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...)

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Map showing the approximate locations of the major Germanic tribes in and around the geographical region of Germania as mentioned in Tacitus' work, the *Germania*

According to Tacitus's Germania (AD 98), Tuisto (or Tuisco) is the legendary divine ancestor of the Germanic peoples. The figure remains the subject of some scholarly discussion, largely focused upon etymological connections and comparisons to figures in later (particularly Norse) Germanic mythology. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Did you know? -

...that the Tigmamanukan, a Philippine mythological bird, can be a good or bad omen depending on the direction of its flight?

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

... that the cult of Kukulkan, the Yucatec Maya feathered serpent deity, was the first Mesoamerican religion to transcend earlier linguistic and ethnic divisions?

...that the Deluge or "flood myth" is a widespread theme in religion and mythology, with examples such as the story of Noah in the Torah or Gilgamesh flood myth?

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

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A dragon is a mythical creature found in the folklore of cultures throughout the world. It is roughly serpentine in form, and often possesses features drawn from different animals, such as wings and claws. In nearly all cultures, it is conceived of as a powerful and awe-inspiring creature.

Dragon-like creatures appear in ancient Mesopotamian art, where they could be hostile or benevolent. In East Asia, dragons were usually regarded as positive beings; Chinese dragons were thought to govern the rain, the sea, and other forms of water, and from the Han dynasty onwards they were emblems of imperial power. Ancient Greek drakontes were large serpents endowed with supernatural qualities; in myth they were defeated by heroes or gods, whereas in cult they were gentle figures associated with healing and wealth. In the Western tradition, dragons have been depicted as fire-breathing embodiments of evil, associated with death. Dragons have featured in works of modern fiction by writers such as J. R. R. Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin, and George R. R. Martin. (Full article...)

List of selected creatures

General images

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

Image 1Opening lines of one of the Mabinogi myths from the Red Book of Hergest (written pre-13th century, 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 2Jug from Lydian Treasure Usak (from List of mythological objects)
Image 3The Fall of the Titans (1596–98) by Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem (from Comparative mythology)
Image 4seven angels with seven trumpets (from List of mythological objects)
Image 5The Ash Yggdrasil by Friedrich Wilhelm Heine (from List of mythological objects)
Image 6Rectangular tablets passed down by the Hand of God in the 10th century Byzantine Leo Bible (from List of mythological objects)
Image 7Amenonuhoko (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 8The Dispute of Minerva and Neptune (c. 1689 or 1706) by René-Antoine Houasse, depicting the founding myth of Athens (from National myth)
Image 9Fig trees often represent talismans with the udumbara (from List of mythological objects)
Image 10Hand of God (from List of mythological objects)
Image 11The 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 12Goetia seal of solomon (from List of mythological objects)
Image 13The fall of Icarus (from List of mythological objects)
Image 14Jason returns with Golden fleece (from List of mythological objects)
Image 15The Shrine of the Three Kings in Cologne Cathedral (from List of mythological objects)
Image 16An angel (Camael) expelling Adam and Eve with a flaming sword (from List of mythological objects)
Image 17Killing of Ravana Painting by Brahmstra of Arrow of Brahma (from List of mythological objects)
Image 18The Flying Dutchman (from List of mythological objects)
Image 19King Svafrlame Secures the Sword Tyrfing (from List of mythological objects)
Image 20Hanuman fetches the herb-bearing mountain, in a print from the Ravi Varma Press, 1910's (from List of mythological objects)
Image 21Surya on His Celestial Chariot (from List of mythological objects)
Image 22Pied piper (from List of mythological objects)
Image 23Adam's Bridge also called as Rama Setu (from List of mythological objects)
Image 24Shield of Achilles (illustration) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 25Perillos being forced into the brazen bull that he built for Phalaris (from List of mythological objects)
Image 26Golem and Loew (from List of mythological objects)
Image 27Azoth, a universal medicine or universal solvent sought in alchemy. (Medieval legend) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 28Edith Hamilton's Mythology has been a major channel for English speakers to learn classical Greek and Roman mythology (from Myth)
Image 29Voodoo doll with pins in it, Museum of Witchcraft (from List of mythological objects)
Image 30Symbolic power: a dragon in the Imperial City, Huế, Vietnam (from Legendary creature)
Image 31Longinus with his famous Spear (from List of mythological objects)
Image 32The Celestial Chariot, Pushpaka Vimana from Ramayana (from List of mythological objects)
Image 33Holy Robe in Trier (from List of mythological objects)
Image 341929 Belgian banknote, depicting Ceres, Neptune and caduceus (from Myth)
Image 35As 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 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 37Odysseus Overcome by Demodocus' Song, a mythological painting by Francesco Hayez, 1813–1815 (from Myth)
Image 38The 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 39Thor's Fight with the Giants (1872) by Mårten Eskil Winge. Thor is the god of thunder in Norse mythology. (from Myth)
Image 40The 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 41Lichas bringing the garment of Nessus to Hercules (from List of mythological objects)
Image 42Greek God Kronos/Saturnus with sickle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 43Ahimelech giving the sword of Goliath to David, by Aert de Gelder. (from List of mythological objects)
Image 44Dietrich von Bern and Hildebrand fight against dragons (from List of mythological objects)
Image 45Väinämöinen, 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 46Fortune Wheel (from List of mythological objects)
Image 47Veronica holding her veil, Hans Memling, c. 1470 (from List of mythological objects)
Image 48Vishnu with his Panchajanya (from List of mythological objects)
Image 49Image 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 50"Tizona", the sword attributed to El Cid, on exhibit in the Army Museum of Madrid (from List of mythological objects)

Subcategories

Category puzzle

Myths

Astronomical myths

Events in Norse mythology

Geomyths

Greek myths

Mesopotamian myths

Origin myths

WikiProjects

Wikiproject of Mythology
- Wikiproject of Hindu mythology
- Japanese mythology taskforce

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