Mythology

Mythology encompasses the sacred narratives, cosmogonies, and heroic tales that have shaped human civilizations since the dawn of recorded history. Far more than entertainment, myths served as humanity's earliest attempts to understand the cosmos, the nature of existence, death, and the forces governing life. They encode deep psychological truths and universal patterns of the human experience.

The Egyptian Book of the Dead (more accurately "The Book of Coming Forth by Day") is one of the oldest religious texts in existence, dating back over 3,500 years. It contains spells, prayers, and instructions to guide the soul through the underworld (Duat) to the afterlife, reflecting the ancient Egyptians' profound engagement with mortality, judgment, and the hope of eternal life.

The Norse Eddas — both the Poetic Edda (a collection of Old Norse poems) and the Prose Edda (compiled by Snorri Sturluson) — preserve the mythology of the Viking Age: the creation of the world from the void of Ginnungagap, the adventures of Odin, Thor, and Loki, the wisdom of the runes, and the prophesied destruction and renewal of the world at Ragnarok. These myths explore themes of fate, courage, sacrifice, and the cyclical nature of existence.