Mythology

Geri and Freki - Wolves of Odin in Norse Mythology Geri and Freki Geri and Freki are the two wolves who accompany Odin in Norse myth. Mentioned in the Poetic and Prose Edda, they appear in Valhalla, figure in kennings for wolves, and symbolize hu…

Gerovit: a Slavic war deity Gerovit Gerovit is a deity known from medieval accounts as a Slavic god associated with war. Information is scarce and mainly comes from Christian missionaries; modern scholars debate his…

Gersemi — minor figure in Norse mythology Gersemi Gersemi is a little-attested figure in Norse myth, named as a daughter of Freyja and Óðr. Her Old Norse name means ‘treasure’ and she appears mainly as a poetic personification.

Ghosts: Beliefs, Descriptions, and Cultural Variations Ghost An overview of ghosts as spirits or apparitions in folklore and culture, their typical descriptions, cross-cultural forms, roles in stories and media, and approaches to investigati…

Ghoul (folklore creature) Ghoul A ghoul is a shape‑shifting creature from Arabic folklore associated with graves, deserts, and corpse‑eating; later adopted into English with broader cultural meanings.

Giant (myth, folklore, and culture) Giant Large humanoid beings found in myths and folklore worldwide, their traits, cultural variants, symbolism, and modern portrayals across literature, art, and media.

Gingalain (Guinglain): Arthurian knight of the 'Fair Unknown' motif Gingalain Gingalain, also called Guinglain, is a knight of Arthurian romance best known from the medieval poem Le Bel Inconnu and related 'Fair Unknown' tales exploring identity, chivalry an…

Goblin (folklore, literature, and popular culture) Goblin A goblin is a small, often malevolent or mischievous creature from European folklore that has been adapted across literature, games, and popular culture into many varied forms and…

Golden Fleece (Greek mythology) Golden Fleece The Golden Fleece is the legendary golden wool of a divine ram in Greek myth, famed as the object of Jason and the Argonauts' quest and a symbol of kingship, divine favor, and hero…

Gordian knot Legend of an intricate knot tied to an ox-cart in ancient Gordium; a story about Alexander the Great and a lasting metaphor for decisive or unconventional solutions.

Gorgon (Greek mythology): monsters, Medusa, and cultural legacy Gorgon Gorgons are legendary female figures in Greek myth—snake‑haired creatures whose gaze could petrify. This article summarizes their traits, classical sources, mythic history, iconogr…

Graeae (Grey Sisters) — trio of shared-eyed hags in Greek myth Graeae The Graeae, or Grey Sisters, are three ancient hags in Greek mythology who share a single eye and a single tooth. They appear in the Perseus cycle and are commonly associated with…

Gram (mythology) Gram is the legendary sword of the hero Sigurd in Norse myth: forged by Wayland, pulled from a hall-tree, broken and reforged, and used to slay the dragon Fafnir; it appears under…

Greek mythology: gods, heroes, and ancient stories Greek mythology Collection of myths from ancient Greece about the origins of the world, a pantheon of gods, legendary heroes, and their influence on religion, art, and Western culture.

The Greek Underworld: Hades, Realms, Rivers, and Afterlife Beliefs Greek underworld Overview of the Greek underworld: its ruler, geography, rivers, guardians, destinations for the dead, variations in myth, and cultural influence across antiquity and later traditio…

Gríðr — Norse jötunn, ally of the gods and mother of Víðarr Gríðr Gríðr is a giantess in Norse myth who aids the gods. Mother of Víðarr, she equips Thor with magical items in the Prose Edda and exemplifies the complex relationships between jötnar…

Griffin: legendary creature combining eagle and lion Griffin A griffin is a mythological hybrid with eagle and lion features, known across ancient cultures as a guardian figure. Its imagery appears in art, heraldry, architecture and modern e…

Guan Yu: Chinese general, cultural icon and deified figure Guan Yu Guan Yu (c.160–219) was a late Han Dynasty general and ally of Liu Bei whose life became the basis for enduring historical and legendary traditions. Revered for loyalty, later vene…

Guinevere — Arthurian queen and central figure in the Lancelot legend Guinevere Guinevere is the legendary wife of King Arthur whose love for Lancelot and contested loyalties shape many Arthurian romances and later cultural retellings.

Gungnir — Odin's Spear in Norse Mythology Gungnir Gungnir is the legendary spear of the Norse god Odin, forged by dwarf smiths and famed for always finding its mark; it plays roles in mythic warfare, ritual symbolism, and later cu…

Gunnlöð — Giantess and Keeper of the Mead of Poetry Gunnlöð Gunnlöð, a jötunn in Norse myth, guarded the mythic mead of poetry. She is best known for her encounter with Odin, which allowed him to steal the mead and bring inspiration to gods…

Hades — Greek god and ruler of the underworld Hades Hades is the ancient Greek deity who presided over the underworld and the dead; husband of Persephone, associated with wealth and chthonic rites, distinct from death itself and wid…

Hanasaka Jiisan — The Old Man Who Made Flowers Bloom Hanasaka Jiisan Hanasaka Jiisan is a Japanese folktale—literally 'old man who made flowers bloom'—about kindness, a faithful dog, magic ashes that cause trees to blossom, and the punishment of env…

Hanuman: Hindu god of strength, devotion, and the Ramayana Hanuman Hanuman is a central figure in Hindu tradition—an ardent devotee of Rama, a symbol of strength and service, prominent in the Ramayana and widely worshipped across South and Southea…

