Shapi Leima

Sapi Leima (alternative)
Shabi Leima (alternative)
Sabi Leima (alternative)
Shabireima (alternative)
Sabireima (alternative)

(Meitei mythology) An ancient Meitei goddess and mistress of all the rodents, daughter of the god Salailen.


Taoroinai

Borrowed from Manipuri ꯇꯥꯎꯔꯣꯢꯅꯥꯢ (tāʼuroināi).

bor+

Tauroinai (alternative)
Taoloinai (alternative)
Tauloinai (alternative)

(Meitei mythology) Ancient Meitei serpentine dragon god of the moon.


Thangching

Borrowed from Manipuri ꯊꯥꯡꯖꯤꯡ (thāngjing).

(Meitei mythology) Ancient Meitei protector and guardian god of the southwestern direction. He is the progenitor of the Moirang clan.


Thongak Lairembi

Borrowed from Manipuri ꯊꯣꯡꯉꯥꯛ ꯂꯥꯢꯔꯦꯝꯕꯤ (thongngāk lāirembi).

ꯊꯣꯡꯉꯥꯛ ꯂꯥꯢꯔꯦꯝꯕꯤ

Thongak Leima (alternative)
Thongak Lailempi (alternative)
Thongak Lairemma (alternative)

(Meitei mythology) Ancient Meitei gatekeeper goddess of the entrance gate to the underworld kingdom. She is the consort of God Thongalen.


Thumleima

Borrowed from Manipuri ꯊꯨꯝꯂꯩꯃ (thumleima).

(Meitei mythology) An ancient Meitei goddess of salt and salt brines. She is a daughter of the god Salailen.


Yumjao Leima

Yumchao Leima (alternative)
Yumjao Lairembi (alternative)
Yumchao Lailempi (alternative)
Yumjao Lairemma (alternative)
Yumchao Lailemma (alternative)

(Meitei mythology) The ancient Meitei goddess of house, household, royalty, rule and power.


Bundahishn

Borrowed from Avestan 𐬠𐬎𐬥𐬛𐬀𐬵𐬌𐬱𐬥𐬍𐬵 (bundahišnīh, literally “primal creation”), being a word from the first sentence of the younger (and longer) of the two recensions of the work.

bor

The Bundahishn chapter is here given in outline, renderings from West's translation being sometimes adopted verbatim.

1896, A. V. Williams Jackson, “The Ancient Persian Doctrine of A Future Life”, in William Rainey Harper, Ernest DeWitt Burton, Shailer Mathews, editors, The Biblical World, New Series: Volume 8, University of Chicago Press, page 162:

1997 [Routledge], Alan Williams, 2: Later Zoroastrianism, Brian Carr, Indira Mahalingam (editors), Companion Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy, 2005, Taylor & Francis e-Library, page 23,
The Bundahishn is concerned with, among other things, the themes of the creation of the world, the order of things, and the eschatological destiny of both the individual soul and the world at large.

According to Bundahishn, the prophet had exclaimed that with the disintegration of the body and the destruction of matter, the reconstruction of the body would not be possible.

2003, Farhang Mehr, The Zoroastrian Tradition, Mazda Publishers, page 143:

(religion, Zoroastrianism, mythology) An encyclopaedic collection of Zoroastrian cosmogony and cosmology; especially, the longer of the two recessions of the work.


Iacchic

(Greek mythology) Of or relating to Iacchus.


Iakchos

(Greek mythology) Alternative form of Iacchus.


Postverta

(Roman mythology) An ancient Roman goddess of the past, sister of Antevorta.


Postvorta

(Roman mythology) Alternative form of Postverta.


Carmentae

(Roman mythology) The goddesses Antevorta and Postverta.


Argestes

(Roman mythology) A wind from the west-northwest (according to Pliny the Elder) or west-southwest (according to Vitruvius).


Chang'e

/t͡ʃɒŋ.(ʔ)ʌ/

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin Chinese pronunciation for 嫦娥 (Cháng'é).

4. Don't point at the moon
In general, pointing with the index finger at the moon is disrespectful to the moon goddess Chang'e and she will retaliate by cutting your ear clean off, or at least cut it slightly. In addition, during the Qixi Festival, it is considered even worse to point at the moon because, in addition to the original punishment from Chang'e, it may cause one's lover to have a change of heart.

2022 August 4, Keoni Everington, “5 taboos to dodge on Qixi Festival in Taiwan”, in Taiwan News, archived from the original on 2022-08-04, Culture:

(Chinese mythology) The Chinese goddess of the moon.


Lot of Fortune

(astrology) The primary Arabic lot (or 'part') still in use. It is defined as λ_H ± (λ_☾ − λ_☉) – that is, a longitudinal distance along the horizon from the ascendant, H, that is equal to the longitudinal separation of the Sun and Moon. For some, λ_H + (λ_☾ − λ_☉) is the Lot of Fortune and λ_H − (λ_☾ − λ_☉) the Lot of Spirit; more often, λ_H + (λ_☾ − λ_☉) is the Lot of Fortune during the day and λ_H − (λ_☾ − λ_☉) the Lot of Fortune at night.


Tornit

(mythology) In Inuit mythology, a member of a race of barbarian magicians.


Vingólf

(Norse mythology) The hall of the goddesses, where righteous men and those slain in battle go after death.


Hyang

(mythology) a representation of the Supreme Being in ancient Indonesian (Balinese, Javanese, Osing, Tengger, Sundanese) mythology, native to Java and Bali islands.


Ixionian

en-adj

Ixionian (comparative more Ixionian, superlative most Ixionian)

more Ixionian (comparative)
most Ixionian (superlative)

the Ixionian wheel

(Greek mythology) Of or relating to Ixion.


lotus-eater

lotus-eaters (plural)
lotus eater (alternative)
lotos-eater (alternative)
lotos eater (alternative)

Calque of Ancient Greek Λωτοφάγος (Lōtophágos), described in the epic poem the Odyssey, Book IX.

cal

Men of Ithaca, this is meeter, / In the hollow rosy vale to tarry, / Like a dreamy Lotos-eater, a delirious Lotos-eater!

1832 December (indicated as 1833), Alfred Tennyson, “The Lotos-Eaters”, in Poems, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 116:

(Greek mythology) A member of the legendary people living on an island dominated by the lotus tree, who have forgotten their homes due to the fruits' narcotic and stupefying effect.

giolla na leisce

someone with an easy life who does not worry about much


Curete

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Κουρῆτες (Kourêtes).

(Greek mythology) One of a legendary tribe of people who took part in the quarrel over the Calydonian boar, identified in antiquity as either Aetolians or Acarnanians.


Lyonesse

(mythology) A kingdom mentioned in Arthurian legend, consisting of a long strand of land stretching from Land's End at the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England to what is now the Isles of Scilly in the Celtic Sea portion of the Atlantic Ocean. It was considered lost after being swallowed by the ocean in a single night.


fear gortha

From Irish [Term?] (literally “man of hunger/famine”).

bor

(Irish mythology) A phantom of hunger, resembling an emaciated man.


Gungnir

Learned borrowing from Old Norse Gungnir (“the swaying one”).

lbor

(Norse mythology and paganism) The spear of the Norse god Odin, which is believed to never miss its target.


Khepri

Khepera (alternative)
Kheper (alternative)
Khepra (alternative)
Chepri (alternative)

(Egyptian mythology) A scarab-faced god who represents the rising or morning sun.


Khepera

Khepera eating his own seed is a model of Romantic creativity, where the self is isolated and sexually dual.

1990, Camille Paglia, Sexual Personae, Yale University Press, →ISBN, page 41:

(Egyptian mythology) Alternative form of Khepri.


Lir

(Irish mythology) A personification of the sea in Irish mythology.


ichthyocentaur

From Ancient Greek ἰχθυοκένταυρος (ikhthuokéntauros).

der

ἰχθυοκένταυρος

(Greek mythology) A centaurian sea being with the upper body of a human, the lower anterior half and forelegs of a horse, and the tailed half of a fish.


rivermaiden

(mythology, fantasy) A nymph or female spirit associated with a river.


