Film and book series like Star Wars and Tarzan have strong mythological aspects that sometimes develop into deep and intricate philosophical systems. These items are not mythology, but contain mythic themes that, for some people, meet the same psychological needs. An excellent example is that developed by J. R. R. Tolkien in The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings. Fiction, however, does not reach the level of actual mythology until people believe that it really happened. For example, some people believe ...

See also:

Mythology, Mythology - Definition, Mythology - Religion and mythology, Mythology - Classifications, Mythology - Related concepts, Mythology - Formation of myths, Mythology - Myths as depictions of historical events, Mythology - Other theories, Mythology - Modern mythology, Mythology - Myths by region, Mythology - Africa, Mythology - Asia non-Middle East, Mythology - Australia and Oceania, Mythology - Europe, Mythology - Middle East, Mythology - North America, Mythology - South America and Mesoamerica, Mythology - Mythological archetypes, Mythology - Mythological creatures, Mythology - Books on mythology

Read more here: » Mythology: Encyclopedia II - Mythology - Modern mythology

See also:

Celtic mythology, Celtic mythology - Historical sources, Celtic mythology - Julius Caesar’s comments on Celtic Religion and their significance, Celtic mythology - Branches of Celtic mythology, Celtic mythology - Celtic deities, Celtic mythology - The gods of the ancient Celts, Celtic mythology - The gods of Ireland, Celtic mythology - The gods of Wales, Celtic mythology - The Dagda, Celtic mythology - The Morrígan, Celtic mythology - Belenus, Celtic mythology - Lúgh/Lug, Celtic mythology - Other gods, Celtic mythology - Temples, Celtic mythology - Celtic worship, Celtic mythology - The druids, Celtic mythology - Significance of Prophecy in Druidic Ritual, Celtic mythology - Modern remnants, Celtic mythology - Druidism?, Celtic mythology - Books on Celtic Mythology

Read more here: » Celtic mythology: Encyclopedia II - Celtic mythology - Modern remnants

The indigenous Celtic beliefs and ways have had a large impact on the modern Celtic cultures. Mythology based on (though, not identical to) the pre-Christian religion was common place knowledge in Celtic speaking cultures up to today, though it is now dwindling. Additionally, many unofficial saints are believed in, such as Brìd in Scotland (Brighid in Ireland), which have the same names as known deities. Various rituals involving acts of pilgrimage to sites such as hills and sacred wells which are believed to have curative or ...

See also:

Celtic mythology, Celtic mythology - Historical sources, Celtic mythology - Julius Caesar’s comments on Celtic Religion and their significance, Celtic mythology - Branches of Celtic mythology, Celtic mythology - Celtic deities, Celtic mythology - The gods of the ancient Celts, Celtic mythology - The gods of Ireland, Celtic mythology - The gods of Wales, Celtic mythology - The Dagda, Celtic mythology - The Morrígan, Celtic mythology - Belenus, Celtic mythology - Lúgh/Lug, Celtic mythology - Other gods, Celtic mythology - Temples, Celtic mythology - Celtic worship, Celtic mythology - The druids, Celtic mythology - Significance of Prophecy in Druidic Ritual, Celtic mythology - Modern remnants, Celtic mythology - Druidism?

Read more here: » Celtic mythology: Encyclopedia II - Celtic mythology - Modern remnants

The word mythology (from the Greek μυϑολογία mythología, "storytelling" [1]) literally means the (oral) retelling of myths – stories that a particular culture believes to be true and that use the supernatural to interpret natural events and to explain the nature of the universe and humanity. In modern usage, "mythology" is either the body of myths from a particular culture or religion (as in Greek mythology, Egyptian mythology or Norse mythology) or the ...

