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58 votes
3 answers
7k views

When and how did the Greek mythos transfer to the Romans?

It seems that there are a great many similarities between Roman and Greek Mythology. In fact, many people consider them synonymous and only really differ in the names. For example: Greek ⇄ Roman Zeus ...
user avatar
43 votes
3 answers
101k views

What is the difference between a God and a Titan?

In Greek mythology, the words "Titan" and "God" seem to be used interchangeably. For example, Zeus is a God, but Cronus (his father) was a Titan. So what is the difference between a Titan and a God in ...
Dom's user avatar
  • 541
41 votes
9 answers
99k views

Are Excalibur and Caliburn different swords?

Arthurian legend features swords called "Excalibur" and "Caliburn". It is not clear to me whether these two swords are the same entity (at minimum, the names are clearly cognate), or whether they ...
senshin's user avatar
  • 2,962
40 votes
5 answers
25k views

Why does looking at Medusa with a mirror work?

Medusa is known for being so ugly that if men even look at her face, they would immediately be turned into stone statues. Perseus was somehow able to overcome this challenge of killing her by looking ...
Anthony Pham's user avatar
  • 2,075
38 votes
1 answer
15k views

What is the world's oldest joke?

What is the world's oldest joke? I mean the earliest known story, set of affairs, or action that people spread to other people in order to cause the receivers to be amused.
user avatar
37 votes
4 answers
6k views

Why were there exactly 12 main Olympian Gods?

Did the ancient Greeks believe that the number 12 symbolized everything? Was it random that there were 12 Olympian gods and no more (or less)?
Shevliaskovic's user avatar
37 votes
3 answers
16k views

What is the earliest known dragon myth?

The myth of dragons can be found in many different traditions, with the major two being the European dragon and the Chinese dragon. "There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the ...
logic's user avatar
  • 888
35 votes
3 answers
94k views

Why was it a good thing that hope remained in Pandora's box?

One thing has always confused me about the story of Pandora. When she opened her box (or jar, whatever), all sorts of evil things escaped outside the box, and this is why we have evil in the world now....
senshin's user avatar
  • 2,962
34 votes
3 answers
38k views

Why did Egyptian Gods have animal heads?

Most Egyptian gods have animal heads. Why is that?
user avatar
34 votes
7 answers
78k views

How was it decided which warriors would go to Fólkvangr and which to Valhalla?

I have read numerous times that some Norse warriors, upon death, would go in Fólkvangr, while some others would go to Valhalla. How was it decided which warrior would go to which place? Why did the ...
codingEnthusiast's user avatar
34 votes
5 answers
51k views

Where did the Roman gods live?

The ancient Greek gods lived on the famous Mount Olympus, which is an actual mountain in Greece. The Romans borrowed quite a bit of mythology from the Greeks, so I at first assumed that the Roman ...
HDE 226868's user avatar
  • 7,085
33 votes
4 answers
9k views

Who did Adam and Eve's son Cain marry?

According to Christian mythology, Adam and Eve were the first people created. So their children were living alone in the world. In Genesis 4:16-17 it says that Cain left Eden and went towards the ...
John Demetriou's user avatar
33 votes
4 answers
10k views

What is the difference between giants, Jotuns and trolls in Norse mythology?

I am a little bit confused by the way the terms giant, frost giant, jotun (or jötunn), ettin and troll seem to overlap in Norse mythology. I don't understand if they refer to a single race or ...
Kreann's user avatar
  • 2,070
32 votes
3 answers
25k views

Why did Zeus assume so many different forms for seduction?

The character of Zeus is well-known for seducing many women, both human and goddesses. In many of these stories, Zeus assumes a form other than his true self. The most famous is perhaps Leda - it is ...
Luna's user avatar
  • 2,483
31 votes
4 answers
3k views

Why did God prefer Abel's offering to Cain's?

In the Old Testament, God accepts Abel's offering but rejects Cain's: Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an ...
user avatar
30 votes
3 answers
17k views

Was Loki originally a fire god?

A number of sources claim Loki to have originally been a fire god of some description. This, for instance: Loki was originally a fire deity before he became more closely associated with the ...
femtoRgon's user avatar
  • 9,198
30 votes
5 answers
215k views

Why are goats associated with Satan?

Why is the goat often associated with Satan in various religious folklore and illustrations? What makes the goat satanic?
amphibient's user avatar
28 votes
2 answers
4k views

Why are cats so important in Ancient Egypt?

Cats were worshipped in ancient Egypt. This can be clearly seen by the large amount of cat statues, mummified cats, ... that have been found. There is even a God specific for cats (Bastet). But why ...
Arperum's user avatar
  • 391
28 votes
4 answers
16k views

Why was Odin afraid that his ravens would not return back to him?

