Tag Archives: Mythology

Top Tens – Girls: Top 10 Girls of Mythology (Special Mention: Complete Rankings)

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Cover of War Goddess issue 9 released by Avatar Press August 2012

 

 

TOP 10 GIRLS OF MYTHOLOGY (SPECIAL MENTION)

 

That’s right – I can find Fantasy Girls in anything.

I’ve ranked my Top 10 Girls of Mythology but there’s always more goddesses and mythic female figures – certainly more than enough for my usual twenty special mentions for each top ten.

Of course, this continues to be something of a personal novelty list, as my Girls of Mythology don’t tend to have the same art or cosplay as my usual Fantasy Girls in popular culture, but they still have surprisingly more name recognition or adaptations in popular culture than those from other areas of culture. And perhaps even more surprisingly, since some of them do pop up in popular culture – even in comics or video games – they do feature in art and cosplay. Of course, it helps to have video games in which gods and goddesses are playable characters, such as the game Smite.

And they also continue to be reasonably diverse – mostly goddesses of course, but a few mortal girls or at least semi-mortal, as well as from a range of my favorite mythologies.

Anyway, here are the special mentions for my Top 10 Girls of Mythology.

 

 

One of my favorite depictions of the Triple Goddess in Slaine: The Horned God by Pat Mills
with art by Simon Bisley – in these panels, the depiction is more in the script although she is accompanied by three nymphs as a visual depiction of the Triple Goddess in other panels

 

 

(1) TRIPLE GODDESS (HECATE)

 

She is the triple goddess –

maiden, mother, crone

grace, fate, fury

lover, mother, bitch

 

The Triple Goddess – maiden, mother, and crone – of modern neopaganism, usually depicted as the Goddess, or dare I say it, holy trinity.

As TV Tropes notes, this Triple Goddess “has the unusual distinction of being either older than feudalism or newer than they think” – in that it is usually seen as a modern adaptation (particularly through Robert Graves) but one which claims ancient heritage, adapting divine female figures into an uber-goddess or Goddess, a supreme female divine figure with three manifestations, albeit overlapping.

Each of those three manifestations – maiden, mother, and crone – are essentially condensations of the distinctive roles or facets of goddesses or divine female figures throughout mythology.  Some goddesses or divine female figures in mythology may combine all three manifestations and hence be triple goddesses (or the Triple Goddess) of themselves, while others may lean more to one manifestation than another – for example, goddesses of love and beauty lean more towards the maiden.

A major inspiration and source for the Triple Goddess is Hecate, so much so that TV Tropes named their trope for the Triple Goddess as the Hecate Sisters. Although the earliest known images of Hecate were singular in nature, she came to be generally represented as a three-formed goddess (often triple bodied or triple headed). Of course, Hecate’s triple form tended to be of the same age and appearance, as opposed to the three ages and appearances of the Hecate sisters or Triple Goddess – young and beautiful maiden, mother (of maternal age obviously, but varying in appearance), and crone.

Hecate or Hekate – chthonic classical Greek goddess of night, magic and witchcraft.

Liminal goddess of borders and crossroads of all kinds, including those with realms outside or beyond the world of the living, and as such, also a chthonic or underworld goddess, closely associated with (if not an aspect of) Persephone, the queen of the underworld. She was also an apotropaic goddess, protecting from or warding off dangerous or destructive spirits.

Also, dogs were closely associated with and sacred to her, which combined with her otherworldly role as a liminal goddess of magic, would be more than enough to earn her special mention.

 

RATING: 5 STARS*****

S-TIER (GODDESS TIER)

 

 

Nymphs as depicted in art for Dungeons & Dragons 4e from the Forgotten Realms wiki – spring, summer, autumn, and winter nymphs

 

 

(2) NYMPHS

 

I’m into classical mythology for the nymphs!

Special mention has to go to those definitive female figures of classical mythology – nymphs.

Nymphs were divine female spirits of nature, most notably trees (dryads) and water (naiads and nereids), but there were myriad others. Some have seen them as originating from animistic goddesses or even sacred priestesses.

Of course, something of their sensual nature is suggested by their modern derivation of nymphomania, although that does somewhat cheapen their classical stature. I’m still hanging out for a modern derivation of nymphocracy as an ideology I could get behind.

Personally, I was enamored of them upon reading Bulfinch’s Mythology, which I fortunately read at the same time as the Bible in my childhood days – so that paganism won out as visions of angels could never compete with dreams of nymphs. Even Christian writer C. S. Lewis was so enamored from his original classicism that he populated his fantasy Narnia with nymphs, earning his place in my ranks of pagan saints. Hot damn – he even had Dionysus and his maenads, albeit toned down.

 

RATING: 5 STARS*****

S-TIER (GODDESS TIER)

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Collage of The High Priestess (left) and The World (right) from the most iconic modern Tarot deck, the Rider-Waite Tarot deck designed by A.E. Waite and Illustrated by Pamela Colman-Smith (first published by William Rider & Son in 1909, hence the name) – public domain image

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(3) TAROT – THE HIGH PRIESTESS & THE WORLD

 

The Tarot may have its mystique and even its mythos, but does it have its girls of Tarot?

O yes – hence this special mention, drawn from the archetypal characters of individual cards, particularly those of the more iconic Major Arcana or “trumps” of the Tarot.

As I pointed out in my complete equal rites rankings for mythologies, the cards don’t lie as to the Tarot’s goddess-tier ranking. The Major Arcana – the 22 major cards of any Tarot deck – isn’t quite evenly balanced between its male and female figures but it comes close with ten of its cards as female figures and arguably they make up that slight deficit in quantity with better quality in positive aspects or meanings.

The Minor Arcana are also balanced, with two of its suits traditionally seen as female – the suit of Cups (often identified with Hearts in modern decks and associated with the ‘female’ element of water) and the suit of Coins or Pentacles (often identified with Diamonds in modern decks and associated with the ‘female’ element of earth). The court cards are also balanced in some decks, with jacks or pages often converted to princesses or otherwise seen as female to add a second female court card to the queens.

As for my top girl of Tarot, I have to go with the card that is the supreme or ultimate culmination of the Major Arcana – the World. The World is the Tarot’s vision of the world as the eternal feminine or goddess – as cosmic dance and dancer, the goddess dancing with the stars.

The World is arguably the cosmic counterpart of the High Priestess, hence her inclusion in this special mention entry – although it was a close call with the Empress, a similar card in many ways including as counterpart of the World goddess, but in the end, the Empress flaunts herself where I prefer the coy feminine mystery of the High Priestess.

The High Priestess is also similar to – and female counterpart – of the Magician. She represents a guiding influence, female source of magic or imagination, intuition or wisdom, hidden or occult knowledge…and initiation into her mysteries. O yes!

Typically, she is presented as a veiled woman, crowned with a crescent moon at her feet, evoking the moon (or the Moon as yet another counterpart card) and underworld goddesses, such as Persephone or Hecate (with more than a touch of Hecate’s triple goddess aspect of the latter)

Are you worthy to see beyond the veil, for revelation – to taste her secrets and mysteries?

 

RATING: 5 STARS*****

S-TIER (GODDESS TIER)

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The face of Aphrodite excerpted from Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus

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(4) LOVE & LUST DEITIES

 

“Goddess on a mountain top

Was burning like a silver flame

The summit of beauty and love…

She’s got it

Yeah, baby, she’s got it”

 

She is the goddess and this is her body –

O yes!

 

Special mention has to go to all the female love and lust deities of the world. To quote the Flight of the Conchords, I want to get next to you, show you some gratitude, by making love to you – it’s the least we could do-o-o!

Ain’t no goddess like the proverbial love goddess! A goddess to get down on your knees for – and pray to with every tongue known to man or woman.

Of course, not all love and lust deities are female – some are male, often emphatically phallic-ly so, and we just may feature those in my special mentions for the Top 10 Heroes of Mythology. And some are more fluid yet.

But I have a special place in my heart and loins for a love goddess, as it does many a pantheon. Of course, that can be seen in that four entries in my Top 10 Girls of Mythology are love or lust goddesses – our top girl of mythology Aphrodite or Venus, as well as Ishtar or Inanna, Freya and Erzulie. To those might be added so many more from pantheons around the world, such that they deserve their own top ten.

 

RATING: 5 STARS*****

S-TIER (GODDESS TIER)

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Terra in her “Spriggan” skin from character profile in the Smite video game

 

 

(5) EARTH MOTHER / MOTHER EARTH – GAIA

 

“A divine female figure personifying the Earth, representing creation, nature, fertility, and sustenance” – “the deification of the Earth associated with a figure with chthonic or terrestrial attributes”.

There is a recurring tendency in mythology for deifying or personifying the Earth by a divine female figure, usually maternal at least in part – one that continues even in popular culture and imagination with Mother Nature.

That tendency often involves pairing the divine earth mother with a divine sky father, particularly in mythologies originating from Indo-European mythology but not limited to them as there are parallels in other mythologies.

It is by no means a universal tendency, particularly when one moves beyond Indo-European mythology – Egyptian mythology for example had an earth god (Geb) and a sky goddess (Nut).

As noted, an earth goddess or earth mother represents creation, nature, fertility, and sustenance – usually in a maternal way or representing motherhood. However, that can involve surprising ramifications. Perhaps least surprising is the earth mother as “cosmic foundation” or as representing “the bedrock of existence”, preceding other deities. More surprising is earth goddesses often being identified with chthonic attributes, if not outright as a chthonic deity, or at least being “associated with the chthonic deities of the underworld”. They can be dual figures – the earth mother gives (in fertility or harvests) and the earth mother takes away (in disasters or famine). Finally, they are often associated with prophecy or oaths.

The earth mother is one of four archetypal “pagan goddesses” in Christian Europe that historian Richard Hutton identified in his book Queens of the Wild – two of the others are the subject of my next two special mention entries.

The archetypal earth goddess or mother is Gaia in classical Greek mythology, although the Olympian goddess Demeter assumed many of her attributes as earth goddess. Indeed, Gaia has continued to have a resonance as a figure representing earth or nature in philosophy or science. However, there are enough earth mother or earth goddess figures for their own top ten list.

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

*

Moon goddess Selene with her chariot in the relief of Rosenstein Palace, Germany (public domain image)

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(6) MOON & STAR GODDESS (LADY OF THE NIGHT)

 

“A moon goddess is a deity personifying the Moon…embodying lunar power, beauty, mystery, and cycles”.

Similarly to the recurring concept of earth mothers or earth goddesses, there is a recurring tendency in mythology for deifying or personifying the moon by a divine female figure – albeit not with the same maternal symbolism or as enduring in popular culture and imagination with the female personification of Mother Nature.

And again similarly to earth mothers paired with sky fathers, the tendency for lunar goddesses often involves pairing lunar goddesses with solar gods, albeit by no means universal as there are solar goddesses and lunar gods.

As noted, moon goddesses embody lunar power, beauty, mystery and cycles.

 

“Cycles & Transformation: Representing phases of the moon, tides, fertility, and feminine power.

Night & Mystery: Governing the darkness, often linked with magic, dreams, and the underworld.”

 

I’ve expanded this entry to the concept of star or stellar goddesses because I like the image of the goddess dancing with stars – but I have to concede that it’s not a concept as prolific as that of the moon or lunar goddess, except to the extent that the sphere of moon or lunar goddesses usually extends to the night or nights, or that there are night goddesses like Nyx.

Along with the earth mother, the lady or mistress of the night is one of four archetypal “pagan goddesses” in Christian Europe that historian Richard Hutton identified in his book Queens of the Wild – a third is the subject of my next special mention entry.

