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myths

The Mythological Maori Origin Stories

The Mythological Maori Origin Stories of New Zealand

The Maori people (Māori) are the natives of New Zealand who, like other societies, have myths that are related to the creation of the world and mankind. These Maori creation stories were memorized...
Mass Murder, Megalithic Music, and Misconduct in Prehistoric Malta

Mass Murder, Megalithic Music, and Misconduct in Prehistoric Malta

Despite claims by experts and historians, not all of human history can be easily explained and many mysteries still remain. Just south of Sicily, surrounded by sapphire waters and sun-soaked shores,...
This Germanic image links the stork with death and the underworld. Source: Hanna Gottschalk / Adobe Stock

The Bringer of Souls: The Stork Myth In Ancient Pan-European Beliefs

Ancient beliefs are often a complex puzzle and putting the pieces together can often be extremely challenging. Time has its way with unwritten traditions, and little of what wasn’t written down...
The Wolf Shepherd Deity, Lame Devils And Saints In Slavic Beliefs

The Wolf Shepherd Deity, Lame Devils And Saints In Slavic Beliefs

The world of Slavic mythology is of the most mysterious and richest ancient and living traditions in the world. As Slavs are the largest ethno-linguistic group in Europe, their beliefs are widespread...
One of the many statues of Neptune, Roman god of fresh and sea water and more.    Source: eurobanks / Adobe Stock

Neptune: The Evolving Roman God Of Fresh Water, The Sea and Horses

The ancient Romans believed that Neptune was the god of the sea. Although he is most commonly compared to the Greek god Poseidon , this had not always been the case. Originally, Neptune was a god of...
Exquisite Maps Reveal a Worldwide Mythical Creatures List

Exquisite Maps Reveal a Worldwide Mythical Creatures List

Every country in the world has their own special connection with cryptids. Legendary beasts have been linked to unexplained phenomena for centuries. Now all of the most famous mythical creatures have...
Prometheus gave humans fire in ancient Greek mythology

Human Origins According to Ancient Greek Mythology

Every culture has an explanation about how we got here. The ancient Greeks were no different. The dramatic story of the origins of humanity in Greek mythology involves love, pain, and a hefty dose of...
Neanderthal Reconstruction

Top Ten Myths about Neanderthals

Neanderthals are generally classified by palaeontologists as the species Homo neanderthalensis , but some consider them to be a subspecies of Homo sapiens ( Homo sapiens neanderthalensis ). The first...
The Legendary Kraken

The Legendary Kraken: The Real Animal Behind the Monster

According to Scandinavian mythology, the Kraken is a horrifying giant sea creature said to be one mile long. Stories generally describe it as a terrifyingly enormous octopus or squid like creature...
The Tai Hang fire dragon dance is performed in Hong Kong during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Source: Hong Kong Tourism Board.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! Explore the Legends and the Myths

Nearly everyone has heard of the Chinese New Year festival, but there is another festival that is very important in China and East Asia. This is the Mid-Autumn Festival , which is an enormous party...
Egyptian gods and goddess. From left to right, Sekhmet, Isis, Ra, Horus, Wadjet, and Set. Source: Hotaru Ito / Public Domain.

Understanding the Gods of Egypt: In Unison With Nature

Ancient Egypt is a never ending source of inspiration for many of us – their myths , their history, and their art are so wonderful and enigmatic, that they have intrigued researchers for decades. But...
The Bhagavad Gita. Source: General Press / CC BY-SA 2.0.

The Ancient Philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita, Song of God

The Bhagavad Gita is one of the most important religious texts in Hinduism as well as one of the most seminal religious texts in the world, alongside the Bible , the Quran , the Torah and the...
Fairy trees serve as the gateway for fairies to travel between worlds.

How Credible Are the Superstitions Surrounding the Mystical Irish Fairy Trees?

A fairy tree is a type of plant found in Irish folklore. Such trees are believed to be sacred to the fairies, and some believe that they serve as gateways between this realm and that of the fairies...
 Half-man, half-supernatural being living in nature

The Darker Side of Irish Fairy Lore: When Encounters Turn Dangerous

When we think of fairies many of the more popular tales tend to have an almost playful nature but it would be wrong to assume that this is means that fairies are always benign. Many accounts within...
Ganesha (Niks Ads / Fotolia)

Deep Mining the Mythology of Ganesha and the Ancient Temple Well

According to Joseph Campbell (1904 – 1987), the famed U.S. American Professor of Literature who wrote extensively about comparative mythology and religion: “Myths express characters and stories that...
Dalbyneder Church, the western arch in the naive with a gothic fresco from 1511 of two blemmyes

Blemmyes: The Headless Men of Ancient and Medieval Mythology

The Blemmyes are an example of various species of bizarre creatures rumored, in antiquity and later, to inhabit remote parts of the world - from dog-headed humanoids to strange men with a single...
Blood moon lunar eclipse

Exploring Ancient Lunar Legends as Total Lunar Eclipse Will Create Rare 'Blood Moon'

The moon has been an object of worship, veneration, and intrigue among ancient civilizations for thousands of years. Now, it is set to capture our admiration once again as a total lunar eclipse will...
Section of the Carta Marina, 1527-39

Magic Mountains and Sea Serpents: the Secrets of Early Arctic Maps

By Tom Harper / The Conversation What comes to mind when you think of the Arctic? Ice, I imagine, polar bears, a barren cold landscape. And most would assume that these associations have remained the...
Legends of The Sun: From Solar Gods to Flying Chariots

Legends of The Sun: From Solar Gods to Flying Chariots

Thanks to scientific discoveries, we know for certain that life on Earth depends upon the sun. But long before scientists even discovered that our planet revolves around it, ancient cultures...
Prometheus and Hercules by Christian Griepenkerl.

Betrayed by the Acts of Others? The Events that Led to Prometheus’s Perennial Punishment

The story of Prometheus, Epimetheus and Pandora is a popular myth of ancient Greece - one that has been told and retold throughout the ages. It is a tale of Prometheus, the son of a titan, who was...
A Greek amphora showing athletes, 4th century BC. ©Trustees of the British Museum.

Mythbusting Ancient Rome: Did Christians Ban The Ancient Olympics?

Every two years, when the Winter or Summer Olympics comes around, we hear about how the games staged at Olympia in Greece since 776 BC came to a sudden end in the late fourth century AD. The finger...
Open Book Photo

How Much of What We Believe About Ancient History is Really True? Thinking Critically about Myths and Legends

A legend is a tale regarded as historical even though it has not been proven, and the term “myth” can refer to common yet false ideas. Many myths and legends describe our history, but they are often...
5 Mythical Creatures – And Where to Find Them

5 Mythical Creatures – And Where to Find Them

Folklore is littered with accounts of unusual beasts of all shapes and sizes. Some, like Bigfoot, are household names. Others, like the Japanese water demon Kappa, are not so well-known. But they all...
Taraxippus, the Terrifying Horse Scarer: Apparition Appeared Across Racetracks in Ancient Greece

Taraxippus, the Terrifying Horse Scarer: Apparition Appeared Across Racetracks in Ancient Greece

The Greeks had one word devoted to ghosts that frightened horses during a chariot race—a Taraxippus. This spectral spook, usually the ghost of someone involved with, or killed by, horses, appeared at...

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