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valign="top" align="right" nowrap>Not logged in <br><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Special:Userlogin&returnto=Mythology" class="internal" title="Special:Userlogin">Log in</a> | <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Help" class="internal" title="Wikipedia:Help">Help</a> <br><form name="search" class="inline" method="get" action="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml"><input type="text" name="search" size="19" value=""> <input type="submit" name="go" value="Go"> <input type="submit" value="Search"></form></td></tr> <tr><td class="top" colspan="2">Other languages: <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20030614203809/http://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mytologi" class="external" title="da:Mytologi">Dansk</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20030614203809/http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythologie" class="external" title="de:Mythologie">Deutsch</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20030614203809/http://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitologio" class="external" title="eo:Mitologio">Esperanto</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20030614203809/http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitolog%EDa" class="external" title="es:Mitolog韆">Español</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20030614203809/http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythologie" class="external" title="fr:Mythologie">Français</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20030614203809/http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%A5%9E%E8%A9%B1" class="external" title="ja:&#31070;&#35441;">日本語 (Nihongo)</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20030614203809/http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitologia" class="external" title="pl:Mitologia">Polski</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20030614203809/http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mytologi" class="external" title="sv:Mytologi">Svenska</a></td></tr></table> </div> <div id="article"><h1 class="pagetitle">Mythology</h1><p class="subtitle">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. <p> <p> A <strong>mythology</strong> is a relatively cohesive set of <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myth" class="internal" title="Myth">myths</a>: stories that comprise a certain religion or belief system. <p> Myths are generally stories based on <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tradition" class="internal" title="Tradition">tradition</a> and <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend" class="internal" title="Legend">legend</a> designed to explain the universe, the world's creation, natural phenomenon, and anything else for which no simple explanation presents itself. Not all myths need have this explicatory purpose, however. Likewise, most myths involve a supernatural force or <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deity" class="internal" title="Deity">deity</a>, but many are simply legends and stories passed down orally from generation to generation. <p> Mythology figures prominently in most <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion" class="internal" title="Religion">religions</a>, and most mythology is tied to at least one religion. Some use the words "myth" and "mythology" to portray the stories of one or more religion as false, or dubious at best. The term is most often used in this sense to describe religions founded by ancient societies, such as <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_mythology" class="internal" title="Roman mythology">Roman mythology</a>, <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_mythology" class="internal" title="Greek mythology">Greek mythology</a>, and <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse_mythology" class="internal" title="Norse mythology">Norse mythology</a>, which were nearly extinct at one time. However, it is important to keep in mind that while some view the Norse and Celtic pantheons as mere <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fable" class="internal" title="Fable">fable</a>, others hold them as a <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion" class="internal" title="Religion">religion</a> (See <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neopaganism" class="internal" title="Neopaganism">Neopaganism</a>). By extension, many people do not regard the tales surrounding the origin and development of religions like <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity" class="internal" title="Christianity">Christianity</a>, <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism" class="internal" title="Judaism">Judaism</a> and <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam" class="internal" title="Islam">Islam</a> as literal accounts of events, but instead regard them as figurative representations of their belief systems. <p> People within most religions take offense at the characterization of their faith as a group of myths, for this is tantamount to claiming that the religion itself is a lie. However, most people concur that each religion has a body of myths that have developed in addition to scriptures. <p> For the purposes of this article, therefore, we use the word "mythology" to refer to stories that, while they may or may not be strictly factual, reveal fundamental truths and insights about human nature, often through the use of <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archetype" class="internal" title="Archetype">archetypes</a>. Also, the stories we discuss express the viewpoints and beliefs of the country, time period, culture, and/or religion which gave birth to them. <p> Stories from <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scripture" class="internal" title="Scripture">scripture</a> are usually not referred to as mythology except in a pejorative sense, but one can speak of a Jewish mythology, a Christian mythology, or an Islamic mythology, in which one describes the mythic elements within these faiths without speaking to the veracity of the faith's tenets or claims about its history. <p> Many modern day rabbis and priests within the more liberal Jewish and Christian movements, as well as most Neopagans, have no problem viewing their religious texts as containing myth; they see their sacred texts as indeed containing religious truths, divinely inspired but delivered in the language of mankind. Others, of course, disagree. <p> <h2> Modern Mythology </h2> <p> Although many people think that a mythology must be old, it does not have to be so. Thus, for example, television and book series like <em><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek" class="internal" title="Star Trek">Star Trek</a></em> and <em><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarzan" class="internal" title="Tarzan">Tarzan</a></em> have strong mythological aspects that sometimes develop into deep and intricate philosophical systems. <p> An excellent example of such a mythology is that developed by <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien" class="internal" title="J. R. R. Tolkien">J. R. R. Tolkien</a> in <em><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Silmarillion" class="internal" title="The Silmarillion">The Silmarillion</a></em> and <em><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings" class="internal" title="The Lord of the Rings">The Lord of the Rings</a></em>. However, <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright" class="internal" title="Copyright">copyright</a> law restricts