mythology

The Sea Maiden by Herbert James Draper (1894)

15 February, 2019 - 17:24 nrushton

Selkies, Sirens, Swan Maidens and Otherworldly Brides

A common motif in British folklore is that of an otherworldly female, who is somehow captured or charmed by a mortal man to be his bride. The females are often therianthropes, that is shape-shifters...

Many stories from mythology are misinterpreted. ‘Norandino and Lucina Discovered by the Ogre’ (1624) by Giovanni Lanfranco. (Public Domain) Image of the Sumerian god Enki. Modern reproduction of a detail of the Adda seal (c. 2300 BC). (Public Domain) Assyrian relief carving from Nimrud, 883–859 BC, depicting a so-called handbag. (Metropolitan Museum of Art) ‘Eve Tempted by the Serpent’ (1799-1800) by William Blake. (Public Domain) By Priscilla Vogelbacher

30 January, 2019 - 14:00 P.R.I.S.S.

The Nephilim, Anunnaki and More: Four Common Mistakes Made When Interpreting Mythology

The 19th century gave us some of the best work on mythology, but much of it has been ignored over time. Since around the 1960s, when excitement was at its peak regarding space travel and the moon...

François Joseph Navez, The Massacre of the Innocents, 1824

27 January, 2019 - 18:56 dhwty

The Chilling Ancient Practice of Infanticide Was Once Accepted as Normal

Today, the thought of infanticide – the intentional killing of infants – fills us with horror, but in many ancient societies, not only was this practice permitted, it was considered a regular fact of...

Modern Icelandic horses are probably descendants from the horses that were buried by Viking.

9 January, 2019 - 17:48 ashley cowie

Archaeologists Prove That Vikings Rode ‘Stallions’ Rather Than Mares, Especially into The Afterlife

More so than females, the male Norse explorers who took residence in Iceland more than 1,000 years were buried with their horses and new DNA evidence proves that the horses slaughtered to accompany...

Roman mythology from Ovid’s Metamorphoses – Diana and Actaeon by Giuseppe Cesari

8 January, 2019 - 14:07 dhwty

Roman Mythology of the Ages of Man, Metamorphoses and the Founding of Rome

The Romans possessed a rich mythology that exerted (and continues to exert) a significant influence on Western culture. Many Roman myths, specifically those concerning the gods, have their equivalent...

Minerva as Patroness of Learning and of the Arts.

25 December, 2018 - 23:06 dhwty

Minerva Is Often Identified With The Greek Athena, But Her Origins Ran Deeper

Minerva was an important goddess in the pantheon of the ancient Romans. She was worshipped primarily as the goddess of wisdom. Nevertheless, she was also believed to be the goddess of trade, the arts...

10 December, 2018 - 13:57 dhwty

Domovoi: Stay on the Good Side of This Mischievous Slavic House Sprite

The Domovoi is a supernatural creature found in Slavic mythology. These are household sprites that attach themselves to a family and serve as their guardian. As benevolent spirits, the Domovoi would...

17 October, 2018 - 04:04 dhwty

The Real Story of Medusa and the Gorgons

The earliest known record about the story of Medusa and the Gorgons can be found in Hesiod’s Theogony . According to this ancient author, the three sisters, Sthenno, Euryale, and Medusa were the...

Detail, the medieval Hereford Mappa Mundi, “Cloth of the World” in Hereford, England. Circa 1300.

11 September, 2018 - 01:22 lizleafloor

Hereford Mappa Mundi: Legendary Cities, Monstrous Races, and Curious Beasts in a Single World Map

Secreted away beneath the floor of an English cathedral was a large calfskin canvas featuring what, at first glance, appeared to be a map of the world. Once recovered and repaired, the map now known...

Dalbyneder Church, the western arch in the naive with a gothic fresco from 1511 of two blemmyes

24 August, 2018 - 18:23 dhwty

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...

7 August, 2018 - 21:30 dhwty

Zmaj and the Dragon Lore of Slavic Mythology

The dragon is one of the most well-known creatures in ancient mythology, and many cultures have this creature (or one of its related forms) in their folklore. In East Asian countries, for instance,...

Tariq ibn Ziyad, Berber Muslim and Umayyad general who led the conquest of Visigothic Hispania in 711. Painting by Theodor Hosemann.

16 July, 2018 - 11:03 Bryan Hill

The Rich Mythology and Megalithic Culture of the Ancient Berbers, Lords of the Desert

The Barbary Coast of North Africa was named after the Berbers, the nomadic people who inhabited the region west of the Nile Valley in north Africa. Called the Amazigh or Imazighen in antiquity (...

