In mythology, a myth is a sacred story concerning the origins of the world or how the world and the creatures in it came to have their present form.

A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale truth or reality.

Double-click on any word to see its definition from Cambridge Dictionaries Online

magazine article: An Other World - Celtic Folk Beliefs."Remembrance of the past has always been an aspect of the Irish psyche. When Saint Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century he found a highly civilised but pre-literate people with a remarkably developed capacity for memory." Read article

word game: Mythical creatures. Match the names of 15 mythical creatures to pictures of them. Play game

story: The Gods and the Human Resources Department. Zeus was having a bad day. “It’s just not fair!” he shouted. The Deputy Human Resources Manager for the Myths, Legends and Folktales sections (Western, Central and Eastern Europe, Africa, India, Asia and Americas) had just told Zeus that the Myths and Legends Departments were going to be merged. Read story

story: The Masalai of Lep Island. This Papua New Guinea folk story involves a masalai (a large  ugly cannibal, similar to an ogre). Read story

story: The Dreamtime. The Dreamtime is the central, unifying theme in Australian Aboriginal mythology. It describes the process of the world being called into being. The Australian Aboriginal culture is based on nature in every aspect. Most of their mythological heroes are animals common in Australia. Read story

story: Chinese Zodiac. The Jade Emperor (Emperor of Heaven) called for a contest on his birthday: a race! All the animals of the kingdom were invited to participate, but there would only be 12 winners, and the prize was a permanent place in the Zodiac Years. Read story

cartoon: "Atlas! You're the greatest robber ever!" "Why?" "Because ..." See cartoon

cartoon: "I'm going to give up teaching!" "Really? Why's that Cyclops?" "Because I've only got ... " See cartoon

trivia: Wordplay  Lady of the Lake is an anagram of Held a key aloft. See more myths and legends trivia

links: Wikipedia: mythology See more links

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related theme: folklore