Ancient Religions & Mythology, SAN-TAR
What did our ancestors believe in? What myths and stories did they use to explain the world around them and find meaning in it? How have their beliefs influenced modern religion and spirituality? Explore these questions and more while discovering notable traditions, figures, and legends that figured prominently in ancient religion and mythology.
Ancient Religions & Mythology Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Sansin
Sansin, in Korean religion, a guardian spirit residing in mountains, whose cult has been closely associated with......
Santa Claus
Santa Claus, legendary figure who is the traditional patron of Christmas in the United States and other countries,......
Saptamatrika
Saptamatrika, in Hinduism, a group of seven mother-goddesses, each of whom is the shakti, or female counterpart,......
Saraswati
Saraswati, Hindu goddess of learning, the arts, and music. She first appears in Vedic sources, as the personification......
Sardanapalus
Sardanapalus, legendary king of Assyria. He apparently represents an amalgamation of the characters and tragic......
Sarpedon
Sarpedon, in Greek legend, son of Zeus, the king of the gods, and Laodameia, the daughter of Bellerophon; he was......
Sarudahiko
Sarudahiko, in Japanese mythology, an earthly deity who offered himself as a guide to the divine grandchild Ninigi,......
Sati
Sati, in Hinduism, one of the wives of the god Shiva and a daughter of the sage Daksa. Sati married Shiva against......
Saturn
Saturn, in Roman religion, the god of sowing or seed. The Romans equated him with the Greek agricultural deity......
Saturnalia
Saturnalia, the most popular of Roman festivals. Dedicated to the Roman god Saturn, the festivalâs influence continues......
Satyr and Silenus
Satyr and Silenus, in Greek mythology, creatures of the wild, part man and part beast, who in Classical times were......
Saule
Saule, in Baltic religion and mythology, the sun goddess, who determines the well-being and regeneration of all......
Savitri
Savitri, goddess in Hindu mythology, the daughter of the solar deity Savitr and the wife of the creator god Brahma.......
Saáčvara
Saáčvara, in northern Buddhism, a fierce protective deity. Like Heruka and Hevajra, he is an emanation of the Buddha......
scarab
scarab, in ancient Egyptian religion, important symbol in the form of the dung beetle (Scarabaeus sacer), which......
Schmidt, Wilhelm
Wilhelm Schmidt was a German anthropologist and Roman Catholic priest who led the influential cultural-historical......
Schwabacher, Ethel
Ethel Schwabacher was an American artist associated with the Abstract Expressionist movement. Though not as well-known......
Scone, Stone of
Stone of Scone, stone that for centuries was associated with the crowning of Scottish kings and then, in 1296,......
Scylla and Charybdis
Scylla and Charybdis, in Greek mythology, two immortal and inescapable monsters who beset the narrow waters traversed......
ScĂĄthach
ScĂĄthach, (Gaelic: âThe Shadowy Oneâ), in Celtic mythology, female warrior, especially noted as a teacher of warriors.......
sea serpent
sea serpent, mythological and legendary marine animal that traditionally resembles an enormous snake. The belief......
Sebek
Sebek, in ancient Egyptian religion, crocodile god whose chief sanctuary in Fayyƫm province included a live sacred......
seide
seide, in Sami religion, idols of wood or stone, either natural or slightly shaped by human hands, worshipped as......
Sekhmet
Sekhmet, in Egyptian religion, a goddess of war and the destroyer of the enemies of the sun god Re. Sekhmet was......
Selene
Selene, in Greek and Roman religion, the personification of the moon as a goddess. She was worshipped at the new......
Selket
Selket, in Egyptian mythology, goddess of the dead. Her symbolic animal was the scorpion. She was one of the underworld......
Semele
Semele, in Greek mythology, a daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia, at Thebes, and mother of Dionysus (Bacchus) by Zeus.......
Serapis
Serapis, Greco-Egyptian deity of the Sun first encountered at Memphis, where his cult was celebrated in association......
Sermon on the Mount
Sermon on the Mount, a biblical collection of religious teachings and ethical sayings of Jesus of Nazareth, as......
Servius Tullius
Servius Tullius was traditionally the sixth king of Rome, who is credited with the Servian Constitution, which......
Seshat
Seshat, in ancient Egyptian religion, the goddess of writing and measurement and the ruler of books. She was the......
Seth
Seth, ancient Egyptian god, patron of the 11th nome, or province, of Upper Egypt. The worship of Seth originally......