independent authors from extending modern story cycles. <p> Some critics believe that the fact that the core characters and stories of modern story cycles are not in the <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain" class="internal" title="Public domain">public domain</a> prevents the modern story cycles from sharing several essential aspects of mythologies. <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_fiction" class="internal" title="Fan fiction">Fan fiction</a> goes some distance to relieving this problem and extending these modern mythologies. <p> <h2> Mythologies </h2> <p> <p> <strong><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa" class="internal" title="Africa">Africa</a></strong> <p> <ul><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akamba_mythology" class="internal" title="Akamba mythology">Akamba mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akan_mythology" class="internal" title="Akan mythology">Akan mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Alur_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Alur mythology">Alur mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashanti_mythology" class="internal" title="Ashanti mythology">Ashanti mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Bambara_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Bambara mythology">Bambara mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Bambuti_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Bambuti mythology">Bambuti mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Banyarwanda_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Banyarwanda mythology">Banyarwanda mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Basari_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Basari mythology">Basari mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Baule_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Baule mythology">Baule mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Bavenda_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Bavenda mythology">Bavenda mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Bazambi_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Bazambi mythology">Bazambi mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Baziba_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Baziba mythology">Baziba mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushongo_mythology" class="internal" title="Bushongo mythology">Bushongo mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahomey_mythology" class="internal" title="Dahomey mythology">Dahomey mythology</a> (Fon) </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinka_mythology" class="internal" title="Dinka mythology">Dinka mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efik_mythology" class="internal" title="Efik mythology">Efik mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_mythology" class="internal" title="Egyptian mythology">Egyptian mythology</a> (Pre-<a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam" class="internal" title="Islam">Islam</a>) </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Ekoi_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Ekoi mythology">Ekoi mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Fan_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Fan mythology">Fan mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Fens_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Fens mythology">Fens mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haida_mythology" class="internal" title="Haida mythology">Haida mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Herero_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Herero mythology">Herero mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Ibibio_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Ibibio mythology">Ibibio mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibo_mythology" class="internal" title="Ibo mythology">Ibo mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Kamba_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Kamba mythology">Kamba mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Kavirondo_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Kavirondo mythology">Kavirondo mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khoikhoi_mythology" class="internal" title="Khoikhoi mythology">Khoikhoi mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Kurumba_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Kurumba mythology">Kurumba mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotuko_mythology" class="internal" title="Lotuko mythology">Lotuko mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lugbara_mythology" class="internal" title="Lugbara mythology">Lugbara mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Lunda_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Lunda mythology">Lunda mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Makoni_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Makoni mythology">Makoni mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Masai_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Masai mythology">Masai mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Mongo_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Mongo mythology">Mongo mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Mundang_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Mundang mythology">Mundang mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Ngbandi_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Ngbandi mythology">Ngbandi mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nootka_mythology" class="internal" title="Nootka mythology">Nootka mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Nupe_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Nupe mythology">Nupe mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Nyamwezi_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Nyamwezi mythology">Nyamwezi mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Oromo_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Oromo mythology">Oromo mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Ovambo_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Ovambo mythology">Ovambo mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmy_mythology" class="internal" title="Pygmy mythology">Pygmy mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=San_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="San mythology">San mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Serer_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Serer mythology">Serer mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Shona_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Shona mythology">Shona mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Shongo_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Shongo mythology">Shongo mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Songhai_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Songhai mythology">Songhai mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Sotho_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Sotho mythology">Sotho mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsimshian_mythology" class="internal" title="Tsimshian mythology">Tsimshian mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumbuka_mythology" class="internal" title="Tumbuka mythology">Tumbuka mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ute_mythology" class="internal" title="Ute mythology">Ute mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Xhosa_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Xhosa mythology">Xhosa mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoruba_mythology" class="internal" title="Yoruba mythology">Yoruba mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zulu_mythology" class="internal" title="Zulu mythology">Zulu mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuni_mythology" class="internal" title="Zuni mythology">Zuni mythology</a> </li></ul><p> <strong><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia" class="internal" title="Australia">Australia</a> & <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oceania" class="internal" title="Oceania">Oceania</a></strong> <p> <ul><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aborigine_mythology" class="internal" title="Aborigine mythology">Aborigine mythology</a> (natives of <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia" class="internal" title="Australia">Australia</a>) </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Micronesian_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Micronesian mythology">Micronesian mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polynesian_mythology" class="internal" title="Polynesian mythology">Polynesian mythology</a> </li></ul><p> <strong><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_mythology" class="internal" title="American mythology">American mythology</a></strong> <p> (non-<a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American" class="internal" title="Native American">Native American</a>) <p> <strong><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American" class="internal" title="Native American">Native American</a></strong> <p> <ul><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abenaki_mythology" class="internal" title="Abenaki mythology">Abenaki mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Algonquin_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Algonquin mythology">Algonquin mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackfoot_mythology" class="internal" title="Blackfoot mythology">Blackfoot mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chippewa_mythology" class="internal" title="Chippewa mythology">Chippewa mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creek_mythology" class="internal" title="Creek mythology">Creek mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crow_mythology" class="internal" title="Crow mythology">Crow mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guarani_mythology" class="internal" title="Guarani mythology">Guarani mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopi_mythology" class="internal" title="Hopi mythology">Hopi mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incan_mythology" class="internal" title="Incan mythology">Incan mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuit_mythology" class="internal" title="Inuit mythology">Inuit mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iroquois_mythology" class="internal" title="Iroquois mythology">Iroquois mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huron_mythology" class="internal" title="Huron mythology">Huron mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwakiutl_mythology" class="internal" title="Kwakiutl mythology">Kwakiutl mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakota_mythology" class="internal" title="Lakota mythology">Lakota mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leni_Lenape_mythology" class="internal" title="Leni Lenape mythology">Leni Lenape mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navaho_mythology" class="internal" title="Navaho mythology">Navaho mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pawnee_mythology" class="internal" title="Pawnee mythology">Pawnee mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salish_mythology" class="internal" title="Salish mythology">Salish mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seneca_mythology" class="internal" title="Seneca mythology">Seneca mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnebago_mythology" class="internal" title="Winnebago mythology">Winnebago mythology</a> </li></ul><p> <p> <strong><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia" class="internal" title="Asia">Asia</a></strong> <p> <ul><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Buddhist_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Buddhist mythology">Buddhist mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Bon_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Bon mythology">Bon mythology</a> (Pre-<a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism" class="internal" title="Buddhism">Buddhism</a> <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibet" class="internal" title="Tibet">Tibetan</a> mythology) </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology" class="internal" title="Chinese mythology">Chinese mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_mythology" class="internal" title="Hindu mythology">Hindu mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoko_mythology" class="internal" title="Isoko mythology">Isoko mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Japanese_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Japanese mythology">Japanese mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Melanesian_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Melanesian mythology">Melanesian mythology</a> </li></ul><p> <strong><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe" class="internal" title="Europe">Europe</a></strong> <p> <ul><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxon_mythology" class="internal" title="Anglo-Saxon mythology">Anglo-Saxon mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_mythology" class="internal" title="Celtic mythology">Celtic mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=German_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="German mythology">German mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_mythology" class="internal" title="Greek mythology">Greek mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_mythology" class="internal" title="English mythology">English mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etruscan_mythology" class="internal" title="Etruscan mythology">Etruscan mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_mythology" class="internal" title="Finnish mythology">Finnish mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Fjort_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Fjort mythology">Fjort mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_mythology" class="internal" title="Irish mythology">Irish mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latvian_mythology" class="internal" title="Latvian mythology">Latvian mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse_mythology" class="internal" title="Norse mythology">Norse mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Polish_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Polish mythology">Polish mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_mythology" class="internal" title="Roman mythology">Roman mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanian_mythology" class="internal" title="Romanian mythology">Romanian mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Slavic_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Slavic mythology">Slavic mythology</a> </li></ul><p> <strong>Middle-Eastern</strong> <p> <ul><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Arab_mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Arab mythology">Arab mythology</a> (Pre-<a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam" class="internal" title="Islam">Islam</a>) </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_mythology" class="internal" title="Christian