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 ...

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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

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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 - Religion and mythology

Religion is commonly defined as belief concerning the supernatural, sacred, or divine, and the moral codes, practices, values, and institutions associated with such belief. It is a structure of beliefs that involves the existence or nonexistence of at least one of: a human soul or spirit, a deity or higher being, or self after the death of one's body. It generally involves how people worship and can include any system of beliefs (eg., like those that do ...

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Religion and mythology, Religion and mythology - Religion and mythology, Religion and mythology - Similarities, Religion and mythology - Contrasts, Religion and mythology - Range of views, Religion and mythology - Academic views, Religion and mythology - Religious views, Religion and mythology - Miscellaneous, Religion and mythology - External articles and references

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4 primary: An Enlil Ki Enki 3 sky: Ishtar Sin Sama In Sumerian mythology, An (see also Anu) was the god whose name was synonymous with the sun's zenith, or heaven. He was the oldest god in the Sumerian pantheon, and part of a triad including Enlil, god of the sky and Enki, god of water. He was called Anu by the Akkadians, rulers of Mesopotamia after the c ...

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An mythology - Hurrian religion An mythology - Sitchin's opinions

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Studying the myths of various cultures leads to a better understanding of their social and religious underpinnings. By turning the myths inwards, inviting them into our lives and learning their language of imagery and symbolism, we learn more about ourselves.

In almost every culture, the metaphor of descent serves as a powerful, sacred and mythic image for women. One of the earliest such accounts is the story of Inanna, the Sumerian goddess and Queen of the Upper World. She was worshipped in Sumer from the third millennium BCE (before the common era) to the first millennium BCE.

(See also: Spiritual Mythology, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

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Religion and mythology - Academic views. The academic meaning of the word mythology is not meant to suggest a negation or denial of the beliefs concerning the codes or values associated with such belief, or to mark these views as similar to unreal or imaginary stories. Such description of certain religious doctrines, traditions, literature, and scriptures is to understand a religion in general. Mythology is used in this sense to understand the body of stories, addressing issue ...

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Religion and mythology, Religion and mythology - Religion and mythology, Religion and mythology - Similarities, Religion and mythology - Contrasts, Religion and mythology - Range of views, Religion and mythology - Academic views, Religion and mythology - Religious views, Religion and mythology - Miscellaneous, Religion and mythology - External articles and references

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Buddhist mythology is a mythology within the Buddhism belief system. It is a relatively broad mythology, as it was adopted and influenced by several diverse cultures. As such, it includes many aspects taken from other mythologies of those cultures (for instance, Japanese kami are considered to be local bodhisattvas by many Japanese Buddhists). See also. Hindu mythology Bön Chinese mythology Japanese mythology ...

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There are great truths behind the ancient mythology of Hinduism. You cannot ignore a thing simply because it has a garb of mythology. Do not argue. Shut up your mouth. Keep your intellect at a respectable distance when you study mythology. Intellect is a hindrance. It will delude you. Give up arrogance and vanity. Cultivate love for imagery. Sit like a child and open your heart freely. You will comprehend the great truths revealed by mythology. You will penetrate into the hearts of the Rishis and sages who wrote the mythology. You will really enjoy mythology now..

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

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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?

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Classical mythology usually refers to the religious legends and practices of classical antiquity: Greek mythology; Roman mythology; Greek religion; and Roman religion. Their aggregation makes particular sense because of the significant overlap between their characters and narratives. See also: Mythology ...

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Abrahamic mythology is a term used in comparative mythology to refer to those aspects of religious belief and tradition common to the Abrahamic religions, as distinct from those of the "Pagan religions" from which most mainstream research in this field suggests they developed. Abrahamic mythology - Controversy of terminology. Some Abrahamic religionists reject the categorisation of their beliefs as mythology, arguing that the term connotes untruth and has more commonly been used to refer to beliefs t ...

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Abrahamic mythology - Controversy of terminology Abrahamic mythology - Abrahamic views Abrahamic mythology - Secular views Abrahamic mythology - Recent developments

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In Greek mythology, Ananke (Greek Ἀνάγκη) was the personification of destiny, unalterable necessity and fate. She was also the mother of Adrasteia and of the Moirae. She was rarely worshipped until the creation of the Orphic mystery religion. In Roman mythology, she was called Necessitas ("necessity"). Other related archivesAdrasteia, Greek, Greek mythology, Moirae, Roman mythology, mystery religion

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Vedic mythology that occupies a pivotal position in the history of religions, is a significant aspect of Hindu mythology and has directly contributed to the evolution and development of Hinduism. Vedic mythology, which finds expression in a number of Vedic rituals and symbolism, also contains a number of religious concepts, which are generally indistinguishable from Hindu traditions. Vedic mythology - Background. The Vedic mythology is best recorded in the four Vedas, also called the Vedam, which are part o ...