Hapi — Egyptian god of the Nile inundation and fertility Hapi Hapi was the ancient Egyptian deity associated with the Nile's annual inundation, abundance, and fertility. Depictions blend masculine and feminine features to symbolize nourishmen…

Hapi — Ancient Egyptian Deity of the Nile Inundation Hapi (Nile god) Hapi personified the annual flood of the Nile, the life-giving inundation that deposited fertile silt and sustained Egyptian agriculture. He was celebrated as a benevolent, androgy…

Harmonia (Greek goddess of harmony and concord) Harmonia Harmonia, daughter of Ares and Aphrodite, personifies harmony and concord in Greek myth. Wife of Cadmus, associated with a famed (and ill-omened) wedding necklace; paralleled by th…

Hathor: Egyptian goddess of love, music, motherhood and the sky Hathor Hathor was a major ancient Egyptian goddess linked with love, music, fertility, the sky and the Milky Way; she appears as a cow, a woman with cow horns, and as a protector of kings…

Hayk — legendary patriarch and founder of the Armenian people Hayk Hayk (Haik) is the principal ancestral hero in Armenian tradition, credited with founding the nation. His story appears in early medieval histories and remains a powerful cultural…

Hazel Levesque — demigod of the Heroes of Olympus series Hazel Levesque Hazel Levesque is a central demigod character in Rick Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus books. Daughter of Pluto, she has a cursed power over precious metals and jewels and a complex his…

Hebe — Greek goddess of youth Hebe Hebe, daughter of Zeus and Hera, is the Greek goddess who personifies youth. She served as cupbearer to the gods, later became the wife of Heracles, and appears widely in classical…

Hecate: Greek goddess of magic, crossroads, and liminal spaces Hecate Hecate is an ancient Greek goddess associated with magic, witchcraft, crossroads, the night, ghosts and the underworld; venerated in household and chthonic cults and depicted in tr…

Hector — Trojan prince and champion of Troy Hector Hector, son of Priam and Hecuba, is the foremost defender of Troy in the Iliad. He is a warrior, husband of Andromache, father of Astyanax, and is slain by Achilles, becoming a las…

Hecuba, queen of Troy Hecuba Hecuba was the legendary queen of Troy, wife of King Priam and mother to many Trojan princes and princesses. She appears in Homeric epic and tragic drama, known for grief after the…

Hedone — Greek personification of pleasure Hedone Hedone, daughter of Eros and Psyche, is the Greek personification of pleasure (Roman: Voluptas). The figure symbolizes sensual delight and is the linguistic root of 'hedonism'.

Heimdall — Guardian of the Bifröst in Norse mythology Heimdall Heimdall (Heimdallr) is a Norse deity famed as the ever-watchful guardian of the Bifröst bridge, possessor of the Gjallarhorn, born of nine mothers, and fated to face Loki at Ragna…

Heka — Egyptian god and personification of magic Heka (god) Heka is the ancient Egyptian deification of magic and the force by which gods and people acted; it denotes both supernatural power and the ritual practices that used that power.

Hekatonkheires (Hundred‑Handed Ones) Hekatonkheires Giant primordial beings of Greek myth with a hundred arms each. Born of Ouranos and Gaia, freed by Zeus to help defeat the Titans, later appointed as wardens of Tartarus.

Heket — Egyptian goddess of fertility, childbirth, and renewal Heket Heket (also Heqet) is an ancient Egyptian goddess associated with fertility, childbirth and life, commonly depicted as a frog or a woman with a frog's head and invoked as a divine…

Hel — Norse goddess and ruler of the dead Hel (goddess) Hel is a figure in Old Norse tradition who presides over an underworld for those who die of age or illness; she appears in medieval sources as the daughter of Loki and Angrboða.

Hel (Norse underworld realm) Hel (realm) Hel is the underworld realm in Norse myth where many of the dead dwell. Ruled by the goddess Hel, it appears in medieval sources with varied geography, guardians, and roles distinc…

Helen of Troy Helen of Troy is a central figure of Greek myth, famed for her beauty and role in the legends of Sparta and the Trojan War. Accounts vary on her origins, actions, and later fate.

Helenus: Trojan prince and seer Helenus Helenus, son of Priam and Hecuba and twin of Cassandra, was a Trojan prince and prophetic figure whose roles appear across Greek and Roman literature, notably in the Iliad and Virg…

Helios: Greek god and personification of the Sun Helios Helios is the ancient Greek personification of the Sun. Overview of his origins, iconography, major myths, cult, assimilation with Apollo, and later Roman equivalent Sol.

Hellhound (supernatural dog in myth and folklore) Hellhound A hellhound is a spectral or supernatural dog found across myth, folklore and fiction, typically associated with death, the underworld, guardianship, omens, and varied regional tra…

Helm of Darkness (Cap of Invisibility) Helm of Darkness A legendary object from Greek myth, the Helm of Darkness (Cap of Invisibility or Cap of Hades) is a magic helmet associated with Hades and used by gods and heroes to become unseen.

Hemera: Greek personification of the Day Hemera Hemera, in Greek mythology, is the primordial personification of daylight—daughter of Nyx and Erebus, consort of Aether, and a minor but symbolically important figure in ancient co…

Henny Penny (Chicken Little): The Fable of 'The Sky Is Falling' Henny Penny Henny Penny, also called Chicken Little or Chicken Licken, is a folktale about a chicken who believes the sky is falling. It warns against panic, rumor, and gullibility and appears…