Apollo and the Muses by Robert Sanderson

6 July, 2018 - 15:44 ashley cowie

Demystifying the Nine Sorceresses at the Center of Time

Myths, folklore ancient songs and poems present the number ‘nine’ as being connected with the underworld, and this has been extended into modern pop culture. There were ‘nine circles of Hell’ in...

10 June, 2018 - 13:59 ancient-origins

In the Heart of the Sea: The Horrific True Story Behind Moby-Dick

A man winds his way through the muck and mire of a 19th-century American port – Nantucket, centre of the world’s whaling industry. He knocks on a door, enters, and begs an exhausted looking man to...

2 June, 2018 - 19:33 LukeDoyle

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...

9 April, 2018 - 23:03 dhwty

Heimdall, Watchman of the Gods, Will Sound the Horn as Ragnarok Approaches

Heimdall is a god in the Norse pantheon, most well-known for his task to announce the coming of Ragnarok by sounding his horn, which will be heard across all worlds. He is one of the better-known...

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Myths & Legends

Right: Detail of a statue of a reclining Attis. The Shrine of Attis is situated to the east of the Campus of the Magna Mater in Ostia. Statue of Jesus Christ as a shepherd with a lamb.

The Pagan Attis and Christian Jesus: A Spurious Connection?

Recently, it has been popular to suggest in some circles that Christianity was influenced, or even derived from, the ancient Roman mystery religions – religions often known to have orgiastic rituals and connection to a personal god.

The symbol of the Swastika and its 12,000-year-old history

Magu: The Hemp Goddess Who Healed Ancient Asia

Ten Mythological Creatures in Ancient Folklore

The Ballad of Hua Mulan: The Legendary Warrior Woman Who Brought Hope to China

Lilith: Ancient Demon, Dark Deity or Sensual Goddess?

Human Origins

Detail of ‘Ashkenazi Jews praying in the Synagogue on Yom Kippur. (1878 painting by Maurycy Gottlieb)

Where are Ashkenazi Jews from? Their Origins May Surprise You

Ashkenazi Jews are a Jewish ethnic group who have their earliest ancestors from the indigenous tribes of Israel…at least on one side of the family tree. A study published in 2013 in Nature Communications has shown their maternal lineage comes from a different, and possibly unexpected, source.

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

Rh-Negative Blood: An Exotic Bloodline or Random Mutation?

Facing the Facts: Just How Accurate Are Facial Reconstructions?

The human skull that challenges the Out of Africa theory

Drugs in Ancient Cultures: A History of Drug Use and Effects

Ancient Technology

Stone of the Pregnant Woman, an example of ancient high-tech stonework in Hajar al Hibla at Baalbek in Lebanon.

The High-Tech Stonework of the Ancients: Unsolved Mysteries of Master Engineers

There are many stone artifacts from the ancient world made from the hardest stone on the planet such as granite and diorite, which have been cut and shaped with such quality, precision and accuracy that the standard explanations of their manufacture are simply inadequate.

Both a Princess and a Priestess, What Did the First Known Author Have to Share with the World?

The revolutionary invention of the wheel

Ten amazing inventions from ancient times

The Ancient Invention of the Water Clock

150,000-Year-Old Pipes Baffle Scientists in China: Out of Place in Time?

Ancient Places

Buda Castle: Hidden Walls, Subterranean Chambers and Medieval Structures

Castles hold a particular fascination for many modern tourists and travelers. They are a unique way to understand the past and relive history. Ranked among the top ten most impressive castles in...

Were the Women of Petra More Important Than the Men?

Hill of Crosses: A Hundred Thousand Times Lithuania Has Stood Up

The Where, When and How of Quarrying Stonehenge 'Bluestones' Is Revealed in New Report

The Marvelous Mayan Zoomorph Monoliths of Quiriguá

The White Slaves of Barbary

Opinion

The astronomical ceiling at the Pronaos, Detail of the first Band west from the center. From left to right: two wind creatures (the winged ram with four heads personifies the south wind), the snake- and frog-headed eight goddesses and gods of the Ogdoad who ruled the cosmos before the creation of the world and Osiris seated on a throne sails across the sky as personification of the full moon accompanied by the seated goddesses Nephtys (left) and Isis on the right (Maat stands near the bow of the ship). Siri

Changing Colors and Scampering Across the Night Sky: What Did the Ancients Say about Sirius?

In Egypt, Sirius was the Star of Isis, Isis being the companion and rescuer of the god Osiris. In a very deep way, Osiris was Egypt.

Cracking the Code to Discover Ancient Tarot Symbolism and Forgotten Universal Knowledge

The Secret Strategic Plans of Darius the Great

The Secrets of the Kabbalists Garden

Alchemy and Generating Lifeforce —Global Temples Made in the Shape of Lingams: Shaivite Bull Cult Part II

From Green Man to Bull Son, The Universal Shaivite Bull Cult – Part I

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