allmythologies - Tumblr blog

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Aušrinė and Vakarinė (Aušrinė, the Morning Star, comes from the word Aušra, meaning Dawn, while Vakarinė, the Evening Star, comes from the word Vakaras, meaning Evening) Interpreted both as sisters, or as two different sides of one Goddess, Aušrinė and Vakarinė represent beauty, youth, and health. The two were beautiful maidens who helped Saulė with her daily work - Aušrinė would light up Saulė’s home in the morning, while Vakarinė made her bed at night. This too, became the same for their people - they greeted Aušrinė at daybreak, and said goodnight to Vakarinė when she began to shine in the sky. Even after Mėnulis fell in love with Aušrinė and separated himself from Saulė, Aušrinė continued to stay faithful to her mistress.

DIEVAI is a visual concept inspired by ancient Lithuanian mythology. From the recognizable God of Thunder, Perkūnas, to the sweet, neglected Goddess of Bees Austėja, this series covers the interpretations of a chosen few. Their legends are not forgotten.

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day 31 of horror mythologies: el tabudo

according to legend, he was once a wealthy fisherman who was one day taken by the sea, and eventually reappeared as something more fish than man, his signature being his large, knobby knees. he now awaits all visitors to lakes and lagoons, appearing to people as a humble fisherman in order to win over their trust and confidence so that he can lure them out to the middle of the lake. once he gets his victims where he wants them, he reveals his true appearance and turns the men into large, colorful fish and transforms the women into sirens of the sea.

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modern mythical creatures | mermaids

A mermaid is a legendary aquatic creature with the upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including the Near East, Europe, Africa and Asia. The first stories appeared in ancient Assyria, in which the goddess Atargatis transformed herself into a mermaid out of shame for accidentally killing her human lover. 

Mermaids are sometimes associated with perilous events such as floods, storms, shipwrecks and drownings. In other folk traditions (or sometimes within the same tradition), they can be benevolent or beneficent, bestowing boons or falling in love with humans.

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day 10 of horror mythology: lernean hydra

the hydra is a serpentine water monster. in the canonical hydra myth, the monster is killed by heracles as the second of his twelve labors. the hydra was the offspring of typhon and echidna. it had poisonous breath and blood so virulent that even its scent was deadly. the hydra possessed many heads, the exact number of which varies according to the source.

[allmythologies]

Evermore-Fashion: Celtic Mythology

The Lady of the Lake, was an enchantress also known as Viviane or Nimue, who appears in many of the tales of King Arthur in Celtic mythology. She is best remembered for her relationships with the knight Lancelot and the infamous magician Merlin. According to legend, the Lady of the Lake lived beneath a lake surrounding the mystical island of Avalon. She also raised Lancelot after his father died, and gave Arthur the magical sword Excalibur, which he treasured. When Arthur was near death, she saved him by taking him to Avalon to await a time when his people would once again need his leadership. The magician Merlin fell in love with the Lady of the Lake, however she refused to give him her love until he had taught her all his secrets. Eventually she used her powers to trap him either in the trunk of a tree or possibly beneath a stone. Despite Merlin having the gift of foresight and seeing his imprisonment coming, he was either powerless or unwilling to change his fate.

(The Atelier Couture 'Shakespeare in Love' Bridal Couture Collection)

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mythology parent & child: hypnos & morpheus

hypnos is the god of sleep. morpheus is the leader of the oneiroi, the personified spirits of dreams. he was a messenger of the gods who appeared in the dreams of kings in human guise.

[allmythologies]

myth: the nine muses

in ancient greek religion and mythology, the muses are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. they were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric songs, and myths that were related orally for centuries in ancient greek culture.

[allmythologies]

greek mythology: hagno

hagno is the naiad-nymph of a spring on mount lykaios in arkadia who waters could generate rain-clouds. she was one of arkadian wet-nurses of the infant god zeus alongside neda and theisoa.

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As punishment for his cruel rejection of the nymph Echo, Nemesis cursed Narcissus to fall in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. Unable to take his eyes away from the beautiful youth he did not recognise as himself, Narcissus stayed by the side of the water until he wasted away. 

I’ve been wanting to draw more mythology pieces for a while now! Here is my interpretation of Echo and Narcissus, a Roman myth from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. 

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basque mythology: inguma

inguma is the god of dreams and was regarded as a malevolent force who entered houses at night and plagued the residents with nightmares. he also kills people while sleeping.

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“When the earth blossoms with all manner of fragrant spring flowers, then from beneath the murky gloom shall you come again, a mighty marvel to gods and to mortal men.”

-Homeric Hymn to Demeter

A companion piece to the illustration of Hekate and Demeter I did a couple of months back.

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ossetian mythology: saubarag

saubarag is the god of thieves and darkness, his name meaning "black rider."

[allmythologies]

The Evermore Grimoire: Japanese Mythology

Amaterasu Omikami (天照 meaning ‘Shines from Heaven,’) was the goddess of the sun, daughter of creator deities Izanagi and Izanami (god and goddess of creation), and central to the Shinto religion in Japanese mythology. Her primary role was that of the sun goddess. In this position, she not only served as the literal rising sun that illuminates all things, but also provided nourishment to all living creatures and marked the orderly movement of day into night. Amaterasu Omikami was also the ‘Queen of Heaven,’ the kami, and creation itself. Though she did not create the universe, she was the goddess of creation, a role she inherited from her father, Izanagi, who defended the world from the land of the dead. The Japanese Imperial Dynasty claims to have descended from her, and this is what gives them the divine right to rule Japan. She is the center of Shinto, and Japanese spiritual life.

artwork by Yliade

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breton mythology: ankou

ankou is the servant of death. he appears as a man or skeleton wearing a black robe and a large hat that conceals his face, or, on occasion, simply as a shadow. he wields a scythe and is said to sit atop a cart for collecting the dead, or to drive a large, black coach pulled by four black horses and accompanied by two ghostly figures on foot. in some versions, ankou is depicted as the first dead person of the year, charged with collecting others' souls before he can go to the afterlife.

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Mythology and Folklore Moodboards || Demons: Sonneillon

A demon who oversees the sin of hate. It is through his manipulation of this negative emotion that he supposedly works to lead mortals astray. His adversary is Saint Stephen. Sonneillon is named in the Admirable History by Sebastien Michaelis. — The Dictionary of Demons: Names of the Damned, Michelle Belanger

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greek mythology: eileithyia

eileithyia is the goddess of childbirth and labour pains. according to some there were two eileithyiai: one who furthered birth and one who protracted the labour.

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~ Figure of crouching Aphrodite.

Place oforigin: Attributed to Smyrna (modern Izmir), Asia Minor

Date: 3rd-1st century B.C.

Period: Hellenistic

Culture: Greek

Medium: Mould-made earthenware (terracotta) with traces of white slip.