Odin's ravens would continuously fly all over Midgard to collect information and bring it back to Odin. In Norse mythology, Huginn (from Old Norse "thought") and Muninn (Old Norse "...
codingEnthusiast's user avatar
28 votes
3 answers
2k views

Are there any myths we can plausibly trace back to a common Proto-Indo-European ancestor?

It is well-known today that many peoples trace their origin back to a group of people known as the Proto-Indo-Europeans, who probably lived c. 4000 BCE. Among them are some of the most mythologically-...
senshin's user avatar
  • 2,962
27 votes
2 answers
2k views

Was the Minotaur a single being, or a race?

In the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur, we know that the Minotaur dwelled at the center of the maze built by Daedalus. However, the creature itself (part man, part bull) doesn't appear to show up ...
Luna's user avatar
  • 2,483
27 votes
3 answers
3k views

Why, according to Joseph Campbell, is the monomyth so common?

The Wikipedia page on the Monomyth has these statements in the summary at the top: Campbell held that numerous myths from disparate times and regions share fundamental structures and stages, and ...
El'endia Starman's user avatar
27 votes
2 answers
1k views

What species is the Lady of the Lake?

In Arthurian legend, the Lady of the Lake is usually depicted as a beautiful woman. However, she is clearly not human (as she seems to spend most of her time hanging out underwater). One might think ...
Luna's user avatar
  • 2,483
27 votes
1 answer
8k views

Why did Charon collect a toll at the River Styx

Charon is known as the ferryman of the River Styx, letting certain people cross the river with a fee. Charon himself is well known for helping many significant heroes in multiple Greek legends. He ...
Anthony Pham's user avatar
  • 2,075
26 votes
5 answers
5k views

What is Loki considered to be?

I was reading about something and came across the wikipage of Loki. There it says that Loki is a shapeshifter. Loki is a shape shifter and in separate incidents he appears in the form of a salmon, ...
maam27's user avatar
  • 663
26 votes
3 answers
6k views

Who worshipped the Titans?

According to Greek mythology, there was a mythical time known as the Golden Age where the Titans ruled and the gods of Olympus didn't exist. Were there any real cultures that actually worshipped the ...
congusbongus's user avatar
  • 2,494
26 votes
5 answers
6k views

Is there any textual evidence that confirms the color of Hindu gods?

Hindu gods, most notably, Shiva, Krishna, Vishnu, Kali, are depicted as blue colored beings. But they are also depicted with many different skin colors, some looking more natural than others. Is ...
Ero Sɘnnin's user avatar
  • 3,433
26 votes
2 answers
5k views

How did Athena keep from being turned into stone by her shield?

After Perseus killed Medusa, he gifted her head to Athena, who mounted it on a shield and used it in battle to turn her enemies into stone. How did she keep herself from being turned into stone by ...
Mr. Bultitude's user avatar
26 votes
1 answer
2k views

What differences were there in Greek soldiers worship of Ares and Roman soldiers worship of Mars?

I am looking for a comparison/contrast of war gods. (Feel free to mention other deities in your answer if they are relevant or helpful in explaining) Considering their direct linkage I am curious to ...
James's user avatar
  • 497
26 votes
6 answers
70k views

Why is the story of Odin hanging from Yggdrasil so similar to that of Jesus on the cross?

I hope this actually has an answer, I couldn't find anything but speculation on the web. Basically, the story of Odin hanging from Yggdrasil is very similar to that of Jesus on the cross. Here are ...
Lara's user avatar
  • 363
26 votes
2 answers
1k views

Did the Gods and Goddesses in Norse mythology act as patron gods?

I know in mythologies such as Greek mythology, gods and goddesses would act as patrons. For example, Athena was the patron goddess of Athens. Did the gods and goddesses in Norse mythology have any ...
kuwaly's user avatar
  • 619
25 votes
5 answers
2k views

What was Plato's inspiration for the Atlantis myth?

Did an island actually sink in ancient Greece, due to a volcanic eruption or some other cataclysmic event perhaps? Was it completely wiped off the map by a tsunami? Did Plato base his story on fact ...
Daft's user avatar
  • 2,281
25 votes
4 answers
27k views

Are Kitsune and Huli jing the same?

Both the kitsune and huli jing are "fox spirits" with 9 tails, tricksters that can shapeshift into, or possess, young women. One famous kitsune appears in the true story of Hideyoshi writing a letter ...
congusbongus's user avatar
  • 2,494
24 votes
4 answers
39k views

Are there any depictions of Horus being crucified and resurrected

In my internet adventures I've stumbled upon the idea that the story of Jesus was heavily inspired by the ancient Egyptian god Horus. See, for example, some positing it here—by its major modern ...
6D65's user avatar
  • 343
24 votes
5 answers
4k views

How were djinn traditionally depicted in pre-Islamic Arabic myth?

