Ancient Religions & Mythology, NAI-PAR
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
Naiad
Naiad, (from Greek naiein, âto flowâ), in Greek mythology, one of the nymphs of flowing waterâsprings, rivers,......
Nandi
Nandi, bull vahana (âmountâ) of the Hindu god Shiva, identified as the godâs vehicle since the Kushan dynasty (c.......
Nanshe
Nanshe, in Mesopotamian religion, Sumerian city goddess of Nina (modern Surghul, Iraq) in the southeastern part......
Nantosuelta
Nantosuelta, in Celtic religion, a goddess worshipped primarily in Gaul and sometimes portrayed together with Sucellus......
Narcissus
Narcissus, in Greek mythology, the son of the river god Cephissus and the nymph Liriope. He was distinguished for......
Nataraja
Nataraja, the Hindu god Shiva in his form as the cosmic dancer, represented in metal or stone in many Shaivite......
naus
naus, prehistoric grave found in the Balearic Isles. The naus was built of closely fitting blocks of stone in the......
Nefertem
Nefertem, in ancient Egyptian religion, youthful god associated with the lotus flower. Nefertem was an ancient......
Neith
Neith, ancient Egyptian goddess who was the patroness of the city of Sais in the Nile River delta. Neith was worshipped......
Nekhbet
Nekhbet, in Egyptian religion, vulture goddess who was the protector of Upper Egypt and especially its rulers.......
Nemesis
Nemesis, in Greek religion, two divine conceptions, the first an Attic goddess, the daughter of Nyx (Night), and......
Neoptolemus
Neoptolemus, in Greek legend, the son of Achilles, the hero of the Greek army at Troy, and of DeĂŻdamia, daughter......
Nephthys
Nephthys, Greek form of the name of the Egyptian goddess Nebtho. She seems to have been artificially created in......
Neptune
Neptune, in Roman religion, originally the god of fresh water; by 399 bce he was identified with the Greek Poseidon......
Nereid
Nereid, in Greek religion, any of the daughters (numbering 50 or 100) of the sea god Nereus (eldest son of Pontus,......
Nereus
Nereus, in Greek religion, sea god called by Homer âOld Man of the Sea,â noted for his wisdom, gift of prophecy,......
Nergal
Nergal, in Mesopotamian religion, secondary god of the Sumero-Akkadian pantheon. He was identified with Irra, the......
Nerthus
Nerthus, ancient Germanic goddess known from a report of her given by the Roman historian Tacitus, who in his Germania......
Nestor
Nestor, in Greek legend and literature, king of Pylos (an ancient city in Messenia in the southwestern Peloponnese)......
Neuserre
Neuserre, sixth king of the 5th dynasty (c. 2465âc. 2325 bc) of Egypt; he is primarily known for his temple to......
New Fire Ceremony
New Fire Ceremony, in Aztec religion, ritual celebrated every 52 years when the 260-day ritual and 365-day civil......
Ngewo
Ngewo, the supreme god of the Mende people of Sierra Leone and Liberia. Ngewo is a sky god. He is conceived as......
Ni-Ć
Ni-Ć, in Japanese Buddhist mythology, protector of the Buddhist faith, who makes a dual appearance as the guardian......
Niflheim
Niflheim, in Norse mythology, the cold, dark, misty world of the dead, ruled by the goddess Hel. In some accounts......
Nihon shoki
Nihon shoki, (Japanese: âChronicles of Japanâ), text that, together with the Kojiki (q.v.), comprises the oldest......
Nike
Nike, in ancient Greek religion, the goddess of victory, daughter of the giant Pallas and of the infernal River......
Ninazu
Ninazu, in Mesopotamian religion, Sumerian deity, the city god of Enegir, which was located on the Euphrates River......
Ningishzida
Ningishzida, in Mesopotamian religion, Sumerian deity, city god of Gishbanda, near Ur in the southern orchard region.......
Ninhar
Ninhar, in Mesopotamian religion, Sumerian deity, city god of Kiabrig, near Ur in the southern herding region.......
Ninhursag
Ninhursag, in Mesopotamian religion, city goddess of Adab and of Kish in the northern herding regions; she was......
Ninigi
Ninigi, Japanese deity, grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu. Ninigiâs supposed descent to earth established the......
Ninlil
Ninlil, Mesopotamian goddess, the consort of the god Enlil and a deity of destiny. She was worshiped especially......
