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Iris Murdoch
Need an escape from reality? Here you’ll find sites about mythology, from faeries and folklore to gods and goddess of Greek and Norse mythology. Lose yourself in the mystery of fantasy!
Journal devoted to investigating and exploring “common patterns of ancient myths from around the world.” Takes its viewpoint from scientific studies of archaeology and astronomy. Read articles, subscribe to the mailing list.
Here’s the site where all the folk tales of city life and urban legends end up (or at least they should). If there’s a juicy rumor, or farfetched-but-possible story, there’s a good chance it’s here, along with the truth of the matter; and if not, you should contact the AFU and urban legend newsgroups.
This is the subscription site for a moderated list on the subject of King Arthur and related subjects. Access to the archives is available at this site.
A Gopher site of the famous reference book of mythology.
A monthly forum to discuss various topics on legends, mythology, and folklore.
Begin here to explore the folklore that has grown up around computers and the Internet. Full of links to other sites showing the scope of the cyberculture today.
A very brief (usually just a line or two) alphabetical listing of mythical beings (with some concepts and places included). You can search by mythos or by the index, which contains all the listings.
An extraordinarily well-done encyclopedia containing hundreds of definitions and descriptions of mythic creations: gods and goddesses, supernatural beings, creatures, monsters. It has a search feature for tracking down the entries, and can be viewed in a frames or non-frames format. One of the best sites around.
A labor-of-love of a true faerie friend, the encyclopedia does a very good job of describing European fairies. Also has a comprehensive links page to other faerie sites.
A selection of manuscripts on the WWW concerning mythology and folklore; the emphasis is on Germanic and English tales, but some other cultures are represented.
A fantastic source of links concerning myths, legends, and folklore. If you need a place to start a search, this is it.
An alphabetical listing of people and places in mythology, legends, and religion. A beautiful site with some excellent images.
A comprehensive view of the Greek myths with an excellent family tree showing the familial relationships of the gods.
Selected links to other Highlander sites, sequels to existing Highlander tales, original stories (some a bit racy for the younger set).
Extensive list of fiction sites for TV and film—everything from Hawaii Five-O and Miami Vice to Star Trek and Dracula, and everything in between.
A humorous look at the paranormal; this isn’t a real detective agency, but rather a parody of how a “real paranormal agency” would advertise. Read the subheadings on such things as aura imbalance and have a good laugh. Also read the letter columns for other demented humor.
This site is a starting point for researching the myths and legends concerning the Holy Grail; it contains much of the lore surrounding the Grail, as well as book reviews of books about the Grail and related topics. Also has a links page.
The foundation’s purpose is to continue the work of Joseph Campbell in bring the meaning of myth into everyday life. The foundation offers programs and discussion groups to explore Campbell’s work and related topics.
This site functions as a way of contacting the American Folklore Society online. It gives a brief listing of the contents of previous Journals and has links to other folklore Web sites.
Arthur Goldstuck lists his choice (partially based on nominations by others) of a Web site dealing with mythology, magic, urban legends, the paranormal, and other related topics. Lots of fun.
This site is dedicated to the use of myth and legends in fantasy fiction today. It’s beautifully done, full of gorgeous graphics and well-written essays and articles. A pleasure to look at and read.
A site dedicated to the “first” wife of Adam, Lilith. Said to be the first witch, mother of demons, the first seductress. This site provides a comprehensive view of the origins and myths surrounding this primal character.
If you’re looking for information on amulets, tokens, talismans, and other symbols of magic and good fortune, this is the site to start your search. The site is very informative and fun to read, and filled with links to other similar sites.
Has a great clickable map of the world; point the cursor to the region you want to know about, and up comes a list of sites concerning the myths of that region. Unfortunately, it covers mainly Europe and the Middle East, with some regions (such as North America) having nothing at the time of this writing. This site welcomes contributions, in case you know of appropriate sites.
