Portal:Myths

The Myths Portal

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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Single-bodied (単身, tanshin) Kangiten holding an axe and a daikon, 1869

Kangiten or Kankiten (Japanese: 歓喜天, "god of bliss"; Sanskrit (IAST): Nandikeśvara), also known as Binayaka (毘那夜迦; Skt. Vināyaka), Ganabachi (誐那鉢底, alternatively Ganahachi or Ganahattei; Skt. Ganapati), or more commonly, Shōten or Shōden (聖天, lit. "sacred god" or "noble god"), is a deva (ten) venerated mainly in the Shingon and Tendai schools of Japanese Buddhism.

Kangiten (Shōten) was at first negatively portrayed as the creator of obstacles and the leader of a class of malignant demons who obstructed Buddhist practice called vinayakas. Later tradition made an attempt to distinguish between the vinayakas and their lord, who became seen as a manifestation of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Kannon in Japanese) and/or the buddha Vairochana. (Full article...)

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...that according to Hindu mythology, the deity Revanta (pictured) was born from the union of the sun-god Surya and his wife Saranya in the form of horse and mare?

...that Ugaritic culture hero Danel may have been a model for the Biblical Daniel of Ezekiel?

...that according to Muisca mythology, Bochica (statue pictured) saved his people from a flood by creating the Tequendama Falls with a strike from his staff?

...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?

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Attic funerary statue of a siren, playing on a tortoiseshell lyre, c. 370 BC

In Greek mythology, sirens (Ancient Greek: singular: Σειρήν, Seirḗn; plural: Σειρῆνες, Seirênes) are female humanlike beings with alluring voices; they appear in a scene in the Odyssey in which Odysseus saves his crew's lives. Roman poets place them on some small islands called Sirenum Scopuli. In some later, rationalized traditions, the literal geography of the "flowery" island of Anthemoessa, or Anthemusa, is fixed: sometimes on Cape Pelorum and at others in the islands known as the Sirenuse, near Paestum, or in Capreae. All such locations were surrounded by cliffs and rocks. While some versions have depicted Sirens as woman-headed birds, other versions depict them as mermaids.

