Egyptian mythology
The Egyptian Creation Myth: Atum and the Ennead
The Egyptian creation myth: from the primordial Nun to Atum, the birth of the Heliopolitan Ennead and the order of the world against the chaos of Apophis.
Mythological stories
Greek mythology
The Greek Creation Myth: from Chaos to the Olympians
The Greek creation myth in Hesiod's Theogony: from primordial Chaos to Gaia, from the Titans to the Olympians, the ordered birth of the cosmos.
Norse mythology
The Norse Creation Myth: Ymir and the Ginnungagap
The Norse creation myth: from the yawning void of Ginnungagap to the body of the giant Ymir, how Odin and his brothers shape the world and the first humans.
Egyptian mythology
The Judgment of the Dead in ancient Egyptian mythology
The Egyptian Judgment of the Dead: the Hall of Two Truths, the Negative Confession before forty-two divine assessors, and Anubis weighing the heart against Maat's feather.
Egyptian mythology
The Osiris myth: death, resurrection and the judgment of the dead in Egypt
The complete Osiris myth: murder by Seth, Isis's quest, dismemberment, reassembly and resurrection — the founding narrative of ancient Egyptian funerary theology.
Greek mythology
The Death of Achilles: Paris' Arrow and the Fatal Heel
How Achilles died: Penthesilea and Memnon, Paris' arrow guided by Apollo, the late origin of the heel story, the fight over his body and his fate after death.
Origins
5Greek mythology
The Abduction of Persephone: the Greek myth of the seasons
The abduction of Persephone by Hades: Demeter's grief-stricken search, the pomegranate seeds, and the bargain with Zeus that explains the origin of the seasons.
Greek mythology
The Birth of Aphrodite: the Goddess Born From Sea Foam
How Aphrodite was born: sea foam around Uranus' severed genitals in Hesiod, a daughter of Zeus and Dione in Homer, Cythera and Cyprus, and Botticelli's Venus.
Greek mythology
The Birth of Athena: Born Fully Armed From the Head of Zeus
How Athena was born from Zeus' head: Metis swallowed, the axe of Hephaestus or Prometheus, her war cry, Hera's furious reply and the ancient variants.
Loves
2Greek mythology
Aphrodite and Adonis: The Goddess, the Hunter and the Anemone
Adonis, born from a myrrh tree, was loved by Aphrodite and claimed by Persephone. Killed by a boar, he became the anemone. The myth, its variants and the Adonia.
Greek mythology
Orpheus and Eurydice: descent into the Underworld and impossible love
Orpheus and Eurydice in Greek mythology: the descent into the Underworld to reclaim the beloved, the power of the lyre, Hades' impossible condition, and the fatal backward glance.
Greek mythology
Apollo and Daphne: The Myth Behind the Laurel Tree
The story of Apollo and Daphne: Cupid's golden and lead arrows, the chase, the nymph turned into a laurel tree, Greek variants and Bernini's famous statue.
Greek mythology
Arachne and Athena: The Weaver Turned into a Spider
Arachne, a Lydian weaver, challenged Athena to a contest. Her flawless tapestry exposed the gods' misdeeds, and the goddess turned her into a spider. Ovid's myth.
Greek mythology
Leda and the Swan: the Myth of Zeus, the Egg and Helen's Birth
Leda and the Swan: Zeus, Helen's birth, the Dioscuri and the egg, with the Nemesis variant and ancient accounts from Euripides, Apollodorus and Hyginus.
Greek mythology
Daedalus and Icarus: the Myth of the Wax Wings and the Fall
The myth of Daedalus and Icarus: Minos' prison, the wings of feathers and wax, the warning to fly the middle course, the fall, and Ovid's version.
Greek mythology
Jason and the Golden Fleece: the quest of the Argonauts in Greek mythology
Jason assembles the Argonauts to seize the Golden Fleece from Colchis: the Clashing Rocks, Medea's magic, fire-breathing bulls, and the sleepless dragon.
Greek mythology
The Twelve Labors of Heracles: the cycle of impossible trials
The Twelve Labors of Heracles: the origin of the cycle, the twelve impossible tasks imposed by Eurystheus, and the meaning of this founding heroic journey.
Greek mythology
The Iliad Summary: Homer's Epic of the Wrath of Achilles
The Iliad summarized book by book: Achilles' wrath, the deaths of Patroclus and Hector, Priam's ransom, the gods at war, and who Homer may have been.
Greek mythology
The Judgement of Paris: the apple of discord and the Trojan War
The Judgement of Paris: the apple of discord, the three goddesses' rival offers, Paris's fatal choice of Aphrodite, and the abduction of Helen that triggers the Trojan War.
Greek mythology
Seven Against Thebes: the War Between the Sons of Oedipus
Seven Against Thebes: Oedipus's curse, Polynices and Eteocles, the seven champions and their defeat, with versions from Aeschylus, Euripides and Apollodorus.