pyle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 56The Dispute of Minerva and Neptune (c. 1689 or 1706) by René-Antoine Houasse, depicting the founding myth of Athens (from National myth)
Image 57Ancient 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 58Artist's impressions of the (unseen) Imperial Regalia of Japan (from List of mythological objects)
Image 59Jacob blesses Joseph and gives him the coat of many colors (from List of mythological objects)
Image 60Lichas bringing the garment of Nessus to Hercules (from List of mythological objects)
Image 61The Crown of Immortality, held by the allegorical figure Eterna (Eternity) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 62Jason returns with Golden fleece (from List of mythological objects)
Image 63Image 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 64Vishnu holding his legendary sword Nandaka (from List of mythological objects)
Image 65Erlang Shen (二郎神), or Erlang is a Chinese God with his spear (from List of mythological objects)
Image 66Rectangular tablets passed down by the Hand of God in the 10th century Byzantine Leo Bible (from List of mythological objects)
Image 67Yama with his famous Yama Pasha (from List of mythological objects)
Image 68The Argo (c. 1500 – 1530), painting by Lorenzo Costa (from List of mythological objects)
Image 69Ahimelech giving the sword of Goliath to David, by Aert de Gelder. (from List of mythological objects)
Image 70Longinus with his famous Spear (from List of mythological objects)
Image 71Heracles 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 72Joan of Arc with her famous sword (from List of mythological objects)
Image 73Väinämöinen, 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 74Edith Hamilton's Mythology has been a major channel for English speakers to learn classical Greek and Roman mythology (from Myth)
Image 75The 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 76Shield of Achilles (illustration) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 77Hand of God (from List of mythological objects)
Image 78Shiva with his Trishula (from List of mythological objects)
Image 79Golem and Loew (from List of mythological objects)
Image 80Thor kicks Litr onto Baldr's Hringhorni, illustration by Emil Doepler (ca. 1905) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 81Several mythical creatures from Bilderbuch für Kinder (lit. 'picture book for children') between 1790 and 1822, by Friedrich Justin Bertuch (from Legendary creature)
Image 82Ancient Sumerian cylinder seal impression showing the god Dumuzid being tortured in the Underworld by galla demons (from Comparative mythology)
Image 83This 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 84Golden cosmic egg Hiranyagarbha by Manaku (from List of mythological objects)
Image 85Prometheus (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 86Myths and legends of Babylonia and Assyria (1916) (from Myth)
Image 87The Ash Yggdrasil by Friedrich Wilhelm Heine (from List of mythological objects)