There is no archetypal goddess of the moon or night with the same enduring resonance as that of Gaea as earth mother. The strongest contenders are similarly those of classical mythology – Selene and Artemis (or Diana) as moon goddess or Nyx as goddess of the night. Once again, goddesses of moon, night or stars are prolific enough for their own top ten list.

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

Queen Titania as she appears in a character in the Gems of War video game (fair use)

 

 

(7) FAIRY QUEEN (QUEEN MAB & TITANIA)

 

“In folklore and literature, the Fairy Queen or Queen of the Fairies is a female ruler of the fairies, sometimes but not always paired with a king. Depending on the work, she may be named or unnamed; Titania and Mab are two frequently used names. Numerous characters, goddesses or folkloric spirits worldwide have been labelled as Fairy Queens.”

There’s the fairy queen figures of the Tuatha De Danann and Daoine Sidhe of Irish mythology, including Oonagh, Una or Nuala as the wife of Finvarra or Fionnbharr, the fairy king of western Ireland.

There’s Morgan le Fey of Arthurian legend, who “ruled the supernatural island of Avalon and was sometimes depicted as a fairy queen” (or one of nine such queens).

There are the fairy queens of ballads – the fairy queen as antagonist (paying a tithe to Hell) in the ballad of Tam Lin and the more benevolent one in Thomas the Rhymer (as his lover who gave him prophetic abilities).

And then there are the fairy queens in literature, such as Gloriana, daughter of King Oberon and allegorical depiction of Queen Elizabeth, as “the titular character of the allegorical epic poem The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser. However, the most prominent fairy queens of literature are those of Shakespeare, who “referred multiple times to the figure of a fairy queen”.

“The Merry Wives of Windsor makes reference to the concept. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Titania is the queen of the fairies and wife of King Oberon. Her name is derived from Ovid as an epithet of the Roman goddess Diana. In Romeo and Juliet, the character of Queen Mab does not appear but is described; she is the fairies’ midwife, who rides in a tiny chariot and brings dreams to humans.”

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

Collage of Wonder Woman, arguably the most famous Amazon, in cover art by Ed Benes, and Valkryie from Marvel Comics in cover art by Art Adams (fair use)

 

(8) AMAZONS & VALKYRIES

 

What would the girls of mythology be without special mention for the warrior women of mythology – of which Amazons and Valkyries are easily the most prominent, although the latter are distinguished by their supernatural nature.

The Amazons of classical mythology were human women – “female warriors and hunters, known for their physical agility, strength, archery, riding skills, and the arts of combat” – and somewhat exclusive about it, an exclusive gynocentric society closed to men except for brief liaisons to reproduce daughters, with sons being returned to their fathers.

The Amazons had quite the prolific popularity, with notable individual Amazons involved with some of the greatest heroes and heroic events in classical mythology – and that’s even before we get to their ongoing popularity in adaptations in popular culture, foremost among them Wonder Woman and her fellow Amazons in DC Comics.

Of course, most adaptations omit the “folk etymology” of Amazon as breastless, attributed to the Amazons cutting or burning off their right breast to aid with archery. In this, however, adaptations may be truer to the original mythology, as there is “no indication of such a practice in ancient works of art” and the origin of the name Amazon may be less clear.

As for the Amazons themselves, they are usually identified as originating from the female warriors of the horse cultures contemporary to the ancient Greeks, particularly Scythians. And in a case of art imitating life and back again, the name of the Amazon River originated from reports of native female warriors by Francisco de Orellana.

As noted, the Valkyries were warrior women to rival the Amazons but were supernatural in nature – Norse mythology’s version of battle angels, or more precisely, psychopomps carrying “the souls of worthy warriors who died in battle to Valhalla, where they are destined to fight alongside Odin when Ragnarok happens”. Hence their name, derived from choosers of the slain.

Again, the Valkyries were prolific in Norse mythology, both collectively and with notable individual Valkyries – as well as adaptations in popular culture, including opera or music with Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries, as well as the name of the Marvel Comics character.

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

Everyone’s favorite (and the most famous) mermaid, Hans Christian Andersen’s Little Mermaid, adapted ar Ariel in the Disney animated film – depicted here in my favorite mermaid art of all time by J. Scott Campbell for his Fairtale Fantasies calender (with a ship in the background as a nod to the source as well as wider mermaid folklore) (fair use)

 

 

(9) MERMAIDS & SIRENS

 

“I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.”

Mermaids and sirens – sea or water nymphs, tritons, selkies, merrows, nixies, Lorelei or Melusine, Rhinemaidens, rusalkas, and undines.

Perhaps the most famous female legendary creatures, although there are male counterparts in some legends or folklore – to quote Zoolander, “Mer-MAN! Mer-MAN!” – but those male counterparts have nowhere near the same prominence as mermaids or sirens.

As such, they need little introduction – or perhaps they do, given their prolific variety in mythology and their various adaptations in artistic and popular culture or imagination. Mermaids and similar water spirits may not be quite as universal in myth and folklore as, say, dragons, but they are widely prevalent. Even limiting mermaids or sirens to the common denominator of an upper human body with the tail of a fish, there is still such a variety that TV Tropes not only has their trope page Our Mermaids are Different, but also an analysis page for that trope as to all the permutations of how mermaids function – in appearance, locomotion, respiration and metabolism, diet – as well as how they might function on land (if they do) or whether they are good or evil.

For that matter, even the original sirens in the Odyssey were bird-like but have subsequently been adapted as and conflated with the conventional half-fishlike mermaids, the latter frequently sharing the traits of the former as seductive singers “associated with perilous events such as storms, shipwrecks, and drownings”.

Mermaids and sirens could well the subject of their own top ten list, not only for individual mermaids or for similar water spirits, but also for their various elements, tropes and types.

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

It’s arguable whether she’s a succubus as such but she’s certainly an archetypal devil girl – Purgatori in cover art by Michael Turner for issue 1 of Dynamite Entertainment’s Chaos (fair use)

 

 

(10) WITCHES & SUCCUBI

 

“I got a black magic woman

Got me so blind I can’t see

That she’s a black magic woman

She’s trying to make a devil out of me”

 

Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?

Just a girl and her goat. Or in the case of European witch folklore, of many girls and their great goat

Witchcraft – traditionally defined as the malevolent “use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others” – is something that seems well-nigh universal in mythologies or beliefs throughout the world. Hence, witches as users of such magic are equally as prolific in mythology or folklore – usually female but not exclusively so, even at the height of early modern European witchcraft hunts or trials.

Indeed witches are so prolific in mythology and popular culture that TV Tropes has their usual Our Monsters are Different trope for their variety, of course under the title Our Witches are Different.

The predominant image of witches is of course what TV Tropes dubs the Witch Classic, originating in European witch folklore – “traditionally witchy attire”, flying on broomsticks, animal familiars, and so on – and largely overlapping with that of the Wicked Witch, although also adapted in popular culture or imagination as cute or hot witches.

Witches overlap with succubi, or similar “hot as hell” female figures such as the archetypal devil girls of popular culture or imagination.

Witches and succubi could well the subject of their own top ten list, not only for individual witches or succubi, but also for their various elements, tropes and types.

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

Lilith depicted as the mother of Vampirella in comics

 

 

(11) LILITH

 

“A figure associated with Jewish and early Christian folklore” – “said to be the very incarnation of Lust” and hence easily earns special mention in my girls of mythology.

Her origin is multiple choice, with the most popular choice being that she was the first wife of Adam before Eve but refused to be subservient and essentially defected to Hell or at least from Paradise, becoming a demoness and mother of demons – which you have to admit was something of a glamorous glow up, albeit infernal, compared to the more mundane Eve.

The reason her origin is multiple choice is because none of it is in the Bible, except that Genesis literally repeats the story of creation (and hence allows for various interpretations including that of Lilith in the “first” creation) and there was a singular reference to a “lilith” or “lilit” with other animals in Isaiah, usually interpreted as a reference to owls.

However, that hasn’t stopped folklore – and subsequent popular culture – picking up Lilith as Biblical bad girl, dark counterpart of Eve, and the original sinner before original sin. Indeed, some versions even conflated or identified her with the Serpent of Eden.

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

Pandora – 1896 painting by John William Waterhouse

 

 

(12) PANDORA

 

The Eve of classical mythology, with original sin in a box – almost as famous as her counterpart in Biblical mythology, with the myth of each influencing or being conflated with the other.

Similarly to Eve, Pandora was the first human woman – created by the gods, with each god and goddess contributing a gift to make her irresistible, such as beauty and grace from Aphrodite. Indeed, the etymology of her name is from gift.

However, beware of Greek gods bringing gifts – “The Pandora myth is a kind of theodicy, addressing the question of why there is evil in the world, according to which, Pandora opened a jar (pithos; commonly referred to as “Pandora’s box”), releasing all the evils of humanity.”. Needless to say, Pandora’s box has lent itself to endless adolescent humor based on the slang meaning of box.

It’s not just adolescent humor – “Pandora’s story went on to influence both Jewish and Christian theology and so perpetuated her bad reputation into the Renaissance. Later poets, dramatists, painters and sculptors made her their subject.”

“An additional element is the Jar’s final occupant” — Hope, in some versions a salve to humanity but in others adding insult to injury through false comfort.

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

Grendel’s mother in the classic scene from the 2007 Beowulf animated film – obviously replicating the appearance of her voice actress Angeline Jolie

 

 

(13) GRENDEL’S MOTHER

 

Yes – one of three antagonists in Beowulf (with the other two being Grendel himself and the dragon towards the end of the poem), Grendel’s mother earns her special mention from her appearance voiced by Angelina Jolie in the 2007 Beowulf film (and depicted with the visage of Jolie, although her body model was apparently swimsuit calendar model Rachel Bernstein).

In other words – phwoah! Golden skin – and she even gives herself high heels! The Order of the Stick webcomic even has its Oracle wisecrack a gag about getting a date with Grendel’s hot mom.

Apparently, such a golden glamorous appearance may not be too far from the legend – that’s literally glamorous by the way, since the film her attractive appearance seems to be a glamor she casts over her true form. While usually depicted as monstrous in form – to match Grendel – there may be alternative interpretations for something more glamorous, such as a Valkyrie or divine female figure.

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

Lady Godiva painting by John Collier, 1897

 

 

(14) LADY GODIVA

 

The most famous nudist of legendary history.

And yes – that’s legendary history, as Lady Godiva was an “Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who is relatively well documented as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and a patron of various churches and monasteries.”

However, it’s her legend that eclipses her history. “She is mainly remembered for a legend dating back to at least the 13th century, in which she rode naked – covered only by her long hair – through the streets of Coventry to gain a remission of the oppressive taxation that her husband, Leofric, imposed on his tenants.”

Phwoah! And I mean phwoah – Lady Godiva has some of the hottest art or sculpture of any mythological or legendary female character.

Her legend has another layer with the addition of Peeping Tom – “a man named Thomas watched her ride and was struck blind or dead.”

I have a soft spot for interpretations of the legend that see elements of fertility ritual, perhaps even a pagan goddess, in it. Less so for interpretations that propose degrees of nudity, such as that she rode in a shift or something similar – I prefer my Lady Godiva gloriously nude!

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

Maid Marian on the cover of the novella of that name by Thomas Love Peacock, as published by Ombre Bookshelf Publishing on Amazon in 2023

 

 

(15) MAID MARIAN

 

Now seen as an integral part of Robin Hood’s legendarium – “Maid Marian is the heroine of the Robin Hood legend in English folklore” – she does not feature in earlier medieval versions but only pops up later, much to the improvement of the legend in my eyes, making those Merry Men much less of a sausage party.

Even better, there definitely seem to be elements of fertility ritual or pagan goddess figures to her – “She appears to have been a character in May Games festivities… and is sometimes associated with the Queen or Lady of May or May Day”. On the other hand, she has also been suggested as “originally a personification of the Virgin Mary – who featured much more prominently in medieval legends of Robin Hood.