Askr

(Norse mythology) Alternative form of Ask (“the first male human in the Edda”).


werebat

(fantasy, mythology) A shapeshifter who can change between bat and human form.


Aeacid

(Greek mythology) A descendant of King Aeacus.


Höðr

Hǫðr (alternative)
Hod (alternative)
Hoder (alternative)
Hodur (alternative)
Hodr (alternative)
Hödr (alternative)
Höd (alternative)
Hoth (alternative)
Hödur (alternative)
Hödhr (alternative)
Höder (alternative)
Hothr (alternative)
Hodhr (alternative)
Hodh (alternative)
Hother (alternative)
Höthr (alternative)
Höth (alternative)
Hödh (alternative)

(Norse mythology) The blind son of the Norse gods Odin and Frigg, whom Loki tricked into shooting Baldur with a mistletoe arrow.


starfall

en-noun

starfall (countable and uncountable, plural starfalls)

It may not be uninteresting to state that a brilliant and persistent rain of meteors, observed on the same November night both here and at Muscat, has been regarded as the certain sign and portent of ills present and to come, by Arabs in high places, who associate the troubles in the interior and along the Arabian coast with this splendid starfall.

1855, Royal Geographical Society, Proceedings and Monthly Record of Geography, London, pages 128–129:

Although there was no display of the November meteors last year [1867] in any part of Europe, yet the calculations of astronomers respecting the hour and character of the starfall accorded very closely with the results actually observed.

1872, The Student, “The November Shooting Stars”, in Richard Anthony Proctor, editor, Essays on Astronomy, page 119:

More than thirty-four thousand stars fell in one hour, and the starfall continued all night.

2005, Druzelle Cederquist, The Story of Baháʼuʼlláh, Promised One of All Religions, page 13:

(meteorology, astrology, rare) A great number of stars descending downward within outer space or the atmosphere; a meteor shower.


quesited

(astrology, divination) The object or goal that is sought in divination.


Panchaia

(Greek mythology) An island said to be the home of a utopian multiethnic society.


Rainbow Serpent

Australian Aboriginal
Australian Aboriginal

(mythology) An Australian Aboriginal deity, sometimes regarded as a creator god, sometimes associated with water, and often (though not always) described as being a snake.


tarand

(mythology) A legendary reindeer/moose-like creature with chameleon properties.


Saggie

Sagittarius. You don’t have a verbal filter (do you ever wonder why you get in so many fights?) and it’s tough to try and curb your tongue. Living with another Saggie means you’ll never have to, you can both gob off to your heart’s content and no one will cry about it.

2019 April 1, Kerry Ward, “Who your ideal housemates are, based on your star sign”, in Cosmopolitan:

One of the challenges of dating a Saggy is that they can't stand talking about feelings. As candid as they are, a Sagittarius would much rather get into a philosophical debate than tell you why they're upset, and that def seems to be the case for Symoné.

2020 July 2, Corinne Sullivan, “Raven-Symoné's Zodiac Sign Says She's A Spontaneous & Intense Partner”, in Elite Daily:


pirism

(Sufism, Bangladesh) The following of a Sufi spiritual leader (or pir)


Hilaria

/hɪˈlɛəɹi.ə/

(mythology) A legendary saint, daughter of the Roman emperor Zeno, who disguised herself as a man to become a monk and later healed her sister of an ailment.


qutb

Between the two breaths is a star. This star is […] the prophets, the qutbs, the saints of God, the lights of God, […]

2008, M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, Suratur-rahmah: The Form of Compassion, page 45:

(Sufism) One of the Sufi spiritual leaders of a particular era.


Persephatta

From Ancient Greek Περσεφάττα (Persephátta).

(Greek mythology) Alternative form of Persephone.


Persephassa

From Ancient Greek Περσεφάσσα (Persephássa).


Philoctetean

en-adj

Philoctetean (comparative more Philoctetean, superlative most Philoctetean)

more Philoctetean (comparative)
most Philoctetean (superlative)

(Greek mythology) Of or relating to Philoctetes (Ancient Greek: Φιλοκτήτης), a famed archer who participated in the Trojan War.


Arethuse

(Greek mythology) Alternative form of Arethusa.


Minyas

(Greek mythology) The founder of Orchomenus, Boeotia, and ancestor of the Minyans.


Medusan

Medusan (comparative more Medusan, superlative most Medusan)

more Medusan (comparative)
most Medusan (superlative)
Medusaean (alternative)
Medusean (alternative)

(Greek mythology) Of or relating to Medusa.


Tantalian

Tantalian (comparative more Tantalian, superlative most Tantalian)

more Tantalian (comparative)
most Tantalian (superlative)


Tantalean

Tantalean (comparative more Tantalean, superlative most Tantalean)

more Tantalean (comparative)
most Tantalean (superlative)

(mythology) Alternative form of Tantalian.


Telephus

From Ancient Greek Τήλεφος (Tḗlephos, literally “far-shining”).

bor

(Greek mythology) The son of Heracles and Auge; he was adopted by Teuthras, the king of Mysia, in Asia Minor, whom he succeeded as king, and was both wounded and later healed by Achilles.


Thamyris

(Greek mythology) A Thracian singer who challenged the Nine Muses to a competition and lost.


Thamyras

(Greek mythology) Alternative form of Thamyris.


Tritogeneia

(Greek mythology) An epithet of the goddess Athena, of uncertain meaning, but possibly "Triton-born", "triple-born", or "third-born".


Tritonia

(Greek mythology) An epithet of the goddess Athena.


akshauhini

Borrowed from Sanskrit अक्षौहिणी (akṣauhiṇī).

bor+

(Hinduism, mythology) an army consisting of ten anikinis, or 21,870 elephants, 21,870 chariots, 65,610 horses, and 109,350 foot


Zethus

(Greek mythology) The husband of the nymph Thebe


Hœnir

The Æsir send in exchange Hœnir, an obscure figure in Old Norse mythology, and perhaps understandably so, since the Vanir soon discover that Hœnir, though extremely good-looking, is like a ventriloquist's dummy.

2008, Heather O'Donoghue, From Asgard to Valhalla, Bloomsbury Publishing, unnumbered page:

2014, Dagulf Loptson, Playing With Fire, Lulu, EPUB Edition, unnumbered page,
Unfortunately, little information remains about the Æsir god Hœnir. In Gylfaginning, Snorri tells us that Hœnir was given as a hostage to the Vanir in exchange for Njörðr in a pledge of truce.

Rather curiously, it is Hœnir who is said to have imbued the lifeless wood with óðr ('frenzy', 'passion'), rather than Odin, who derives his own name from the quality.

2022, Andrew Orchard, Dictionary of Norse Myth & Legend, Hachette, unnumbered page:

(Norse mythology) A Norse Æsir god, who, along with Odin and Lodur, created the first humans.


Vidofnir

Borrowed from Old Norse Víðópnir or Víðófnir.

The special magic that lay within Laevatein's powers was such that it was the only weapon that could kill the cock Vidofnir ("Tree Snake").

1989, William O. Cord, The Teutonic Mythology of Richard Wagner's The Ring of the Nibelung, E. Mellen Press, page 175:

2003, William P. Reaves (translator), Viktor Rydberg, Our Fathers' Godsaga: Retold for the Young, [1887, Viktor Rydberg, Fädernas Gudasaga berättad för Ungdomen], iUniverse, page 203,
In the poem Fjölsvinnsmál, which portrays Svipdag's arrival in Asgard, Svipdag asks the guardian by the gate under what condition it would be possible to persuade the subterranean dis Sinmara (the "sinew maimer" Mimir-Nidhad's queen) to surrender the sword she keeps. The guardian replies that Sinmara is gripped by a severe sorrow for which Vidofnir has compassion; she will only be happy again, if a luminous sickle, lying among Vidolfnir′s völnur, is given to her.

18 Vidofnir: in v. 24 it is revealed that Vidofnir is a cockerel roosting in the tree of Mimi.
[…]
24 Sinmara: probably a giantess, cf. 'pale giantess' in v. 29. How Vidofnir oppresses her is not clear.