Ninsun
Ninsun, in Mesopotamian religion, Sumerian deity, city goddess of Kullab in the southern herding region. As Ninsunâs......
Ninurta
Ninurta, in Mesopotamian religion, city god of Girsu (áčŹalÊżah, or Telloh) in the Lagash region. Ninurta was originally......
Ninus
Ninus, in Greek mythology, king of Assyria and the eponymous founder of the city of Nineveh, which itself is sometimes......
Niobe
Niobe, in Greek mythology, the daughter of Tantalus (king of Sipylus in Lydia) and the wife of King Amphion of......
Nisaba
Nisaba, in Mesopotamian Religion, Sumerian deity, city goddess of Eresh on the Euphrates River near Erech in the......
Nissaba
Nissaba, in Mesopotamian religion, Sumerian deity, city goddess of Eresh on the ancient Euphrates River near Uruk......
Nisus
Nisus, in Greek mythology, king of Megara, a son of King Pandion of Athens. His name was given to the Megarian......
nix
nix, in Germanic mythology, a water being, half human, half fish, that lives in a beautiful underwater palace and......
Njǫrd
Njǫrd, in Norse mythology, the god of the wind and of the sea and its riches. His aid was invoked in seafaring......
noaidi
noaidi, in Sami religion, a shaman who mediates between the people he serves and the supernatural beings and forces......
Norn
Norn, in Germanic mythology, any of a group of supernatural beings who corresponded to the Greek Moirai; they were......
Norske folkeeventyr
Norske folkeeventyr, (1841â44; Eng. trans. Norwegian Folktales), collections of folktales and legends, by Peter......
Nu Gua
Nu Gua, in Chinese mythology, the patroness of matchmakers. As wife or sister of the legendary emperor Fu Xi, she......
Nuadu
Nuadu, in Celtic mythology, king of the Tuatha DĂ© Danann, who lost his hand in the battle of Mag Tuired and with......
Nun
Nun, oldest of the ancient Egyptian gods and father of Re, the sun god. Nunâs name means âprimeval waters,â and......
Nusku
Nusku, in Mesopotamian religion, Sumero-Akkadian god of light and fire. His father was Sin (Sumerian: Nanna), the......
Nut
Nut, in Egyptian religion, a goddess of the sky, vault of the heavens, often depicted as a woman arched over the......
nymph
nymph, in Greek mythology, any of a large class of inferior female divinities. The nymphs were usually associated......
Nyx
Nyx, in Greek mythology, female personification of night but also a great cosmogonical figure, feared even by Zeus,......
Oannes
Oannes, in Mesopotamian mythology, an amphibious being who taught mankind wisdom. Oannes, as described by the Babylonian......
Oberon
Oberon, king of the elves, or of the âfaerie,â in the French medieval poem Huon de Bordeaux. In this poem Oberon......
obia
obia, in west African folklore, a gigantic animal that steals into villages and kidnaps girls on the behalf of......
Oceanus
Oceanus, in Greek mythology, the river that flowed around the Earth (conceived as flat), for example, in the shield......
Odin
Odin, one of the principal gods in Norse mythology. His exact nature and role, however, are difficult to determine......
Odysseus
Odysseus, hero of Homerâs epic poem the Odyssey and one of the most frequently portrayed figures in Western literature.......
Odyssey: A Readerâs Guide to Homerâs Epic
The Odyssey is an epic poem in 24 books traditionally attributed to the ancient Greek poet Homer. The poem is the......
Oedipus
Oedipus, in Greek mythology, the king of Thebes who unwittingly killed his father, Laius, and married his mother.......
Oeneus
Oeneus, in Greek legend, king of Calydon in Aetolia, husband of Althaea, and father of Meleager, Deianeira, and......
Oenone
Oenone, in Greek mythology, a fountain nymph of Mount Ida, the daughter of the River Cebren, and the beloved of......
of Ithaca, Antinous
Antinous of Ithaca, in Greek mythology, most prominent of the 108 suitors of Penelope and the first of them to......
Ogier The Dane
Ogier The Dane, an important character in the French medieval epic poems called chansons de geste. His story is......
Ogma
Ogma, ancient Irish god portrayed as a swarthy man whose battle ardor was so great that he had to be chained and......
Ogmios
Ogmios, Celtic god of Gaul identified with the Roman Hercules. He was portrayed as an old man with swarthy skin......
ogre
ogre, a hideous giant represented in fairy tales and folklore as feeding on human beings. The word gained popularity......
