Cosmology: Did you mean...?

It is said that the early Norse settlers of Iceland in the Viking Age (c. 790-1100 CE) believed it was the home of the gods because of the tale of the creation of the world in Norse religion. In the time before time, the story goes, there...

The Greek historian Herodotus provides an accurate description of the devotion of the ancient Egyptians to cats in Book II of his Histories, but this passage is often cited out of context. Chapters II.66-67 are frequently anthologized without...

The Penobscot are a Native American nation of the modern-day State of Maine, also recognized as a First Nation of Canada. Along with the Abenaki, Mi'kmaq, Passamaquoddy, and Wolastoqiyik, they form the Wabanaki Confederacy. Their origin tales...

Material Objects & Cultures Material objects convey volumes about the people who possessed them. Cultures and societies in every generation are in part classified - either correctly or incorrectly - by the objects or symbols they select...

Enlil in the E-Kur (c. 2000 BCE) is a Sumerian hymn praising the sky god Enlil, his temple/ziggurat at Nippur, and his consort Ninlil, depicting all three in glowing terms and Enlil as a creator-god. The piece is highly regarded as an important...

Over the course of several millennia, textiles were the primary form of aesthetic expression and communication for the diverse cultures that developed throughout the desert coasts and mountain highlands of the Andean region. Worn as garments...

Join World History Encyclopedia as they talk to Michael Levy, a prolific composer of the ancient lyre all about his inspiration and knowledge of the instrument. If you want to hear Michael perform, be sure to check out our video interview...

Death of the Nose god Baldr, illustration from an 18th-century Icelandic manuscript. SÁM 66, 75v. Baldr was a beloved son of Frigg and Odin. Upon seeing his own death in a prophetic dream he became depressed. His mother did everything in...

Sauls Mound is arranged so that its corners are arranged in the four cardinal directions. It is believed to have some ceremonial function, and likely has a central role in the Woodland People's religious cosmology. Pinson Mounds State Archeological...

Hermod Before Hela, illustration of the god Hermod kneeling before Hel, Norse goddess of the dead in the realm of Hel by English artist and illustrator John Charles Dollman, published in Myths of the Norsemen from the Eddas and Sagas by Guerber...