MYTHOLOGY

The Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Mythology

Every culture in history has had a belief in the divine and a mythology to explain the world around them. Angry gods and goddesses might be the reason for a drought or why illness befell a village. If the gods were happy or pleased, sea voyages went well and there was a bountiful crop. In addition to explaining the toils and luck of daily life, the mythology and legends was a way to impart cultural values and parables to the following generations.

Greek Mythology

• Greek Gods and Goddesses: An overview of the mythology of Greek gods for kids.

• The Olympians: The Greek gods that live on Mt. Olympus.

• The Titans: Information about the Titans that ruled before the Olympians overthrew them.

• Lesser Gods and Goddesses: Lesser gods and other mythological characters.

• The Seven Sisters: The mythology about the Pleiades.

• Characters of Greek Mythology: A searchable database of the characters in Greek mythology and their relations to each other.

• Images of the Gods: Images of the Olympian gods and ancient texts that reference them.

• The Perseus Encyclopedia: The ultimate encyclopedia of the classical world.

• Greek Mythology in Art: A dictionary of how characters from Greek mythology are depicted in art.

• Greek Creation Myth: The creation of the world in Greek mythology.

• Women in Greek Myths: An encyclopedia of the females in Greek myth, including nymphs, goddesses, mortals, Amazons, and monstresses.

• Aphrodite: The Greek goddess of love may seem insignificant when compared to some of the other Greek gods, but she had power unlike any other.

• Persephone: The story of how Persephone was taken to the underworld.

• Artemis: This page tells the origins of Artemis.

• Pandora: Read about the first woman, Pandora, and learn what happened when she opened the box.

Roman Mythology

• Roman Religion: An overview of Ancient Rome’s religious beliefs.

• Roman Vs Greek Gods: A side-by-side comparison of the Roman gods and their Greek counterparts.

• Clip Art of Roman Mythology: Images from Roman mythology in usable clip art form.

• Gods of Roman Mythology: An overview of the major characters in Roman mythology.

• Who's Who in Roman Mythology: A nice summary of each of the main Roman gods and their images in art.

• A Glossary of Roman and Greek Gods and Goddesses: Basic information about each of the gods.

• Roman Deities: An overview of the history of the Roman gods.

• Constellation Lore: Roman mythology in the stories of the constellations.

• Influences on Astronomy: The name origins of some planetary features can be found in Roman Mythology.

• Stories of Gods and Goddesses: Excerpts from Bullfinch’s work on Roman and Greek mythology.

• Venus: The story of the goddess, her husband, and her lover.

• Apollo: This page describes Apollo, one of the twelve deities of Olympus.

• Cupid: Read the story of Cupid and Psyche and see how to compares to the modern image of this god.

Norse Mythology

• Mythology of the Vikings: An overview of all aspects of Norse mythology.

• The Viking Universe: The Norse mythology of astronomy and creation.

• Stories of the Gods: An explanation of the gods and the Norse creation myth.

• Cosmology and the Gods: An overview of the gods and legends of Norse mythology.

• Norse Myth in Medieval Orkney: Research into the tradition of Norse mythology on the Orkneys.

• Gods of the Vikings: A description of each of the major Norse gods.

• Loki's Taunting: One of the stories of Loki, the Trickster God.

• Loki: More information about the mischievous god.

• The Germanic Gods: Detailed descriptions of the Norse gods.

• Viking Q&A: Questions and answers about the Viking religion and mythology.

• Njord: Learn about Njord, the god of wind.

• Valkyrie: This page goes into detail about Odin's war goddesses, known as the Valkyries.

Egyptian Mythology

• Egyptian Mythology and Religion: An overview of the Egyptian belief system.

• Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt: Details about each of the major gods and goddesses and their hieroglyphs. 

• Ancient Egyptian Religion: Biographies of Egyptian deities and information about the ancient Egyptian mythology.

• Digital Karnak: Explore and experience the daily ritual of one of Egypt’s largest temple complexes.

• Book of the Dead: A translation of the Papyrus of Ani, also known as the Egyptian Book of the Dead.

• Egypt for Kids: A site where children can learn about life and mythology in Ancient Egypt.

