Acastus - Myth Encyclopedia
In Greek mythology, Acastus was a king who sailed with the Argonauts, a group of adventurers seeking a famous treasure called the Golden Fleece. Jason, his fellow Argonaut, brought a witch named Medea to Acastus's kingdom of Iolcus.
Achilles - Myth Encyclopedia
A hero in the war between the Greeks and the Trojans, Achilles was the foremost warrior in Greek mythology. He figures prominent'v in the Iliad, the epic by Greek poet Homer that tells the story of the Trojan War*.
Adad - Myth Encyclopedia
Adad was the god of weather in the Babylonian and Assyrian cultures of Mesopotamia * in the ancient Near East. Other cultures in the region called the god Ishkur, Rimmon, Addu, Hadad, or Baal-Hadad.
Adam and Eve - Myth Encyclopedia
The mythologies of many cultures include stories of a first couple, a man and woman who were the parents of the entire human race. In the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic religious traditions, these first parents were Adam and Eve.
Adonis - Myth Encyclopedia
In Greek mythology, Adonis was an extremely handsome youth who died and was reborn. Like many other mythological figures who are resurrected, Adonis became associated with the annual cycle of the seasons in which vegetation dies in the fall and grows again in the spring.
Aegir - Myth Encyclopedia
In Norse * mythology, Aegir, also known as Hlér or Gymir, was the god of the sea, the counterpart of the Greek god Poseidon* and the Roman god Neptune*. Aegir and his wife, Ran, caused death at sea.
Aeneas - Myth Encyclopedia
The hero Aeneas appears in both Greek and Roman mythology. He was a defender of Troy, the city in Asia Minor* that the Greeks destroyed in the Trojan War*.
Aeneid, The - Myth Encyclopedia
In about 30 B.C., the Roman poet Virgil began composing the Aeneid, an epic about the legendary hero Aeneas and the founding and destiny of Rome. Woven from strands of myth, history, and imperial pride, the Aeneid summed up everything the Romans valued most about their society.
Aeolus - Myth Encyclopedia
Ancient Greek mythology included two characters named Aeolus. One of them was king of the region known as Thessaly in northern Greece.
African Mythology - Myth Encyclopedia
A vast and geographically varied continent, Africa is home to a great many cultures and to a thousand or more languages. Although no single set of myths and legends unites this diverse population, different culture groups and regions share some common elements.
Afterlife - Myth Encyclopedia
Cultures the world over recognize that every life will end in death. However, many claim that some invisible but vital part of the human being—the spirit or soul—continues to exist after death.
Agamemnon - Myth Encyclopedia
According to Greek mythology, Agamemnon was the king of Mycenae, a kingdom of legendary Greece. The leader of the Greeks in the Trojan War*, he is one of the central figures in the Iliad, Homer's epic poem about the war.
Agnes, St. - Myth Encyclopedia
One of the most popular saints in the Catholic tradition, Agnes is the patron saint of virgins and engaged couples. According to early Christian writings, she was a beautiful young Roman girl who lived in the A.D.
Ahriman - Myth Encyclopedia
Ahriman was the god of evil and darkness in Persian mythology and in Zoroastrianism, a religion that attracted a large following in Persia around 600 B.C. Often called Druj ("the Lie"), Ahriman was the force behind anger, greed, envy, and other negative and harmful emotions.
Ahura Mazda - Myth Encyclopedia
Ahura Mazda, whose name means "wise lord," was the most important god in ancient Persian mythology. When the religion known as Zoroastrianism became widespread in Persia around 600 B.C., Ahura Mazda became its supreme deity.
Aiwel - Myth Encyclopedia
In African mythology, Aiwel was the founder of a hereditary priesthood known as the spear masters among the Dinka people of the Sudan. He was the son of a human mother and a water spirit.
Ajax - Myth Encyclopedia
Ajax (also known as Aias) was one of the greatest of the Greek heroes who fought in the Trojan War*. He was the son of Telamon, the king of Salamis and a friend of Hercules*.
Ala - Myth Encyclopedia
Ala is a goddess of the Ibo, African people of eastern Nigeria. The daughter of the great god Chuku, she is the mother goddess of the earth, ruler of the underworld, guardian of the harvest, and goddess of fertility for both people and animals.
Aladdin - Myth Encyclopedia
Aladdin, a character from the folktales of Persia*, appears in the collection of stories known as the Thousand and One Nights (or the Arabian Nights). Legends from Europe to China often contained characters like Aladdin—ordinary people who came into possession of magical devices and through them acquired wealth and power.
Alcestis - Myth Encyclopedia
In Greek mythology, Alcestis was the beautiful daughter of Pelias, the king of Iolcus in Thessaly. Pelias promised his daughter in marriage to any man who came to get her in a chariot pulled by a lion and a boar.
Alfred - Myth Encyclopedia
King Alfred the Great is an example of a historical figure who, with the passage of time, became a figure of legend. From A.D.
Amaterasu - Myth Encyclopedia
Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and of fertility, is one of the most important figures in Japanese mythology and in the religion known as Shinto. According to legend, she is the first ancestor of the imperial family of Japan.
Amazons - Myth Encyclopedia
In Greek mythology, the Amazons were a nation of fierce female warriors, descendants of Ares, the god of war. The Amazons were usually pictured fighting on horseback with bows and arrows, spears, and axes and carrying a crescent-shaped shield.
Ambrosia - Myth Encyclopedia
In Greek mythology, ambrosia was a honey-flavored food eaten by the gods that allowed them to remain immortal. With the ambrosia, they often drank a honey-flavored drink called nectar.
Amma - Myth Encyclopedia
Amma is the supreme god in the mythology of the Dogon people of Mali in West Africa. Amma created a "cosmic egg," which was the source of the universe.
Amphitryon - Myth Encyclopedia
In Greek mythology, the hero Amphitryon was the son of King Alcaeus of Tiryns and the grandson of Perseus*. Alcaeus's brother Electryon, the king of Mycenae, asked Amphitryon to take over his kingdom when he went to battle the Taphians, who had killed his eight sons.