Including:

Mythology - Definition Mythology - Religion and mythology Mythology - Classifications Mythology - Related concepts Mythology - Formation of myths Mythology - Myths as depictions of historical events
Mythology - Other theories
Mythology - Modern mythology Mythology - Myths by region
Mythology - Africa Mythology - Asia non-Middle East Mythology - Australia and Oceania Mythology - Europe Mythology - Middle East Mythology - North America Mythology - South America and Mesoamerica
Mythology - Mythological archetypes Mythology - Mythological creatures Mythology - Books on mythology

Read more here: » Mythology: Encyclopedia - Mythology

The Germanic gods have left traces in modern vocabulary. An example of this is some of the names of the days of the week: modelled after the names of the days of the week in Latin (named after Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn), the names for Tuesday through to Friday were replaced with Germanic equivalents of the Roman gods. In English, Saturn was not replaced, while Saturday is named after the sabbath in German, and is called "washing day" in Scandinavia. Norse mythology also influenced Richard Wagner's use of literary themes from it to compose the four operas that comprise Der Ring ...

See also:

Norse mythology, Norse mythology - Overview, Norse mythology - Sources, Norse mythology - Cosmology, Norse mythology - Supernatural beings, Norse mythology - Völuspá: the origin and end of the world, Norse mythology - Kings and heroes, Norse mythology - Norse worship, Norse mythology - Centres of faith, Norse mythology - Priests, Norse mythology - Human sacrifice, Norse mythology - Interactions with Christianity, Norse mythology - Modern influences, Norse mythology - Bibliography

Read more here: » Norse mythology: Encyclopedia II - Norse mythology - Modern influences

The Germanic gods have left traces in modern vocabulary. An example of this is some of the names of the days of the week: modelled after the names of the days of the week in Latin (named after Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn), the names for Tuesday through to Friday were replaced with Germanic equivalents of the Roman gods. In English, Saturn was not replaced, while Saturday is named after the sabbath in German, and is called "washing ...

See also:

Norse mythology, Norse mythology - Sources, Norse mythology - Cosmology, Norse mythology - Supernatural beings, Norse mythology - Völuspá: the origin and end of the world, Norse mythology - Kings and heroes, Norse mythology - Norse worship, Norse mythology - Centres of faith, Norse mythology - Priests, Norse mythology - Human sacrifice, Norse mythology - Interactions with Christianity, Norse mythology - Modern influences, Norse mythology - Bibliography

Read more here: » Norse mythology: Encyclopedia II - Norse mythology - Modern influences

In addition to the gods listed elsewhere, there are several mythological beings spoken of in current Western culture. The Grim Reaper - A common anthropomorphism of Death Eris, adopted deity of Discordianism Father Time The Flying Spaghetti Monster GOD-JESUS - fortune telling robot, deity of engrish Gremlins - mythical beings that damage aircraft and cause other mechanical mayhem Hotei - A Laughing Buddha Invisible Pink Unicorn - From alt.atheism, a fictional deity s ...

See also:

List of deities, List of deities - Abenaki, List of deities - African, List of deities - Anglo-Saxon, List of deities - Akamba, List of deities - Akan, List of deities - Ashanti, List of deities - Australian Aboriginal, List of deities - Ayyavazhi, List of deities - Aztec, List of deities - Bahá'í, List of deities - Bushongo, List of deities - Celtic, List of deities - Chinese, List of deities - Chippewa, List of deities - Christian, List of deities - Creek, List of deities - Dacian, List of deities - Dahomey, List of deities - Dinka, List of deities - Efik, List of deities - Egyptian, List of deities - Estonian, List of deities - Etruscan, List of deities - Finnish, List of deities - Ancient Greek, List of deities - Gnostic, List of deities - Guarani, List of deities - Haida, List of deities - Hindu, List of deities - Ho-Chunk, List of deities - Hopi, List of deities - Huron, List of deities - Ibo, List of deities - Incan, List of deities - Inuit, List of deities - Iroquois, List of deities - Islamic, List of deities - Isoko, List of deities - Japanese, List of deities - Judaic, List of deities - Khoikhoi, List of deities - Modern Western mythology, List of deities - !Xũ, List of deities - Kwakiutl, List of deities - Lakota, List of deities - Lotuko, List of deities - Latvian, List of deities - Lugbara, List of deities - Lusitani, List of deities - Mayan, List of deities - Mesopotamian, List of deities - Navaho, List of deities - Norse, List of deities - Pawnee, List of deities - Persian, List of deities - Polynesian, List of deities - Prussian and Baltic, List of deities - Pygmy, List of deities - Roman, List of deities - Salish, List of deities - Sardinian, List of deities - Semitic pagan, List of deities - Seneca, List of deities - Sikhism, List of deities - Slavic, List of deities - Sumerian, List of deities - Thracian, List of deities - Tumbuka, List of deities - Ugarit, List of deities - Yoruba, List of deities - Zoroastrian, List of deities - Zulu, List of deities - Zuni