A collection of .GIF images of the Greek gods, based on scanned images from pottery, architecture, and paintings. The research was done by the University of Haifa Art History, Haifa, Israel.
A collection of sites on the WWW organized by mythos. It seems very complete and far-ranging in scope.
Home page of the Mythopoeic Society, a nonprofit organization interested in studying and discussing literary works, including the myths and legends of Tolkien (the Hobbit tales, and so on), C. S. Lewis, and Charles Williams.
An excellent listing of links on the Net covering many of the world’s myths and legends, including medieval and Renaissance periods. It even covers some early fantasy, science fiction, and horror works that are based on mythic and legendary materials.
A commercial site selling the book Napoleon, Russia, and the Olympian Gods: An Illustrated Guide to Greek Mythology. It explains the nature and significance of the gift that Napoleon sent to Russia, and the artistic and historic importance of the illustrations and the myths depicted.
Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series has attracted an enormous following among the reading public, and where the public goes, scholars soon follow, trying to explain where the author got his ideas. Karl-Johan Norén has written a very detailed scholarly work, comparing key concepts and characters in the series with the Norse and Germanic myths. A must-read for the die-hard Jordan fan, if only to find something else to discuss on the various Wheel of Time forums and lists out there.
A FAQ under construction, it has the basics of Norse mythology, as well as lists of the major gods and goddesses of the mythos. It includes an excellent listing of source materials for those who want to do their own research, and has many links to other sites of related interest.
The online version of Parabola magazine, this site contains some articles from the current issue on the newsstand, as well as how to subscribe to the magazine. The purpose of Parabola is to show the significance of mythic and spiritual themes in everyday life.
A paper on the uses (and misuses) of myths in science fiction and fantasy, with emphasis on recent television shows. While several of the shows are no longer being broadcast (Earth2, Seaquest) it takes a good look at the new leader of syndicated shows, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.
This site lists offline sources of mythological research that don’t include the Greek or Roman mythologies. It also provides online access to AMELIA’s catalogue. (AMELIA is The University of Alabama’s automated library system.)
A bookshop in Ventura, California, specializing in books “with an emphasis on the unusual, weird science, older scientific and related material.” A fascinating “syte,” very visual, but be sure you have plenty of time to look at it all—there’s a lot to absorb.
A small site concerning the mythology of the Pleiades star cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters. The site lists sources that use the Greek legends only. Each of the sisters is briefly discussed, with an explanation of how they became stars in the heavens.
This online companion to the Tooth & Claw newsletter explores the use of myths of warriors as a teaching tool to inspire and instruct today’s martial practitioners.
This site presents a wide variety of astrological discussion, including essays on sacred geometry and the relationship between ancient architecture and astronomy, sundials and other devices, some interesting info on religion and Freemasonry, and other related topics. It also provides a list to join to discuss these topics.
The source for “the truth” on urban legends, old wives’ tales, and questions that anyone may have about the strange goings-on in the world. Copies of “The Straight Dope” newspaper columns are available, as well as various FAQs.
Contains a description of the pantheon and cosmology of the Sumerians, who lived over 4,000 years ago in what is now southern Iraq.
Listing some of the most popular superstitions, it provides the meaning and possible origins of these well-known beliefs. Done in a frames format; the only problem is that some of the individual frames are hard to read.
The Folklore and Mythology Archives are located on the UCLA campus and serve as primary research and instructional resources for the UCLA Folklore and Mythology Program. While the site itself is under construction (most of its listings are empty), it does have a section where questions concerning American folklore can be emailed to the staff there, and a reply will be sent back.
faqs/bygroup/alt/mythology/top.html
Contains the FAQs developed by the alt.mythology newgroup.
This is an extremely complete site for legends, myth, lore, and history of the Vikings. It covers everything from myths to language to mead.
This is a reading/source list for a variety of mythological subjects. The sources cited have been suggested on the alt.mythology newsgroup.