r/mythology 11d ago

Religious mythology Major Serpent Deities

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18 Upvotes

Ancient snake gods were powerful symbols of creation, chaos, healing, and royal power across global mythologies. I was raised with story of Adam and Eve with the serpent in the Garden of Eden. Snakes are heavily correlated to creation mythology.

Snakes and winged creatures seem to be heavy in mythology. Cultures viewed serpents with a mix of deep fear and high reverence, seeing them as protectors, primordial forces, or bringers of destruction. I put together a list. I wanted to share it bc I found it interesting and to hear other people’s thoughts.

-Major Serpent Deities-

Mesoamerica

Quetzalcoatl: Known as the Feathered Serpent, this major deity in Aztec and Mesoamerican culture governed wind, rain, knowledge, and the morning star.

Kukulkan: The Mayan equivalent of the Feathered Serpent, sharing similar associations with creation and the cosmos.

———

South Asia (Hinduism and Buddhism)

Shesha (Ananta): The king of Nāgas (divine serpent beings) who floats on the cosmic ocean, serving as a couch for the god Vishnu and holding all planets on his hoods.

Vasuki: A Nagaraja (serpent king) closely associated with Lord Shiva, famous for serving as the churning rope during the cosmic ocean churning (Samudra Manthan).

Manasa: A regional Hindu goddess revered for protection against snakebites and for granting fertility.

———

Ancient Egypt

Apophis (Apep): A giant serpentine embodiment of chaos, darkness, and evil who nightly attacks the solar bark of the sun god Ra.

Wadjet: A fierce cobra goddess who acted as the protector of Lower Egypt and local rulers, frequently depicted as the uraeus on royal crowns.

Nehebkau: A primordial two-headed snake god associated with the underworld and the binding of the ka (spirit).

———

Indigenous and Regional Traditions

The Rainbow Serpent: A foundational creator deity in Australian Aboriginal mythology, associated with waterholes, rain, rivers, and the creation of life.

Damballa: In West African and Haitian Vodou traditions, he is the primordial creator spirit depicted as a great snake linked to water, creation, and wisdom.

Jörmungandr: The Norse Midgard Serpent so massive it encircles the entire world, locked in eternal enmity with the thunder god Thor.

https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/28705


r/mythology May 20 '26

African mythology Did ancient Egyptians belive in one supreme God over all others?

34 Upvotes

I don't mean that in the same way as Zeus, Jupiter, Odin, or Anu/Enlil.

I mean that in the sense of like Vishnu, Shiva, or Mahavedi.

An almost all-powerful being that controlled every faced of existence.

To start off with, Egyptians had the concept of Nebertcher, meaning "Lord to the uttermost limit" or "Lord of the Universe," who was described as coming into existence by it's/his own will and taking the form of Khepera.

That is clearly influenced by an older Egyptian creation myth at Heliopolis where god Atum created himself through pure will and created the gods Shu and Tefnut.

Shu and Tefnut were described as already existing as one with Atum before he spat or masterbated them out.

This shows as everything existing as The One before multiplication.

Now, the interesting part of this is that in the city of Memphis, the god Ptah was seen as an all-powerful deity who created the universe from his thoughts and words. Even gods like Atum and Amun (we'll get to him later) were seen as lower workings of Ptah's creation who developed the world further.

Ptah has a few interesting epithets and names, like:

"Ptah the God who made himself to be God.",

"Ptah the begetter of the first beginning.",

"Ptah lord of eternity.",

"Ptah the double being.",

With the introduction of Aten, this gets even clearer.

After the abandonment of Aten in the New Kingdom, Amun seems to assimilate Aten's and Ra's attributes.

We get hymns like this:

HAIL to thee, Amun-Ra, Lord of the thrones of the earth, the oldest existence, ancient of heaven, support of all things; Chief of the gods, lord of truth; father of the gods, maker of men and beasts and herbs; maker of all things above and below; Deliverer of the sufferer and oppressed, judging the poor; Lord of wisdom, lord of mercy; most loving, opener of every eye, source of joy, in whose goodness the gods rejoice, thou whose name is hidden. Thou art the one, maker of all that is, the one; the only one; maker of gods and men; giving food to all. Hail to thee, thou one with many heads; sleepless when all others sleep, adoration to thee. Hail to thee from all creatures from every land, from the height of heaven, from the depth of the sea. The spirits thou hast made extol thee, saying, welcome to thee, father of the fathers of the gods; we worship thy spirit which is in us.