Read more here: » List of deities: Encyclopedia II - List of deities - Modern Western mythology

Celtic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism, the apparent religion of the Iron Age Celts. Like other Iron Age Europeans, the early Celts maintained a polytheistic mythology and religious structure. Among Celtic peoples in close contact with Rome, such as the Gauls and Celtiberians, their mythology did not survive the Roman empire, their subsequent conversion to Christianity, and the loss of their Celtic languages. Ironically it is through contemporary Roman and Christian sources that what we do know of their belie ...

Including:

Celtic mythology - Historical sources
Celtic mythology - Julius Caesar’s comments on Celtic Religion and their significance
Celtic mythology - Branches of Celtic mythology Celtic mythology - Celtic deities
Celtic mythology - The gods of the ancient Celts Celtic mythology - The gods of Ireland Celtic mythology - The gods of Wales Celtic mythology - The Dagda Celtic mythology - The Morrígan Celtic mythology - Belenus Celtic mythology - Lúgh/Lug Celtic mythology - Other gods
Celtic mythology - Temples Celtic mythology - Celtic worship Celtic mythology - The druids
Celtic mythology - Significance of Prophecy in Druidic Ritual
Celtic mythology - Modern remnants
Celtic mythology - Druidism?

Read more here: » Celtic mythology: Encyclopedia - Celtic mythology

Coyote is a mythological figure common to many Native American cultures, based on the coyote animal. This character is usually male and is generally anthropomorphic although he may have some coyote-like physical features such as fur. Coyote mythology - Coyote in mythology. Coyote mythology - The trickster. He often plays the role of trickster, although in some stories he is a buffoon and the butt of jokes and in a few is outright evil. His personality traits are usually greed, r ...

Including:

Coyote mythology - Coyote in mythology
Coyote mythology - The trickster Coyote mythology - The creator Coyote mythology - The culture hero
Coyote mythology - Coyote in the modern world
Coyote mythology - Coyote in popular culture

Read more here: » Coyote mythology: Encyclopedia - Coyote mythology

Greek mythology comprises the collected narratives of Greek gods, goddesses, heroes, and heroines, originally created and spread within an oral-poetic tradition. Our surviving sources of mythology are literary reworkings of this oral tradition, supplemented by interpretations of iconic imagery, sometimes modern ones, sometimes ancient ones, as myth was a means for later Greeks themselves to throw light on cult practices and traditions that were no longer explicable. The historian must sometimes deduce from hints in imagery, such as in ...

Including:

Greek mythology - Nature and sources of Greek mythology Greek mythology - An overview
Greek mythology - The age of gods Greek mythology - The age of gods and men Greek mythology - The age of heroes
Greek mythology - Theories of origin Greek mythology - Did the Greeks believe their myths?
Greek mythology - Hellenistic rationalism Greek mythology - Syncretizing trends
Greek mythology - Belles and Beaus of Greek Mythology Greek mythology - Modern interpreters
Greek mythology - Greek cosmology Greek mythology - Related subjects
Greek mythology - Sources

Read more here: » Greek mythology: Encyclopedia - Greek mythology

Ancient Basque mythology is centered around the figure of the goddess Mari, and her consort Sugaar (also called Maju). It is considered a chthonic religion as all its characters dwell on earth or below it. The sky is seen mostly as an empty corridor through which the divinities travel and herd clouds. Basque mythology - Mari and her court. Mari is considered the supreme goddess, and her consort Sugaar the supreme god. Mari is depicted in many different forms: sometimes as various women, as different ...