I found this reference particularly intriguing, and frankly one which has forever reshaped my mental images of the Robin Hood legend – “By the mid 16th century the May Games had become increasingly bawdy, and in one play Robin even gives Marian to Friar Tuck as a concubine”.

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

Once again I use Chel as my go-to Meso-American pinup, here standing in for Xochiquetzal

 

 

(16) XOCHIQUETZAL

 

The Aztec Aphrodite!

No, seriously, the Aztec goddess “associated with fertility, beauty, and love, serving as a protector of young mothers and a patroness of pregnancy, childbirth, and the crafts practiced by women such as weaving and embroidery” – and hence my choice to represent her pantheon among my girls of mythology.

Her name is poetic too – a compound of flower and feather.

“Unlike several other figures in the complex of Aztec female earth deities connected with agricultural and sexual fecundity, Xochiquetzal is always depicted as an alluring and youthful woman, richly attired and symbolically associated with vegetation and in particular flowers. By connotation, Xochiquetzal is also representative of human desire, pleasure, and excess”.

Refreshingly for the Aztec pantheon, her worship was characterized by wearing animal and flower masks at the festival held in her honor every eight years. She was also apparently honored by “flower offerings, drinking and fornications”. Phew! I thought there was going to be the usual human sacrifice of the Aztec pantheon and…oh no! Yeah, there’s the usual human sacrifice, albeit on much smaller scale than that for other Aztec deities. “A young woman was chosen to be a ixiptlatli ” – a name of the goddess in her representation as maiden – “which impersonated the goddess and was decapitated, flayed and her skin was worn by a selected man”.

Sigh – I prefer to regard that as not canon.

 

RATING:

X-TIER (WILD TIER)

 

 

Cover by Rafael Grampa for issue 2 Dominque Laveau Voodoo Child by DC Vertigo in 2012 – I used Dominique from the cover of issue 1 to represent voodoo goddess Erzulie in my top ten but she’s an even better stand-in for Marie Laveau to whom she presumably has some familial connection

 

 

(17) MARIE LAVEAU

 

“Marie (Marie) La-Voodoo-Veau

She’ll put a spell on you

Marie (Marie) La-Voodoo-Veau

She’s the witch queen, ah

Of New Orleans, of New Orleans”

 

A historical figure who transcended history to become legend – “Marie Catherine Laveau (September 10, 1801 – June 15, 1881) was a Louisiana Creole practitioner of voodoo…renowned in New Orleans”.

Like any legendary or mythic figure, death was only a temporary inconvenience to her legend, which elevated her to the status of a pseudo-loa or demi-god – “oral tradition states that she was seen by some people in town after her supposed demise…tourists continue to visit her tomb following a decades-old belief in which those seeking a wish from Laveau would draw three Xs on the surface, turn around three times, knock on the tomb, and then call out their wish”.

And her legend has persisted with depictions in art and popular culture, the latter including more than one song, such as The Witch Queen of New Orleans by Redbone that I quoted at the outset.

 

RATING:

X-TIER (WILD TIER)

 

Monument to Maria Lionza in Caracas – the original statue was by Alejandro Colina but a replica was made of it. That’s a tapir she’s riding. Photograph by pacop, Wikipedia “Maria Lionza” licensed under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

 

 

(18) MARIA LIONZA

 

Yeah – she would have earned special mention on her statue alone, although her status as a love deity scores bonus points.

“María Lionza is the central figure in one of the most widespread new religious movements in Venezuela. The cult of María Lionza began in the 20th century as a blend of African, indigenous, and Catholic beliefs. She is revered as a goddess of nature, love, peace, and harmony. She has followers throughout Venezuelan society, from small rural villages to Caracas, where a monumental statue stands in her honor. The Cerro Maria Lionza Natural Monument (also known as Sorte mountain), where an important pilgrimage takes place every October, was renamed in her honour.”

 

RATING:

X-TIER (WILD TIER)

 

 

I thought Harley Quinn in her harlequin costume was a good stand-in for the Discordian goddess – cover art by R1C0 for the Harley Quinn comic (fair use)

 

 

(19) ERIS DISCORDIA

 

Hail Eris!

Or how I found Goddess and what I did to Her when I found Her.

 

I’d probably have included Eris – or Discordia as she is in her Roman adaptation from Greek mythology – merely from her role in classical mythology.

That might seem strange for a minor divine personification of chaos, strife and discord – but for a minor deity, she sure plays a major role for classical mythology’s greatest epic, initiating the quarrel between the three goddesses “which led to the Judgement of Paris and ultimately the Trojan War”.

In the Iliad, she “personifies strife, particularly the strife associated with war” – although she doesn’t get down and dirty like other deities participating in active combat or taking sides, but instead is “the rouser of armies, urging both armies to fight each other”.

However, it is as the supreme goddess of Discordianism, the religion invented as an “absurdist joke” (or is that the other way around?), that she wins special mention here.

Also, she is one of the select deities of classical mythology that has lent her name to a descriptive term, like Aphrodite to aphrodisiac – “in philosophy and rhetoric, eristic…refers to an argument that aims to successfully dispute another’s argument, rather than searching for truth”.

 

RATING:

X-TIER (WILD TIER)

Photo of Marilyn Monroe while filming The Seven Year Itch on the streets of New York. She apparently stopped at some point during the shooting of the famous “skirt scene” and posed for the reporters and photographers who were covering the film shoot. Photograph taken by Sam Shaw and published by Corpus Christi Caller-Times-photo from Associated Press – Wikipedia “WhiteMarilyn Monroe (public domain)

(20) L.A. WOMAN

 

“Are you a lucky little lady in the city of light

Or just another lost angel?”

 

The L.A. Woman to my Mr Mojo Risin’ – here it is, the divine female figure for my wildest special mention where I adapt my own personal Morrison-esque mythology, as I did for Mr Mojo Risin’ in my heroes of mythology.

Just as Mr Mojo Risin’, that iconic incantation by Jim Morrison in the bridge of The Doors single L.A. Woman, encapsulates much of the essence of the mythic hero, so too the titular female figure encapsulates much of the essence of the divine female figure, particularly in the archetypal Meeting with the Goddess – and perhaps Woman as the Temptress – in the hero’s journey.

And also just like Mr Mojo Risin’, L.A. Woman embodies my usual kinky or kinkier entry as final twentieth special mention – my mythology is a s€xual mythology, Mr Mojo Risin’ looking for his L.A. Woman, as is evident in the rhythm of the bridge from the song.

 

RATING:

X-TIER (WILD TIER)

 

 

Top Tens – Heroes & Villains: Top 10 Villains of Mythology (Special Mention: Complete Rankings)

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The villainous bottom part of Raphael’s 1506 painting St George and the Dragon, featuring the dragon of course – boo!

 

 

TOP 10 VILLAINS OF MYTHOLOGY (SPECIAL MENTION)

 

Few things are as fundamental to mythology as heroes, but what often distinguishes mythic heroes is the depravity and destructive power of their antagonists, the villains of mythology.

I’ve counted down my Top 10 Villains of Mythology but there’s more than enough mythic villains and villainy for my usual twenty special mentions per top ten, given all the various villains of all the various mythologies.

Just a reminder of my criteria of villainy from my Top 10 Villains of Mythology – firstly, there’s the scale of how villainous they are in their moral character or ethos, and secondly, there’s the scale of how powerful they are, ranging up to villains capable of damning or destroying the world.

Finally, iconic status – and above all my idiosyncratic preference – tends to trump all, although of course iconic status is usually gained from other criteria in the first place, with the most evil and destructive villains being most iconic in popular culture or imagination. However, iconic status is qualified by my greater familiarity with European or Western mythologies, which might overshadow iconic status within non-Western mythologies.

 

 

The classic chthonic god Hades depicted as villain in Disney’s 1997 Hercules film – character profile image in the Disney fan wiki

 

 

(1) CHTHONIC DEITIES

 

Chthonic deities are underworld deities – “gods or spirits who inhabited the underworld or existed in or under the earth, and were typically associated with death or fertility” (usually more the former than the latter). I mean, they were going to get special mention just based on the word chthonic alone, one of my favorite words.

It is somewhat unfair to rank chthonic deities as villains in mythology – and as my top special mention at that.

For one thing, while some gods are clearly more chthonic than others, “virtually any god could be considered chthonic to emphasize different aspects of the god” – Demeter and Hermes are classic examples, but even Zeus was referenced with the epithet at times.

For another, with those gods that were clearly more chthonic such as Hades, just because they were associated with death or the underworld did not make them evil or villainous as such. They could equally be neutral or even benevolent.

However, even when such deities are neutral or benevolent, there is just too powerful a tendency to default to depictions of them as adversarial or antagonistic – as with Hades himself, all too often cast as Olympian villain in popular culture. That’s just how the bones roll when your iconic association is with death or the underworld.

And for all the chthonic or underworld deities that are neutral or even benevolent, there’s others that are indeed chaotic, destructive or outright evil. After all, the Devil himself is a chthonic deity…

 

 

RATING: 5 STARS*****

S-TIER (DEVIL TIER)

 

 

Detail of a 16th-century painting The Last Judgement by Jacob de Backer in the National Museum in Warsaw in WIkipedia “Devil” (public domain image)

 

 

(2) DEMONS & DEVILS

 

Demons and devils – even archdemons, daemons, fallen angels or legions of hell, fiends, imps, incubi or succubi.

Demons and devils came very close to their own special mention entry for my Top 10 Mythologies, given how pervasive demons or demonic beings are in myth and folklore. Ultimately however I deferred that special mention entry to here as I was not prepared to tempt fate from the forces of hell if I ranked them anywhere else. Also, demons and devils in popular culture or imagination have largely been assimilated into those of Biblical mythology, albeit that in turn took many of its cues from Middle Eastern mythology.

Demons or devils tend to be depicted as chthonic beings but also as more villainous than the other chthonic or underworld beings of mythology in general, albeit with substantial overlap between them. While chthonic deities can be depicted as neutral or even benevolent, there is usually no such ambiguity for demons or devils – chaotic, destructive or evil to the core. Bad to the bone as it were, although there is occasionally sympathy for the devil.

Indeed, they tend to be the benchmark for evil beings, such that demonic is an adjective for evil, literally or metaphorically (or metaphysically). The wider or “most generic definition” of demon would be “any evil or injurious spirit or supernatural being” – which could be very wide indeed, including things such as vampires or even dragons.

A good or noble demon is something of an oxymoron – even relying on one to not lie or cheat on a deal is fraught with peril. At best, a demon might be depicted as capable of redemption, in which case it becomes something else or is no longer a demon, but almost universally they are depicted as irredeemably evil in nature. Even when they purport to do something good, it turns out to be for the greater evil.

The archetypes of demons or devils – essentially synonymous, albeit occasionally distinguished in such things as Dungeons and Dragons where demons are chaotic evil and devils are lawful evil – are those from the Bible or Biblical mythology. The latter can get convoluted, on occasion distinguishing demons native to Hell or other eldritch beings as opposed to damned souls or fallen angels from Heaven, although they all tend to be conflated under the label of demon or devil. Also, as noted before, the demons and devils of the Bible or Biblical mythology in turn are influence by those of Middle Eastern mythologies, notably Mesopotamian and Persian.

However, there are similar beings or eldritch abominations in other mythologies that are translated as demons or devils – Buddhist and Shinto mythology are particularly notable in this respect. The televised version of Su Wukong or Monkey is forever etched into my mind with his declaration of demonic opponents – “Ah, DE-MON!”.

