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Myths & Legends

All over the world there are extraordinary stories—stories that once upon a time were believed to be true but are today limited to the sphere of ancient myths and legends. The question remains, are those myths and legends something that existed in the minds of our ancestors, or were they based on true events? It is true that most of those ancient myths and legends appear to the scientific world to be fictitious products of vivid imaginations whose goals were purely to explain phenomena beyond their comprehension. Yet is it not arrogant to accuse our ancestors of being uncivilised and ignorant in one breath, then offer them praise and admiration over their monuments, buildings, art, sculptures, and societies in the next? This only proves that our modern society has two contradictory attitudes toward our past.

In this section we will explore some of the most amazing myths and legends from around the world—legends that may hold truths that can unlock the secrets of our ancient origins.

Dwayyo vs Snallygaster.
5 May, 2021 - 02:01 Steve Pearse

The Snallygaster: Century-Old Fake News Terrorized Citizens of Maryland… But the Creature May be Real

The Snallygaster is a mysterious unknown cryptid that is said to look like a dragon. The legend of the beast originated with German immigrants that settled in Frederick County in Central Maryland...
Ishi-no-Hoden: Japan’s Colossal Floating “Anti-epidemic” Megalith
22 April, 2021 - 14:58 Claudio Suenaga

Ishi-no-Hoden: Japan’s Colossal Floating “Anti-epidemic” Megalith

Ishi-no-Hoden is one of Japan's most mysterious and bewildering monuments, a gigantic stone structure in the shape of an old tube TV almost 6 meters (20 ft) high and 500 tons (560 US tons) in weight...
The Protector of Kea Island: The Lion of Kea
17 April, 2021 - 18:38 Sarah Piraino

The Protector of Kea Island: The Lion of Kea

The Greek island of Kea has been a popular location since ancient times, given that it is the closest Cycladic Island to Athens . One of the most famous monuments of the island is the Lion of Kea, an...
Achilles’ Shield: What’s the Meaning of the Iliad’s Most Symbolic Object?
12 April, 2021 - 14:46 Sarah Piraino

Achilles’ Shield: What’s the Meaning of the Iliad’s Most Symbolic Object?

The Iliad is one of the most famous epic poems created by the Greek poet Homer and the piece recounts the last weeks of the Trojan War. In book 18 of the series, Homer writes about Achilles’ shield...
Unravelling the Roots of Hera, the Wrathful Goddess of Marriage
10 April, 2021 - 14:57 Adam Stokes

Unravelling the Roots of Hera, the Wrathful Goddess of Marriage

Hera, also known by her Latin title as Juno, is best known in Western culture as the wife of Zeus, king of the gods. While technically subordinate to him, Hera is never a submissive figure, in fact...
East Meets West: Little Red Riding Hood Versus Japan’s Okuri-Inu
6 April, 2021 - 01:36 Vincent C

East Meets West: Little Red Riding Hood Versus Japan’s Okuri-Inu

Throughout history the dark of the night has always brought fear. The quiet forests, roads or paths were a place where imagination would run wild as to what goes bump in the night. In the West,...
The five female Olympians of the Ancient Greek Pantheon. Source: local_doctor / Adobe Stock
3 April, 2021 - 22:20 Khadija Tauseef

Five Female Olympians of Ancient Greece: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Greek Mythology consists of numerous gods and goddesses, although the Greek pantheon itself is comprised of just twelve main gods ruling Mount Olympus. Among the twelve, there are five female rulers...
Are Mermaid Myths Inspired by a Rare Medical Condition?
27 March, 2021 - 00:53 Joanna Gillan

Are Mermaid Myths Inspired by a Rare Medical Condition?

Mermaids have occupied our imagination for thousands of years. The mesmerizing aquatic creatures, hybrid half-human and half-fish beings, have been spotted in seas around the world and appear in...
The Sjellebro Mask Stone with lines drawn in red chalk.
12 March, 2021 - 14:02 Niels Bjerre Jo...

Does a Viking Age Mask Stone Picture the Real Hamlet?

Does a Viking Age Mask Stone picture the real Hamlet? Surely not, the immediate reply might be. It is well-known that Shakespeare modeled his Hamlet story over older versions of the story about...
Minotaur
11 March, 2021 - 22:24 johnblack

Myth of the Minotaur: The Making of a Monster

One of the most intriguing myths of ancient Greece is that of the Minotaur on the island of Crete, the bull-headed human-animal hybrid of Greek mythology. The story of the bestial Minotaur trapped in...
Australian Aboriginal Dreamtime Stories and Creation Myths
19 February, 2021 - 17:41 ancient-origins