2014, Carolyne Larrington, editor, The Poetic Edda, Revised edition, Oxford University Press, page 318:

2019, Glenn Searfoss, Cycles of Norse Mythology, Andrews UK (Acorn Books), unnumbered page,
"The unbidden visitor can pass their sleepless watch by offering up two morsels stripped from beneath the wings of the gay cock, Vidofnir. It is a treat they cannot resist; when tossed at their feet it will allow a man to slip by while they eat."

(Norse mythology) A mythological bird (variously, a falcon or a rooster) that inhabits the top of Mímameiðr, a tree identified with Yggdrasil; sometimes positioned on the brow of another cosmic bird.


Archegetes

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-Archegetes.wav

(Greek mythology) Leader or founder; an epithet of the god Apollo.


saucerian

From saucer + -ian, in reference to flying saucers.

The “contactees” or “saucerians” surfaced in 1952 in southern California. They presented themselves as selected by superior beings from other planets for a special assignment—save the world.

2001, David A. Clary, Before and After Roswell, page 63:

(ufology) A person who has communicated with an extraterrestrial being.


Gorgoneion

From Ancient Greek γοργόνειον (gorgóneion), neuter of γοργόνειος (gorgóneios, “pertaining to a gorgon”).
The moon was named after the pendant, because of its association with the Greek goddess Athena (and thus with her Roman equivalent, Minerva).

2000, Extract from [1840, Lewis, Donaldson (translators)], K. O. Müller, Introduction to A Scientific Study of Mythology, Burton Feldman, Robert D. Richardson (editors), The Rise of Modern Mythology, 1680-1860, Indiana University Press, page 419,
On returning home, he turns Polydectes and his people to stone, and then gives the Gorgoneion to his protectress Athena, who fixes it upon her shield.

(Greek mythology) The head of the gorgon Medusa.

(Greek mythology) A pendant, worn by the goddess Athena, which features an image of Medusa's head.


Chrysaor

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Χρυσάωρ (Khrusáōr).

Pegasus alone issues from the neck of the winged and decapitated Medusa,ᵇ or Chrysaor and Pegasus at the same moment.ᶜ

1855, Archaeologia, or Miscellaneous Tracts Relating to Antiquity, Volume 36, Society of Antiquaries of London, page 59:

Medusa embraces a winged horse and a youth who have been identified as her sons, Pegasus and Chrysaor. This interpretation is problematic because it involves a temporal impossibility:⁷⁶ the inversion of time sequence. The myth, which is as early as Hesiod (Theogony, 270–82), states clearly that Pegasus was born after Medusa was decapitated.

2002, Nannó Marinatos, The Goddess and the Warrior, Taylor & Francis (Routledge), page 65:

An innovation comes with Chrysaor, an enigmatic figure who appears in myth in multiple forms: the most famous is the offspring of Medusa and the progenitor of various monsters, including Geryon,³⁴ making Chrysaor hardly a heroic figure.

2010, Lee E. Patterson, Kinship Myth in Ancient Greece, University of Texas Press, page 120:

(Greek mythology) A son of Poseidon and Medusa and brother of the winged horse Pegasus, often depicted as a young man, who sprang along with Pegasus from the blood of the decapitated Medusa.


Philomel

Above the antique mantel was displayed / As though a window gave upon the sylvan scene / The change of Philomel, by the barbarous king / So rudely forced; […]

1922 October, T[homas] S[tearns] Eliot, “Part II. A Game of Chess.”, in The Waste Land, 1st book edition, New York, N.Y.: Boni and Liveright, published December 1922, →OCLC, page 19:

(Greek mythology) Alternative form of Philomela.


Calydonian Boar

(Greek mythology) A giant boar, who was sent by the goddess Artemis to ravage the area of Calydon.


Calydonian Hunt

(Greek mythology) The Calydonian boar hunt: the process of hunting the Calydonian Boar.


royal stars

At the earlier period the Summer solstice was in the centre of Leo, the Autumnal equinox in the centre of Scorpio, and the Winter solstice in the centre of Aquarius - corresponding roughly, Mr. Maunder points out, to the positions of the four "Royal Stars," Aldebaran, Regulus, Antares and Fomalhaut.

1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., published 1921, page 41:

(astrology) A set of four first magnitude stars, Aldebaran, Regulus, Antares and Fomalhaut, regarded by ancient Persians as the guardians of the sky.


guivre

The guivre / The legless and wingless guivre would have seemed a mere serpent, albeit an immensely powerful one, except for its massive dragon head, horned and bearded. Guivres liked to live in forests and wells—anywhere near water[…]

(heraldry, mythology) A serpentine creature, variously one with no limbs (like a simple snake, but often depicted swallowing someone), or with wings and only two legs (a wyvern).


hel-shoes

(Norse mythology) Shoes that were purportedly placed on the dead so that they could walk to Valhalla.


ruling planet

(astrology) The planet (a term which in astrology includes the Sun and Moon) which is considered to have especially strong influence over a given zodiac sign; the sign is called the planet's domicile.


Necessitas

Learned borrowing from Latin necessitās. Doublet of necessity.

(Roman mythology, Orphic theology) The personification of absolute necessity; Ananke.


tsuchigumo

(Japanese mythology) A member of a race of spider-like yokai.


Cybelean

(mythology) Of or relating to the goddess Cybele in Greek and Anatolian mythology.


Jotunheim

(Norse mythology) A realm in Nordic mythology inhabited by the jötnar.


Despoina

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-Despoina.wav

(Greek mythology) the daughter of Demeter and Poseidon


barbegazi

en-noun

barbegazi (plural barbegazi or barbegazis)

Both male and female barbegazi wear white fur garments which help them blend into the snowy scenery.

1996, D. J. Conway, Magickal, Mythical, Mystical Beasts, Llewellyn Publications, →ISBN, page 199:

Some humans living in the region say that the Barbegazi are very helpful, but the credit is more often than not given to the St. Bernard dogs.

2001, D. J. Conway, Magickal Mystical Creatures: Invite Their Powers into Your Life, Llewellyn Publications, published 2018, →ISBN:

Barbegazi are such expert rescuers, you see.

2013, Raynetta J. Stocks, The Isle of Kishi Mora (The Lova Chronicles), book 2, RJS Books, →ISBN, page 122:

A halfling has been hiding in the snow outside the barbegazi village.

2016, Kim McDougall, Hibernaculum, Kim McDougall, →ISBN:

You couldn't keep a barbegazi inside a house. […] Similar to polar bears, barbegazi are covered in an insulating underfur, topped by long guard hairs.

2019, H. S. Norup, The Missing Barbegazi, North Star Editions, →ISBN:

Frozenfalls are specifically for the Queen herself; there are, however, some small ice creatures such as qiqirns, barbegazis, ice-cream cats, snow aliens, ice wraiths and there is also one ice dragon; but no other guardian or creatures are allowed on this island.

2022, Bianca Steyn, Reborn, Dorrance Publishing Co, →ISBN, page vi:

(mythology) A kind of gnomelike or dwarflike mythical creature.


grey folk

One of the most important of all Yuletide observances was the 'saining' required to guard life or properties from the Trows. If the proper observances were omitted, the 'grey-folk' were sure to take advantage of the opportunity.

1888, Biot Edmonndston, Jessie Saxby, The Home of a Naturalist, page 136:

(Scotland, mythology) elves, the fae, the wee folk.


origo gentis

Derived from Medieval Latin origo gentis (“origin, beginning of a people”).

(mythology, historical) The origin story of a tribe or people.


gallows god

It is from this tree that Odin hanged himself in sacrifice, making the world-tree a gallows and himself the gallows god.

2017, Neil Gaiman, Norse Mythology, Bloomsbury Publishing, page 20:

(Norse mythology) A byname for the God Odin, so called for being hanged on the world tree Yggdrasil.


wolf-child

Odin watched the wolf-child grow with foreboding, for in his dreams the wolf had been there at the end of everything[.]