One reason that they are so pervasive in mythology or folklore is that they often stand in for the chaotic or destructive forces of nature – or humanity. There is a large overlap between demons or devils and other supernatural beings – with witches, fairies, dragons, ghosts and vampires perhaps as foremost for similar elements, tropes or types.

Devils are perhaps at their worst doing their deals (or Faustian pacts) for souls, while demons are at their worst corrupting or possessing good or innocent beings – demonic possession is arguably the most villainous weapon in their arsenal and comes in various forms, such that it could be the subject of its own top ten, particularly as it extends to animals or objects other than humans, ending up much like fairies or ghosts with various demon or demonic animals or objects.

For that matter, demons or devils in myth or folklore could well be the subject of their own top ten list, whether for named individuals or broader classifications, including their various elements, tropes and types – not to mention the elements, tropes and types of those most important human interaction with them, demon-slayers or exorcists.

 

RATING: 5 STARS*****

S-TIER (DEVIL TIER)

 

 

Collage of Death (left) and The Devil (right) from the most iconic modern Tarot deck, the Rider-Waite Tarot deck designed by A.E. Waite and Illustrated by Pamela Colman-Smith (first published by William Rider & Son in 1909, hence the name) – public domain image

 

 

(3) TAROT – DEATH & THE DEVIL

 

The Tarot may have its mystique and even its mythos, but does it have villains?

O yes – hence this special mention, drawn from the archetypal characters of individual cards, particularly those of the more iconic Major Arcana or “trumps” of the Tarot.

But are there enough ‘villainous’ cards of the Tarot for their own top ten?

Well, yes and no.

Yes, in that all or almost all cards of the Tarot have their dark inversions or negative connotations and are therefore capable of being villainous cards in that respect. Setting that aside, twelve cards of the Major Arcana – from the Hermit as ninth card through to Judgement as the twentieth card – are ‘underworld’ cards, depicting figures of the mythic narrative of the Fool’s descent into the underworld or hero’s journey, and are hence potentially ‘villainous’ cards.

And no, because when you come down to it, there are only three unequivocally ‘villainous’ cards that are also the infamous trinity of cards one flinches at in readings as ‘bad’ – Death, the Devil, and the Tower Struck by Lightning.

Unequivocally ‘villainous’ that is, in the sense that they are not also at the same time among my heroes or girls of the Tarot – only as ‘villains’, even if they can have positive interpretations. Aptly enough for a card midway through the Tarot, the Death card has interpretations of a new beginning after an end, rebirth or transformation – famously in that episode of The Simpsons with Lisa’s future foretold by a Tarot reading, although it added its own ominous card of The Happy Squirrel.

Of this trinity, I rank Death and the Devil in this special mention, given that the Tower Struck by Lightning does not feature a distinctive figure as such but instead evokes an impersonal force of destruction. Death of course features the personification of death, while the Devil is the literal personification of evil. The visual design of the latter card in the Rider Waite Tarot deck sees the latter and raises it even higher in evil stakes, as a dark inversion of the card of The Lovers, including the two figures of the Lovers themselves, now demonic figures chained to the Devil’s altar – and of the backdrop of Hell now substituted for the Garden of Eden.

 

RATING: 5 STARS*****

S-TIER (DEVIL TIER)

 

 

Aww – they’re adorable! Behemoth and Leviathan, watercolor by William Blake from his Illustrations of the Book of Job (1826)

 

 

(4) LEVIATHAN & BEHEMOTH

 

And now it’s time for a series of special mention entries consisting of matched pairs of mythological villains, commencing with the most primeval Biblical beasts of all, the ur-beasts, arguably greater than even the most apocalyptic beasts – Behemoth and Leviathan.

They appear in most detail in the Book of Job, effectively as a matching set. The central plot of the Book of Job essentially has God and Satan playing cosmic poker, using Job and his family as chips. Behemoth and Leviathan appear almost as a tangent, when God is telling off Job for questioning God’s questionable poker game. As usual, God appeals to His own greatness, which He demonstrates by stating that even primal chaos monsters such as Behemoth and Leviathan are basically just His pets.

God expounds on Behemoth in Chapter 40 in the Book of Job as some primal beast of the land – “Look at Behemoth, which I made just as I made you; it eats grass like an ox. Its strength is in its loins and its power is in the muscles of its belly”. Although Behemoth has typically been identified as an extremely large or powerful mythic beast, it has also been associated with more mundane animals – usually a hippopotamus, but also an elephant, rhinoceros or buffalo (while creationists have seen it and Leviathan as dinosaurs).

However, poor Behemoth has been overshadowed by his aquatic and serpentine counterpart, Leviathan, the primal beast of the sea or water. Leviathan’s most distinctive appearance is in the chapter following that for Behemoth, Chapter 41 of the Book of Job, in which God goes fishing. Unlike Behemoth, Leviathan is also mentioned elsewhere in the Bible, typically as a poetic image or reference, and is identified in the Book of Isaiah as a serpent or dragon of the sea. Accordingly, Leviathan has typically been identified as an aquatic beast, following in the Near East mythic traditions of sea serpents or monsters, with the Babylonian Tiamat coming to mind (or the Nordic Midgard Serpent for that matter). Or maybe it was just a crocodile. After all, those things are scary enough…

Both have entered popular parlance but again Leviathan has overshadowed Behemoth – while both have been adapted as words signifying “something overwhelmingly huge, powerful, or monstrous”, leviathan tends to have the more common usage, boosted among other things by its use by Hobbes for the title of his book on political philosophy (essentially signifying the state’s monopoly on violence).

 

 

RATING;

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

Collage of “Offering to Molech” in “Bible Pictures and What They Teach Us” by Charles Foster in 1897 (left) and the 1909 painting “The Worship of Mammon” by Evelyn De Morgan (right) – in fairness, of the two here, Mammon looks the better deal as he’s giving something to his worshipper rather than the other way round – and a child at that – for Moloch

 

 

 

(5) MOLOCH & MAMMON

 

Yes – it’s another matched pair of villains from Biblical mythology but I just can’t resist them as an alliterative matching pair, one each from Old Testament and New Testament.

With variant spellings, Moloch “is a word that appears in the Old Testament several times, primarily in the Book of Leviticus”, usually to connote and condemn practices “which are heavily implied to include child sacrifice”.

Traditionally, Moloch has been understood to mean a Canaanite god to whom such sacrifices were made, although it has been argued to mean the sacrifice itself.

Whatever the case, “since the medieval period, Moloch has often been portrayed as a bull-headed idol with outstretched hands over a fire; this depiction takes the brief mentions of Moloch in the Bible and combines them with various sources, including ancient accounts of Carthaginian child sacrifice and the legend of the Minotaur”.

That’s for his visual iconography but Moloch has an enduring resonance as a metaphor for a monstrous force feeding on sacrifice for its own sake, particularly of children or innocents – imagining the future as a boot stamping on a child’s face forever, as it were.

Where Moloch has enduring resonance as a metaphor for sacrificial violence, his alliterative New Testament counterpart Mammon does so as metaphor for money or greed. The word is used by Jesus in two Gospels (Matthew and Luke) where he said “you cannot serve both God and Mammon”.

While Mammon has generally been understood to originate from a term for money, that term has been proposed to originate from “a Syrian deity, god of riches”, although no trace of such a Syrian deity exists. In any event, Mammon was soon personified as a demon of greed and he’s had quite the career in literary or popular culture ever since – most memorably for me in Milton’s Paradise Lost, where even as an angel in heaven before his fall, he was more interested in heaven’s pavements of gold.

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

Collage of Yorkshire pigs at a wallow in mud at the Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary in Poolesville, Maryland (evoking the Gadarene swine in the story of Legion) as photographed by Mark Peters and licensed for Wikipedia “Pig” under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en and Artemisia herb-alba (a plant believed to be the original wormwood as source for the bitter Biblical metaphor) photographed by Floratrek and licensed for Wikipedia “Wormwood (Bible)” under  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

 

 

(6) LEGION & WORMWOOD

 

Yes – it’s my third matched pair of villains from Biblical mythology but in this case, they are both from the New Testament, as Behemoth and Leviathan are both from the Old Testament.

Legion and Wormwood stand out among the demonic beings referenced in the New Testament because of their sheer evocative resonance.

Legion is the more chilling of the two, from the declaration of their identity “I am Legion, for we are many” – connoting “a large collection of demons that share a single mind and will” in the gospel incident (in the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke) variously described as the Exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac or the Miracle of the Gadarene Swine. That is, where Jesus exorcises a demonic horde from a man into a herd of swine, which then run down a hill to a lake and drown themselves.

One can’t help but feel the original story may not have been so much literal but a parable against the Romans controlling Judaea, given the demonic self-description evoking a Roman legion and that they are driven into pigs, the archetypal unclean animal of Jewish ritual – and also evocative of the boar emblem of the Tenth Legion that was centrally involved in the first Roman-Jewish War.

Wormwood – or more precisely Star Wormwood – on the other hand has his, her or its singular appearance in the Book of Apocalypse, as a prophesied star or angel that falls from heaven and makes a third of fresh water “bitter” or deadly to people.

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beelzebub’s appearance from the Dictionnaire Infernal in 1818 and Baphomet as depicted by Eliphas Levi in 1856, both public domain images

 

 

(7) BEELZEBUB & BAPHOMET

 

Yes – it’s my fourth matched pair of villains from Biblical mythology and second alliterative one (after Moloch and Mammon).

Or maybe not, since while Beelzebub is canonical to the Bible (in both Testaments), Baphomet is not – although ironically Baphomet has a stronger influence on the visual iconography of the Christian Devil as goat or so-called Sabbath goat.

Similarly to Moloch, Beelzebub is derived from a Canaanite (or Philistine) god – Baal, although that name is an honorific title meaning “lord” and hence was somewhat generic for gods, clarified by epithets hence the latter part of Beelzebub’s name, apparently from Ba’al Zabub or something similar. I say something similar because again like Moloch, there are variant names or titles – with the most famous as Lord of the Flies, the titular metaphor for human savagery in the novel by William Golding. My love of that novel is a major reason for his inclusion as special mention, although that in turn reflects that sheer evocative resonance which underlies other special mention entries.

Beelzebub pops up as Baal in the Old Testament but is even more notably name-dropped in the New Testament by none other than Jesus himself – which has seen him placed high in Hell’s hierarchy by Christian folklore, even as high as second in command as in Paradise Lost.

Baphomet has no such Biblical pedigree and the first reference to him by name only emerges as the demonic idol of which the Knights Templar were accused of worshipping in their fourteenth century trials for heresy. His subsequent infamy belies such an obscure or esoteric origin, which might otherwise have been relegated to a historical footnote but for him being reimagined by nineteenth century occultists – it is that infamy that sees him ranked with Beelzebub in this special mention, apart from my usual predilection for alliteration.

“The modern popular image of Baphomet was established by Eliphas Levi in…1856” – that of the “Sabbatic Goat” as an unsavory winged human-goat hybrid that has been the iconic image of the Devil in popular culture ever since.

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

Odysseus in front of Scylla and Charybis, painting by Henry Fuseli, 1794-1796. Pretty sure that’s Scylla top right and Charybdis top left

 

 

(8) SCYLLA & CHARYBDIS

 

Yes – it’s another matched pair of villains, but from classical mythology and a pair that was canonically matched in their mythology.

Scylla and Charybdis were two sea monsters that Odysseus had to sail between in Homer’s Odyssey.

“Greek mythology sited them on opposite sides of the Strait of Messina between Sicily and Calabria, on the Italian mainland…They were regarded as maritime hazards located close enough to each other that they posed an inescapable threat to passing sailors; avoiding Charybdis meant passing too close to Scylla and vice versa.”

However, they weren’t equal hazards. Of the two, Charybdis was far more dangerous. Whereas Scylla would snatch up six sailors – one for each of her six ravenous heads – Charybdis would suck the whole ship down to the depths. Accordingly, you’d err on the side of Scylla.

