The Afanc is one of the most notorious creatures in Welsh mythology, a water-dwelling monster that resides in lakes and rivers. Its physical appearance varies across different tales, with descriptions ranging from a giant beaver or crocodile-like beast to a monstrous, demonic entity with no definite shape. Some versions of the legend depict the Afanc as a large hybrid, […]
The Phantom Piper is a legendary figure from Tudor England, often associated with ghostly music and haunting various locations, particularly in the West Midlands of England. One of the most famous legends involves the Phantom Piper of the Wrekin, a hill in Shropshire. According to local folklore, the piper’s music can be heard echoing through the […]
I mentioned him last week in connection to the goddess of salt and you were curious, so… who was Ningishzida, “Lord of the Good Tree”, and what have snakes to do with him? Ningishzida was a Mesopotamian deity associated with vegetation, the underworld, and sometimes war, and he was frequently linked with snakes. Similar to […]
Ninpumuna was a deity from Mesopotamian mythology, associated explicitly with salt springs. Her name translates to “mistress of the salt spring,” and she is primarily recognized as a goddess linked to these natural features and possibly the underworld. She is mentioned in contexts related to offerings and rituals, often alongside other deities associated with the […]
Are you obsessed with the geographies of the underworld? Well, you’re not alone. An Apulian vase painter from Ancient Greece, active around the second half of the 4th century BC, shared your obsession so much that scholars call him “the Underworld Painter“. Today we take a look at his work on my Patreon.
Pomegranates have a certain significance in my book, as they’re connected to the realm of the dead through Greek Mythology. My main character decided their blood had to taste like Pomegranate for a reason. Today let’s dive a bit into the origin of the myth and some lesser-known variations. The ancient Greek city of Side, […]
Alternatively translated “That Which Is In the Afterworld” or “Text of the Hidden Chamber Which is in the Underworld”, and called Kitab al-Akhira in Arabic, the Amduat is a funerary text from the New Kingdom and it has been found inscribed on the walls of tombs such as the one of Thutmose III, whose entire […]
Lelwani, also spelt Leluwani, was a Hittite underworld deity, but their presence is attested way before the Hittite came to Anatolia. In the Hattic culture, Lelwani was considered a male deity and addressed as a “king” when the Hittites, known for adopting deities from conquered or neighbouring cultures, incorporated Lelwani into their own belief system. […]
Sirona was a goddess primarily venerated in East Central Gaul and along the Danubian limes. Revered as a deity of healing, she was closely linked with sacred springs, and her worship was accompanied by symbols of snakes and eggs. In the sulphur springs of Alzey in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, there is a stone bas-relief depicting Sirona […]
Manea was an Etruscan goddess of the dead, of spirits and of chaos, of Oscan origin, associated with the Genetai group. Later Latin mythology incorporated her into their systems of belief, making her the mother of ghosts, of the undead, the night spirits, the Lares and the Manes. She was believed to rule the underworld […]