Okhwangsangje
Okhwangsangje, deity of the Korean religion known as PochâĆngyo...
Olympia
Olympia, ruined ancient sanctuary, home of the ancient Olympic Games, and former site of the massive Statue of......
Olympus, Mount
Mount Olympus, highest mountain massif in Greece, rising to 9,570 feet (2,917 meters) at Mytikas, its highest summit.......
Ometecuhtli
Ometecuhtli, Aztec deity, âLord of the Dualityâ or Lord of Life, who represented one aspect of the cosmic duality......
Opet
Opet, ancient Egyptian festival of the second month of the lunar calendar. In the celebration of Opet, the god......
Ops
Ops, Roman goddess (originally perhaps of the Earthâs fertility) with an ancient shrine in the Regia, the office......
orc
orc, a mythical creature (such as a sea monster, a giant, or an ogre) of horrid form or aspect. The word orc in......
Orestes
Orestes, in Greek mythology, son of Agamemnon, king of Mycenae (or Argos), and his wife, Clytemnestra. According......
Orion
Orion, in Greek mythology, a giant and very handsome hunter who was identified as early as Homer (Iliad, Book XVIII)......
Orpheus
Orpheus, in Greek mythology, legendary hero endowed with superhuman musical skills. He became the patron of a religious......
Orphic religion
Orphic religion, a Hellenistic mystery religion, thought to have been based on the teachings and songs of the legendary......
Oshun
Oshun, an orisha (deity) of the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria. Oshun is commonly called the river orisha,......
Osiris
Osiris, one of the most important gods of ancient Egypt. The origin of Osiris is obscure; he was a local god of......
Ossian
Ossian, the Irish warrior-poet of the Fenian cycle of hero tales about Finn MacCumhaill (MacCool) and his war band,......
Ouroboros
Ouroboros, emblematic serpent of ancient Egypt and Greece represented with its tail in its mouth, continually devouring......
Pachacamac
Pachacamac, large pre-Columbian ruin located in the Lurin Valley on the central coast of present-day Peru. The......
Pachacamac
Pachacamac, creator deity worshipped by the pre-Inca maritime population of Peru; it was also the name of a pilgrimage......
paean
paean, solemn choral lyric of invocation, joy, or triumph, originating in ancient Greece, where it was addressed......
Palamedes
Palamedes, in Greek legend, the son of Nauplius (king of Euboea) and Clymene and a hero of the Trojan War. Palamedes......
Palici
Palici, ancient pair of local Sicilian gods who presided over the twin geysers still called Lago dei Palici, near......
Palladium
Palladium, in Greek religion, image of the goddess Pallas (Athena), especially the archaic wooden statue of the......
Pan
Pan, in Greek mythology, a fertility deity, more or less bestial in form. He was associated by the Romans with......
Pan Gu
Pan Gu, central figure in Chinese Daoist legends of creation. Pan Gu, the first man, is said to have come forth......
Panathenaea
Panathenaea, in Greek religion, an annual Athenian festival of great antiquity and importance. It was eventually......
Pandarus
Pandarus, in Greek legend, son of Lycaon, a Lycian. In Homerâs Iliad, Book IV, Pandarus breaks the truce between......
Pandora
Pandora, in Greek mythology, the first woman. According to Hesiodâs Theogony, after Prometheus, a divine trickster......
panegyris
panegyris, in Greek religion, an ancient assembly that met on certain fixed dates for the purpose of honouring......
pantao
pantao, in Chinese Daoist mythology, the peach of immortality that grew in the garden of Xiwangmu (âQueen Mother......
papyrus column
papyrus column, in Egyptian religion, amulet that conveyed freshness, youth, vigour, and the continuance of life......
Parentalia
Parentalia, Roman religious festival held in honour of the dead. The festival, which began at noon on February......
Parilia
Parilia, ancient Roman festival celebrated annually on April 21 in honour of the god and goddess Pales, the protectors......
Paris
Paris, in Greek legend, son of King Priam of Troy and his wife, Hecuba. A dream regarding his birth was interpreted......
Parnashavari
Parnashavari, in Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism, a goddess distinguished by the girdle of leaves she wears. She......
Parshvanatha
Parshvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara (âFord-maker,â i.e., saviour) of the present age, according to Jainism, a religion......