2017, Neil Gaiman, Norse Mythology, Bloomsbury Publishing, page 78:

(mythology, fantasy) A being that is part wolf, part child.


frost giant

Calque of Old Norse hrímþurs, from hrím (“rime, frost”) + þurs (“giant, troll”).

There were frost giants and mountain giants at Balder's funeral[.]

2017, Neil Gaiman, Norse Mythology, Bloomsbury Publishing, page 221:

(Norse mythology) A type of large, strong, and fearsome supernatural beings that live in cold and icy regions.


skyfish

(ufology) Synonym of rod (“rod-shaped optical phenomenon”).


Marpesia

From Ancient Greek Μαρπησία (Marpēsía, literally “snatcher”).

bor

(Greek mythology) The queen of the Amazons, who ruled with her sister Lampedo, and helped to establish the Greek city of Ephesus.


maenadism

(Greek mythology) The frenzied state of a female follower of Dionysus.


Homlin

(mythology, Russia) In the city of Kaliningrad, a mythological creature, who, according to legend, lives next to people, and at night produces amber products; according to legend, they bring happiness and goodness.


anabibazon

From Ancient Greek ἀναβιβάζων (anabibázōn).

(astrology, obsolete) The ascending lunar node, where the Moon moves into the northern ecliptic hemisphere.


Thaumas

(Greek mythology) A sea god, son of Pontus and Gaia


brazen age

These last bear some resemblance to the golden, silver, brazen, and iron ages of the Greeks.

1841, Elphinstone, Hist. India, volume I, page 257:

(mythology) The third of the four mythological ages of mankind, said to come between the silver and the iron age.

ద్వాపరము

myth: third age of man, after the silver age and before the iron age


Fifth World

the Fifth World (canonical)
5th World (alternative)

After the Fourth World. The hierarchical micronation sense was coined before July 13, 2002 by micropatriologist Cesidio Tallini.

The Aztec did not realize that all people are the Children of the Creator. They failed to conquer the Fifth World. Instead, Western man conquered the Aztec, and tried to destroy what he thought was Indian Religion.

1975, Tony Shearer, Beneath the Moon and Under the Sun: A Poetic Re-appraisal of the Sacred Calendar and the Prophecies of Ancient Mexico, Sun Publishing Company, page 107:

In the Aztec tradition, the Fifth World is the last one, and after a tremendous quake destroys it, the earth is not re-created. According to the Aztecs, human sacrifice is required to prolong the age of the Fifth World or the ritual letting of blood keeps the sun in motion—it is when the sun stops that the earth begins to quake and the apocalypse occurs.

2004, Lorena Laura Stookey, Thematic Guide to World Mythology, Greenwood Press, →ISBN, page 20:

A world in a number of American mythologies:

(Aztec, mythology) Synonym of Fifth Sun.

The Fourth World was not satisfactory so First Man led the Beings again upward to the Fifth and present world where again were found pre-existent Beings. From these, by magic, the Fifth World was won.

1956, Robert W. Young, The Navajo Yearbook of Planning in Action, number 5, United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, page 189:

(Navajo, mythology) The present world, which the Navajo travelled through four worlds to reach.


Island of the Blest

en-proper noun

Island of the Blest (plural Islands of the Blest)

The Feeries of romance may be divided into three kinds: Avalon, placed in the ocean, like the Island of the Blest; those that, like the palace of Pari Banou, are within the earth; and, lastly, those that, like Oberon's domains, are situate 'in wilderness among the holtis hairy.'

1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 45:

(mythology) A paradisial island or archipelago, located to the far West, the abode of good people after death.


Dark Alfs

But the Döckalfar (Dark Alfs) dwell below under the ground, and are unlike them in appearance, and still more unlike in actions.

1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, volume I, London: William Harrison Ainsworth, page 109:


Light Alfs

The former were, according to the ideas of those times, of a good and elevated nature, and of a friendly disposition towards men, whence they also received the name of White or Light Alfs or Spirits.

1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, volume I, London: William Harrison Ainsworth, page 106:

In his Edda Snorri tells us that the Light Alfs are bright and shining, very fair to look upon, which fits well with the first reading of the word's etymology.

2023, Kveldulf Gundarsson, Elves, Wights & Trolls, The Three Little Sisters, page 83:


Alfar

The Alfar still live in the memory and traditions of the peasantry of Scandinavia.

1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, volume I, London: William Harrison Ainsworth, page 135:

"Ill is it with the Æsir, ill is it with the Alfar."

1964, J. A. Macculloch, The Mythology of All Races, New York: Cooper Square Publishers, page 220:


Sleipnir

Borrowed from Old Norse Sleipnir (“the slipper, the slippy one”).

bor+

And Ranald swore first by the white Christ, and then by the head of Sleipnir, Odin’s horse[.]

1866, Charles Kingsley, chapter 33, in Hereward the Wake, London: Nelson, page 443:

(Norse mythology) The eight-legged horse of Odin.


Teumessian fox

[…]there is a place called Teumessus, where they say Europa was concealed by Jupiter. It is likewise said of the Teumessian fox, that it was nourished by Bacchus for the purpose of destroying the Thebans; aod that when it was on the point of being taken by that dog which Diana gave to Procris the daughter of Erechtheus, both the dog and the fox were changed into stones.

1824, Pausanias, The Description of Greece, →OCLC:

When Amphitryon came to Thebes he found that another curse had descended on that unlucky city. For the Teumessian Fox, which was as large and savage as a wolf, had been sent by Dionysus to plague the land, catching children and carrying them away to its lair, as a punishment for the things he had suffered in Thebes.

1961, Green, Roger Lancelyn, Heroes of Greece and Troy, retold from the ancient authors, →OCLC:

One Greek myth has it that Laelaps and the Teumessian Fox were cast into space where they formed the two constellations, Canis Major and Minor.

2015, Hankins, Justine, author, Dogopedia : a compendium of canine curiosities:

(Greek mythology) A giant fox destined to never be caught.


ur-myth

(anthropology, mythology) A myth believed to be a precursor or prototype to all existing myths.


wee folk

(mythology) Small magical humanoid creatures such as fairies.


Brunhilda

(mythology) Alternative form of Brunhild.


missing time

The report of abduction, the memory loss, the missing time, and the shape of the UFO are all familiar to UFO investigators, for this is not an isolated episode.

1978, Brad Steiger, Alien Meetings, page 168:

We have already seen how the victims of UFO abductions seem to have 'missing time' - sometimes they have no memories of several hours of their lives.

1984, John Rimmer, The Evidence for Alien Abductions, page 45:

There were two to three hours of missing time in their return trip for which neither of them could account.

1991, David Allen Lewis, UFO: End-Time Delusion:

Hopkins describes "missing time" as a time lapse of approximately two hours, after which the abductee can consciously remember little or nothing of the experience.

1996, Angela Hague, David Lavery, Marla Cartwright (editors), Deny All Knowledge, Reading the X-Files, page 8:

While Johnson doesn't display many of the indications of alien abduction, he does have a period of missing time which can be absolutely verified, unlike most abductees' cases.

1999, Chris A. Rutkowski, Abductions and Aliens - What's Really Going On, page 153:

According to Zerbe, while he and his team were out at the crash site, they experienced a period of what in alien abduction terminology has become known as missing time.

2018, Nick Redfern, Top Secret Alien Abduction Files, What the Government Doesn't Want You to Know, page 127:

(psychology, parapsychology, ufology) A time period of amnesia or a gap in conscious memory reported by individuals who have experienced alien abduction.


Nereus

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Νηρεύς (Nēreús).

(Greek mythology) The eldest son of Pontus (the sea) and Gaia (the earth).


Nicander

Borrowed from Latin Nicander, itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek Νίκανδρος (Níkandros). Cognate with French Nicandre.

(Greek mythology) According to Herodotus, one of the three Peleiades.


Chalamba

(Meitei mythology) A Khuman royal scion who brought goddess Imoinu from the Khuman kingdom to the Meitei kingdom.


