Janus

Janus

I was a big fan of Greek and Roman mythology as a kid. When I first read about Janus, he became an instant favorite, though that might have been influenced by the fact that he seemed to be the only god that was uniquely Roman.   Janus is a two-faced god that is...
Iord

Iord

Iord (or Jord) is the Norse personification of earth. “Jord” is also the Swedish word for “earth,” which is pretty cool. In terms of god relationships, Iord is a consort of Odin, mother of Thor, and daughter of Night.   Interestingly, Night is the daughter of the...
Hook

Hook

Not the Hook from Neverland, but the Hook from “Crack, Crook, and Hook” infamy. I wrote about Crack and Crook earlier and their misadventures in stealing from the king’s treasury. Well, the story that includes Hook seems to precede that.   See, Crack,...
Glaistig

Glaistig

The glaistig is a faerie that is one part sexy woman, one part goat. She wears a flowing green dress to hide her beastly features. It is said that she lures men to dance with her before feeding upon them by drinking their blood. But like many faeries, she also has a...
The Fox

The Fox

Foxes aren’t exactly mythological creatures, but they do show up in a fair amount mythological tales. In the books I have at home, the ones they showed up in the most were the Japanese and Russian tales. It was interesting reading stories related to foxes from these...
Emma

Emma

Emma is the king of hell in Japanese lore. In the few stories I read with him in it, people who die are brought before him for judgment. He sometimes sends them back, either for a chance to atone for their sins, or to carry out unfinished business (after which they...