And yes – you read that right when I said her. Scylla and Charybdis were female sea monsters. In the usual style of classical mythology, they were nymphs or demi-goddesses transformed into monsters by the gods. In some later versions, Scylla was adapted as a beautiful nymph transformed into her monstrous form. The reasons varied – as did the form, although it consistently involved six man-eating heads, which she would feed by snatching sailors from passing ships. In one version, the heads were those of dogs. Charybdis was somewhat more ambiguous in her origin and form, but the latter consistently involved her sucking or swallowing down water like a whirlpool or maelstrom.

Indeed, Charybdis was rationalized as an explanation for a coastal whirlpool, while Scylla was rationalized as a rock shoal, presumably with waves that could sweep sailors from a ship.

Between Scylla and Charybdis became a proverbial expression similar in meaning to between the devil and the deep blue sea, or similar expressions for a dilemma or choosing between evils. Indeed, I used to believe that the latter originated from the former, with Scylla as the man-eating devil and Charybdis swallowing you down into the deep blue sea. Sadly, the origin of the latter phrase is not clear but probably does not originate from the Odyssey.

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

There’s a shortage of visual representations of Ahriman so I went with the next best thing – Chaos Space Marine Ahriman from 40K, depicted as character feature image in the fan wiki (left). And on the right, Asmodeus as depicted as the supreme devil in Dungeons and Dragons 1st edition Monster Manual. Looking suave…

 

 

(9) AHRIMAN & ASMODEUS

 

Yes – it’s another alliterative pairing of mythological villains.

Ahriman is drawn from the Persian mythology and religion of Zoroastrianism – “also known as Angra Mainyu…the deity of evil, darkness, and destruction in Zoroastrianism, acting as the primary adversary of the creator god, Ahura Mazda”, although ironically the latter seems more phonetically the origin of the name Ahriman.

Ahriman is essentially the devil of Zoroastrianism, although an entity that was more evenly matched with God in that dualistic religion. His resemblance to the devil is not coincidental – “representing chaos and falsehood, Ahriman is believed to have inspired later concepts of the devil and plays a central role in cosmic dualism”.

Asmodeus on the other hand is a demon originating in Biblical mythology, indeed in the Bible itself – albeit the apocryphal Book of Tobit. He rises to prominence above his apocryphal origin due to embodying the sin of lust in folklore and I’m always here for anyone embodying the sin of lust. That gave him a prominence and name recognition in popular culture, not least in Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder – indeed as the supreme ruler of Hell (or the Nine Hells) or effectively the Devil of Dungeons and Dragons in game lore.

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

 

 

Collage of the first edition D & D Monster Manual art for Orcus (left) and Demogorgon (right), the latter the model for the figurine in Stranger Things. In my opinion, Demogorgon definitely won out between them in art – but both benefited from the more refined art throughout subsequent editions

 

 

(10) ORCUS & DEMOGORGON

 

Yes – it’s another of my matched pair of villains, originating in classical mythology or literature (kind of) but raised in profile and matched as a pair by their adaptation as demon lords in Dungeons and Dragons.

Demogorgon has achieved particular pop culture status through adaptation as an extra-dimensional antagonist in the Stranger Things TV series, especially in the first season when it was a singular antagonist, the Demogorgon – although people forget that within the narrative of the first season, the characters called it the Demogorgon based on its visual resemblance to a figurine of the Dungeons and Dragons demon lord.

“Orcus was a god of the underworld, punisher of broken oaths in Etruscan and Roman mythology. As with Hades, the name of the god was also used for the underworld itself”. Ultimately, he was conflated with the primary god of the underworld (Hades or Pluto).

TV Tropes has a trope for Orcus on his throne, where an antagonist is powerful to the point of potential victory or “the potential to wipe out the forces of good” but seemingly sits around doing nothing. It’s a surprisingly prolific trope.

Ironically for his higher profile, Demogorgon is less clear in origin as a deity or demon associated with the underworld. “Although often ascribed to Greek mythology, the name probably arises from an unknown copyist’s misreading of a commentary by a fourth-century scholar…The concept itself can be traced back to the original misread term demiurge”.

Interestingly, John Milton paired Orcus with Demogorgon in Paradise Lost (among Demogorgon’s other surprisingly prolific references in literature or poetry) but it’s their pairing as demon lords in Dungeons and Dragons that earns them their entry here as a matched pair – particularly that they were famously antagonistic to each other in the game lore.

 

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

Chaos Monster and Sun God – a drawing of a Mesopotamian bas-relief, often associated with the battle of Marduk and Tiamat (but variously interpreted) – ‘Monuments of Nineveh, Second Series’ plate 5, London, J. Murray, 1853, ditor Austen Henry Layard , drawing by L. Gruner

 

 

(11) TIAMAT

 

Like my special mention for Orcus and Demogorgon, Tiamat is a mythological villain raised in profile by her adaptation in Dungeons and Dragons.

In fairness, Tiamat started with a higher – and more defined – profile in mythology than Orcus or Demogorgon. She was the primordial sea in Mesopotamian mythology – essentially that recurring mythic archetype of chaos monster.

And yes, I said she – Tiamat was very much a female figure, indeed a maternal one, as mother of monsters as well as the first deities and creation itself, albeit that last was not by giving birth but by her bodily dismemberment by the god Marduk.

“It was once thought that the myth of Tiamat was one of the earliest recorded versions of a Chaoskampf, a mythological motif that generally involves the battle between a culture hero and a chthonic or aquatic monster, serpent, or dragon.”

Tiamat was reborn as an arch-villain of Dungeons and Dragons – distinctively as a multi-headed dragon.

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

Set as he appears in his standard design from the Smite 2 video game

 

 

(12) SET

 

And ass-headed Set brayed in the desert…

Set often strikes me as similar to Loki, except more loyal when in balance or harmony with the rest of the Egyptian pantheon, until he was transformed into their antagonist. For example, he had a positive role where he accompanied Ra on the solar barque to repel Apep or Apophis, the serpent of chaos who would otherwise be the foremost villain of Egyptian mythology but for Set’s infamy.

However, with a divine brief as the god of the desert – lord of the Red Land as opposed to Horus as Lord of the Black Land or fertile land of the Nile – it was perhaps inevitable that Set would assume an antagonistic role, again as opposed to Horus, infamously by killing the father of Horus and husband of Isis, Osiris.

That ass-headed reference might not be accurate – “in art, Set is usually depicted as an enigmatic creature referred to by Egyptologists as the Set animal, a beast not identified with any known animal, although it could be seen as resembling a Saluki, an aardvark, an African wild dog, a donkey, a jackal, a hyena, a pig, an antelope, a giraffe or a fennec fox”. Of course, I prefer the ass version.

Interestingly, it may not have been so much his role as god of the desert that cast him as villainous but his role as god of foreigners, with the foreign conquests of Egypt – “Set’s negative aspects were emphasized during this period. Set was the killer of Osiris, having hacked Osiris’ body into pieces and dispersed it so that he could not be resurrected. The Greeks would later associate Set with Typhon and Yahweh”(!) – “a monstrous and evil force of raging nature (being the three of them depicted as donkey-like creatures).”

 

“I’m going into town after Set

I am a cowboy in the boat of Ra

Look out Set, here I come Set

To get Set, to sunset Set

To unseat Set, to set down Set”

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

 

Relief fragment of Mara in Gandhara style, found in Swat Valley – phorograph by Under the Bo in Wikipedia “Mara” under license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

 

 

(13) MARA

 

Although Mara has origins in Hindu mythology – “He is Yama’s fearsome persona and all beings associated with him, darkness and death, become forces of Mara – he takes his true shape as a “malicious force” in the Buddhist counterpart of the Temptation of Christ.

Indeed, I prefer the Buddhist version of the Temptation under the Bo Tree. The Temptation of Christ worked best in the more effective brief version of it in the Gospel of Mark but otherwise can come across as a dry rabbinical debate. In the Temptation of Buddha, Mara cuts to the chase with the more elemental forces of s€x and violence – something echoed in the version of the Temptation of Christ in the the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis.

“In the story of the Awakening of Prince Siddhartha, Mara appears as a powerful deva trying to seduce him with his celestial army and a vision of beautiful maidens…who, in various legends, are often said to be Mara’s daughters”.

His daughters are hot, though.

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

An illustration of Grendel by John Skelton from the 1908 “Stories of Beowulf”. Not sure why he has a handbag though – perhaps it belongs to his mother

 

 

(14) GRENDEL

 

Beowulf’s famous monstrous antagonist.

Yes, he’s one of the three epic antagonists for Beowulf, but let’s face it – Grendel is his first antagonist, not only in narrative sequence but in significance. Grendel’s mother doesn’t even have a name, being literally identified through Grendel as her son, and the dragon is similarly not named. It’s hard to think of a more iconic duo of a hero and their antagonist than Beowulf and Grendel.

Also, let’s face it – it’s hard not to feel some sympathy for Grendel, even that he had some justice on his side. I mean, who hasn’t felt like this about their noisy neighbors at one time or another? It’s not like there was any residential zoning laws or that Grendel could make a noise complaint to the king.

The latter was particularly so as it was the king – King Hrothgar – who was the noisy neighbor, throwing wild drunken parties in his mead hall, Heorot. Of course, Grendel took his noise complaints too far, attacking the hall every night for years and killing its occupants, hence making it unusable.

As for Grendel’s monstrous nature, it remains a matter of argument as to what exactly he was. He is described as a descendant of the Biblical Cain, who like Lilith seems to have spent his time spawning monsters – with Grendel described as “a creature of darkness, exiled from happiness and accursed of God, the destroyer and devourer of our human kind” and a “shadow walker”. He is also referred to in the poem by words evoking the beings of Germanic mythology – that is, as a monster and giant, albeit his status as such is undermined by the absence of any clear description, apart from him being seemingly linked to water like other supernatural monsters.

Some even conjecture him to be a berserker or fierce warrior. Whatever the case, he met his match – and his death – with Beowulf.

 

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

Arthur and the Questing Beast by Henry Justice Ford (1904) and Wodan’s Wild Hunt by Friedrich Wilhelm Heine (1885)

 

 

(15) QUESTING BEAST & WILD HUNT

 

I just can’t resist their evocative names, despite it being arguable whether they were actually villains. The Wild Hunt in particular seems more of a chaotic force.

Sadly, the questing beast is not so named because it was the subject of a quest but for the French word glatisant – hence its alternative name of the Beast Glatisant – related to or signifying barking or yelping, the noise the Beast made.

The Beast itself was a hybrid beast like a chimera – that is a single beast seemingly composed of different animal parts – albeit one often interpreted as a giraffe, from their medieval description as half camel and half leopard.

The Beast doesn’t feature in the main part of Arthurian legendary canon but pops up as cameo as it were, with the hunt for it as the subject of quests “futilely undertaken by King Pellinore and his family and finally achieved by Sir Palamedes and his companions”.

Of course, I also can’t resist matching the innuendo of questing beast with the adventurous bed. On that note, questing beast overlaps nicely with the innuendo of wild hunt.

“The Wild Hunt is a folklore motif occurring across various northern, western and eastern European societies, appearing in the religions of the Germans, Celts, and Slaves” – typically involving “a chase led by a mythological figure escorted by a ghostly or supernatural group of hunters engaged in pursuit. The leader of the hunt is often a named figure associated with Odin in Germanic legends but may variously be a historical or legendary figure like Theodoric the Great, the Danish king Valdemar Atterdag, the dragon slayer Sigurd, the psychopomp of Welsh mythology Gwyn ap Nudd, Biblical figures such as Herod, Cain, Gabriel, or the Devil, or an unidentified lost soul. The hunters are generally the souls of the dead or ghostly dogs, sometimes fairies, Valkyries or elves”.