T'ien

From Mandarin 天 (Tiān), Wade–Giles romanization: Tʻien¹.

Confucius had a lively faith in T’ien and that faith was the ultimate source of his greatness. For one thing, that faith convinced him that one’s happiness depends upon the approval of T’ien rather than the praises of men, upon one’s interior qualities rather than external things. Once he said, “I do not murmur against T’ien, nor grumble against men. My studies lie low, but my penetration rises high. T’ien alone knows me.”²⁰

1965, John C.H. Wu, “Confucius: The Man and His Ideas”, in Chinese Humanism and Christian Spirituality, Angelico Press, published 2017, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 7:

As we have seen, the Taipings thought of God as having emotions. He loves his sons and becomes angry when the people forsake him and take to the way of the devil. The Taipings thought of God as kind and compassionate but jealous. T’ien in the minds of the ancient Chinese exhibits the same emotions: Tien^([sic – meaning T'ien]) is said to be compassionate and to love the people.⁵¹ T’ien so loves the people that he grants them their wishes.⁵² The sovereign T’ien is often angry when the people are misruled.⁵³ This anger finds vent in the punishment of the wicked. Tung Chung-shu of the Han describes the emotional nature of T’ien in the following words: “Heaven has its own feelings of joy and anger and a mind which experiences sadness and pleasure, analogous to those of man.”⁵⁴

1967, Vincent Y. C. Shih, “The Classics and Confucianism”, in The Taiping Ideology: Its Sources, Interpretations, and Influences (Far Eastern and Russian Institute Publications on Asia), number 15, University of Washington Press, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 173:

(Chinese mythology) Alternative form of Tian (“Heaven, God”).


elle-people

It is also necessary to watch cattle so that they may not graze in any place where the Elle-people have been. If any animal goes to a place where the Elle-people have spit or done what is worse, it is attacked by some grievous disease, which can only be cured by giving it a handful of St. John's wort, which was pulled at twelve o'clock on St. John's night.

1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, volume I, London: William Harrison Ainsworth, page 140:

"I tremble at the very thought of the Elle-people of whom our villagers tell, while thou hast not a single fear. Why is it, sister?"

1861, Dinah Craik, Romantic Tales, Leipzip: Berhard Tauchnitz, page 164:

(mythology) A type of elf of Scandinavian folklore.


elle-maid

The Wilde Frauen or Wild-women of Germany bear a very strong resemblance to the Elle-maids of Scandinavia. Like them they are beautiful, have fine flowing hair, live within hills, and only appear singly or in the society of each other.

1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, volume II, London: William Harrison Ainsworth, page 33:

(mythology) A type of female elf of Scandinavian folklore.


elle-folk

"We're none of the elle-folk who dance in the hills and weave fates, ye mun go to them for that."

1860, Harriet Elizabeth Prescott, Sir Rohan's Ghost: A Romance, Boston: J.E. Tilton and Co., page 293:

Still the Elle-folk are often mentioned in the legends he proceeds to give as inhabiting houes, notwithstanding an explicit opening statement that they ‘dwell in the Elle-mosses,’ and notwithstanding the fact also that the so-called Elle-kone of the houes seems evidently to want the hollow back.

1865 November, J[ohn] C[hristopher] Atkinson, “Comparative Danish and Northumbrian Folk Lore. […] Chapter VII. Elle Folk.”, in The Monthly Packet of Evening Readings for Younger Members of the English Church, volume XXX, part 179, London: John and Charles Mozley, […]; and J[ohn] H[enry] Parker, […], footnote, page 476:

The ellefolk live in mosses, banks and mounds, under alder-trees and in alder-thickets.

1896, William Alexander Craigie, Scandinavian Folk-lore, London: Alexander Gardner, page 175:


Ireima

Ileima (alternative)
Eleima (alternative)
Ereima (alternative)
Eeleima (alternative)
Eereima (alternative)

(Meitei mythology) An ancient Meitei goddess of water, aquatic life, diseases and illnesses.


Grimnir

Borrowed from Old Norse Grímnir (“masked one”). Compare Old Norse Grímr, from which comes the synonym Grim. See also Icelandic gríma (“mask”).

Grimnir taught Geirrodr how to unseat an opponent from his horse with a minimum amount of effort. And sometimes late in the evening Grimnir talked of Asgardr and the Æsir themselves, as if he had actually been there.

2010, Heilan Yvette Grimes, The Norse Myths, Hollow Earth Publishing, page 116:

To torture him into talking, the king strung Grimnir between two fires for eight nights.
King Geirrod had a ten-year-old son named after his brother, Agnar. Agnar gave Grimnir a whole horn to drink, saying it was wrong for his father to torture an innocent man.

2014, Jeramy Dodds, transl., The Poetic Edda, Coach House Books, page 67:

(Norse mythology) Odin; specifically, the name adopted by Odin in Grímnismál ("The Lay of Grimnir", also called "Grimnir's Sayings", in the Poetic Edda).


Curitis

(Roman mythology) An epithet of the goddess Juno.


retroshade

Retroshade is going to increase the chances of a travel mishap, so just get ahead of the chances and protect yourself.

2017 December 19, Kaitlyn Wylde, “Mercury Retroshade Can Seriously Mess Up Holiday Plans — Here's How to Prepare”, in Bustle, archived from the original on 2020-12-06:

Retroshade is considered by astrologers (such as myself) to be the worst part of Mercury Retrograde. The pre-Retrograde starts slowing down the communicative planet and begins to make us all see situations with unclear thoughts.

2019 November 20, Lisa Stardust, “Yeah, Mercury Retrograde Is Over—but Have You Heard of *Retroshade*?”, in Cosmopolitan, New York, N.Y.: Hearst Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-11-04:

Technically speaking, retroshade refers to a planet's "retrograde shadow period," which occurs both before and after the retrograde itself. It's when the planet slows down as it prepares to enter retrograde and speeds up as it leaves its backward motion behind. […]

[2023 January 11, Aliza Kelly, “When Mercury Retrograde Ends, Mercury Retroshade Begins”, in The Cut, archived from the original on 2023-08-09:

(astrology) A transitional period, occurring immediately before and after retrograde, during which a planet moves across the same part of the sky twice.


Kakyen

(Meitei mythology) A tyrannical monstrous gigantic colossal cannibalistic mythical bird that was killed by Meitei princes, Yoimongba and Taothingmang, with the help of mother goddess Leimarel.


Pebet

(Meitei mythology) A legendary bird species, smaller than sparrows in size, and endemic to Manipur, often known for its wits.


Khambrangchak

Borrowed from Manipuri ꯈꯝꯕ꯭ꯔꯥꯡꯆꯥꯛ (khamb͟rāngcāk).

(Meitei mythology) A bird species. It is known for one female of its species, causing a chain of damages while preparing for visiting to her paternal family


peach of immortality

en-noun

peach of immortality (plural peaches of immortality)

peaches of immortality (plural)
Peach of Immortality (alternative)

Calque of Chinese 仙桃 (xiāntáo, literally “immortal peach”).

calque

(Chinese mythology) A kind of peach believed to grant longevity to those who consume it.


Alastor

(Greek mythology) Any of several characters in Greek mythology, variously spirit, human, a horse of the underworld.


Roman charity

en-noun

Roman charity (countable and uncountable, plural Roman charities)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Roman charity.wav

(Greek mythology, Roman mythology) A story where someone is sentenced to die by starvation; but their daughter saves them by secretly breastfeeding them.

Cimon and Pero (Rubens)
Peter Paul Rubens


grey alien

grey aliens (plural)
gray alien (alternative)

(science fiction or ufology) An archetypical humanoid alien, usually described as having grey skin, elongated, hairless, sexless features, and a large head with bulbous black eyes; chiefly associated with flying saucers, alien abductions and conspiracy theories relating to cover-ups by the United States government, such as Area 51.


Adrastean

(mythology) Of or relating to the nymph Adrasteia or Adrastea in Greek mythology.


Vagitanus

(Roman mythology) A male deity involved with childbirth.