Seven Against Thebes
Seven Against Thebes, in Greek mythology, the seven champions who were killed fighting against Thebes after the......
Seven Sleepers of Ephesus
Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, heroes of a famous legend that, because it affirmed the resurrection of the dead, had......
Shadrafa
Shadrafa, ancient West Semitic benevolent deity. His name may possibly be translated as âSpirit of Healing.â He......
Shakyamuni
Shakyamuni, epithet applied to Gautama Buddha. See Buddha;...
Shamash
Shamash, in Mesopotamian religion, the god of the sun, who, with the moon god, Sin (Sumerian: Nanna), and Ishtar......
Shangdi
Shangdi, ancient Chinese deity, the greatest ancestor and deity who controlled victory in battle, harvest, the......
Shango
Shango, major deity of the religion of the Yoruba of southwestern Nigeria. He also figures in the religion of the......
Shangri-La
Shangri-La, fictional utopian lamasery located high in the Kunlun Mountains of Tibet, described in the 1933 novel......
Shapash
Shapash, (âLight of the Godsâ), in ancient Mesopotamian religion, sun goddess. In the cycle of myths recovered......
Shashthi
Shashthi, in Hinduism, a deity who is the goddess of vegetation, reproduction, and infant welfare. Shashthi is......
Sheji
Sheji, in ancient Chinese religion, a compound patron deity of the soil and harvests. Chinaâs earliest legendary......
Shennong
Shennong, in Chinese mythology, second of the mythical emperors, said to have been born in the 28th century bce......
Shichi-fuku-jin
Shichi-fuku-jin, (Japanese: âSeven Gods of Luckâ), group of seven popular Japanese deities, all of whom are associated......
Shitala
Shitala, Indian goddess of smallpox and of other infectious diseases. She is worshipped under this name throughout......
Shiva
Shiva, one of the main deities of Hinduism, whom Shaiva Hindus worship as the supreme god. Shiva is a complex figure,......
Shiwang
Shiwang, in Chinese mythology, the 10 kings of hell, who preside over fixed regions where the dead are punished......
Shouxing
Shouxing, in Chinese mythology, one of three stellar gods known collectively as Fulushou. He was also called Nanji......
Shu
Shu, in Egyptian religion, god of the air and supporter of the sky, created by Atum by his own power, without the......
Shun
Shun, in Chinese mythology, a legendary emperor (c. 23rd century bce) of the golden age of antiquity, singled out......
Sibyl
Sibyl, prophetess in Greek legend and literature. Tradition represented her as a woman of prodigious old age uttering......
Siegfried
Siegfried, figure from the heroic literature of the ancient Germanic people. He appears in both German and Old......
Sif
Sif, goddess in Norse mythology known as the wife of the thunder god Thor. Her flaxen hair is thought to be connected......
Silvanus
Silvanus, in Roman religion, the god of the countryside, similar in character to Faunus, the god of animals, with......
Simonianism
Simonianism, the doctrine professed by followers of Simon Magus...
Sin
Sin, in Mesopotamian religion, the god of the moon. Sin was the father of the sun god, Shamash (Sumerian: Utu),......
Siren
Siren, in Greek mythology, a half-bird and half-woman creature who lured sailors to destruction by the sweetness......
Sisyphus
Sisyphus, In Homerâs Iliad, Book VI, Sisyphus, living at Ephyre (later Corinth), was the son of Aeolus (eponymous......
Sita
Sita, in Hinduism, the consort of the deity Rama and the principal female character of the Sanskrit epic Ramayana......
Skadi
Skadi, in Norse mythology, the giant wife of the sea god Njörd. In order to avenge the death of her father, the......
Skanda
Skanda, Hindu god of war who was the firstborn son of Shiva. The many legends giving the circumstances of his birth......
Skirophoria
Skirophoria, annual Athenian festival held at threshing time on the 12th of Skirophorion (roughly June/July). Under......
Slavic religion
Slavic religion, beliefs and practices of the ancient Slavic peoples of eastern Europe. Slavs are usually subdivided......
Sleipnir
Sleipnir, in Norse mythology, the chief god Odinâs magical horse. The stallion is often depicted with a gray coat,......
Snefru
Snefru was the first king of ancient Egypt of the 4th dynasty (c. 2543âc. 2436 bce). He fostered the evolution......