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Vedic mythology - Background Vedic mythology - Dimensions
Vedic mythology - The deities Vedic mythology - The rituals Vedic mythology - The concepts
Vedic mythology - Vedic quotes

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Comparative mythology, related to comparative religion, is a field of study which is technically part of anthropology but more usually regarded as part of the subject of ancient history. The field attempts to discover how various myths and religions evolved over time, and aims to reveal relationships between distant religions, and describe their origin. One very well-known recent author in this field was Joseph Campbell. Many of its discoveries elicit great curiosity, such as Poseidon having pre-dated the concept of ...

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Comparative mythology - Fields of study

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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

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Gods Enlil and 7 who decree fate Ishtar and planet Venus Tiamat and Tablets of Destiny Annunaki and astronauts Marduk and Babylon Heroes Utnapishtim and world-flood Tammuz and new life Gilgamesh and Cedar Forest Enkidu, the man-beast Monsters Zu, the lion-eagle Kingu, mankind's blood R ...

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Mesopotamian mythology - What Deities did they worship? Mesopotamian mythology - The Primary Deities for each phase of Mesopotamian Religion Mesopotamian mythology - The Three Sky Deities Mesopotamian mythology - Sources

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The Wars of Hindu mythology depict great heroes and demons in battles of celestial proportions, filled with the awesome force of celestial weapons, religious mysticism, magic, celestial and supernatural beings. Overriding the awesome battles and wonderous features is a deep driving purpose of religion and fate. Wars of Hindu Mythology - War in Religion and Myth. While no Hindu epic or scripture fails to describe the horrors of war and its fallout, major wars are fought with a religious purpose: often ...

Including:

Wars of Hindu Mythology - War in Religion and Myth Wars of Hindu Mythology - The Avataras of Vishnu Wars of Hindu Mythology - Siva Wars of Hindu Mythology - The Kshatriya Order Wars of Hindu Mythology - Devastras Wars of Hindu Mythology - The Devas and Asuras Wars of Hindu Mythology - The Ramayana Wars of Hindu Mythology - The Mahabharata Wars of Hindu Mythology - The End of the World

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The phrase "Biblical mythology" refers to the body of myths presented in some parts of the Bible. According to sociologists of religion, many narratives in the Bible fulfill the criteria of being a myth: they are based on tradition and legend, designed to explain the universal and local beginnings ("creation myths" and "founding myths"), natural phenomena, inexplicable cultural conventions, and anything else for which no simple explanation presents itself. In order to compare these stories to myths in other traditions without prejudice or bias, the Biblical accounts are likewise treated under ...

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Biblical mythology - Mythology in the Hebrew Bible Biblical mythology - Mythology in the Apocrypha Biblical mythology - Mythology in the New Testament

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The mythology of the Yoruba is sometimes claimed by its supporters to be one of the world's oldest widely practised religions. It is a major religion in Africa, chiefly in Nigeria, and it has given origin to several New World religions such as Santería in Cuba and Candomblé in Brazil. Yoruba mythology is only one part of itan — the complex of myths, songs, histories and other cultural concepts which make up the Yorùbá religion and society. Yoruba mythology - Deities. Yoruba deities are called O ...

Including:

Yoruba mythology - Deities
Yoruba mythology - The Orisha Yoruba mythology - Other concepts
Yoruba mythology - Yoruba mythology in the New World Yoruba mythology - External link

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Roman Mythology Jupiter Mars Quirinus Divus Julius Divus Augustus Juno Vesta Minerva Mercury Vulcan Ceres Venus Diana Lares Fortuna Aeneas Romulus Numa Early Kings Pontifex Maximus Rex Sacrorum Vestal Virgins Flamen Dialis The ...

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Roman mythology - Nature of early Roman myth
Roman mythology - Early mythology about the gods Roman mythology - Early mythology about Roman history
Roman mythology - Native Roman and Italic gods Roman mythology - Foreign gods Roman mythology - Major Roman deities Roman mythology - Sources

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