Suchus

From Latin Sūchus, from Ancient Greek Σοῦχος (Soûkhos), ultimately from Egyptian s-b-k:I3 (sbk). Doublet of Sobek.

der

<i class="Latn mention" lang="egy">sbk</i>

(Egyptian mythology) Synonym of Sobek (“An ancient Egyptian deity associated with the crocodile.”).


Buto

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Βουτώ (Boutṓ), from Egyptian wAD-t-I12 (wꜣḏt (literally “green one”)), an allusion to the skin of the cobra. Doublet of Wadjet.

der

<i class="Latn mention" lang="egy">wꜣḏt</i> (literally “green one”)


UFOer

Ring sees both the NDE and UFOE as modern day shamanic initiations in which the journeyer (NDEer or UFOer) enters an "imaginal" reality, an alternative reality that coexists with physical reality and that is equally real.

1992, Spirited Women Book Company (publisher), At the Crossroads, page 48:

I claim to be a counseling psychologist, a UFO researcher, and a UFO experiencer (UFOer).

1995, American Society for Psychical Research (publisher), The Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, volume 89, page 85:

People began meeting at certain spots at night to keep a lookout for more UFOs. They became known as skywatchers or UFOers.

2005, Chris Gethard, Weird New York, Your Travel Guide to New York's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets, page 25:

A small UFOer, whose badge said, "Billy Clark," spoke up. "But by your own criteria, many experiences of extraterrestrials are also real.

2016, Kenneth Clatterbaugh, The Freedom of Will, page 234:

unidentified flying object
unidentified flying object#English

(ufology, uncommon) Initialism of unidentified flying object experiencer (“a person who has witnessed a UFO or has established contact with its alien occupants”).


karmic blowback

From karmic + blowback. First use appears c. 2000, although the exact date of its first appearance is uncertain.

(New Age, mysticism, metaphysics, spirituality) An adverse or unfortunate event or occurrence, as a result of an accumulation of past misdeeds.

metaphysics; spirituality; metaphysics; spirituality


Jafnhár

From Old Norse Jafnhár (literally “Just-as-High”), from jafn (“equal, the same”) + hár (“high, tall”). Compare Hár.

compound

(Norse mythology) One of the three enthroned figures who feature opposite King Gylfi in the Gylfaginning.

יפנהר

Norse mythology: enthroned figure in the Gylfaginning


Sun Wukong

Borrowed from the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 孫悟空 /孙悟空 (Sūn Wùkōng, literally “Sun Awakened-to-Emptiness”).

bor

(Chinese mythology) A fictional anthropomorphic monkey with various abilities and magical powers best known for being one of the main characters in the 16th-century Chinese epic Journey to the West, and is revered as a deity by some Buddhists and most Taoists.


orthoteny

en-noun

orthoteny (countable and uncountable, plural orthotenies)

[…] believes that he had discovered a new principle called orthoteny, according to which saucer-sightings of any given short period tend, far more often than chance would permit, form plottable straight lines of 3 or more points.

1951, Anthony Boucher, J. Francis McComas, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, volume 16, Mercury Press, Incorporated, page 86:

[…] of flying saucer reports in France in 1954 supporting the author's theory of "orthoteny," i.e., the fact that he can connect the points at which flying saucers appeared each day with a series of straight lines radiating out from a central point.

1958, Junior Libraries, volume 5, R.R. Bowker., page 117:

Michel dubbed the pattern "orthoteny” (from the Greek orthoteneis, meaning "stretched in a straight line"). During the 1954 wave, he argued, flying saucers appeared over the course of any given day along straight lines crisscrossing French territory.

2024, Greg Eghigian, “4 From Mystery to Movement 1947-1960”, in After the Flying Saucers Came: A Global History of the UFO Phenomenon, illustrated, reprint edition, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 110:

(ufology) The study of straight lines, especially in regards to the flight paths that UFOs tend to follow.


Daphnidian

en-adj

Daphnidian (comparative more Daphnidian, superlative most Daphnidian)

more Daphnidian (comparative)
most Daphnidian (superlative)

(mythology) Of or relating to the poet Daphnis in Greek legend.


Aegaeonian

Aegaeonian (comparative more Aegaeonian, superlative most Aegaeonian)

more Aegaeonian (comparative)
most Aegaeonian (superlative)

(mythology) Of or relating to Aegaeon in Greek mythology


Methonean

Methonean (comparative more Methonean, superlative most Methonean)

more Methonean (comparative)
most Methonean (superlative)

/mɛθəˈniːən/

(mythology) Of or relating to Methone in Greek mythology.


Anthean

Anthean (comparative more Anthean, superlative most Anthean)

more Anthean (comparative)
most Anthean (superlative)

(mythology) Of or relating to Anthe in Greek mythology.


Pallenean

Pallenean (comparative more Pallenean, superlative most Pallenean)

more Pallenean (comparative)
most Pallenean (superlative)

(mythology) Of or relating to Pallene in Greek mythology.


Calypsoan

Calypsoan (comparative more Calypsoan, superlative most Calypsoan)

more Calypsoan (comparative)
most Calypsoan (superlative)

(mythology) Of or relating to Calypso in Greek mythology.


Helenean

Helenean (comparative more Helenean, superlative most Helenean)

more Helenean (comparative)
most Helenean (superlative)

They hasten youth / Into maturer womanhood; they give / A brighter lustre to the beaming eye, / Fairer proportions to the moulded form / Of Helenéan beauty, and impart / A deeper current to the fervent stream / Of the unsealed affections.

1841, Pliny Earle, “Angelina”, in Marathon, and Other Poems, Philadelphia: Henry Perkins, page 76:

(Greek mythology) Of or relating to Helen, the daughter of Zeus and Leda.


Polydeucean

Polydeucean (comparative more Polydeucean, superlative most Polydeucean)

more Polydeucean (comparative)
most Polydeucean (superlative)

(mythology) Of or relating to the god Polydeuces (a.k.a. Pollux) in Greek mythology.


Deimian

(mythology) Of or relating to Deimos in Greek mythology.


Selenian

(Greek mythology) Of or relating to the god Selene in Greek mythology.


Thebean

(mythology) Of or relating to Thebe in Greek mythology.


Himalian

(mythology) Of or relating to the nymph Himalia in Greek mythology.


Elarian

(mythology) Of or relating to the princess Elara in Greek mythology.


Pasiphaëan

(mythology) Of or relating to the queen Pasiphaë or Pasiphae in Greek mythology.


Sinopean

(mythology) Of or relating to Sinope in Greek mythology.


Lysithean

(mythology) Of or relating to Lysithea (a.k.a. Lysithoe) in Greek mythology.


Anankean

/ænəŋˈkiːən/

(mythology) Of or relating to the god Ananke in Greek mythology.


Ledean

(mythology) Of or relating to the queen Leda in Greek mythology.


Nereidian

(mythology) Of or relating to the Nereids in Greek mythology.


Naiadian

(mythology) Of or relating to the Naiads in Greek mythology.


Thalassian

(mythology) Of or relating to Thalassa, the personification of the Sea in Greek mythology.


Despinian

(mythology) Of or relating to the god Despina (a.k.a. Despoena) in Greek mythology.


Galatean

/ɡæləˈtiːən/

(mythology) Of or relating to the Nereid Galatea in Greek mythology.


Larissian

(mythology) Of or relating to Larissa in Greek mythology.


Halimedean

(mythology) Of or relating to the Nereid Halimede in Greek mythology.


Psamathean

/sæməˈθiːən/

(mythology) Of or relating to the Nereid Psamathe in Greek mythology.


Saonian

(mythology) Of or relating to the Nereid Sao in Greek mythology.


Laomedeian

(mythology) Of or relating to the Nereid Laomedeia in Greek mythology.


Nesoan

(mythology) Of or relating to the Nereid Neso in Greek mythology.


hippocampian

(mythology) Of or relating to the hippocamp, a creature in Greek mythology.


Hydrian

(mythology) Of or relating to the monster Hydra in Greek legend.