Aboriginal Dreamtime Stories and the Creation Myths of Australia

The Aborigines of Australia are considered one of the oldest continuously surviving cultures in the world, encompassing hundreds of diverse cultural groups, each with their own creation stories...
Matariki: Mythology, Astronomy and Warring Gods of the Maori New Year
19 February, 2021 - 13:39 ashley cowie

Matariki: Mythology, Astronomy and Warring Gods of the Maori New Year

The Māori, or the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand , use a special word Matariki , which identifies the cluster of stars known to astronomers as the Pleiades, and to mythologists and...
Nabu: Ancient Mesopotamian God of Scribes and Wisdom
15 February, 2021 - 22:10 Aleksa Vučković

Nabu: Ancient Mesopotamian God of Scribes and Wisdom

Nestled in the fertile region around the River Tigris and Euphrates, the historical region of ancient Mesopotamia has long been regarded as one of the earliest cradles of civilization. Home to...
Achilles and Patroclus: Brothers from Other Mothers or Passionate Paramours?
12 February, 2021 - 01:03 Riley Winters

Achilles and Patroclus: Close Confidants or Passionate Paramours?

The true nature of the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus, characters in Homer’s Iliad , has long been a source of speculation. Were they friends or lovers? Brothers from other mothers or...
Lakshmi: The Enigmatic Hindu Personification Of Mother Nature
7 February, 2021 - 22:00 Aleksa Vučković

Lakshmi: The Enigmatic Hindu Personification Of Mother Nature

It is no secret that the enigmatic Hindu pantheon can be quite unique and overwhelming to fully grasp. It is full of mythical gods and goddesses, of wondrous divine creatures, and deep, meaningful,...
Medieval knight.
1 February, 2021 - 13:53 Aleksa Vučković

Sir Lancelot: Exploring the History Behind the Legend

There is no doubt that most of us, in our childhoods and later in life, heard all about the stories and legends of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. For many, the stories of Arthur and...
‘L’enlèvement de Proserpine’ (The Rape of Proserpine) (circa 1636) by Peter Paul Rubens.
27 January, 2021 - 17:30 Mary E. Naples

The Rape of a Goddess: How Demeter Beat the All-Powerful Zeus

Who were Demeter and Persephone? And why did their myth resonate so strongly with women of ancient Greece? The story of Demeter, goddess of the harvest, and her daughter Persephone, queen of the...
Amaterasu, a major goddess of Japan.
26 January, 2021 - 11:26 dhwty

Solar Goddess Amaterasu, Divine Ancestor of the Japanese Imperial Family

Amaterasu is a major goddess in the Shinto religion. Although she is considered primarily a sun goddess, she is also believed to be the ruler of the Takama no Hara (the High Celestial Plain), which...
Of Runes And Sacrifice: The Initiation Ritual Of Odin in Norse Myth
24 January, 2021 - 22:07 Jari Padoan

Of Runes And Sacrifice: The Initiation Ritual Of Odin in Norse Myth

The total of the poetic, mythological and sapiential heritage of the ancient and early medieval Scandinavian tradition is contained in the texts canonically collected under the title of Edda . Within...
The Jade Emperor: Taoist Ruler of Heaven - and Celestial Bureaucrat
24 January, 2021 - 18:04 dhwty

The Jade Emperor: Taoist Ruler of Heaven - and Celestial Bureaucrat

The Jade Emperor is not only a notable figure in Chinese mythology, but also one of the most important deities in Taoism and in Chinese folk religion. Today, the Jade Emperor is regarded as the...
Sisyphus
23 January, 2021 - 03:05 dhwty

The Sisyphus Myth: Cruel King Gets Eternal Punishment for Annoying Zeus

Doomed to forever roll a huge boulder up a steep hill, Sisyphus is a figure in Greek mythology who represents an impossible task. As his punishment in the Greek Underworld , each time Sisyphus neared...
A modern Medusa depiction.
21 January, 2021 - 00:51 dhwty

The Real Story of Medusa: Protective Powers from a Snake-Haired Gorgon

In ancient Greek mythology, Medusa is the most famous of three monstrous sisters known as the Gorgons. The earliest known record about the story of Medusa and the Gorgons can be found in Hesiod’s...
Statue of pirate with eyepatch.
19 January, 2021 - 20:23 Caleb Strom

Is This the Real Reason Why Pirates Wore Eyepatches?

Between 1700 and 1725, the Caribbean was a relatively lawless place with numerous merchant ships traversing the high seas with no authorities to protect them. These factors helped to make this period...
Noah's Sacrifice - watercolor circa 1896–1902 by James Tissot
15 January, 2021 - 00:52 Alexander Jacob

The ‘Dynastic Race’ and the Biblical ‘Japheth’ – Part I: After the Deluge

The imperfect state of archaeological research in the Near East impedes any definite identification of the original race or races that created the earliest civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt...

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