Questions tagged [mythology]
Mythology should be used for questions involving stories or the origin of stories which will be important to some culture.
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Is there a name for a Satyr like creature with equine features
I created a character who is centaur-like. His upper body is completely human however his legs and horse-like and he has two legs. This makes him similar to a Satyr, however, Satyr's have Goat like ...
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1answer
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(Legit) Online Sources on Epiales, the Greek Spirit of Nightmares
I'm doing research for one of the stories I'm working on and found the Greek deity Epiales, the god/spirit of nightmares. I'm trying to implement him into a story as an antagonist to where he seeks ...
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1answer
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(Online) Sources for Traditional Lore to Base Creatures on
I'm currently working on a fantasy world with a medieval/mythological setting, and I'm trying to do a bunch of research for several non-human races (dwarves, mermaids, etc.).
However I don't want to ...
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What are some resources for mythopoesis?
I would greatly appreciate any info or resources for building an appropriate artificial mythology for a world.
For reference, I am reading "The Gods of Pegana" and I already went through the ...
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How can you make someone forget that he has superpowers and lock his powers?
How can you make someone forget that he has superpowers and lock his powers?
My question is inspired by the Sanskrit epic of ancient India, Ramayana.
In the story of Ramayana, Hanuman is a well-...
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Why do Ichisongas hate elephants and hippos?
In the mythology of the Lambas people of Zambia, there is a creature called the Ichisonga. It is a herbivore, and very rhinoceros-like in appearance.
Upon hearing a hippopotamus, it allegedly sneaks ...
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9answers
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What could be a means to defeat a child’s nightmare? [closed]
In my world, there is a monster that materializes as a childhood nightmare (nothing specific, just this general fear children feel when they are alone in the dark). I wonder what would be a nice way ...
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How big is my Giant?
The hero saves the captured giant, and as a reward, the giant presents the hero with a magic ring... However, the ring is made for giant fingers, so the hero decides to wear it as an armband instead.
...
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How can there be endangered humanoid species? [closed]
In my urban fantasy, I have several human species that coexist with humans. I'd imagine some like species such as who're classified as Faeries have a stronghold to have intercommunication with humans. ...
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10answers
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Earth-elemental gods who wielded a hammer
The world I'm crafting is an extension of human mythology and I am drawing a blank on mythological gods who wielded a hammer and represented the earth element. And if possible the water element.
I ...
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3answers
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Why would dragons who predates humans hoard gold? [closed]
EDIT: I have been asked to create a more concise and specific question.
The question I would ask is what would be a (good) reason for my dragons as a species, having no inherent reason to share human ...
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Historical or mythological Monster Hunter organization
My search for "Monster Hunter" invariably gives me a ton of results related to the videogame and this is making my research a bit tricky.
What I'm looking for is any instance in history of a real ...
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Justifying why a troll's skin would turn to stone in sunlight
It's a fairly common legend that trolls turn to stone when exposed to daylight, and I was thinking about using such a creature in a story. I'm searching for a plausible way of justifying such a ...
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In a universe created by and controlled by malevolent or passive non-humanoid beings, what would cause the creation of humanoid gods? [closed]
Forgive me if a question like this is too general and isn't accepted here.
I'm currently working on creating a new universe to possibly be used in a D&D or RPG setting. I've been working on the ...
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Why would nature spirits be naked? [closed]
In the world I'm writing about, nature spirits such as dryads and nymphs are real. I want them to appear undressed to those humans who encounter them. In the course of the narrative, one of the dryads ...
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4answers
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Who administers soul exchanges? [closed]
Mythology is replete with examples of people selling their soul to the devil. Except... how does that actually work, mechanically?
Let's say you sign a contract agreeing that the devil may take your ...
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How would the existence of multiple mythological and religious pantheons be justified?
It's common trend for many stories within the Urban Fantasy genre to feature various mythological pantheons co-existing with one another. For example, High School DxD has a universe where Judeo-...