Dysnomian

(mythology) Of or relating to the demon Dysnomia in Greek mythology.


Orthosian

/ɔːrˈθoʊʒiən/

(mythology) Of or relating to the god Orthosia in Greek mythology.


Thyonean

/ˌθaɪəˈniːən/

(mythology) Of or relating to Thyone in Greek mythology.


Aoedean

/ˌeɪəˈdiːən/

(mythology) Of or relating to the muse Aoede in Greek mythology.


Euphrosynean

(mythology) Of or relating to the Grace Euphrosyne in Greek mythology.


Hektorean

(mythology) Of or relating to the hero Hektor in the Iliad.


Nemesian

(mythology) Of or relating to the Greek god Nemesis.


Hebean

(mythology) Of or relating to the Greek god Hebe.


Elektrian

(mythology) Of or relating to the tragic figure Elektra in Greek mythology.


Electrian

(mythology) Of or relating to the tragic figure Electra in Greek mythology.


Hermionean

(Greek mythology) Of or relating to Hermione of Greek mythology.


mavka

(Slavic mythology, mythology) In Ukrainian folklore, a forest spirit who lures men to their deaths.


zaratan

Ultimately from Arabic سَرَطَان (saraṭān, “crab”), possibly via Spanish zaratán.

[…]turtle known as zaratans. Living for millennia, these slow-moving gentle giants dine exclusively on sea […] a zaratan's shell grows ever more complex as it ages.

2019 June 18, Lindsay Cibos-Hodges, Jared Hodges, Draw Baby Beasties: Create Little Dragons, Unicorns, Mermaids and More, Penguin, →ISBN, page 86:

[…] turtle—a zaratan. On the zaratan's back were hundreds of tiny green frogs nestled in the seaweed, with bat wings and long reptile tails.

2019 October 8, Megan Linski, Alicia Rades, Hidden Legends, The Air Omen, Crystallite Publishing:

[…] from the colossal zaratan that cruises the seas to the gigantic roc that rules the skies or the deadly basilisk that haunts the ruins of ancient cities.

2023 September 7, Emily Hawkins, A Natural History of Magical Beasts, →ISBN, page 54:

(mythology) In Arabic folklore, an extremely large (sea) turtle, the shell of which resembles an island.


Gondlir

Borrowed from Old Norse Gǫndlir (“wand bearer", "wand wielder”) (Gǫnd + -lir), where the wand is a magical implement possibly used for shamanic travel. It has also been suggested that Gǫnd may signify "wolf" (implying a spirit or otherwise magical wolf).

bor

2015, Neil Gaiman, The American Gods Quartet, 2019, Ebook, Hachette Livre (Headline Publishing Group), unnumbered page,
I told you I would tell you my names. This is what they call me. I am called Glad-of-War, Grim, Raider and Third. I am One-eyed. […] I am All-Father, and I am Gondlir Wand-bearer.


Telegonus

From Ancient Greek Τηλέγονος (Tēlégonos)

(Greek mythology) the son of Circe and Odysseus.


rota Fortunae

/ˌɹəʊtə ˈfɔːt͡ʃuːni/

Unadapted borrowing from Latin rota Fortūnae (literally “Fortuna’s wheel”), from rota (“wheel”) + Fortūnae (the genitive dative singular of Fortūna (“the Roman goddess of fate, fortune, and luck”)).

ubor

As a medievalist Ignatius believed in the rota Fortunae, or wheel of fortune, a central concept in De Consolatione Philosophiae, the philosophical work which had laid foundation for medieval thought. […] Was his wheel rapidly spinning downward?

1963 (date written), John Kennedy Toole, chapter 2, in A Confederacy of Dunces, London: Penguin Books, published 1980 (1981 printing), →ISBN, section I, page 27:

Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune#English

(mythology, philosophy) Synonym of Wheel of Fortune (“the mythological wheel turned randomly by Fortuna, the Roman goddess of fate, fortune, and luck, to determine people's fortunes which were thus unpredictable”).


primordial chaos

But this I now know, that rather than be your sun-flower, and turn and incline to you, e'en let the world return to its primordial chaos.

1757, G. W. Rabener, Satirical Letters, volume 2, page 283:

That of the first (1 in our appendix) is more theogonic than cosmogonic; it contains the succession of the generations of the gods, emanating from primordial chaos.

1882, François Lenormant, The Beginnings of History: According to the Bible and the Traditions of Oriental Peoples; From the Creation of Man to the Deluge, page 54:

The primordial chaos encompasses both creative and destructive forces and is capable of bringing forth new life and of destroying it in a blind rage.

2012, Alexander D. Ornella, “Disruptive Violence as Means to Create a Space for Reflection: Thoughts on Tarantino's Attempts at Audience Irritation”, in Robert von Dassanowsky, editor, Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds: A Manipulation of Metacinema, Continuum, page 222:

(mythology) The original unordered state of the universe, especially in classical cosmogonies.


Aiaia

(Greek mythology) Archaic form of Aeaea.


Heliades

(Greek mythology) The daughters of Helios and Clymene.


Oizys

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ὀϊζύς (Oïzús).

1987, Richard S. Caldwell (translator), Hesiod, Theogony, Hackett Publishing Company (Focus), page 40,
Next Momos and painful Oizys were born to the dark goddess Nyx, though she lay with no one,

(Greek mythology) The (female) personification of pain and distress; said by Hesiod is his Theogony to be the offspring of Nyx (Night) and produced without the assistance of a father; identified with the Roman Miseria (Misery).


Rhoeo

(Greek mythology) A lover of Apollo and mother of Anius, king of Delos and priest of Apollo.


Mene

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Μήνη (Mḗnē).

(Greek mythology) A goddess of the Moon, specifically presiding over the months, sometimes regarded as an epithet of Selene.


Alcestis

(Greek mythology) A princess, the fairest of the daughters of Pelias, known for her love of her husband.


Kastalia

(mythology) Alternative form of Castalia.


Molossus

(Greek mythology) The son of Neoptolemus and Andromache, the eponymous founder of the Molossians.


RWS

The RWS card shows the Empress in a garden suggesting natural surroundings, gardening, beautifying your environment, or working with food, plants, and personal enhancements.

2002, Mary K. Greer, The Complete Book of Tarot Reversals, page 47:

In RWS-influenced decks, the Sun card depicts a single gleeful child.

2014, Mark McElroy, A Guide to Tarot Card Meanings, page 80:

I referenced the RWS in my examples, but only for reasons of accessibility—not because I think it’s a better deck.

2016, Courtney Weber, Tarot for One: The Art of Reading for Yourself, page 237:

(tarot) Initialism of Rider-Waite-Smith; a tarot deck first published in 1909 by William Rider & Son, featuring illustrations by artist Pamela Colman Smith, based on the instructions of occultist A. E. Waite.


Aesacus

From Latin Aesacus, from Ancient Greek Αἴσᾰκος (Aísăkos).

Æsacus (alternative)
Aisakos (alternative)

(Greek mythology) A son of King Priam, either by the naiad Alexirrhoë or the seer Arisbe, who interpreted the dreams of Queen Hecuba when she bore Paris and who mourned the deceased daughter (either Asterope and Hesperia) of the river-god Cebren; in Ovid’s Metamorphoses transformed by Tethys (Cebren’s mother) into a diving seabird (perhaps a cormorant or Scopoli’s shearwater) when he threw himself from atop a sea-cliff in grief.

Αἴσᾰκος

son of Priam who mourned Cebren’s daughter


Aethusa

(Greek mythology) A daughter of Poseidon and the Pleiad Alcyone, daughter of Atlas. She was loved by Apollo and bore to him Eleuther and Linus.


Rhoecus

(Greek mythology) A centaur who, together with another centaur, Hylaeus, tried to rape Atalanta, who killed them both.


Veritas

Borrowed from Latin vēritās (“truth; verity”).

(Roman mythology) The Goddess of truth, a daughter of Saturn, and the mother of Virtus, also sometimes considered the daughter of Jupiter, or a creation of Prometheus; she is equivalent to Aletheia in Greek mythology


Rostam

(Iranian mythology) A legendary Iranian hero.