This hymn presents Amun-Ra as an all-powerful being with the lines like "The oldest existence", "support of all things," and "maker of all that is, the one; the only one; maker of gods and men."

He is described as unborn and undesigned:

He created himself. He was not born... Being undesigned, thou didst mould into form thy body.

Other hymns describe him as "Without his equal."

In some creation myths, Amun has two primary forms Kematef and Irta.

Kematef is his primordial serpent form that manifested itself from the infinite waters of Nu and created the universe.

Irta, on the other hand, is the creator of the Earth.

The word Irta means "The Earth maker."

So, to ask a question, can a later Egyptian religion be seen as a form of complex polytheism, pantheism, or some kind of Henotheism?


r/mythology 7h ago

Greco-Roman mythology Corn in the Odyssey? Chapter 13. Homer.

16 Upvotes

I have been listening to the Odyssey by Homer translated by W. H. D. Rouse. In chapter 13 Athena is telling Odysseus about the island he landed on (Ithaca). And she states that the soil is so poor that it cannot grow corn.

Did they have corn in Ancient Greece? I thought corn was a crop of the new world. Is this just a poor translation? Or was there a type of corn grown by Ancient Greeks?


r/mythology 17h ago

Questions Why horror gene always pick ancient Mesopotamia?

36 Upvotes

So I was watching show "Haunted Hotel" on Netflix or watching analyzing YouTube video of horror franchise? Kinda forget which?

And they have Demon from Sumerian that place a bad curse on hotel and the YouTube analyser mention demon somewhere in Ancient Mesopotamia

And I always question why Mesopotamia? Why they keep picking ancient Mesopotamia? They never pick on Greek for their demon or they're curse? Despite the Greeks literally have God for Witchcraft, even cursed people for eternity, and have many myths monster similar to demon?

Why they keep choosing Mesopotamia all of things?


r/mythology 2h ago

Questions God of experience/journeys/learning through experience?

0 Upvotes

Is there a god that represents simply experience as a concept. Learning through experience. Not pleasure and such or not textbook learning through facts and books, but experience and journeys and such.


r/mythology 15h ago

Questions Jade Rabbits story mistold?

8 Upvotes

First note: I am not Asian of any kind, but I've been reading/taught mythology from multiple cultures since I was a child. From Quetzalcoatl to Gilgamesh to son wukong, a parent or guardian figure was always reading to me or telling me about mythos for different civilizations.

Second note: afaik I have never owned a book about chang'e and the Jade rabbit

Onto the meat and potatoes: I have a recollection of the story of chang'e being told to me, and when it came to the Jade rabbit being there as well it was because chang'e was so lonely on the moon she wouldn't come out (think new moon event, if I'm remembering correctly) that the gods gifted her the Jade rabbit as a companion so she wouldn't be alone.

But as I was looking more into some Chinese mythology, I couldn't find anything remotely similar to this. Was this just a bad/incorrect myth translation or does it only exist in some obscure movie or book that one of my aunties may have read to/retold me?

I really cannot find it. Also I swear there was something about the Milky Way being chang'e's tears she cried when she realized she couldn't reunite with hou yi, but again, I'm finding nothing

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks! <3


r/mythology 1d ago

Greco-Roman mythology “Gods had jobs” If Greek gods had normal jobs, what would each one be?

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250 Upvotes

Zeus is obviously a CEO but I need ideas for the rest 🧐


r/mythology 18h ago

Questions Are there 2 stories (other than a genesis/apocalypse) that could have happened on the same day in different parts of the world?

