_Myths

Judgement of Paris The Judgement of Paris is a story from Greek mythology, which was one of the events that led up to the Trojan War and (in slightly later versions of the story) to the foundation of Rome. The Judgment of Paris, Peter Paul Rubens, ca 1636 (National Gallery, London) Sources of the episode As with many mythological tales, details vary depending on the source. The brief allusion to the Judgement in the Iliad (24.25–30) shows that the episode initiating all the subsequent action was already familiar to its audience; a fuller version was told in the Cypria, a lost work of the Epic Cycle, of which only fragments (and a reliable summary) remain. The later writers Ovid (Heroides 16.71ff, 149–152 and 5.35f), Lucian (Dialogues of the Gods 20), Apollodorus (Epitome E.3.2) and Hyginus (Fabulae 92), retell the story with skeptical, ironic or popularizing agendas. But it appeared wordlessly on the ivory and gold votive chest of the 7th-century tyrant Cypselus at Olympia, whi...

Jord (Fjorgyn) Earth goddess. Her mother was Night (Nott) and her father Annar. She was the mother of Thor (called her first born in The Lay of Thrym) and Frigg.

Janus In Roman mythology, Janus (or Ianus) is the god of gates, doors, doorways, beginnings and endings. His most prominent remnant in modern culture is his namesake, the month of January, which begins the new year. He is most often depicted as having two faces or heads, facing in opposite directions. These heads were rumored to look both into the future and the past. Origins and nature Macrobius and Cicero attempted to explain the name as Latin deriving it from the verb ire ("to go"). It has been conjectured to be derived from the Indo-European root meaning transitional movement (cf. Sanskrit "yana-" or Avestan "yah-", likewise with Latin "i-" and Greek "ie-".). William Betham argued that the cult arrived from the Middle East and that Janus corresponds to the Baal-ianus or Belinus of the Chaldeans sharing a common origin with the Oannes of Berosus. Janus was usually depicted with two heads facing in opposite directions. Accor...

Isis Originally, the goddess Isis was portrayed as a woman, wearing a headress shaped like a throne. Goddess of motherhood, magic and fertility Major cult center Philae, Abydos Symbol the throne, the sun disk with cow's horn, the sycamore tree Parents Geb and Nut Siblings Osiris, Set and Nephthys Consort Osiris Isis (Ancient Greek: Ἶσις) was a goddess in Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs, whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. She was worshiped as the ideal mother and wife as well as the matron of nature and magic. She was the friend of slaves, sinners, artisans, the downtrodden, as well as listening to the prayers of the wealthy, maidens, aristocrats and rulers. Isis is the Goddess of motherhood, magic and fertility. The goddess Isis (the mother of Horus) was the first daughter of Geb, god of the Earth, and Nut, the goddess of the Overarching Sky, and was born on the fourth intercalary day. At some time Isis and Hathor had the same headdress. In late...

Iris In Greek mythology, Iris (Ἴρις) is the personification of the rainbow and Hera's personal messenger. As the sun unites Earth and heaven, Iris links the gods to humanity. She travels with the speed of wind from one end of the world to the other, and into the depths of the sea and the underworld. In myths According to Hesiod's Theogony, Iris is the daughter of Thaumas and the air nymph Electra. Her sisters are the Harpies, Aello, Celaeno and Ocypetes. Iris is frequently mentioned as a divine messenger in the Iliad which is attributed to Homer, but does not appear in his Odyssey, where Hermes fills that role. Like Hermes, Iris carries a caduceus or winged staff. By command of Zeus, the king of the gods, she carries a ewer of water from the Styx, with which she puts to sleep all who perjure themselves. Goddess of sea and sky, she is also represented as supplying the clouds with the water needed to deluge the world, consistent with her identification with the rainbow. ...

Indian gods & goddesses Brahma - god of the Triniity Durga - goddess beyond reach; also known as Shakti (Life Energy) and Parvati (Family Unity) Ganesha - god who Removes Obstacles, god of Knowledge Gauri - goddess of Purity and Austerity Hanuman - Monkey god, provider of Courage, Hope, Knowledge, Intellect and Devotion Kali - goddess of Destruction Krishna - god of Power and Bravery Lakshmi - goddess of Prosperity, Purity, Chastity, and Generosity Rama - Hero god, Preserver of Families, Destroyer of Evil Sarasvati - a goddess of speech, wisdom and learning Shiva - god of Giving and Happiness, Creator Vishnu - god of Courage, Knowledge and Power; Also known as Hari the Remover

Idun Goddess who is married to Bragi and is the keeper of the apples which keep the gods eternally young. The storm giant Tjasse abducts her and the gods start to age until Loki kills the giant and retrieves Idun. Goddess of youth, her name means "The Rejuvenating One".