Mythology

Chandra (Hindu lunar deity) Chandra Chandra is the Hindu moon god associated with the moon, soma, emotions, and the lunar cycle. He appears in myth, astrology, ritual, and art as a youthful, luminous deity.

Chandravanshi (Lunar Dynasty) — origin, lineages, and cultural legacy Chandravanshi Chandravanshi, or the Lunar dynasty, is a principal legendary Kshatriya lineage in Hindu tradition, traced to the moon deity; includes Pururavas, Yayati, Yadu, and the Yadava house…

Changeling (folklore) — mythical child left by fairies, elves, or trolls Changeling A changeling is a child in European folklore believed to be substituted for a human infant by fairies, elves, or trolls. The motif reflects social, medical, and cultural responses…

Chaos (mythology) Primeval void in classical myth traditions: the original gap or state before creation, often personified as a deity and later reshaped into the modern sense of disorder.

Charites (the Three Graces) Charites The Charites, or Three Graces, are minor goddesses of charm, beauty and festivity in Greek myth, often depicted dancing together; they influenced ancient cult practice and Western…

Charon: mythic ferryman, Pluto's moon, and cultural namesake Charon Charon appears across mythology, astronomy, biology, technology and popular culture — from the Greek ferryman to Pluto's large moon and varied modern uses.

Charon (mythology): Ferryman of the Greek Underworld Charon (mythology) Charon is the ferryman in Greek myth who transports souls across the boundary rivers of the underworld; his figure shaped burial customs, literature, art, and even the name of Plut…

Charybdis — Greek mythic whirlpool and sea monster Charybdis Charybdis, a monstrous sea entity of Greek myth, is known for creating a deadly whirlpool opposite Scylla; famed in Homeric and later literature and a metaphor for choosing between…

Cherokee mythology: beliefs, spirits, stories, and cultural roles Cherokee mythology An overview of Cherokee mythology: principal spirits, creation themes, ritual practices, historical development, and the role of dreams, signs, and storytelling in Cherokee culture…

Chimera A chimera is a composite concept found in mythology, biology, and culture: a mythic hybrid creature, an organism with mixed cell lineages, and a metaphor for things made of dispara…

Chimera (Greek mythological hybrid) Chimera (mythology) A monstrous hybrid from Greek myth, typically part lion, part goat, and part serpent. Linked to Lycia and slain by Bellerophon; symbolizes hybrid danger and impossible or illusory…

Chinese dragon (Long) — symbolism, history and cultural roles Chinese dragon The Chinese dragon (Long) is a legendary, benevolent creature central to Chinese art, imperial symbolism, festivals and mythology, distinct from Western dragons and widely used as…

Chinese mythology: origins, themes, and cultural influence Chinese mythology An overview of Chinese mythology, its main figures and texts, regional diversity across ethnic groups, and its lasting role in religion, literature, festivals and the arts.

Chinese zodiac (Shēngxiào): the 12‑year animal cycle Chinese zodiac Traditional East Asian system that assigns one of twelve animals to a year in a repeating cycle; used for calendars, folk astrology, festivals, and cultural identity across several…

Chione (Khione) — Greek personification and goddess of snow Chione Chione (Khione) is the Greek personification of snow, a minor deity associated with winter weather, usually described as a daughter of Boreas and Oreithyia. She appears in a few an…

Chiron (mythology) — wise centaur and teacher of heroes Chiron (mythology) Chiron, a cultured centaur from Greek myth, son of Cronus and Philyra. Famed as a healer, teacher of heroes, and wise counselor whose tragic wound led to his release from immortali…

Chivalric romance: medieval tales of knights, love, and adventure Chivalric romance A medieval narrative genre focused on knightly quests, courtly love and supernatural marvels. Prominent in European vernaculars, especially Arthurian cycles and poems such as Sir G…

Chloris (Greek mythology and personification of spring) Chloris Chloris is a name in Greek myth applied to a flower nymph associated with spring and to at least one mortal princess. The name means 'greenish' and later influenced the Roman Flora…

Christ myth theory (Jesus mythicism) Christ myth theory Overview of the Christ myth theory, the claim that Jesus of Nazareth is a mythical rather than historical figure, its arguments, variants, history, and the scholarly response to th…

Chronos — Greek personification of Time Chronos Chronos is the ancient Greek personification of time, appearing in early philosophy and Orphic cosmogony; later traditions sometimes conflate him with the Titan Cronus and the figu…

Chrysaor (Greek mythology) Chrysaor Chrysaor, born at Medusa's death, is a little-known figure of Greek myth—brother of Pegasus, often called a golden-armed warrior and associated with Geryon and other offspring.

Chupacabra (cryptid) Chupacabra A modern folkloric cryptid from the Americas, said to attack livestock and drain blood. Reports vary widely; scientific studies generally find explanations in misidentification, di…

Churning of the Ocean (Samudra Manthan) — Hindu myth and its meanings Churning of the Ocean Samudra Manthan, the Churning of the Ocean, is a central Hindu myth describing how gods and demons churned the cosmic ocean to produce treasures, the poison Halahala, the goddess L…

Circe: Greek goddess of magic, enchantment, and transformation Circe Circe, a figure from Greek myth, is an enchantress associated with potions, herbs and metamorphosis. She appears in Homeric epic and later traditions and has inspired many artistic…

Classical (Greco-Roman) mythology Classical mythology The myths, deities, rituals, and stories of ancient Greece and Rome that shaped literature, art, religion, and cultural identity from the Archaic period through Late Antiquity.