Including:

Basque mythology - Mari and her court Basque mythology - Other creatures and characters Basque mythology - Urtzi Basque mythology - Christianity Basque mythology - Modern myths

Read more here: » Basque mythology: Encyclopedia - Basque mythology

Bilskirnir, Breidablik, Élivágar, Eliudnir, Fensalir, Fólkvangr, Gimlé, Ginnungagap, Gjallar Bridge, Gjöll, Gladsheim, Glasir, Glitnir, Gnipa, Himinbjörg, Hindarfjall, Horgr, Idavoll, Jotunheim, Ironwood, Hlidskjalf, Midgard, Muspelheim, Mirkwood, Nastrond, Niflheim, Noatun, Sessrúmnir, Singasteinn, Slidr River, Sökkvabekkr, Thrudvang, Thrymheim, Utgard, Valhall, Vanaheim, Hvergelmi ...

Including:

Norse mythology - Sources Norse mythology - Cosmology
Norse mythology - Supernatural beings Norse mythology - Völuspá: the origin and end of the world
Norse mythology - Kings and heroes Norse mythology - Norse worship
Norse mythology - Centres of faith Norse mythology - Priests Norse mythology - Human sacrifice
Norse mythology - Interactions with Christianity Norse mythology - Modern influences Norse mythology - Bibliography

Read more here: » Norse mythology: Encyclopedia - Norse mythology

In Greek mythology, the Titans (Greek Τιταν, plural Τιτανες) are among a series of gods, some of whom opposed Zeus and the Olympian gods in their ascent to power. Others who opposed the gods include the Gigantes, Typhon, and Ophioneus. Greeks of the Classical age knew of several poems about the war between the gods and many of the Titans. The dominant one, and the only one that has survived, was the Theogony attributed to Hesiod. A lost epic Titanomachy attributed to the blind Thracian bard Tham ...

Including:

Titan mythology - The Titans in Hesiod Titan mythology - The Titans in other Greek sources Titan mythology - The Titans in the twentieth century Titan mythology - Titans in Neopaganism Titan mythology - Titans in Modern Literature

Read more here: » Titan mythology: Encyclopedia - Titan mythology

In Welsh mythology, Gwydion is a magician appearing prominantly in the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogion and the ancient poem Cad Goddeu. He is the brother of Gilfaethwy and Arianrhod, and the nephew of Math ap Mathonwy. In the Mabinogion he is called the son of the goddess Don, making it likely he is a euhemerized god or demi-god. Gwydion - Mythological exploits. In the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi, Gwydion helps his brother Gilfaethwy rape Goewin, Math's foot-holder. To this en ...

Including:

Gwydion - Mythological exploits
Gwydion - Etymology of the name
Gwydion - Gwydion in modern fiction

Read more here: » Gwydion: Encyclopedia - Gwydion

Rajarshi or Rajarishi (from Sanskrit rajan "king" + rishi) is in Hinduism and Hindu mythology, a royal saint and rishi. Rajarshi - Order. A Rajarshi is a king who turned into a royal sage, or rishi. A rajarshi may have left the kingship and became rishi for example Vishwamitra (who later advanced to becoming a Brahmarishi) or may still be ruling the kingdom but has reached a state of rishi and have attained self realization. They still belong to the kshatriya caste, and re ...

