Gods: Did you mean...?

A cosmogony is a creation myth, a myth that explains how the universe as we know it came into existence and is a type of story found in most, if not all, cultures that have surviving literature. Creation myths explain how the universe began...

A detail of a 5th century BCE Attic red-figure vase depicting Pandora being given her divine gifts from the Olympian gods. (British Museum, London)

In China gods (menshen) were often painted on either side of a doorway to guard against evil demons or ghosts.

Relief in the Wadi es-Sebua temple depicting Ramesses II (r. 1279-1213 BCE) making an offering to the gods. Approached by an avenue of sphinxes, the Wadi es-Sebua temple was built during the reign of Ramesses II and dedicated to Amun-Ra...

The 12 Olympian gods of ancient Greece. Top row left to right: Zeus, Athena, Hera, Apollo. Middle row left to right: Demeter, Artemis, Hermes, Hephaistos Bottom row left to right: Aphrodite, Dionysos, Poseidon, Ares. All images by...

Each peg has a very faint cuneiform inscription of Gudea, the ruler of the city-state of Lagash. Foundation pegs were buried in the foundation of buildings to magically protect them and preserve the builder's name for posterity. In this...

Arcadian Days: Gods, Women, and Men from Greek Myths by John Spurling and published by Pegasus Books.

West wall of Chamber B of the Yazilikaya Hittite Sanctuary near Hattusa (13th century BCE) depicting the Twelve Gods of the Underworld. They wear short shirts, belts and shoes curling up at the toe. They each carry a crescent-shaped sword...

Gold armlet with depictions of mummiform gods. From the treasure of the Nubian queen Amanishakheto, pyramid N6, Meroe, modern-day northern Sudan. Meroitic period, around 1 CE. (State Museum of Egyptian Art, Munich, Germany).

The c. 1490 CE engraving 'Battle of the Sea Gods' by the Italian Renaissance artist Andrea Mantegna (c. 1431-1506 CE). (Devonshire Collection, Chatsworth House, England)