5 Upvotes

So for a fictional example; let's say that there is an Egyptian Myth that at high noon, a thing happened on a particular day

Myths and stories exist from anywhere between hundreds to thousands of years apart, meaning the odds of this story happening alongside another story is slim to none

However, because time zones, we can deduce that Noon Egyptian Time is 4 am in Japanese Time. Where in roughly the same time period, another story where a thing would have happened roughly at that same time

Are there any stories that line up like that?


r/mythology 22h ago

American mythology Ometeotl

2 Upvotes

I was reading that ..there is not "4 Tezcatipocas" and the creators god were sons of a couple called Tonacatecuhtli and Tonacacihuatl, not Ometeotl.

I also have seen on wikipedia than ometeotl It might not be a real god. So..... Does Ometeotl exist as a father of the 4 "tezcatipocas"? or is the Representation of something different?


r/mythology 1d ago

Questions Looking for gods of Stories

7 Upvotes

Exactly what the title says, I've found that asking real people gets the better truth. As an example, a quick Google search would tell you that Apollo and the Nine Muses are the Greek version of this, but you need to be at least a little in the trenches to know that Dionysus is the god of theatre, as well as Divine Inspiration and that two of the Muses are sometimes said to belong to him, going so far as to make their symbols, the Comedy(Thalia) and Tragedy(Melpomene) Masks some of his symbols.

I know about the Norse Bragi and the African Anasi, but are there any other gods of stories and storytelling?


r/mythology 1d ago

Greco-Roman mythology Kappa in Japanese Mythology: The Dangerous River Demon

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mythandmemory.org
4 Upvotes

The Japanese Kappa are a water-dwelling youkai (monster). They are one of the strangest looking mythological creature with a turtle sheel, webbed feet, beak like mouth and a mysterious dish filled with water on their head. Although they may look comical they are considered to be dangerous in some local traditions.

The Kappa are known to drag humans and animals inside the water and drown them. One of the most disturbing stories involves them attacking humans to consume their organs known as shirikodama. A Kappa may also challenge you to a sumo match and were exceptionally strong. 

In order to escape from a Kappa you need to use your wit. Since they are polite creatures, if you bow to them they will bow back at you which would cause the water on their head to spill making them weak. Kappas also love cucumbers and offering some can help you escape their fury. 

For more information on Kappas please go through the full article. I would be happy to hear about your suggestions on my content and recommendations on future posts as well! 


r/mythology 1d ago

Questions Odd Pairings Common Across The World?

23 Upvotes

I was thinking about how Poseidon, king of the sea is also the god of horses. Kelpies are water spirits, but take the form of horses. Horses aren't exactly aquatic, yet they appear together in different mythologies across Europe.

Birds and fire are more understandably related, but still interesting to see how many cultures have variations of a mythical fire bird, from the native America to northern Europe to Asia since birds aren't often seen interacting with fire.

What are some other, seemingly unrelated pairings repeated through different cultures?


r/mythology 1d ago

Germanic & Norse mythology The Norse gods never promised paradise, they promised a doomed, magnificent fight and knew the ending from day one. Traced their full family tree.

3 Upvotes

Warriors. Wanderers. Poets. Gods. They ruled the frozen north long before anyone wrote their names down, shaped the cosmos out of a giant's corpse, chained a wolf they knew would eventually swallow the sun, and built an entire cosmology around the fact that it all ends. Not as a warning, just as a given.

That's the part that pulled me in the most while putting this together. Most pantheons hedge, an afterlife, a reward, some version of things working out. Norse mythology just doesn't. Valhalla isn't a finish line, it's a training camp for a battle everyone already knows they lose.

Mapped out the full lineage, the primal forces before creation, the Aesir and Vanir, the giants they're constantly at war with and related to, all the way through to Ragnarok itself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stiOlhC4IR0

Curious how people here read the fatalism at the core of it, cultural realism from a hard environment, or something closer to an actual theology of doom?


r/mythology 1d ago

American mythology American cultures

6 Upvotes

So.... Besides Mayan and Aztec/mexica people, Any mythology that you recommend from Mexico or America in general?


r/mythology 1d ago

Questions If you could bring any God into the real world who would it be. I would pick Thor or amateursu.

4 Upvotes

r/mythology 1d ago

Asian mythology Traditional Japanese mythology

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3 Upvotes

By Sean Kirkpatrick


r/mythology 1d ago

Religious mythology Why do ancient religions have so many similar gods?

