Portal:Myths

The Myths Portal

1929 Belgian banknote, depicting Ceres, Neptune and caduceus

*Ballads of bravery* (1877) part of Arthurian mythology

Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is totally different from the ordinary sense of the term myth, meaning a belief that is not true, as the veracity of a piece of folklore is entirely irrelevant to determining whether it constitutes a myth.

Myths are often endorsed by religious and secular authorities, and may be natural or supernatural in character. 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...)

Selected article -

14th century Nepalese sculpture of Chamunda.

Chamunda (Sanskrit: चामुण्डा, IAST: Cāmuṇḍā), also known as Chamundeshwari, Chamundi or 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 Mahakali or Durga. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Did you know? -

Chhinnamasta

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

...that the Two Ladies was a euphemism used for the Ancient Egyptian deities Wadjet and Nekhbet, represented on the royal crowns of the merged Upper and Lower Egypt as a cobra and a vulture, respectively?

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

...that Apaliunas, a Luwian deity of Wilusa (Troy) attested among gods in a treaty inscription, ca. 1280 BCE, is a likely precursor of Apollo of Greek mythology?

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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

...Recognised content on Wikipedia

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Selected creature -

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 demon in several Mesopotamian religions. He was conceived by the cosmic freshwater ocean Abzu and mother Earth Mami, or as son of Siris. In Babylonian myths Anzû was depicted as a massive bird - also as an eagle with lion head - who can breathe fire and water. This narrative seems to refer to much earlier Sumerian myths, in which he appears as a half-human storm bird who stole the tablet of destiny, challenging Enlil's power over his organisation of different gods that provided Mesopotamia with agriculture (cf. the Flood epic Athrahasis).

Stephanie Dalley, in Myths from Mesopotamia, writes that the Epic of Anzu itself "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...)

List of selected creatures

General images

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

Image 1The 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 2Fortune Wheel (from List of mythological objects)
Image 3A 19th-century drawing of Sun Wukong featuring his staff (from List of mythological objects)
Image 4The Argo (c. 1500 – 1530), painting by Lorenzo Costa (from List of mythological objects)
Image 5Yama advances to smite Ravana with the weapon of death (from List of mythological objects)
Image 6Yama with his famous Yama Pasha (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 8Fig trees often represent talismans with the udumbara (from List of mythological objects)
Image 914th century Goryeo painting of Ksitigarbha holding a cintamani (from List of mythological objects)
Image 101929 Belgian banknote, depicting Ceres, Neptune and caduceus (from Myth)
Image 11Snake and world egg of the inhabitants of Tyre (from List of mythological objects)
Image 12Surya on His Celestial Chariot (from List of mythological objects)
Image 13The 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 14The fall of Icarus (from List of mythological objects)
Image 15Several legendary creatures from Bilderbuch für Kinder (lit. 'picture book for children') between 1790 and 1822, by Friedrich Justin Bertuch (from Legendary creature)
Image 16"The Fall of Man" by Lucas Cranach the Elder and the Tree of Knowledge is on the right (from List of mythological objects)
Image 17Erlang Shen (二郎神), or Erlang is a Chinese God with his spear (from List of mythological objects)
Image 18Veronica holding her veil, Hans Memling, c. 1470 (from List of mythological objects)
Image 19The Fall of the Titans (1596–98) by Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem (from Comparative mythology)
Image 20Vishnu with his Panchajanya (from List of mythological objects)
Image 21The Dispute of Minerva and Neptune (c. 1689 or 1706) by René-Antoine Houasse, depicting the founding myth of Athens (from National myth)
Image 22Fountain of Youth (from List of mythological objects)
Image 23Ballads of bravery (1877) part of Arthurian mythology (from Myth)
Image 24Houyi, the God of Archery (from List of mythological objects)
Image 25Aura, a field of luminous radiation surrounding a person or object (from List of mythological objects)
Image 26Achilles wearing his armor (from List of mythological objects)
Image 27Greek God Kronos/Saturnus with sickle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 28"Tizona", the sword attributed to El Cid, on exhibit in the Army Museum of Madrid (from List of mythological objects)
Image 29Jason returns with Golden fleece (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 31As 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 32Lichas bringing the garment of Nessus to Hercules (from List of mythological objects)
Image 33An angel (Camael) expelling Adam and Eve with a flaming sword (from List of mythological objects)
Image 34The Honest Woodcutter, also known as Mercury and the Woodman and his famous Golden Axe (from List of mythological objects)
Image 35Voodoo doll with pins in it, Museum of Witchcraft (from List of mythological objects)
Image 36Shield of Achilles (illustration) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 37The famous sword of Excalibur painted by Howard Pyle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 38Thor kicks Litr onto Baldr's Hringhorni, illustration by Emil Doepler (ca. 1905) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 39Golden cosmic egg Hiranyagarbha by Manaku (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 41Myths and legends of Babylonia and Assyria (1916) (from Myth)
Image 42Killing of Ravana Painting by Brahmstra of Arrow of Brahma (from List of mythological objects)
Image 43This 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 44The Flying Dutchman (from List of mythological objects)
Image 45The Ash Yggdrasil by Friedrich Wilhelm Heine (from List of mythological objects)
Image 46Jug from Lydian Treasure Usak (from List of mythological objects)
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 48Edith Hamilton's Mythology has been a major channel for English speakers to learn classical Greek and Roman mythology (from Myth)
Image 49Lord 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 50Amenonuhoko (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)

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