That list of Wild Hunt leaders is not exhaustive either – indeed, it could be the subject of its own top ten.

“Seeing the Wild Hunt was thought to forebode some catastrophe such as war or plague, or at best the death of the one who witnessed it. People encountering the Hunt might also be abducted to the underworld or the fairy kingdom…According to scholar Susan Greenwood, the Wild Hunt “primarily concerns an initiation into the wild, untamed forces of nature in its dark and chthonic aspects.””

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

Balor (left) and “the bloody maggot” Crom Cruach (right) as depicted by Simon “The Biz” Bisley in Pat Mills’ Slaine: The Horned God – which won them this special mention (fair use)

 

 

(16) BALOR & CROM CRUACH

 

Balor…of the evil eye!

Balor represents the Fomorians in my special mentions – “a group of malevolent supernatural beings”, essentially the equivalent of demons in Irish mythology. Balor was their leader and “considered the most formidable” of them – “a giant with a large eye that wreaks destruction when opened”.

He’s killed in battle by the god (or demi-god or divine hero) Lugh of the Tuatha De Danaan – and “has been interpreted as a personification of the scorching sun”.

Interestingly, Dungeons and Dragons adapted his name for their in-game demon version of the Balrog to avoid copyright.

Crom Cruach “was a pagan god of pre-Christian legend” – “he was propitiated with human sacrifice and his worship was ended by Saint Patrick”.

Apart from the adaption of Crom’s name as that of Conan’s deity, they earn special mention for their adaptation as eldritch abominations by Pat Mills as the antagonists of the titular hero in his Slaine comic.

 

RATING:

X-TIER (WILD TIER)

 

Baron Samedi as depicted in his standard design in the Smite video game from the fan wiki

 

 

(17) XIPE TOTEC & BARON SAMEDI

 

“It’s going to be a beautiful day, heh heh heh, yes sir, a b-e-a-u-tiful day” – Baron Samedi in the James Bond film “Live and Let Die”.

 

Just as I felt that these pantheons needed some representation in the special mentions for my top mythological heroes, so too I felt they needed representation among the special mentions for my top mythological villains.

Ironically, that was as strange as nominating heroes from the pantheons. Sure, the whole Aztec and voodoo pantheons might seem villainous to those not familiar with them, although it might be more accurate to describe them as anti-heroic or alien in their morality.

Still, these two deities seemed to me the best nominations as mythological villains for their respective pantheons.

I mean, who else among the Aztec pantheon than Xipe Totec, whose name means Our Lord the Flayed One?

Sure, he earned this special mention on the back (or is that skin?) of his adaptation in Grant Morrison’s The Invisibles – one whose modus operandi seemed to be wearing the skin of his victim’s faces on his own – but there’s his portfolio as a deity.

“In Aztec mythology, Xipe Totec…was a life-death-rebirth deity, god of agriculture, vegetation, the east, spring, goldsmiths, silversmiths, liberation, deadly warfare, the seasons, and the earth”.

All but the deadly warfare seems benevolent – except that he connected agricultural renewal with warfare and indeed was believed to be the god that invented war. He also had a strong association with disease – so potentially he had the means to be all Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse wrapped up as one.

Baron Samedi – which translates in English as Baron Saturday – is probably the most famous voodoo loa or deity. It’s a little unfair to rank him as villain rather than the antihero or trickster that he more accurately is.

Apart from his fame and his role as a god of death, what earns him villainous special mention is more by way of adaptation – the first is as the model for the cult of personality by Haitian dictator Papa Doc, and the second is his role as villainous henchman for James Bond in the film Live and Let Die, strikingly played by Geoffrey Holder and perhaps the only genuinely supernatural antagonist for Bond, if his post-credits appearance is anything to go by.

 

RATING:

X-TIER (WILD TIER)

 

 

Antlered skull image for the Wendigo from the trailer for the 2022 film – reflecting the contemporary trend towards depicting the Wendigo with a deer skull for a head

 

 

(18) WENDIGO

 

“The Wendigo, the Wendigo
I saw it just a friend ago
Last night it lurked in Canada
Tonight on your veranada!”

 

A malevolent supernatural being “in the mythologies of several Algonquian and Athabaskan peoples”, with its definitive characteristic as its monstrously voracious hunger, for eating you – or perhaps even worse, possessing you. While its definitive characteristic is its hunger for human flesh, whether literally as predation or metaphorically as possession, its more disturbing feature is its human origin – that the Wendigo is a human transformed into a cannibal monster.

The nature of that transformation varies – “you can become one just by coming across a Wendigo, being possessed by the spirit of a Wendigo or even dreaming of a Wendigo”. Of course, that suggests that somewhere down the chain, there must be an original Wendigo, which is where other causes of transformation might kick in, such as cannibalism or whatever.

The appearance of the Wendigo also varies – “its most common description is a dreadfully skinny giant of ice devoid of lips and toes”, although recently that’s been overtaken by having antlers or even a deer’s skull with antlers for a head due to recent media adaptations or depictions.

What also varies is the way it can be killed, if indeed it can be. “The more it devours, the larger and more powerful it grows, and thus it can never find enough food to satisfy its hunger”.

Although it varies, the Wendigo is consistently a “malevolent, cannibalistic, supernatural being” – “they were strongly associated with the north, winter, cold, famine, starvation”. As such, it has been widely adapted throughout popular culture, particularly in the horror genre.

 

RATING:

X-TIER (WILD TIER)

 

 

Promotional poster art for the 2023 film The Boogeyman, adapted from the Stephen King short story of that name

 

 

(19) BOOGEYMAN

 

“I don’t want to alarm you but there may be a boogeyman – or boogeymen – in the house!”

“The bogeyman also spelled or known as bogyman, bog, or bogey, and boogeyman in the United States and Canada is a mythical creature typically used to frighten children into good behavior. Bogeymen have no specific appearances, and conceptions vary drastically by household and culture, but they are most commonly depicted as…monsters that punish children for misbehavior.”

“The bogeyman, and conceptually similar monsters, can be found in many cultures around the world. Bogeymen may target a specific act or general misbehavior, depending on the purpose of invoking the figure, often on the basis of a warning from an authority figure to a child. The term is sometimes used as a non-specific personification or metonym for terror – and sometimes the Devil”.

There’s nothing really to add to that description, except for my fondness for the term bugbear which I understand to originate from the same etymology (and was adapted as a goblin-like creature in Dungeons and Dragons) – and that the Stephen King short story The Boogeyman remains one of my favorites.

“It is often described as a dark, formless creature with shapeshifting abilities. The bogeyman is known to satiate its appetite by snatching and consuming children. Descriptions of the bogeyman vary across cultures, yet there are often commonalities between them including claws/talons, or sharp teeth”.

 

RATING:

X-TIER (WILD TIER)

 

 

Pointing mirror guy meme

 

 

(20) DOPPELGANGER (FETCH & WEIRD)

 

“And I will show you something different from either

Your shadow at morning striding behind you

Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you”

 

That’s right – it’s you. You are your own worst mythic enemy, my final special mention for villains of mythology.

Well, okay – not exactly you, but another version of you. At least equally matched but possibly better than you – harder, better, faster, stronger – because they are supernatural and do you better than you do.

“A doppelgänger (also doppelgaenger and doppelganger) is a supernatural double of a living person, especially one who haunts the doubled person.” Usually ominous, as in literally an omen or “harbinger of bad luck”.

Essentially the same concept as the archaic usage of fetch or weird for a similar entity.

And yes – it’s also an exception to my rule of reserving my final twentieth special mention for a kinky or kinkier entry, unless of course that’s your kink or you want to take narcissism literally.

 

RATING:

X-TIER (WILD TIER – OR LITERALLY WEIRD TIER!)

Top Tens – Heroes & Villains: Top 10 Heroes of Mythology (Special Mention: Complete Rankings)

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The heroic top part of Raphael’s 1506 painting St George and the Dragon, with St George as the hero obviously – hurrah!

 

 

TOP 10 HEROES OF MYTHOLOGY (SPECIAL MENTION)

 

Few things are as fundamental to mythology as heroes – or as prolific.

I’ve counted down my Top 10 Heroes of Mythology but there’s more than enough heroes and heroism for my usual twenty special mentions per top ten, given all the various heroes of all the various mythologies.

Just a reminder of my criteria of heroism from my Top 10 Heroes of Mythology – firstly, there’s the scale of how heroic they are in their moral character or ethos, and secondly, there’s the scale of how powerful they are, ranging up to heroes capable of saving the world.

Finally, iconic status – and above all my idiosyncratic preference – tends to trump all, although of course iconic status is usually gained from other criteria in the first place, with the most morally good and powerful heroes being most iconic in popular culture or imagination. However, iconic status is qualified by my greater familiarity with European or Western mythologies, which might overshadow iconic status within non-Western mythologies.

 

 

Collage of statues – the head of the Apollo Belvedere statue in the Vatican photographed by Marie-Lan Nguyen (left) and in wall protome of Dionysus in Kinsky Palace photographed by Zde (right) in Wikipedia “Apollonian and Dionsyian” under licence https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/deed.en and https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en respectively

 

 

(1) APOLLO & DIONYSUS

 

Nietzsche famously propounded a literary or philosophical dichotomy or duality (or duo, if you prefer) between the Apollonian and the Dionysian. The classical Greeks themselves did not see Apollo and Dionysus as opposing figures but would probably applaud Nietzsche anyway, with all the reboots and retcons they gave the classical mythology.

The golden god of the sun, Apollo was the archetypal divine hero of classical mythology – the original Olympian Superman. His divine attributes or powers were extremely varied – the sun and light obviously but also archery (the symbolic equivalent of the sun’s rays), prophecy and truth (he was patron of the Delphic oracle), music and poetry, healing and more. In popular religion, he had a strong function as protector from evil – in short, he stood for truth, justice and the Grecian way. For Nietzsche, the Apollonian stood for the forces of reason and logic, control and clarity, structure and order, art and science – in short, the ideal of perfection

On the other hand, Dionysus was a foreign newcomer to Olympian pantheon and the god most associated with mortality – the son of a mortal mother (by Zeus) and a god who died to be reborn. He was also a darker figure as the god of intoxication in all its forms – ecstasy, fear and madness. What’s more, Dionysus was the god of the mysteries and theatre. For Nietzsche, the Dionysian stood for the forces of passion and emotion, chaos and mysticism, music and intoxication – in short, the ideal of a good night out…

 

 

RATING: 5 STARS*****

S-TIER (GOD TIER)

*

Collage of public domain images – “Sweet, piercing sweet was the music of Pan’s pipe” in captioned illustration of Pan by Walter Crane (Wikipedia “Pan”) on left and trace of an image of Abraxas stone or gem “The Gnostics and their remains” by Charles W. King, 1887 (Wikipedia banner image for gnosticism) on right

 

 

(2) PAN & ABRAXAS

 

Io Pan! Io Pan Pan!

Iao Abraxas!

Pan, the original horny god with the groin of a goat or as Bill Hicks styled him, randy Pan the Goat Boy. God of nature, mountains, shepherds and s€xuality – also the source of our word panic, for the divine mad fear he could inspire in people, including as savior of Athens, the invading Persian army at Marathon.

As a Capricorn goat boy myself, I’ve long been a Pan fan. Ironically, the only classical Greek god reported as dead – in a historical legend by Plutarch, with a sailor during the reign of Tiberius reporting a divine proclamation from an island that “the great god Pan is dead” – but reports of his death, to paraphrase Mark Twain, were greatly exaggerated. Pan was the one god that endured more than all the others, even to the extent of embodying in horned and hooved form all classical paganism as a whole in modern romanticism and neo-paganism. Perhaps aptly enough, given the pun on Pan – as the word for “all” in Greek also being Pan.

