Perseus: The Hero Who Killed Medusa, Rescued Andromeda, and Founded Mycenae
Perseus is the hero whose story provides the template for what scholars of mythology call the monomyth: the divine birth, […]
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.
Heracles: The Greatest Hero in Greek Mythology and the Man Whose Life Was Tragedy Dressed as Triumph
Heracles is the strongest man who ever lived in Greek mythology, the greatest of all heroes, the figure whose twelve
Persephone: The Abduction, the Pomegranate Seeds, and Why She Is Not Simply a Victim
Persephone is the daughter of Demeter and Zeus, the queen of the underworld, and the goddess whose annual return from
Hades: The God of the Underworld Who Was Not Evil, Just Separate
Hades is the most misunderstood major deity in Greek mythology. He rules the underworld, which modern culture has consistently mapped
Hera: The Queen of Olympus Who Is Almost Never Treated Like One
Hera is the queen of the Greek gods, the goddess of marriage and family, the wife of Zeus, and one
Zeus: The King of the Greek Gods, the Lightning Bolt, and the Most Complicated Father in Mythology
Zeus is the king of the Olympian gods, the ruler of the sky, the wielder of the thunderbolt, and the
The Welsh Arthur: The Warrior Chieftain Who Existed Before the Round Table
Arthur in Welsh mythology is not the Arthur most people know. He is not the courtly king presiding over a
Culhwch and Olwen: The Earliest Arthurian Story Ever Written and the Thirty-Nine Impossible Tasks
Culhwch and Olwen is the oldest Arthurian narrative in any language. It predates Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae, which
Arianrhod and Lleu Llaw Gyffes: The Mother’s Curse, the Three Impossible Conditions, and the Son Made From Flowers
The Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi is the strangest story in Welsh mythology and one of the most mythologically dense
Branwen, Daughter of Llŷr: The Welsh Myth About a Marriage That Destroyed Two Islands
The Second Branch of the Mabinogi is the most devastating story in Welsh mythology. It begins with a marriage and