Today, many people are aware of "genies" as beings from Arabic myth, mostly thanks to Disney's Aladdin. Other works of fantasy have often co-opted djinn as creatures in their worlds. But Disney's ...
senshin's user avatar
  • 2,962
24 votes
3 answers
7k views

Who held the celestial sphere before Atlas?

After Zeus defeated Kronos, all Titans on the losing side were punished. Atlas in particular was tasked with holding the celestial sphere for all eternity. When Herakles later meets him, it's ...
Mumu's user avatar
  • 241
24 votes
2 answers
10k views

Why was Medusa the only mortal of the Gorgons?

As far as I understood the myth of Medusa, she was punished by Athena (either for letting herself being raped by Poseidon or for succumbing to Poseidon's woes). Her sisters, Euryale and Stheno (all ...
Kreann's user avatar
  • 2,070
24 votes
1 answer
471 views

Why is Athena considered the goddess of both fighting and craft skills?

In all the Olympic Pantheon, Athena was revered as goddess of many things: she is a warrior, representing the "noble" part of war, but she is also the goddess of "feminine arts", like weaving. How ...
user avatar
23 votes
1 answer
15k views

Why do some Asian dragons have fur (or hair)?

In the west, we tend to think outside dragons as purely reptilian in nature - in other words, all scales, no fur - but many Asian representations of dragons show them with substantial amounts of fur (...
Wad Cheber's user avatar
23 votes
2 answers
3k views

Who commands the Heavenly Host in combat?

According to the bible, Heaven is defended by an army of good angels known as the Heavenly Host. For example, Christian mythology from the Book of Revelation states that the Heavenly Host will take ...
Semaphore's user avatar
  • 7,836
23 votes
5 answers
3k views

Prevalence of Underwater Panther

I was researching my tribe's clan history and came across something interesting. Osages, like most American Indian tribes, name their clans after either mythological creatures, or common animals (...
T.E.D.'s user avatar
  • 1,183
23 votes
1 answer
568 views

Did the Greeks build temples for all of the children of Cronus?

I know that the Ancient Greeks built temples for a lot of the children of Cronus, such as the Temple of Zeus and the Temple of Hera. Were temples built for all of the children of Cronus, or were they ...
kuwaly's user avatar
  • 619
23 votes
1 answer
777 views

Were any Buddhist narratives ever folded into the myths of the Greeks, or vice versa?

The cultural exchange between the Greeks (under Alexander, at first) and the Buddhists of northwestern India is known to have had impacts on both parties. I'm aware of some theological influences, at ...
senshin's user avatar
  • 2,962
23 votes
1 answer
903 views

How long ago was the Dreaming?

The Dreaming, or dreamtime, is the Australian Aboriginal term for the pre-creation formless world, which was then given form by various deities including the rainbow serpent. How long ago was the ...
congusbongus's user avatar
  • 2,494
23 votes
1 answer
302 views

What did the Mayans believe would happen when the Long Count rolled over to a new baktun, like it did on Dec 21, 2012?

Remember all that end-of-the-world (pseudo-)hysteria that was going on back in 2012? That corresponded to the Mayan Long Count rolling over from 12.19.19.17.19 to 13.0.0.0.0; i.e. baktun 12 ended and ...
senshin's user avatar
  • 2,962
23 votes
2 answers
1k views

Do Welsh fairies marry human women?

The Welsh Tylwyth Teg, or fairies, is said to take human mates. This website mentions how: There are many tales of intermarriage between faeries and humans, and advice on how to make sure you ...
Semaphore's user avatar
  • 7,836
22 votes
3 answers
12k views

Is there a connection between Adam and Eve, and Ask and Embla?

The creation myths of the Abrahamic religions declares humanity's protoplasts to be Adam and Eve. Norse lore declares them to be Ask and Embla. Linguistically, these seem to be fairly similar names. ...
durron597's user avatar
  • 4,449
22 votes
4 answers
27k views

What is the difference between Hecate, Selene, Artemis, and Phoebe?

I always thought that Artemis was the Goddess of the Moon (and Hunting, stags, etc.)... until I thought about how there's Helios/Apollo which caused me to learn about Selene. But further research ...
durron597's user avatar
  • 4,449
22 votes
3 answers
1k views

What did Danae want?

It's well known the story of Acrisius and Danae; Acrisius wants male children, and the oracle says he won't have any, but he'll have a grandson who kills him. So he locks Danae up in a prison, and ...
durron597's user avatar
  • 4,449
22 votes
1 answer
4k views

What did Mimir do with Odin's eye?

Odin is known to be one-eyed because of a trade between Mimir and Odin. When Odin asked Mimir for some water in the well, Mimir declined him of giving any water unless Odin gave him an eye. ...
Anthony Pham's user avatar
  • 2,075

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