One might call it Pan’s odyssey – from mythic Pan through medieval and early modern Pan to his romantic rebirth, Edwardian height of popularity, and ultimately contemporary Pan. There’s just too much Pan – or is that too many Pans? – out there.

Sadly, one of my favorite historical legends of how Christianity embodied Pan as its devil – may be just that, a legend dating back only to the nineteenth century (following the hypothesis of Ronald Hutton to that effect).

I still prefer the legend. In one of my story ideas, a somewhat lost and forlorn Satan muses to the protagonist (with whom he has occasional chats) of his origin from Pan (as one of his multiple-choice origin stories). The protagonist calls him out on his conflicting origin stories, to which Satan replies “Do I contradict myself? Very well, I contradict myself. I am legion, I contain multitudes”. But then he becomes sadly wistful “I would give anything just to dance in the moonlight again, when I was not evil but only wild and free”.

Another of my mythic idiosyncrasies is that I tend see a matching figure to Pan in Abraxas, even if the latter has nowhere near the classical pagan firepower as Pan in popular culture.

One reason is something of a physical resemblance in their half-animal half-human form. Where Pan is essentially a satyr as goat from waist down and with goat horns on his head, Abraxas is similarly animal from waist down and from neck up, only more so. For the former, Abraxas has much the same animal proportions of Pan – only more eerie or eldritch as instead of the lower half of goat, as Abraxas had a serpent (or serpentine tail) for each leg, anguiped rather than satyr. For the latter, Abraxas goes hard into animal head territory – instead of dainty goat horns on a human head, Abraxas has an actual animal head, with the head of a rooster. Serpentine legs and head of a rooster – if there’s a divine figure as more overt phallic symbol, then I don’t know what it is, particularly if you use the alternative word for rooster.

As to what sort of divine figure Abraxas is, well, that’s not entirely clear – Gnostic aeon or archon, classical or Egyptian god, or magical figure?

There’s even more direct parallels with Pan in the inscriptions and images on the prolific engraved ‘Abraxas stones’ that have been located in archaeology. There’s the salutation of Iao for Abraxas, echoing that of Io for Pan – and according to Egyptologist E. Wallis Budge, Abraxas was a Pantheus or Pantheos, that is, All-God.

I particularly have a soft spot for Abraxas from two sources for my personal mythos. One is the 1970 Santana album of that name, featuring its psychedelic cover art with the gloriously naked and voluptuous black magic woman as its centerpiece. The other is Piers Anthony’s Tarot trilogy, in which Abraxas is an unlikely candidate as the one true god, boosted by his golden priestess and devotee Amaranth, one of the s€xiest fantasy or SF female characters I have read. Iao Abraxas, indeed!

 

 

RATING: 5 STARS*****

S-TIER (GOD-TIER – OR IS THAT PAN-TIER?)

 

 

Cernunnos or at least a similar figure on the Bronze Age Gundestrup Cauldron (public domain)

 

 

(3) HORNED GOD & SACRED KING

 

“He is the laughter in the woods.”

Pan and Cernunnos may be the most famous or iconic (the former more so) but there are more horned deities, particularly if you include deities that are represented or symbolized by horned animals.

“Deities depicted with horns or antlers are found in numerous religions across the world. Horned animals, such as bulls, goats, and rams, may be worshiped as deities or serve as inspiration for a deity’s appearance in religions that venerate animal gods”.

Like the Triple Goddess, modern witchcraft and neopaganism have adapted the horned deities of paganism to the Horned God, representing the male aspects of divinity and second only to the Triple Goddess, typically as her consort among other roles.

“The Theme, briefly, is the antique story, which falls into thirteen chapters and an epilogue, of the birth, life, death and resurrection of the God of the Waxing Year; the central chapters concern the God’s losing battle with the God of the Waning Year for love of the capricious and all-powerful Threefold Goddess, their mother, bride and layer-out. The poet identifies himself with the God of the Waxing Year and his Muse with the Goddess; the rival is his blood-brother, his other self, his weird.”

Of course, supernatural horned beings are depicted much more negatively in Christianity, with the devil and other demons typically as horned (or is that horny)? Interestingly, there are the occasional exceptions, with no less than Moses famously said to be or depicted as “horned” upon being radiant or glorified by God. That is usually attributed to mistranslation but has recurred throughout artistic depictions of him, including by Michelangelo.

“The Horned God has been explored within several psychological theories and has become a recurrent theme in fantasy literature” – with my favorite example of the latter being the titular Horned God in “Slaine: The Horned God” by Pat Mills.

And then there’s the mythic figure of the sacred king, overlapping with that of the horned god, at least in modern paganism and a recurring theme in fantasy.

“In many historical societies, the position of kingship carried a sacral meaning and was identical with that of a high priest and judge…The monarch may be divine, become divine, or represent divinity to a greater or lesser extent.”

The figure of the sacred king was famously propounded by Sir James George Frazer in The Golden Bough – behold the monomyth of the sacrificial sacred king!

“A sacred king, according to the systematic interpretation of mythology developed by Frazer in The Golden Bough…was a king who represented a solar deity in a periodically re-enacted fertility rite. Frazer seized upon the notion of a substitute king and made him the keystone of his theory of a universal, pan-European, and indeed worldwide fertility myth, in which a consort for the Goddess was annually replaced. According to Frazer, the sacred king represented the spirit of vegetation…came into being in the spring, reigned during the summer, and ritually died at harvest time, only to be reborn at the winter solstice to wax and rule again. The spirit of vegetation was therefore a ‘dying and reviving god’. Osiris, Dionysus, Attis and many other familiar figures from Greek mythology and classical antiquity were reinterpreted in this mold…The sacred king, the human embodiment of the dying and reviving vegetation god, was supposed to have originally been an individual chosen to rule for a time, but whose fate was to suffer as a sacrifice, to be offered back to the earth so that a new king could rule for a time in his stead.”

 

RATING:

S-TIER (GOD TIER)

 

Collage of The Fool (left) and The Hanged Man (right) from the most iconic modern Tarot deck, the Rider-Waite Tarot deck designed by A.E. Waite and Illustrated by Pamela Colman-Smith (first published by William Rider & Son in 1909, hence the name) – public domain image

 

 

(4) TAROT – FOOL & HANGED MAN

 

The Tarot may have its mystique and even its mythos, but does it have heroes?

O yes – hence this special mention, drawn from the archetypal characters of individual cards, particularly those of the more iconic Major Arcana or “trumps” of the Tarot. Indeed, there are enough ‘heroic’ cards of the Tarot for their own top ten and a few special mentions beyond that.

However, as the title of this special mention entry indicates, two cards stand out above all others as heroes of the Tarot – the Fool and the Hanged Man.

At first glance, both might seem unusual choices. There are cards that might seem more conventional heroic figures by the metric of power – the Magician, the Emperor, the Hierophant, the Chariot, and the Sun.

However, it is the Fool that is the true hero of the Tarot. In its modern form, the Major Arcana has its own mythic narrative, essentially a version of the archetypal hero’s journey, with the Fool – traditionally numbered zero or just unnumbered – as its hero, similar to the figure of the holy fool. The Fool sets out on his quest, innocence in search of experience, poised to fall or fly. The rest of the Major Arcana depicts the figures he encounters, as well as ultimately his descent into and triumphant return from the underworld.

Coming in close second place is the Hanged Man, a self-sacrificial mystical inversion of the Fool, that the Fool either encounters or – in my preferred reading – becomes, in his descent into the underworld. Indeed, the image of the Hanged Man is parallel to that of the Fool. Where the Fool innocently and seemingly inadvertently is poised to step off a precipice while gazing (or perhaps dreaming) skywards, the Hanged Man is more deliberately poised to descend into the Underworld, hanging by his foot in seemingly mystical pose with head downwards.

 

RATING: 5 STARS*****

S-TIER (GOD-TIER)

 

Clipped cover of Jesus & Buddha: The Parallel Sayings by Marcus Borg and published by Ulysses Press in 2004 – an interesting book and also apt illustration for this special mention entry

 

 

(5) SAVIOR – JESUS & BUDDHA

 

By definition, mythic heroes tend to be saviors on a mythic scale, even on the scale of saving the world.

Jesus and Buddha are the definitive world saviors – indeed, so much so that one might wonder why I don’t rank them higher than this special mention entry.

Well, firstly and most fundamentally, Jesus and Buddha are world saviors as the foundational figures of the world religions named for them (or technically, Jesus’s title as Christ). Other heroes of mythology, notably those of classical mythology, may have had their cults, but the hero cults of Jesus and Buddha – if one calls them that, as at least one historian did when observing Christianity to be a Greek hero cult devoted to a Jewish messiah – persist in contemporary religious belief. Accordingly, as heroic figures they are regarded with reverence that requires them to be ranked separately, even uniquely – hence this special mention. Indeed, even ranking them together or among the heroes of mythology might be regarded as controversial to that reverence.

There’s another reason I rank them as special mention. Jesus and Buddha are similarly unique as heroes in that they are not saviors by the use of violence, even that violence used against the forces of evil or chaos that is characteristic of other heroes. Instead, they defeat those forces and save the world by other means, spiritual rather than physical – Jesus by belief or faith, and Buddha by enlightenment.

Indeed, it’s a plot point in Buddha’s legendary biography that he renounces his princely status – and the prophecy of more conventional heroic conquest, eschewing conquering the world for saving it. He effectively renounces it again when tempted in his fabled meditation under the Bo Tree by the forces of evil represented by the demon lord Mara. Jesus similarly renounces such things as all the kingdoms of the world when offered to him instead of his path to salvation, in his even more famous trial of temptation. Jesus also famously inverts the model of heroic conquest even more so than Buddha, saving the world not by conventional victory or violence but by self-sacrifice – the ultimate gambit of winning by losing, as it were.

Otherwise, they are so well known as religious figures, even outside their respective religions – albeit more so for Jesus due to the more pervasive extent and influence of his religion – that it would be redundant to recite further details, other than to observe that each could be the subject of their own top ten, indeed of many such lists.

 

RATING: 5 STARS*****

S-TIER (GOD TIER)

 

 

Collage of a masque monkey photographed by Shantanu Kuveskar as feature image for Wikipedia “Monkey” under license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en and coyote photographed by Yahtin S Krishnappa as feature image for Wikipedia “Coyote” under license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

 

 

 

(6) TRICKSTER – MONKEY & COYOTE

 

 

“Some people call me the space cowboy, yeah

Some call me the gangster of love…

‘Cause I’m a picker, I’m a grinner

I’m a lover and I’m a sinner

I play my music in the sun

I’m a joker, I’m a smoker

I’m a midnight toker

I sure don’t want to hurt no one”

 

I don’t know – the lyrics of the Steve Miller Band’s The Joker just seemed apposite to trickster heroes (or Dionysian heroes for that matter, although there’s a large overlap between the two), just as the lyrics to Queen’s theme for Flash seem apposite to more conventional savior heroes (or Apollonian ones).

Tricksters need little introduction as archetypal characters, except to note there’s enough of them for their own top ten – or at least two top ten lists, one for trickster heroes and one for trickster villains, as it is the nature of tricksters to break rules and cross boundaries, including between heroism and villainy, even if they tend to prefer mischief to outright evil. If a villain uses deception and manipulation as well as brute force, they tend to have something of a trickster nature to them – including arguably my top mythic villain, Satan. I’ve already featured heroes and villains in my Top 10 Heroes & Villains of Mythology that could be characterized as tricksters – most demonstrably two that are counterparts to each other, Odin and Loki in Norse mythology.

 

“And the nature of Monkey was…irrepressible!”

