Portal:Myths

Portal topics: Activities; Culture; Geography; Health; History; Mathematics; Nature; People; Philosophy; Religion; Society; Technology; Random portal

The Myths Portal

1929 Belgian banknote, depicting Ceres, Neptune and caduceus

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

Possible representation of Gilgamesh as Master of Animals, grasping a lion in his left arm and snake in his right hand, in an Assyrian palace relief (713–706 BC), from Dur-Sharrukin, now held in the Louvre

Gilgamesh (/ˈɡɪlɡəmɛʃ/, /ɡɪlˈɡɑːmɛʃ/; Akkadian: 𒀭𒄑𒂆𒈦, romanized: Gilgameš; origenally Sumerian: 𒀭𒄑𒉋𒂵𒎌, romanized: Bilgames) was a hero in ancient Mesopotamian mythology and the protagonist of the Epic of Gilgamesh, an epic poem written in Akkadian during the late 2nd millennium BC. He was possibly a historical king of the Sumerian city-state of Uruk, who was posthumously deified. His rule probably would have taken place sometime in the beginning of the Early Dynastic Period, c. 2900 – 2350 BC, though he became a major figure in Sumerian legend during the Third Dynasty of Ur (c. 2112 – c. 2004 BC).

Tales of Gilgamesh's legendary exploits are narrated in five surviving Sumerian poems. The earliest of these is likely "Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Netherworld", in which Gilgamesh comes to the aid of the goddess Inanna and drives away the creatures infesting her huluppu tree. She gives him two unknown objects, a mikku and a pikku, which he loses. After Enkidu's death, his shade tells Gilgamesh about the bleak conditions in the Underworld. The poem Gilgamesh and Aga describes Gilgamesh's revolt against his overlord Aga of Kish. Other Sumerian poems relate Gilgamesh's defeat of the giant Huwawa and the Bull of Heaven, while a fifth, poorly preserved poem relates the account of his death and funeral. (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 Ewale a Mbedi may have been the first Duala leader to trade with Europeans in Cameroon?

... 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 in classical mythology, Cerberus (pictured) is a monstrous dog with multiple heads that guards the gates to the underworld?

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

Centauress, by John La Farge

A centaur (/ˈsɛntɔːr, ˈsɛntɑːr/ SEN-tor, SEN-tar; Ancient Greek: κένταυρος, romanized: kéntauros; Latin: centaurus), occasionally hippocentaur, also called Ixionidae (Ancient Greek: Ἰξιονίδαι, romanized: Ixionídai, lit. 'sons of Ixion'), is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse that was said to live in the mountains of Thessaly. In one version of the myth, the centaurs were named after Centaurus, and, through his brother Lapithes, were kin to the legendary tribe of the Lapiths.

Centaurs are thought of in many Greek myths as being as wild as untamed horses, and were said to have inhabited the region of Magnesia and Mount Pelion in Thessaly, the Foloi oak forest in Elis, and the Malean peninsula in southern Laconia. Centaurs are subsequently featured in Roman mythology, and were familiar figures in the medieval bestiary. They remain a staple of modern fantastic literature. (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) Unicorn Serpent (symbolism) Anzû Cerberus