Iphis

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ἶφις (Îphis).

(Greek mythology) Any of various male or female figures in Greek mythology, including:

The daughter of Ligdus and Telethusa, who, as recounted in Ovid's Metamorphoses, was raised as male and was eventually transformed into a man by the goddess Isis in order to marry Ianthe, daughter of Telestes.

A (female) native of Skyros, captured by Achilles and given to his companion-in-arms, Patroclus, as slave, as recounted in the Iliad.

A (male) Cypriot shepherd who, as recounted in Ovid's Metamorphoses, loved a woman named Anaxarete, whose indifference led him to kill himself in despair.

One of the Argonauts, the son of Sthenelus and brother of Eurystheus; also called Iphitos or Iphitus,


Titanid

From Latin Titanis, from Ancient Greek Τιτανίς (Titanís). By surface analysis, Titan + -id.

(Greek mythology) Any one of Uranus and Gaia's daughters; a female Titan.


Apesh

(Egyptian mythology) An evil Ancient Egyptian god of night who had the head of a turtle or tortoise.


Orseis

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ὀρσηΐς (Orsēḯs), from ὄρσω (órsō, “to stir, awaken, excite”).

(Greek mythology) A naiad of a spring in Thessaly.


Danaid

Danaids (plural)
Danaides (plural)
Danaide (alternative archaic)
Danaïde (alternative archaic)

From the stem of Latin Danais, from Ancient Greek Δαναΐς (Danaḯs), from Δαναός (Danaós, “Danaus”) + -ις (-is), literally “sprung of Danaus”. By surface analysis, Danaus + -id.

af

(Greek mythology) Any one of the fifty daughters of Danaus.


panolepsy

From Pan + -o- + -lepsy, after Ancient Greek Πανόληπτος (Panólēptos, “possessed by Pan”, adjective).


Igai

(Egyptian mythology) A lesser deity associated with the oases of Egypt's Western Desert, portrayed in human form with two was-sceptres that spell out his name on his head.


grand trine

grand trines (plural)
Grand Trine (alternative)

(astrology) A harmonious aspect pattern formed when three planets are each aligned 120 degrees apart.


bake-danuki

(Japanese mythology) A yokai that is commonly associated with the Japanese raccoon dog or tanuki, sometimes reputed to be able to shapeshift into other things or people and possess human beings.


dwarfin

en-adj

dwarfin (comparative more dwarfin, superlative most dwarfin)

more dwarfin (comparative)
most dwarfin (superlative)

12 [Contents] Blood [Possible Types] Human, orcish, dwarfin, elfin, dragon, halfling […] On the east wall is a dwarfin skeleton, suspended from a pair of irons near the ceiling, giving the entire chamber a macabre presence.

1981, Mike Carr, Dungeon Module B1: In Search of the Unknown (Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set), Lake Geneva, Wis.: TSR Hobbies, Inc., →ISBN, pages 11 and 16:

“You dwarves really believe in that old hag?” The soldier continued without waiting for an answer. “Ahm… You are dwarfin, pretty miss? I mean, well, you dress dwarfin, but you don’t look it.”

2012, Tad C. Rhoden, “Night Things”, in Don’t Call Me Hobbit: A Novel, Bradenton, Fla.: BookLocker.com, Inc., →ISBN, page 92:

‘We walk?’ asked the gnome, rustling his sheets encouragingly. I thought for a moment. Not a bad deal, actually. A smart idea for conveying information at an acceptable price. Or would it be too embarrassing to walk the streets with a gabbling dwarfin tow?

2012, Walter Moers, translated by John Brownjohn, “All in Gothic”, in The Labyrinth of Dreaming Books (A Novel from Zamonia; 6), New York, N.Y.: The Overlook Press, →ISBN, page 67:

(mythology) Of, relating to, or resembling dwarves.


dwarfin

Late I ſaw beſide the * banquet, / A new couch in Odin’s hall; / Arms unclaim’d, the Dwarfins’ labour, / Hung againſt the gilded wall.

1801, W. B., “Hialmar and Hyrinda”, in Joshua Edkins, editor, A Collection of Poems, Mostly Original, by Several Hands, Dublin: […] [F]or the editor, by Graisberry & Co., →OCLC, page 37:

The Dwarfins are a culture of Elfins that are small in stature and live in the mountainous regions.

2011, Dennis A. Pearson, “Julian and Papa Fairy”, in The Enchantment of Dandelion Acres: A Fairytale, Baltimore, Md.: PublishAmerica, →ISBN, page 69:

“For one night. I hope that’s acceptable.” / “It is to me. But it be unusual to let dwarves here.” Looking at Aram he said. “Biggest dwarfin ever I seen.”

2012, Tad C. Rhoden, “Play Dumb”, in Don’t Call Me Hobbit: A Novel, Bradenton, Fla.: BookLocker.com, Inc., →ISBN, page 70:


Pothos

(Greek mythology) One of Aphrodite's erotes, brother to Himeros and Eros.


Consus

(Roman mythology) An archaic Roman god of agriculture who presided over councils and secret plans.


Fifth Sun

(Aztec, mythology) The present and final world, which will not be recreated once the Earth is destroyed.


God of War

They went up in the car to Monte Cristo, while eastward the moon's heralds, in crimson and gold, trumpeted the coming of the Queen of Love, and the God of War glared his threat of tomorrow westward[.]

1961, Xavier Herbert, Soldiers' Women, Netley, SA: Fontana Books, published 1978, page 290:


dark forest hypothesis

dark + forest + hypothesis. From the title of the Liu Cixin (刘慈欣) novel The Dark Forest (黑暗森林), from Chinese 黑暗森林, from 黑暗+森林. Coined by Chinese author Cixin Liu originally in Chinese, then translated into English.

extra-terrestrial intelligence
extra-terrestrial intelligence#English

(SETI, ufology) A conjecture about why no aliens have been found after searching the entire sky for signs of extra-terrestrial intelligences (ETIs). A hypothesis describing the situation where all intelligent life hides the fact of their existence to avoid having other such life exterminate them, and would normally exterminate any life found to avoid in turn being exterminated, as this is the natural state of affairs for such life in the universe, be quiet or be killed.

en:The Dark Forest
en:dark forest hypothesis
zh:刘慈欣
zh:黑暗森林


death penny

(memorial plaque): Referencing its resemblance to the one-penny coins in circulation at the time.

The soldier shook his head. "I have tied them fast," he said, "and they have no death-penny in their mouths to pay the ferryman to take them over the dark river."

1873, Emma Leslie, The Captives, page 32:

If so, it is a strange remnant of Pagan customs; and the death penny—that was to pay Charon for the passage over the Styx.

1877, B. Gibbons, “Servian Customs, Rites, and Legends”, in Edwin Paxton Hood, editor, The Argonaut, volume VII, number 49, page 40:

You will not see him now, till a pinch of dust has been sprinkled on your brow, and the death-penny put into your mouth. Then, when you have crossed the dark river, he will be waiting for you on the other side.

1892, George Whyte-Melville, The Gladiators, page 128:

(Greek mythology, Roman mythology) Synonym of Charon's obol.


Charon's obol

Also, the Charon's obol of classical tradition was a low-value coin, a symbol that death makes rich and poor equal.

2018, Rory Naismith, editor, Money and Coinage in the Middle Ages, →ISBN, page 337:

However, in tombs all over the cemetery the use of "Charon's obols" was widely practiced, primarily in the form of the local Kolkhidki minted after the Persian weight standard.

2020, Franco De Angelis, editor, A Companion to Greeks Across the Ancient World, →ISBN, page 445:

In Pieria, particularly, gold coins or pseudo-coins were employed as lamellae, also being inscribed and on at least two occasions deposited in the burial in the same way as a Charon's obol.

2022, Glenn W. Most, editor, Studies on the Derveni Papyrus, Volume II, →ISBN, page 318:

(Greek mythology, Roman mythology) A coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a payment or bribe for Charon, the ferryman of Hades.