Including:

Rajarshi - Order Rajarshi - Examples Rajarshi - Modern Usage

Read more here: » Rajarshi: Encyclopedia - Rajarshi

In European mythology, a dragon is a serpent-like legendary creature. The Latin word draco, as in the constellation Draco, comes directly from Greek δράκων, drákōn. The word for dragon in Germanic mythology and its descendants is worm (Old English: wyrm, Old High German: wurm, Old Norse: ormr), meaning snake or serpent. In Old English wyrm means "serpent", draca means "dragon". Though a winged creature, the dragon is generally to be found in its underground lair, a cave t ...

Including:

European dragon - Dragons in modern times European dragon - Roman dragons European dragon - Dragons in Slavic mythology European dragon - Dragons in Germanic mythology European dragon - Dragons in Catalan mythology European dragon - Dragons in Italian mythology European dragon - Dragons in fantasy fiction

Read more here: » European dragon: Encyclopedia - European dragon

An elf is a mythical creature of Norse mythology which survived in northern European folklore. Originally a race of minor gods of nature and fertility, elves are often pictured as youthful-seeming men and women of great beauty living in forests and other natural places, underground, or in wells and springs. They have been portrayed to be long-lived or immortal and they have magical powers attributed to them. Following the success of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic The Lord of the Rings—wherein a wise, angelic people named elves play a significant role—they have b ...

Including:

Elf - Characteristics of traditional elves
Elf - Elves in Norse mythology Elf - Scandinavian elves Elf - German elves Elf - English elves
Elf - Modern elves
Elf - Elves at Christmas Elf - Elves in modern fantasy
Elf - Notes

Read more here: » Elf: Encyclopedia - Elf

Hellenic polytheism refers to a polytheistic religion honoring the gods of the ancient Greek pantheon. Hellenic polytheism - Ancient Hellenic polytheism. Main article: Ancient Greek religion. Greek mythology, Polytheism, World Congress of Ethnic Religions, Separation of church and state in modern Greece, Religion in modern Greece Hellenic polytheism - Modern revivalist movements. See also: Greek reconstructioni ...

Including:

Hellenic polytheism - Ancient Hellenic polytheism Hellenic polytheism - Modern revivalist movements
Hellenic polytheism - Naming Hellenic polytheism - Beliefs and practices Hellenic polytheism - Discrimination and controversy
Hellenic polytheism - See Also Hellenic polytheism - Notes

Read more here: » Hellenic polytheism: Encyclopedia - Hellenic polytheism

In Greek mythology, the Ἀμαζόνες, Amazons were either an ancient legendary nation of female warriors or a contemporary land of women at the outer edges of the world. The legends appear to have a nugget of factual basis in warrior women among the Scythians, but classical Greeks never ceased to be astounded at such role-reversals. In early modern usage, the word was often used to refer to strong and independent women, in contrast to conventional stereotypes of women as weak and passive (see "damsel in distress"), but now "amazo ...

Including:

Amazons - Etymology Amazons - Amazons of Greek mythology Amazons - Scythian origins Amazons - Amazons in Greek art
Amazons - Legendary Amazons from Greek myth
Amazons - Amazon-like figures in history and folklore Amazons - Modern depiction of Amazons Amazons - Sources

Read more here: » Amazons: Encyclopedia - Amazons

Helen (Ἑλένη) was the wife of Menelaus and reputed to be the most beautiful woman in the world; her abduction by Paris brought about the Trojan War. Helen - Etymology. The name has been compared to Vedic Saraṇyū, daughter of Tvastar, who is abducted in RV 10.17.2; the name may then be from a PIE root *sel "to elope" and go back to a Proto-Indo-European abduction myth. The name is in any case unrelated to Hellenes, as is sometime ...

Including:

Helen - Etymology Helen - Helen in Greek mythology
Helen - Birth Helen - Marriage to Menelaus Helen - Seduction by Paris Helen - Fall of Troy Helen - Fate
Helen - Helen in modern literature Helen - Timeline Helen - Sources

Read more here: » Helen: Encyclopedia - Helen