Mímir: The Wisest Being in Norse Mythology Who Was Beheaded Because His Colleague Was Useless
Mímir was the wisest being in the Norse cosmos. He was the guardian of the well beneath Yggdrasil that contained […]
Ancient Mythology
Ancient Mythology
Ancient Mythology: The Stories That Shaped the World
Before history was written down, it was told. The great mythological traditions of the ancient world were not simply entertainment or primitive attempts to explain natural phenomena. They were the frameworks through which entire civilisations understood their place in the universe, the nature of their gods, the obligations of the living to the dead, and the rules that governed everything from the weather to the proper conduct of war. They were serious business, and they deserve to be treated as such.
This section covers the major mythological traditions of the ancient world. At present the coverage is deepest in Greek mythology, which has the largest body of content on the site, but the section will expand over time to include Norse, Chinese, Native American, and other traditions as that content develops. Each tradition is covered on its own terms rather than filtered through the lens of the popular culture versions that have accumulated around them, because the original material is almost always stranger, richer, and more interesting than any adaptation has managed to convey.
The articles here are written for people who want to understand what the myths actually said, who the figures in them actually were, and why the civilisations that produced them considered these stories worth preserving across centuries. Browse by subcategory below, or explore the articles directly.
The Aesir-Vanir War: The Conflict That Shaped the Norse Pantheon and Created All Poetry From Combined Spittle
The Norse gods as most people know them are a single community: Odin, Thor, Frigg, Freyr, Freyja, Njörðr, all living
Skadi: The Giantess Who Came to Asgard Armed, Chose the Wrong Husband, and May Have Named Scandinavia
When Skadi arrived in Asgard after the gods killed her father Þjazi, she came armed. She came in full armour
Hel: The Ruler of the Dead Whose Servants Move Slowly and Who Answered Odin’s Request With a Condition He Could Not Meet
When Hermod rode Sleipnir down through the darkness to the realm of the dead to beg for Baldr’s return, he
Freyja: The Norse Goddess Who Takes Half the Dead, Taught Odin His Most Powerful Magic, and Weeps Tears of Gold
Freyja is consistently described in popular culture as the Norse goddess of love, which is accurate as far as it
Frigg: The Norse Queen Who Knows Everything and Says Nothing
Frigg knows the fates of all beings. This is stated clearly in the sources: she possesses the gift of prophecy
Heimdall: The Watchman Born of Nine Mothers Who Hears Wool Growing on Sheep
Heimdall requires less sleep than a bird. He can see for a hundred leagues in every direction, equally well by
Baldr: The Most Beloved God in Norse Mythology and the Secret Odin Whispered at His Funeral
When Baldr fell dead, the Prose Edda says that the gods were so stunned that none of them could speak.
The Norns: The Three Women Above the Gods Who Brought Time and Consequence Into the World
The Norse gods are powerful, ancient, and in most cases considerably older than the humans they watch over. Odin has
Tyr: The One-Handed God Who Was Once Greater Than Odin and Has Almost No Mythology Left
Tuesday is named after Tyr. Not after Odin, who gives Wednesday its name. Not after Thor, who gives Thursday. Tyr,