mythology">Christian mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_mythology" class="internal" title="Hebrew mythology">Hebrew mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_mythology" class="internal" title="Islamic mythology">Islamic mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_mythology" class="internal" title="Jewish mythology">Jewish mythology</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumerian_mythology" class="internal" title="Sumerian mythology">Sumerian mythology</a> </li></ul><p> <strong> Other </strong> <ul><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_mythology" class="internal" title="Scientific mythology">Scientific mythology</a> </li></ul><p> <h3> Mythologies in fiction </h3> <ul><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Blake" class="internal" title="William Blake">William Blake</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer" class="internal" title="Buffy the Vampire Slayer">Buffy the Vampire Slayer</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Branch_Cabell" class="internal" title="James Branch Cabell">James Branch Cabell</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cthulhu_Mythos" class="internal" title="Cthulhu Mythos">Cthulhu Mythos</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Plunkett%2C_Baron_Dunsany" class="internal" title="Edward Plunkett, Baron Dunsany">Lord Dunsany</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gormenghast" class="internal" title="Gormenghast">Gormenghast</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Graves" class="internal" title="Robert Graves">Robert Graves</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle-earth" class="internal" title="Middle-earth">Middle-earth</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek" class="internal" title="Star Trek">Star Trek</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars" class="internal" title="Star Wars">Star Wars</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarzan" class="internal" title="Tarzan">Tarzan</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_X-Files" class="internal" title="The X-Files">The X-Files</a> </li></ul><p> <h3> Mythological Archetypes </h3> <ul><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_Hero" class="internal" title="Culture Hero">Culture Hero</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Mother" class="internal" title="Earth Mother">Earth Mother</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_man_or_woman" class="internal" title="First man or woman">First man or woman</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life-Death-Rebirth_Deity" class="internal" title="Life-Death-Rebirth Deity">Life-Death-Rebirth Deity</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_Deity" class="internal" title="Lunar Deity">Lunar Deity</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mana" class="internal" title="Mana">Mana</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopomp" class="internal" title="Psychopomp">Psychopomp</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Sky_Father&action=edit" class="new" title="Sky Father">Sky Father</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_Deity" class="internal" title="Solar Deity">Solar Deity</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trickster" class="internal" title="Trickster">Trickster</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underworld" class="internal" title="Underworld">Underworld</a> </li></ul><p> <h3> Mythological or <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptozoology" class="internal" title="Cryptozoology">cryptozoological</a> creatures: </h3> <p> Individual: <ul><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leviathan" class="internal" title="Leviathan">Leviathan</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch_Ness_Monster" class="internal" title="Loch Ness Monster">Loch Ness Monster</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouroboros" class="internal" title="Ouroboros">Ouroboros</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slepnir" class="internal" title="Slepnir">Slepnir</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenris" class="internal" title="Fenris">Fenris</a> </li></ul><p> Races: <ul><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigfoot" class="internal" title="Bigfoot">Bigfoot</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaur" class="internal" title="Centaur">Centaur</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarf" class="internal" title="Dwarf">Dwarf</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elf" class="internal" title="Elf">Elf</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_(mythology)" class="internal" title="Giant (mythology)">Giant</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnome" class="internal" title="Gnome">Gnome</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goblin" class="internal" title="Goblin">Goblin</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Gremlin&action=edit" class="new" title="Gremlin">Gremlin</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitsune" class="internal" title="Kitsune">Kitsune and Tanuki</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobold" class="internal" title="Kobold">Kobold</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oni" class="internal" title="Oni">Oni</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Pixie&action=edit" class="new" title="Pixie">Pixie</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidehill_Gouger" class="internal" title="Sidehill Gouger">Sidehill Gouger</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wemic" class="internal" title="Wemic">Wemic</a> </li><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youkai" class="internal" title="Youkai">Youkai</a> </li></ul><p> <h3> Books on Mythology </h3> <ul><li><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Bulfinch%27s_Mythology&action=edit" class="new" title="Bulfinch's Mythology">Bulfinch's Mythology</a> by <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Bulfinch" class="internal" title="Thomas Bulfinch">Thomas Bulfinch</a>. </li></ul><p> <p> <em>see also:</em> <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deities" class="internal" title="List of deities">List of deities</a> </div><br clear="all"> <div id="footer"><table width="98%" border="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td width="152" rowspan="1"> </td><td class="bottom" align="left" valign="top"><strong><a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Mythology&action=edit" class="internal" title="Mythology">Edit this page</a></strong> | <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Mythology" class="internal" title="Talk:Mythology">Discuss this page</a> | <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Mythology&action=history" class="internal" title="Mythology">Page history</a> | <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Special:Whatlinkshere&target=Mythology" class="internal" title="Special:Whatlinkshere">What links here</a> | <a href="/web/20030614203809/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Special:Recentchangeslinked&target=Mythology" class="internal" title="Special:Recentchangeslinked">Related changes</a><br> Other languages: <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20030614203809/http://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mytologi" class="external" title="da:Mytologi">Dansk</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20030614203809/http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythologie" class="external" title="de:Mythologie">Deutsch</a> | <a 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