The Sphinx: What the Great Monument of Giza Actually Was in Egyptian Belief and What Remains Unknown
The Great Sphinx of Giza is the largest monolithic statue to survive from the ancient world: 73 metres long, 20 […]
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.
Apep: The Egyptian Chaos Serpent Who Attacks the Sun Every Night and Has Never Once Won
Every night, as the sun god Ra travels through the underworld in his solar barque, Apep attacks. Every night, the
Ammit: The Egyptian Devourer Who Was Not a God, Had No Temples, and Represented a Fate Worse Than Death
Ammit was not worshipped. This is the first and most important thing to understand about her. In a religion with
Anubis: The Jackal God Who Invented Mummification, Weighs Every Heart, and Was Originally More Important Than Osiris
Anubis is the most recognisable figure in Egyptian mythology. The jackal head, the black fur, the scales of justice, the
Bastet: The Egyptian Cat Goddess Who Was Once a Lioness and Whose Sacred Animals Could Get You Killed for Harming Them
In ancient Egypt, killing a cat was a capital offence. Not harming the sacred cats of a specific temple, which
Nephthys: The Egyptian Goddess Who Stood at the Wrong Side of Every Story and Kept Showing Up Anyway
Nephthys is the wife of the murderer, the sister of the victim, the mother of the embalmer, and the loyal
Sekhmet: The Lioness Goddess Who Was Sent to Destroy Humanity, Nearly Succeeded, and Had to Be Stopped With Seven Thousand Jars of Beer
Ra sent Sekhmet to punish humanity for their disobedience. He watched for a while as she killed, and then he
Hathor: The Egyptian Goddess of Love and Music Who Is Also the Eye of Ra and Nearly Destroyed All of Humanity
Hathor is the goddess of love, beauty, music, dance, motherhood, and joy. She is the most widely worshipped goddess in
Isis: The Most Powerful Magician in Egyptian Mythology and the Goddess Whose Worship Outlasted Ancient Egypt Itself
Isis is the most powerful magical practitioner in Egyptian mythology. This is not a matter of interpretation or emphasis. The
Sobek: The Crocodile God of the Nile Who Was Worshipped With Live Crocodiles Adorned in Gold
At the city of Shedet in the Faiyum region of Egypt, a city the Greeks called Crocodilopolis, the priests of