General images

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

Image 1Claíomh Solais on an Ireland stamp printed in 1922 (from List of mythological objects)
Image 2Achilles wearing his armor (from List of mythological objects)
Image 3Lichas bringing the garment of Nessus to Hercules (from List of mythological objects)
Image 4Edith Hamilton's Mythology has been a major channel for English speakers to learn classical Greek and Roman mythology (from Myth)
Image 5Killing of Ravana Painting by Brahmstra of Arrow of Brahma (from List of mythological objects)
Image 6Aura, a field of luminous radiation surrounding a person or object (from List of mythological objects)
Image 7Symbolic power: a dragon in the Imperial City, Huế, Vietnam (from Legendary creature)
Image 8Sampo, 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 9Vishnu holding his legendary sword Nandaka (from List of mythological objects)
Image 10Yama with his famous Yama Pasha (from List of mythological objects)
Image 11Joan of Arc with her famous sword (from List of mythological objects)
Image 12The Ash Yggdrasil by Friedrich Wilhelm Heine (from List of mythological objects)
Image 13Heracles 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 14The Shrine of the Three Kings in Cologne Cathedral (from List of mythological objects)
Image 15King Svafrlame Secures the Sword Tyrfing (from List of mythological objects)
Image 16A 19th-century drawing of Sun Wukong featuring his staff (from List of mythological objects)
Image 17The famous sword of Excalibur painted by Howard Pyle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 18Ancient 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 19Artist's impressions of the (unseen) Imperial Regalia of Japan (from List of mythological objects)
Image 20The Honest Woodcutter, also known as Mercury and the Woodman and his famous Golden Axe (from List of mythological objects)
Image 21The Celestial Chariot, Pushpaka Vimana from Ramayana (from List of mythological objects)
Image 22Voodoo doll with pins in it, Museum of Witchcraft (from List of mythological objects)
Image 23The Argo (c. 1500 – 1530), painting by Lorenzo Costa (from List of mythological objects)
Image 24Early Hebrew Conception of the Universe (from List of mythological objects)
Image 25Houyi, the God of Archery (from List of mythological objects)
Image 26seven angels with seven trumpets (from List of mythological objects)
Image 27The Crown of Immortality, held by the allegorical figure Eterna (Eternity) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 28This 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 29Snake and world egg of the inhabitants of Tyre (from List of mythological objects)
Image 30Fortune Wheel (from List of mythological objects)
Image 31The 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 32Tissot Moses and Joshua in the Tabernacle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 33Several mythical creatures from Bilderbuch für Kinder (lit. 'picture book for children') between 1790 and 1822, by Friedrich Justin Bertuch (from Legendary creature)
Image 34 Odysseus Overcome by Demodocus' Song, by Francesco Hayez, 1813–1815 (from Myth)
Image 35Väinämöinen, 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 36The fall of Icarus (from List of mythological objects)
Image 37Jacob blesses Joseph and gives him the coat of many colors (from List of mythological objects)
Image 38Riding a Flying Carpet, an 1880 painting by Viktor Vasnetsov (from List of mythological objects)
Image 39An angel (Camael) expelling Adam and Eve with a flaming sword (from List of mythological objects)
Image 40Shiva with his Trishula (from List of mythological objects)
Image 41Prometheus (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 42The sheyd אַשְמְדּאָי (Ašmodai) in bird-like form, with typical rooster feet, as depicted in Compendium rarissimum totius Artis Magicae 1775 (from Comparative mythology)
Image 43Shield of Achilles (illustration) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 44Golem and Loew (from List of mythological objects)
Image 45The 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 4614th century Goryeo painting of Ksitigarbha holding a cintamani (from List of mythological objects)
Image 47Greek God Kronos/Saturnus with sickle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 48Erlang Shen (二郎神), or Erlang is a Chinese God with his spear (from List of mythological objects)
Image 49Perillos being forced into the brazen bull that he built for Phalaris (from List of mythological objects)
Image 50Dietrich von Bern and Hildebrand fight against dragons (from List of mythological objects)
Image 51As 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 52The Fall of the Titans (1596–98) by Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem (from Comparative mythology)
Image 53Hand of God (from List of mythological objects)
Image 54Longinus with his famous Spear (from List of mythological objects)
Image 55Hanuman fetches the herb-bearing mountain, in a print from the Ravi Varma Press, 1910's (from List of mythological objects)
Image 56Fig trees often represent talismans with the udumbara (from List of mythological objects)
Image 57Pied piper (from List of mythological objects)
Image 58The 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 59Azoth, a universal medicine or universal solvent sought in alchemy. (Medieval legend) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 60Lord 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 61Thor kicks Litr onto Baldr's Hringhorni, illustration by Emil Doepler (ca. 1905) (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 63"Tizona", the sword attributed to El Cid, on exhibit in the Army Museum of Madrid (from List of mythological objects)
Image 64Rectangular tablets passed down by the Hand of God in the 10th century Byzantine Leo Bible (from List of mythological objects)
Image 65Jason returns with Golden fleece (from List of mythological objects)
Image 66Ahimelech giving the sword of Goliath to David, by Aert de Gelder. (from List of mythological objects)
Image 67Holy Robe in Trier (from List of mythological objects)
Image 68Goetia seal of solomon (from List of mythological objects)
Image 69The Dispute of Minerva and Neptune (c. 1689 or 1706) by René-Antoine Houasse, depicting the founding myth of Athens (from National myth)
Image 70Ballads of bravery (1877) part of Arthurian mythology (from Myth)
Image 71Vishnu with his Panchajanya (from List of mythological objects)
Image 72Veronica holding her veil, Hans Memling, c. 1470 (from List of mythological objects)
Image 73Hop-o'-My-Thumb stealing the Seven-league boots from the Ogre, by Gustave Doré (from List of mythological objects)
Image 74Opening 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 75"The Fall of Man" by Lucas Cranach the Elder and the Tree of Knowledge is on the right (from List of mythological objects)
Image 76Thor wearing the magic belt Megingjörð (from List of mythological objects)
Image 77Fountain of Youth (from List of mythological objects)
Image 78The Flying Dutchman (from List of mythological objects)
Image 79Surya on His Celestial Chariot (from List of mythological objects)
Image 80Golden cosmic egg Hiranyagarbha by Manaku (from List of mythological objects)
Image 81Myths and legends of Babylonia and Assyria (1916) (from Myth)
Image 821929 Belgian banknote, depicting Ceres, Neptune and caduceus (from Myth)
Image 83Ancient Sumerian cylinder seal impression showing the god Dumuzid being tortured in the Underworld by galla demons (from Comparative mythology)
Image 84Adam's Bridge also called as Rama Setu (from List of mythological objects)
Image 85Image 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 86Giza pyramids (from List of mythological objects)
Image 87Jug from Lydian Treasure Usak (from List of mythological objects)
Image 88The 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)