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Realistic Mythical Creatures [closed]
What mythological creatures could be realistically created? In my world, there are people capable of advanced genetic creation and manipulation. I was just wondering what creatures would be plausible ...
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Could a humanoid species exist with vastly different heights?
Many mythological humans vary in depictions. Let's use Trolls from Scandinavia as an example. Some are said to be giants compared to humans (I'd imagine twice the height), and some, like Danish Trolls,...
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1answer
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Anatomically Correct Satyrs
Satyrs are creatures from Greek mythology said to resemble a human with the ears, horns and lower half of a goat. They are known for throwing wild parties, heavily drinking and a fondness for music. ...
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4answers
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References to evil star myths?
I'm in a D&D campaign where astronomy plays a big deal. I want to name drop and reference some good astrology myths about evil or cursed stars, but I'm having an awful time finding anything. The ...
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3answers
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Would centaurs shoot more accurately than a cavalryman from horseback?
The question is fairly simple. If a Mongol and a Centaur ride by and shoot at you, who has the better chance of giving an arrow a new home in your gizzard?
That is, given equal skill in shooting, ...
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1answer
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Which deities in Hinduism could be most closely equated to Titania and Oberon (fairy king & queen)? [closed]
I am looking to create a version of Titania & Oberon, the Queen & King of the Fairies in Midsummer Night's Dream, that would have context in India. Probably deities or mythological beings ...
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Anatomically Correct Typhon
Please avoid the obvious jokes.
Now I know there are different versions of the Greek monster Typhon, so first I will try to describe its properties.
Incredibly large roughly 50-100 feet tall, ...
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1answer
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Would centaurs HAVE to cook meat? [duplicate]
The way I depict centaurs are like very wild people like Tarzan - living in the wild with no clothes equipment, hunting with their hands and hooves. I'm wondering though if a centaur could eat raw ...
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How does a gorgon sleep?
Weird question but with a head of snakes, do they have to sleep with their head turned to the side? Would it hurt? Do they need an incredibly fluffy pillow?
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Why might modern demigods be unable to use guns? [closed]
In Percy Jackson and the Titan’s Curse, Annabeth’s dad, Dr. Chase comes in at the end of his book and uses a machine gun on his Sopwith Camel, along with some celestial bronze bullets he created in ...
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2answers
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Rosie the Riveter [closed]
Is Rosie the Riveter best thought of as a myth or propaganda?
Propaganda is information that is not objective and is used primarily to influence an audience and further an agenda.
Myths are the ...
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Why would an army of angels with air superiority fight demons on the ground?
Angel society is militaristic with all individuals serving as warriors in some capacity. They are locked in an eternal battle against demons from hell over control of the mortal plane. Angels have ...
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0answers
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What kind of cultures would develop on a moon of a gas giant? [closed]
Picture yourself a gas giant which has a system of many moons. on the probably closest moon, which has an atmosphere close to earth's, its orbital period is close to earth's rotation period (Mimas of ...
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2answers
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How different are seasons perceived in a Mediterranean climate when compared to a North European climate? [closed]
My conculture is set in an area similar to the Mediterranean Sea, only it's almost double the west-east width of it, on a longitute around the same as Rome and Athens and a similar climate (let's take ...
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3answers
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How would you explain an eclipse in a world where all our myths are true? [closed]
In a world parallel to ours, equal in both technology and philosophy, how would you explain an eclipse but still have science behind in all parts of the world?
How would I be able to tie in all these ...
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How Could a Human beat a Centaur in a Fight?
I write centaurs as wild barbarians that love fighting - especially with weakling, little humans. So let's say our centaur and hero are fighting in an open, little, dirt circle in the middle of the a ...
