Ptah: The Egyptian Creator God Who Thought the World Into Existence and Spoke It Into Being
The most philosophically sophisticated creation myth in Egyptian religion belongs to a god who is rarely the first name people […]
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.
Thoth: The Egyptian God Who Invented Writing, Healed the Eye of the Moon, and Became Twice-Great and Then Three Times Great
Thoth invented hieroglyphics. He also invented mathematics, medicine, science, law, and magic. He is the divine scribe who records the
Set: The Egyptian God of Chaos Who Murdered His Brother, Defends the Sun Every Night, and Has an Animal Nobody Can Identify
Set is the villain of Egyptian mythology. He murdered his brother Osiris, dismembered the body and scattered it across Egypt,
Horus: The Falcon God Whose Left Eye Is the Moon and Whose Face Has Been on Every Pharaoh in Egyptian History
For nearly three thousand years of Egyptian history, every pharaoh who took the throne took on the identity of Horus.
Ra: The Egyptian Sun God Who Dies Every Night and Has to Fight His Way Back to Dawn
Ra does not simply move across the sky. Every morning he is born. Every noon he reaches the fullness of
Osiris: The Murdered King Who Became the Judge of the Dead and Why His Story Is the Foundation of Everything in Egyptian Mythology
The Osiris myth is the most important story in Egyptian mythology. Not because it is the most dramatic, though it
The Real Norse Mythology Behind God of War: What the Games Got Right, What They Changed, and What the Eddas Actually Say
God of War 2018 and God of War Ragnarök are two of the most successful video games ever made, and
Sköll and Hati: The Wolves Who Chase the Sun and Moon and Why They Have Not Caught Them Yet
The sun and moon move across the Norse sky because they are being chased. Sol, the sun goddess, drives her
Fimbulwinter: The Three Winters That End the World and the Real Climate Catastrophe That May Have Inspired Them
Ragnarök does not begin with a battle. It begins with a winter. Fimbulwinter, from the Old Norse fimbulvetr meaning the
Brokkr and Eitri: The Dwarves Who Forged Mjolnir, Won a Bet Against Loki, and Settled for Sewing His Mouth Shut
The most powerful weapon in the Norse cosmos exists because Loki cut off a goddess’s hair for no particular reason.