Sirens were used in Christian art throughout the medieval era as a symbol of the dangerous temptation embodied by women. "Siren" can also be used as a slang term for a woman considered both very attractive and dangerous. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Houyi, the God of Archery (from List of mythological objects)
Image 2Perillos being forced into the brazen bull that he built for Phalaris (from List of mythological objects)
Image 314th century Goryeo painting of Ksitigarbha holding a cintamani (from List of mythological objects)
Image 4Goetia seal of solomon (from List of mythological objects)
Image 5Shield of Achilles (illustration) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 6Riding a Flying Carpet, an 1880 painting by Viktor Vasnetsov (from List of mythological objects)
Image 7Claíomh Solais on an Ireland stamp printed in 1922 (from List of mythological objects)
Image 81929 Belgian banknote, depicting Ceres, Neptune and caduceus (from Myth)
Image 9Greek God Kronos/Saturnus with sickle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 10The Celestial Chariot, Pushpaka Vimana from Ramayana (from List of mythological objects)
Image 11The Argo (c. 1500 – 1530), painting by Lorenzo Costa (from List of mythological objects)
Image 12The 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 13Jason returns with Golden fleece (from List of mythological objects)
Image 14Vishnu with his Panchajanya (from List of mythological objects)
Image 15Lichas bringing the garment of Nessus to Hercules (from List of mythological objects)
Image 16An angel (Camael) expelling Adam and Eve with a flaming sword (from List of mythological objects)
Image 17Hop-o'-My-Thumb stealing the Seven-league boots from the Ogre, by Gustave Doré (from List of mythological objects)
Image 18Jug from Lydian Treasure Usak (from List of mythological objects)
Image 19Thor's Fight with the Giants (1872) by Mårten Eskil Winge. Thor is the god of thunder in Norse mythology. (from Myth)
Image 20A 19th-century drawing of Sun Wukong featuring his staff (from List of mythological objects)
Image 21Shiva with his Trishula (from List of mythological objects)
Image 22Fountain of Youth (from List of mythological objects)
Image 23Dietrich von Bern and Hildebrand fight against dragons (from List of mythological objects)
Image 24Azoth, a universal medicine or universal solvent sought in alchemy. (Medieval legend) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 25Lord 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 26Sampo, 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 27Golden cosmic egg Hiranyagarbha by Manaku (from List of mythological objects)
Image 28Thor wearing the magic belt Megingjörð (from List of mythological objects)
Image 29Surya on His Celestial Chariot (from List of mythological objects)
Image 30Pied piper (from List of mythological objects)
Image 31The famous sword of Excalibur painted by Howard Pyle (from List of mythological objects)
Image 32Veronica holding her veil, Hans Memling, c. 1470 (from List of mythological objects)
Image 33Artist's impressions of the (unseen) Imperial Regalia of Japan (from List of mythological objects)
Image 34Jacob blesses Joseph and gives him the coat of many colors (from List of mythological objects)
Image 35"Tizona", the sword attributed to El Cid, on exhibit in the Army Museum of Madrid (from List of mythological objects)
Image 36The 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 37Achilles wearing his armor (from List of mythological objects)
Image 38Prometheus (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 39King Svafrlame Secures the Sword Tyrfing (from List of mythological objects)
Image 40Thor kicks Litr onto Baldr's Hringhorni, illustration by Emil Doepler (ca. 1905) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 41Ancient 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 42The Dispute of Minerva and Neptune (c. 1689 or 1706) by René-Antoine Houasse, depicting the founding myth of Athens (from National myth)
Image 43Ancient Sumerian cylinder seal impression showing the god Dumuzid being tortured in the Underworld by galla demons (from Comparative mythology)
Image 44Joan of Arc with her famous sword (from List of mythological objects)
Image 45Hand of God (from List of mythological objects)
Image 46Several legendary creatures from Bilderbuch für Kinder (lit. 'picture book for children') between 1790 and 1822, by Friedrich Justin Bertuch (from Legendary creature)
Image 47Voodoo doll with pins in it, Museum of Witchcraft (from List of mythological objects)
Image 48Longinus with his famous Spear (from List of mythological objects)
Image 49The fall of Icarus (from List of mythological objects)
Image 50The Crown of Immortality, held by the allegorical figure Eterna (Eternity) (from List of mythological objects)
Image 51Aura, a field of luminous radiation surrounding a person or object (from List of mythological objects)
Image 52Väinämöinen, 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 53Fig trees often represent talismans with the udumbara (from List of mythological objects)
Image 54Ahimelech giving the sword of Goliath to David, by Aert de Gelder. (from List of mythological objects)
Image 55Fortune Wheel (from List of mythological objects)
Image 56Heracles 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 57"The Fall of Man" by Lucas Cranach the Elder and the Tree of Knowledge is on the right (from List of mythological objects)
Image 58The Shrine of the Three Kings in Cologne Cathedral (from List of mythological objects)
Image 59Image 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 60The Fall of the Titans (1596–98) by Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem (from Comparative mythology)
Image 61Odysseus Overcome by Demodocus' Song, a mythological painting by Francesco Hayez, 1813–1815 (from Myth)
Image 62seven angels with seven trumpets (from List of mythological objects)
Image 63Symbolic power: a dragon in the Imperial City, Huế, Vietnam (from Legendary creature)
Image 64The 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 65This 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 66The 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 67Adam's Bridge also called as Rama Setu (from List of mythological objects)
Image 68Early Hebrew Conception of the Universe (from List of mythological objects)
Image 69Golem and Loew (from List of mythological objects)
Image 70Amenonuhoko (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 71Hanuman fetches the herb-bearing mountain, in a print from the Ravi Varma Press, 1910's (from List of mythological objects)
Image 72Killing of Ravana Painting by Brahmstra of Arrow of Brahma (from List of mythological objects)
Image 73Yama with his famous Yama Pasha (from List of mythological objects)
Image 74Yama advances to smite Ravana with the weapon of death (from List of mythological objects)
Image 75Edith Hamilton's Mythology has been a major channel for English speakers to learn classical Greek and Roman mythology (from Myth)
Image 76Ballads of bravery (1877) part of Arthurian mythology (from Myth)
Image 77As 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 78The Ash Yggdrasil by Friedrich Wilhelm Heine (from List of mythological objects)
Image 79Erlang Shen (二郎神), or Erlang is a Chinese God with his spear (from List of mythological objects)
Image 80Snake and world egg of the inhabitants of Tyre (from List of mythological objects)
Image 81Giza pyramids (from List of mythological objects)
Image 82Myths and legends of Babylonia and Assyria (1916) (from Myth)
Image 83alt=Spiral hieroglyphic inscriptions on the Phaistos Disc (from Comparative mythology)
Image 84The Honest Woodcutter, also known as Mercury and the Woodman and his famous Golden Axe (from List of mythological objects)
Image 85Holy Robe in Trier (from List of mythological objects)
Image 86Rectangular tablets passed down by the Hand of God in the 10th century Byzantine Leo Bible (from List of mythological objects)
Image 87Vishnu holding his legendary sword Nandaka (from List of mythological objects)
Image 88The Flying Dutchman (from List of mythological objects)
Image 89Opening 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 90Tissot Moses and Joshua in the Tabernacle (from List of mythological objects)