A variety of articles dealing with a range of Mythology and Folklore from around the world.
Gargoyles
Gargoyles

Gargoyle

A grotesque carved human or animal face or figure projecting from the gutter, especially of Gothic buildings, used as a spout to carry water clear of a wall. The word Gargoyle is derived from an old French word gargouille, meaning throat.

La Gargouille, was a legendary dragon that lived in the River Seine, which in the 7th Century was ravaging the town and people of Rouen. It was slain by St Romanus, the Archbishop of Rouen. After the dragon was slain its body was set ablaze, its body was consumed by fire but the head and neck survived and was mounted on a building.

Technically an architect calls a waterspout on a building a gargoyle. If a stone carving does not carry water and has a face that resembles a creature, it is technically called a grotesque. A strange beast which combines several different animals is called a chimera.

Gargoyles »
Owls
Owls
Owls

The owl is often a guide to and through the Underworld, a creature of keen sight in darkness, and a silent and swift hunter.
Owls »
Sumerian Mythology
Sumerian Mythology
Sumerian Mythology

The Sumerians thought that a great domed roof contained the sky, the stars, the moon, and the sun which lighted the cities beneath it.
Sumerian Mythology »
Dragons
Dragons
Dragons

A dragon is a fabulous winged crocodile usually represented as of large size, with a serpents tail, so the dragon and serpent are sometimes interchangeable.
Dragons »
Garden Of The Hesperides
Garden Of The Hesperides
Garden Of The Hesperides

The quest for the Golden Apples was the eleventh labour of Hercules set by Eurystheus. The golden apples belonged to Zeus, king of the gods and had been given by Hera as a wedding gift.
Garden Of The Hesperides »
Old Mother Shipton
Old Mother Shipton
Old Mother Shipton

For some the name Old Mother Shipton means nothing and Britain’s most famous prophetess is a well-kept secret.
Old Mother Shipton »
Mistletoe
Mistletoe
Mistletoe

Mistletoe, from the Old English misteltăn, is a parasitic plant that grows on various trees, particularly the apple tree, it is held in great veneration when found on Oak trees.
Mistletoe »
Unicorns
Unicorns
Unicorns

A unicorn is a mythological creature. Though the modern popular image of the unicorn is sometimes that of a horse differing only in the horn on its forehead.
Unicorns »
Chinese Dragons
Chinese Dragons
Chinese Dragons

The Chinese dragon like the Indian Naga's, are often associated with water and rain and lakes and rivers. Chinese Dragons are divine mythical creatures that brings with it ultimate abundance, prosperity and good fortune.
Chinese Dragons »
The Wren - King of Birds
The Wren - King of Birds
The Wren - King of Birds

The Wren - King of Birds. The wren has always been a King as its name in European languages indicates: Latin, Regulus; French, Reytelet.
The Wren - King of Birds »
Dryads and Other Faery Folk
Dryads and Other Faery Folk
Dryads and Other Faery Folk

Tales of Nymphs in Greek mythology and religion abound, there were revered as the spirits of specific natural features - and often were identified with the part of nature in which they dwelled.
Dryads and Other Faery Folk »