• Egyptian Creation: The concept of creation, as believed and understood by the Ancient Egyptians.

• Animals and Belief: The role that animals played in Egyptian religion.

• Egyptian Religion Q&A: Some basic questions and answers about ancient Egyptian beliefs.

• Isis and Osiris: Read the story of Isis and Osiris.

• Horus: Read about the falcon-headed god known as Horus.

• Nut: The blue goddess with the sky on her back.

Native American Mythology

• Native American Lore: Myths and stories of creation and migration from major tribes across the United States.

• Legends of Native Americans: Legends from various tribes that explain phenomena or establish culture.

• Choctaw Legends and Stories: A collection of mythology from the Choctaw tribe.

• Thunderbird and Trickster: A study of two characters that can be found in the mythology of Native Americans tribes across the country.

• American Indian Star Lore: Stories of constellations and other features of the night sky.

• Native American Legend of the Giant Beaver: An exploration of a myth with a possible basis in reality.

• Native American Tales: A large collection of stories collected from tribes around the country.

• Old Indian Legends: Iktomi, the spider fairy, and other stories told by the Sioux.

• Navajo Creation Story: The legend of the creation of the first man and woman.

• Iroquois Creation Myth: A story about the Sky People and the beginning of the Earth.

• Oneida Creation Story: The tale of Evil Spirit and Good Spirit.

Sumerian Mythology

• Sumerian Creation: Stories of how the world and humanity were created.

• Enlil and Ninlil: A translation of one of the core Sumerian myths.

• Love, Lust, and the Young God Enlil: An analysis of the Enlil and Ninlil myth.

• Gods and Goddesses: Details about the gods, goddesses, demons, and monsters of early Mesopotamia.

• The Epic of Gilgamesh: The epic tale about the part-god king that is believed to be one of the earliest pieces of literature.

• The Deluge: An examination of the Epic of Gilgamesh in relation to its mention of a great flood.

• Inanna: Read about the descent of the goddess of love, fertility, and war.

• Dumuzid: Translations of the myths which involve Dumuzid.

• Enki and Ninhursaja: Read the myth of Enki and Ninhursaja, the earth goddess.

• Ereshkigal: The goddess of the underworld and sister of Inanna.

Asian Mythology

• Chinese Creation Myth: A combination of animation and text tells the story of Chinese creation.

• Tibetan Folk Tales: The early mythology of the Tibetan people.

• Japan Creation Myth: A myth about the beginning of the world.

• Korean Creation Myth: The story of a Heavenly Prince and Bear Woman.

• Mythology of the Philippines: The lore of the Philippines.

• Myths and legends of Indonesia: An overview of Indonesian mythology and some of their stories.

• Legends and Myths of Holi: The stories surrounding this Indian holiday.

• A Glossary of Malaysian Ghosts: Ghosts and creatures from Malaysian mythology.

• Folk Tales of Taiwan: Legends and myths from Taiwan’s past.

• The Power and Relevance of Vietnamese Myths: An essay on the relevance of myth in Vietnamese culture.

• Monkey: Learn about Monkey, the Chinese trickster god.

• Kappa: Find out about the Japanese water Deity.

• Amaterasu and Uzume: Two of the female Japanese kami and the rolls they play in Japan's mythology.

Celtic Mythology

• Lugodoc's Guide to Celtic Mythology: An brief overview of Celtic Mythology.

• Celtic Gods and Heroes: A student resource for an overview of Celtic life and mythology.

• Stories from Celtic Mythology: Stories of Celtic gods and goddesses.

• Celtic Gods and Associates: The Celtic gods and what they represent.

• Gods of Celtic Mythology: Defining the main Celtic gods.

• Celtic Mythology and the Arthurian Legends: A study into the influences Celtic mythology had on the Arthurian legends.

• Lore and Myth: The myths and symbolism of the Celts.

• Creatures of Celtic Mythology: A glossary of Celtic creatures.

• Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race: Ancient tales of Ireland’s Celts.

• Dagda: Read the story of Dagda and his staff that could raise the dead.

• Brighid: Find out what is known about the Celtic goddess Brighid.

• Epona: This resource compiles a great deal of in-depth information on the goddess of horses.