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Anatomically Correct Nachtkrapp
The Nachtkrapp is a german version of the bogeyman or in a more general term a kind of bugbear. Nacht is the german word for night and Krapp is used in southern germany and austria as a word for raven....
asked Aug 7 '17 at 7:34
Sec SE - clear Monica's name
17k9 gold badges64 silver badges107 bronze badges
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1answer
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The 12 Zodiac Elements (magic-casting chart idea) [closed]
12 Zodiac Elements (Fire, Earth, Water, Air, Cardinal, Fixed, & Mutable)
Recently I've had the idea to make my elemental magic chart for one of my fantasy stories based off the Zodiac's ...
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12answers
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Cyclops - depth perception issues
In my land we have a race of human-like cyclops.
The only real difference is their increased strength, and the fact they only have one eye.
Would having one eye affect depth perception, and if so ...
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Is this a realistic creation story for a matriarchal society?
Im going for a culture which endorses and emphasizes gender roles in society. Men and women are equal, but in the complementary rather than egalitarian sense. Magic is only accessible by women. Like ...
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How can asymmetrically powerful states be balanced? (AKA why don't legendary heroes rule the world)
We've all heard the stories. The unbelievably chaste Sir Prancealot having the strength of ten men. The undefeatable members of the Kung Few, equal to any five hundred lesser mortals. The frankly ...
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We're up to our ears in after-lives. What about a before-life? [closed]
If we assume the human soul doesn't end with the body, it might be fun to entertain the idea that it doesn't begin with the body either. Suppose it exists in some dimension or realm before it is born. ...
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4answers
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How would pixie to human two way communication work?
Pixie, no bigger than a tennis ball, has coexisted along side human for as long as history can remember, note that the pixie were never treated as pet, however slavery and smuggling activities are on ...
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2answers
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Difficulties of transforming from mermaid to human and vice versa?
Anatomy wise, how could growing legs or having your legs melded together to form a large fin happen in a matter of hours? How could the change work in reverse?
I want this to be able to work without ...
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Naming the forces of the Purgatory?
I'm trying to build a world loosely based on ideas about afterlife in Christianity. In my world God is nowhere to be found and supernatural forces are split into three factions: Hell, Heaven & ...
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2answers
236 views
How different would life be in India if all of the myths would be true [closed]
India has a rich cultural heritage and mythology. 330000000 gods (Acoording to Hymns) and many many legends. How different would life be in Ancient (not Indus Valley) India if all these legends would ...
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3answers
220 views
How to explain polytheistic gods in a world with a monotheistic origin [closed]
My world was created by a single God who (at the moment) has no physical form.
But there are also humanoids gods with physical bodies. They have similar powers to the creator God but they are a lot ...
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3answers
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The Centaur--Let's Get Real, Shall We?
Undoubtedly, one of mythology's most iconic creatures is the centaur, a human being with his or her waist glued to the torso of a horse. For this post, we are avoiding the question of how ...
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Feasibility of Centaur Hussars
Would centaur cavalry be able to hold their own in an early 1800s setting? What kind of advantages and disadvantages would they have over the regular man-on-a-horse cavalry? What kind of niche would ...
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Anatomically Correct Tomte
The tomte is a creature from scandinavian mythology. It's pretty small, humanoid and has clothes and a beard. They live on farms and in houses where they help out with farmwork and other labour, ...
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Garlic and Silver — What's the Big Deal?
In popular mythology, wearing a garlic wreath is a good defense against vampires. Silver kills werewolves.
But why? How could garlic, a spice whose only offense is plain stink, deter an attractive ...
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Anatomically Correct Sleipnir
Sleipnir is Odin's steed - an eight-legged horse in Norse mythology. How and where to place its legs to make it faster than four-legged horses? What other benefits or drawbacks may arise from the ...
3
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1answer
263 views
How would the existence of the Yokai phenomenon change society? [closed]
By "yokai phenomenon" I mean the way anything, anyone or even concepts/ideas can become magical, animate, sentient and possibly predatory, as commonly depicted in Japanese mythology and modern fiction....