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2 Upvotes

r/mythology 3d ago

Asian mythology Which culture's mythology has a psychologically sharp idea that never made it into the "popular" myth canon?

143 Upvotes

Been thinking about how lopsided the popular myth canon is. Ask most people to name a trickster and you get Loki or Anansi, ask for an underworld journey and you get Orpheus or Persephone, almost always Greek or Norse. But plenty of traditions have concepts that are, if anything, psychologically sharper than the famous versions, they just never got the Bulfinch/Hamilton treatment that made Greek myth a household reference in English.

Curious what people here would nominate. Something specific, a figure, a story, a concept, from a tradition that doesn't usually make the shortlist, that you think does something the "famous" myths don't quite capture. I'll go first: the Japanese concept of magatsuhi, the disruptive/impure energy born from Izanagi's purification after his trip to Yomi, that has to be ritually processed rather than simply defeated, always struck me as a more honest model of how disorder actually works in a story than the standard hero-slays-monster structure. What's yours?


r/mythology 2d ago

East Asian mythology Was Ching Dai Based on a Real Chinese Deity?

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3 Upvotes

r/mythology 2d ago

Questions Where are my hippogriffs!?

12 Upvotes

(Sorry if this isn't the right place for this post; I couldn't find a better one.)

But where are my hippogriffs!?

They are such beautiful creatures, yet it's so hard to find information about them that isn't related to Harry Potter.

I've been looking for more info on them for ages, and I always end up back at Harry Potter—not that there's anything wrong with that, but I just feel they deserve more attention outside of the Harry Potter universe.


r/mythology 3d ago

East Asian mythology I am building a bilingual reference for Chinese mythology and would value your corrections

13 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I have been working on a free Chinese and English reference site about Chinese mythology and the later traditions that grew around it.

https://honghuang.wiki/en

The site currently covers figures, treasures, sects, stories, and eras. I am also trying to separate what is stated in classical texts, what developed later, and what belongs mainly to modern Honghuang fiction. That distinction is difficult, and I am sure there are places where the wording, sourcing, or classification can be improved.

I am sharing it here because I would genuinely value critical feedback from people who know these traditions better than I do. If you notice a missing source, a questionable relationship, an unclear translation, or a figure that deserves a fuller entry, please tell me. I am happy to revise the site and build useful charts or reference pages if there is something the community would like to have.

Thank you for taking a look.


r/mythology 3d ago

Questions Did the Japanese integrate Chinese gods into their culture?

11 Upvotes

For example the Romans and Hittites frequently adopted and integrated foreign gods into their own religious systems. (Etruscan Greek Egyptian Hurrian Hattian etc they were collecting them all)

And Japan adopted Buddist gods and has the Seven Lucky Gods, several of which have Chinese origins. Did other chinese deities get incorporated into Japanese religion? Or was the influence mostly limited to Buddhism if so why? Especially since Japan adopted many other cultural elements from China.

Would appreciate for academic sources on this topic too. Thanks!


r/mythology 3d ago

Fictional mythology need help with a short film idea based off of greek mythology

2 Upvotes

so im a senior animation student and i am at the very beginning/research stage for my thesis film. sorry if this does not fit the rules of the sub, but i would love feedback from greek mythology enthusiasts

the idea:
set in modern times, macaria (daughter of hades, goddess of blessed death) is incredibly depressed, searching for any kind of connection. one day, in the hall of offerings, she realizes she received one, and....thats about as far as i have gotten lol

how is this as an idea? anything i should keep note of? any kind of media that can be used for inspiration?

i am well aware on the debate of whether macaria was even a part of the mythology, but i feel it gives me more leeway

any kind of feedback is appreciated, and again, sorry if this doesnt fit the subreddit


r/mythology 2d ago

Oceania mythology Why do scientists and people in general dismiss the myth of Atlantis as fiction?

0 Upvotes

r/mythology 3d ago

Greco-Roman mythology Phanes-Dionysus bye me

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8 Upvotes

Divine Protogonos, the First Born Eros, inspired by Orphic Theogony and ancient reliefs of Phanes.