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic poet, historian, and chieftain, author of the Prose Edda and the Heimskringla.......
Sol
Sol, in Roman religion, name of two distinct sun gods at Rome. The original Sol, or Sol Indiges, had a shrine on......
Soranus
Soranus, in Roman religion, the underworld deity worshiped on Mount Soracte in southern Etruria. As priests, the......
Soteria
Soteria, (from Greek: âdeliveranceâ), in Hellenistic religions, any sacrifice or series of sacrifices performed......
sphagia
sphagia, in ancient Greek religion, a propitiatory sacrifice made to the chthonic (underworld) deities and forces......
sphinx
sphinx, mythological creature with a lionâs body and a human head, an important image in Egyptian and Greek art......
Stela
Stela, standing stone slab used in the ancient world primarily as a grave marker but also for dedication, commemoration,......
Stonehenge
Stonehenge, prehistoric stone circle monument, cemetery, and archaeological site located on Salisbury Plain, about......
Styx
Styx, in Greek mythology, one of the rivers of the underworld. The word styx literally means âshudderingâ and expresses......
Sucellus
Sucellus, powerful and widely worshiped Celtic god; his iconographic symbols were usually his mallet and libation......
Sukunahikona
Sukunahikona, (Japanese: âSmall Man of Renownâ), in Japanese mythology, dwarf deity who assisted Ćkuninushi in......
Sun Wukong
Sun Wukong, Chinese mythological character who first appeared in the 16th-century novel Journey to the West. Since......
supplicatio
supplicatio, in Roman religion, a rite or series of rites celebrated either as a thanksgiving to the gods for a......
Surya
Surya, in Hinduism, both the Sun and the Sun god. Although in the Vedic period (1500â5th century bce) several other......
Susanoo
Susanoo, (Japanese: Impetuous Male), in Japanese mythology, the storm god, younger brother of the sun goddess Amaterasu.......
Svadilfari
Svadilfari, in Norse mythology, an unusually swift and intelligent horse belonging to a giant who offered to build......
Svantovit
Svantovit, Slavic war god. His citadel-temple at Arkona was destroyed in the 12th century by invading Christian...
Svarog
Svarog, in Slavic religion, a deity likely associated with the sky and fire. He is considered the father of the......
Svarozhich
Svarozhich, in Slavic religion, god of the sun, of fire, and of the hearth. He was worshiped in a temple at Radegast......
sylph
sylph, an imaginary or elemental being that inhabits the air and is mortal but soulless. The existence of such......
Symposium
Symposium, In ancient Greece, an aristocratic banquet at which men met to discuss philosophical and political issues......
Syrian and Palestinian religion
Syrian and Palestinian religion, beliefs of Syria and Palestine between 3000 and 300 bce. These religions are usually......
sĂdh
sĂdh, in Irish folklore, a hill or mound under which fairies live. The phrase aos sĂdhe or the plural sĂdhe on......
Tai, Mount
Mount Tai, mountain mass with several peaks along a southwest-northeast axis to the north of the city of Taiâan......
Tammuz
Tammuz, in Mesopotamian religion, god of fertility embodying the powers for new life in nature in the spring. The......
TamoanchĂĄn
TamoanchĂĄn, in Aztec mythology, the verdant paradise of the west, birthplace of Xochiquetzal, the goddess of beauty.......
Tangun
Tangun, mythological first king of the Koreans, the grandson of Hwanin, the creator, and the son of Hwanung, who......
Tanit
Tanit, chief goddess of Carthage, equivalent of Astarte. Although she seems to have had some connection with the......
Tantalus
Tantalus, in Greek legend, son of Zeus or Tmolus (a ruler of Lydia) and the nymph or Titaness Pluto (Plouto) and......
Tapio
Tapio, the Finnish god of the forest and ruler of the game therein. He was a personified form of the various forest......
Tara
Tara, Buddhist saviour-goddess with numerous forms, widely popular in Nepal, Tibet, and Mongolia. She is the feminine......
Taranis
Taranis, (Celtic: âThundererâ), powerful Celtic deity that was one of three mentioned by the Roman poet Lucan in......
Tarhun
Tarhun, ancient Anatolian weather god. His name appears in Hittite and Assyrian records (c. 1400â612 bc) and later......
Tarpeia
Tarpeia, in Roman mythology, daughter of the commander of the Capitol in Rome during the Sabine War. Traditionally,......