Clytemnestra Clytemnestra, daughter of Tyndareus and Leda, is a central figure in Greek myth: wife of Agamemnon, avenger of Iphigenia, murderer of her husband, and a subject of tragic dramas an…

Conan the Barbarian Conan the Barbarian is a fictional sword-and-sorcery hero created by Robert E. Howard. The Cimmerian's stories and the Hyborian setting shaped modern fantasy across prose, comics,…

Cornucopia (Horn of Plenty): Origins, Symbolism, and Uses Cornucopia The cornucopia, or horn of plenty, is a horn-shaped symbol of abundance and nourishment from classical myth, widely used in art, heraldry, festivals, and as a modern metaphor for p…

Cow tipping (urban legend about pushing over cows) Cow tipping Cow tipping is a long-standing urban legend that claims people can push over a standing cow. It is widely regarded as impractical and potentially harmful to animals and people.

Creation myth A creation myth explains how the world, humans, and the cosmos began. These stories appear across cultures and religions, offering origins, meaning, social order, and symbolic fram…

Cthulhu: fictional cosmic entity created by H. P. Lovecraft Cthulhu Cthulhu is a fictional cosmic entity introduced by H. P. Lovecraft. It appears in Weird Fiction as a vast, otherworldly being associated with the submerged city R'lyeh and a cult o…

Culture hero: mythic figures who bring arts, knowledge and order to people Culture hero A culture hero is a mythic or legendary figure credited with introducing skills, technologies, laws, or social practices to a people. This article explains their traits, roles, exa…

Cupid (Amor) — Roman god of love and desire Cupid Cupid, called Amor in Latin, is the Roman god associated with erotic desire and attraction. Often shown as winged youth or cherub, he wields arrows that cause people to fall in or…

Curse (supernatural imprecation and cultural practice) Curse An overview of curses: definitions, traditional forms, historical examples (including Roman curse tablets and fairy tales), cultural roles, and distinctions from blessings and prof…

Cybele — Anatolian mother goddess of nature, mountains, and wild animals Cybele Cybele is an ancient Anatolian mother-earth deity associated with fertility, mountains, wild animals and a distinctive ecstatic cult later adopted by Greeks and Romans.

Cyclops: one‑eyed giants of ancient Greek mythology Cyclops Cyclopes are one‑eyed giants from ancient Greek myth, variously portrayed as primordial smiths, solitary shepherds, or monstrous figures in works such as Homer’s Odyssey.

Daedalus: Mythic Craftsman, Architect of the Labyrinth, and Symbol of Ingenuity Daedalus Daedalus, a central figure in Greek myth, is famed as an ingenious craftsman who built the Labyrinth for King Minos, fashioned wings for escape, and figures in stories about invent…

Dagr — Norse personification of the day Dagr Dagr is the personified day in Norse myth. Appearing in the Poetic and Prose Eddas, he is portrayed as a son of Dellingr and Nótt and rides across the sky in a chariot drawn by the…

Daikokuten — Japanese deity of wealth and household fortune Daikokuten Daikokuten is a Japanese deity of prosperity, household protection, and agriculture, one of the Seven Lucky Gods; he developed from the Buddhist Mahākāla with roots in South Asian…

Daitya (Hindu mythology) Daitya Daityas are a clan of asuras in Hindu tradition, described as powerful anti-gods descended from Diti; they appear in myths as opponents and sometimes devotees, with notable figures…

Danaë — mother of Perseus in Greek mythology Danaë Danaë, daughter of King Akrisios of Argos, is best known as the mother of the hero Perseus after a divine visitation. Her story involves an oracle, imprisonment, exposure at sea, r…

Dangun: Legendary Founder of Gojoseon and Korea's Ancestral Figure Dangun Dangun is the central figure of Korea's foundation myth, said to have founded Gojoseon. This article outlines the legend, its symbols, historical debate, and Dangun's continuing cu…

Daphne (mythology) Daphne, a nymph in Greek mythology, transformed into a laurel tree to escape Apollo; her story explains the sacred laurel and inspired art, literature, and ritual crowns for victor…

Dattatreya — Hindu deity, sage, and Adi‑Guru Dattatreya Dattatreya, regarded as an incarnation of the Hindu Trimurti and a model of the avadhuta sage, is revered as a teacher, ascetic ideal, and compassionate deity across several Indian…

Death (personification): the Grim Reaper and cultural figures Death (personification) An overview of Death as a personified figure: common imagery, historical origins, cultural variants such as the Grim Reaper and Angel of Death, roles, and notable distinctions.

Deimos: Greek God of Terror and the Small Moon of Mars Deimos Deimos is the personification of dread in Greek mythology, a son of Ares and Aphrodite and twin of Phobos. The name was later given to one of Mars’s small moons, inspired by the my…

Dellingr — Norse personification of the dawn Dellingr Dellingr is a minor figure in Norse mythology representing the dawning light. He is named as the husband of Nótt (Night) and the father of Dagr (Day) and appears chiefly in medieva…

Deluge myth — flood narratives, motifs, and cultural meanings Deluge myth Overview of deluge (flood) myths: their common motifs (ark, survivor, divine wrath), principal cultural examples, historical interpretations, and enduring symbolic roles.