 

Tricksters can be “god, goddess, spirit, human” or anthropomorphic animal spirits. Indeed, the last tend to be the best tricksters or at least my favorites, hence the two I’ve included as representative for this entry – Su Wukong, the Monkey King of the Chinese Buddhist legendary tract Journey to the West, and Coyote, the leading trickster of Native American mythology (albeit the Raven figure comes close as it plays the same role in other cultures).

“As one of the most enduring Chinese literary characters, Wukong has a varied and highly debated background and colorful cultural history. His inspiration might have come from an amalgam of influences, generally relating to religious concepts.”

Apparently, sources or influences for Su Wukong include Taoism and legends about monkeys or gibbons from the Chu kingdom of China onwards, but it’s hard not to suspect some influence from the Hindu god Hanuman.

“The Coyote mythos is one of the most popular among western Native American cultures, especially among indigenous peoples of California and the Great Basin”.

Personally, I like to trace a line of descent from the Coyote figure in native American mythology to Wile. E. Coyote in Looney Tunes cartoons – heck, he’s even in the same geographic area. (I also do another bit tracing his line of descent from Sisyphus as hero of existential philosophy). Of course, poor Wile E. Coyote is out-tricked by the Roadrunner (perhaps reflecting the same avian trickster spirit as Raven) or is just too tricky for his own good.

 

 

RATING: 5 STARS*****

S-TIER (GOD-TIER – OR IS THAT TRICK-TIER?)

 

“Archangel Michael defeats Satan” painting by Guido Reni at some time between 1630 and 1635

 

 

(7) ANGELS & SAINTS

 

Well, you simply can’t feature a list of mythological heroes without featuring angels and saints, even if they aren’t always straightforward as heroes.

That’s particularly the case for angels – even in the Biblical text, they can be as ineffable as the God for whom they serve as supernatural intermediaries or messengers. All too often they are agents of His wrath. Not to mention they are literally looking like some sort of eldritch abomination:

“Six wings, four faces, a wheel of fire with eyes lining the rim — you name it. Benevolent or not, these angels were the stuff of nightmares. They didn’t traditionally introduce themselves with “Fear not!” for nothing. Those that were winged tended to stay in heaven or looked… different”.

Of course, angels were also depicted as appearing human, defaulting to the modern archetype of winged (and haloed) humans. Careful with those wings, though – bird wings good, bat wings bad. It’s interesting how the wings of fallen angels seem to transform from good bird wings to evil bat wings – insect wings tend to be reserved for fairies. (Some works also transform angelic halos to something more sinister when they fall).

Also interestingly – and somewhat surprisingly – there are only a few named angels, most notably Michael and Gabriel, demonstrating the usual -el suffix for angel names although there are exceptions.

Michael is the archetypal heroic angel – or is that angelic hero? – famously as the warrior of God and leader of Heaven’s host of angels against Satan, in which role he doubles up as dragonslayer, albeit he casts down rather than slays Satan in the latter’s form as dragon.

Michael also demonstrates some other angelic features. Firstly, that angels have been depicted as a hierarchy of different ranks or types – Michael himself is an archangel. Secondly, Michael has been canonized as a saint as well as an angel – Saint Michael – such that he offers a nice segue into featuring saints as heroes.

Saints of course are almost always depicted as human, at least originally, with a few exceptions of angels characterized as saints or the singular case of Mary, rendered semi-divine through her own immaculate conception. However, saints transcend their humanity to partake of divine or semi-divine nature – becoming saints – by the power of their faith or grace, “having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God”.

As such, they are heroic by nature, albeit usually of a gentler or more pacific nature than other mythic heroes – very often, the only violence is of a self-sacrificial nature, as martyrs. However, there are warrior saints – even at least one dragonslayer saint in the form of Saint George, the archetypal heroic saint.

Really, angels and saints could well be the subject of their own top ten list – indeed, many such top ten lists, including their various elements, tropes, and types, not least angelic hierarchies and patron saints. They came very close to having their own entry in the special mentions for my Top 10 Mythologies, except that they primarily appear in Biblical mythology and associated religions – although there are analogies and counterparts in other mythic or religious traditions such as Buddhism.

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

The standard design of Gilgamesh in the Smite video game from the wiki

 

 

(8) GILGAMESH

 

Epic!

No, seriously – the first epic hero, Mesopotamian mythic hero and titular protagonist of the Epic of Gilgamesh.

The first surviving version of that epic apparently dates back to the 18th century BC, in turn originating from Sumerian poems which may date back to the Third Dynasty of Ur in 21st century BC.

“He was possibly a historical king of the Sumerian city-state of Uruk, who was posthumously deified”. That’s certainly how he was presented by my favorite adaptation of him by Robert Silverberg, who had him as the protagonist of posthumous fantasy in Silverberg’s novel To the Land of the Living. Silverberg obviously had an enduring interest in Gilgamesh, featuring him in a more straightforward adaptation Gilgamesh the King. Indeed, Gilgamesh has been surprisingly enduring and prolific in adaptation in art and popular culture, not just by Silverberg.

Gilgamesh is perhaps most famous for his epic quest for immortality – in which he failed, ironically perhaps for its fame but not surprisingly given how much any such quest is defying the odds. The house of mortality always wins.

Gilgamesh and his epic are even more impactful from their influence on both Biblical and classical mythology, particularly the latter as an influence on the Iliad and the Odyssey.

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

*

I will never tire of this promotional still featuring Grendel’s hot mother with heels from the 2007 Beowulf film. Or in other words – phwoah!

 

 

(9) BEOWULF

 

“I…AM…BEOWULF!”

The most enduring mythic character – along with antagonists Grendel and Grendel’s mother (with the subsequent dragon tending to be overlooked for that more intriguing mother and son duo) – from “the oldest surviving work of fiction in the English language, written sometime between 700 and 1000 AD”.

Indeed it’s so old – how old is it? Older than yo momma (but not Grendel’s momma) – “that the language it’s written in is barely recognizable as English” and it is more correctly described as Old English.

Like the Iliad and Odyssey earlier in these special mentions, it is an epic poem, but in Beowulf’s case it is “in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend”. The story, set in pagan Scandinavia, is reasonably well known, at least in outline, and is in an effective three-part structure that perhaps has added to its enduring appeal.

Beowulf, a “hero of the Geats” (in southern Sweden), “comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the king of the Danes” (once again gloomy Denmark pops up in classic literature), “whose mead hall Heorot has been under attack by the monster Grendel for twelve years”. In the first part, Beowulf faces off with Grendel, tearing off his arm and slaying him. In the second, Beowulf faces off against Grendel’s monstrous mother out for vengeance and slays her too. Yass hero, slay! Although he slays her in a very different sense in the 2007 film adaptation – not surprisingly given she appears as a golden form of her voice actress Angelina Jolie, complete with high heels! In the third, Beowulf, now a king in his elderly years, faces off and defeats a dragon, but “is mortally wounded in the battle”.

J.R.R. Tolkien wrote on the difficulty of translating Beowulf in an essay (“On translating Beowulf”). On the subject of J.R.R. Tolkien, here’s a shoutout to him as an enduring influence on adapting or interpreting Beowulf through his study of the epic poem, in lectures or his essay, as well as Beowulf as an enduring influence on Tolkien (“Beowulf is among my most valued sources”) – and through him on modern literary fantasy.

You might know Beowulf’s influence on Tolkien and modern literary fantasy through a little book Tolkien wrote called The Lord of the Rings. Although personally I tend to see more of the direct overlap through The Hobbit – with Bilbo as Beowulf, Gollum as Grendel, and Smaug as, well, the dragon. Sadly, no Grendel’s mother though.

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

Statue of Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest, photographed by Richard Croft and published as image in Wikipedia “Robin Hood” licensed for use under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en

 

 

(10) ROBIN HOOD

 

“The legendary outlaw archer Robin Hood is an incredibly famous character of medieval folklore, so much so that he has been adapted into countless different media” – and so incredibly famous that for English historical legend he is perhaps exceeded by only one other figure, King Arthur.

“Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw from England. The character was first alluded to in William Langland’s poem Piers Plowman written in the year 1377, although the reference in this poem indicates Robin Hood existed much earlier than that in oral tradition.”

I’d say he needs little introduction, except elements of his legend originally varied from his subsequent adaptations. He is traditionally associated with Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire – hence the Sheriff of Nottingham as his antagonist – but an early ballad places him in Yorkshire, while later ones place him even further away in Scotland and London. “He is identified as a yeoman — a non-noble, free, small landholder — in his original incarnations. The Elizabethans would attribute a title of nobility to Robin as Earl of Huntingdon; several modern incarnations make him a knight (or at least a soldier) and treat The Crusades as some sort of medieval Vietnam.”

More religious elements, such as his devotion to the Virgin Mary, have been replaced by his iconic charity to the poor.

He is the archetypal archer hero – an archetype that has proved surprisingly enduring in the modern age of firearms or squires – combined with “association with nature” and “rebellious personality”.

“The possible inspirations for the myth are equally varied and unclear. While there is limited evidence that he may have been a historical figure, or at least named after one, the modern consensus is that he is a distillation of multiple figures — historical and mythical — from the early 2nd millennium.”

Although there are also theories identifying him as a “a remnant of pre-Christian pagan belief in some form of nature spirit” such as “Robin Wood”, the “Spirit of the Forest”. I’ve read one such version which also conflated him with the folklore figure Robin Goodfellow.

Robin Hood is accompanied by a cast of other characters in legend, perhaps most famously Maid Marian, and his Merry Men – including Little John, Will Scarlett, and Friar Tuck.

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

 

Prometheus Brings Fire – painting by Heinrich Fueger

 

 

(11) PROMETHEUS

 

The Rock – the People’s Champion!

No, seriously. Prometheus was the people’s champion – the champion of humanity – in classical mythology. The Rock comes later…

Unlike the Olympian gods or other gods in general (and Prometheus was a Titan which might account for some of the difference), he was consistently in humanity’s corner. In some versions of the myth, he created us (from clay) – which would also account for why he looked out for us.

The primary myth is that he stole fire from the Olympian gods to give to us and hence gave us the means for civilization. In some versions, he added to that by teaching us the actual arts and sciences of civilization as well. As part of his character as benefactor to humanity, he was the classic guile hero or even benevolent trickster, relying on intelligence – with his very name usually argued to mean forethought.

Some versions of his myth have him playing another trick on the gods which compounded his theft of fire from heaven – swindling their sacrifices. That is, he instructed humanity when the gods were choosing their portion of animal sacrifice to disguise the bones under a glistening layer of fat. The gods chose that portion, so that humans were able to retain the meat from animal sacrifices.

Unfortunately, you can only play so many tricks on the gods – only the one as a general rule, two if you were lucky or on a winning streak – before they came down on you with their wrath. The house always wins – and in classical mythology, Olympus was the house.

And so Prometheus literally was bound to a rock as people’s champion – perhaps not so bad of itself, but the eagle eating his liver daily was the true torment, the liver of course regenerating overnight to be eaten again the next day. I told you the Rock comes later. However, Zeus just couldn’t stay mad at Prometheus forever and allowed him to be freed by Heracles. Some versions of his myth attributed that to Prometheus finally confessing the secret of Zeus’ downfall but there was not too much attention given to what Prometheus did after he was unbound.

“In the Western classical tradition, Prometheus became a figure who represented human striving (particularly the quest for scientific knowledge) and the risk of overreaching or unintended consequences.”

Hence, Prometheus has lent his name to common usage as the adjective Promethean, meaning “daringly creative” or innovative but also often rebellious and defiant of authority (or even “suffering grandly”).

“In particular, he was regarded in the Romantic era as embodying the lone genius whose efforts to improve human existence could also result in tragedy” – as with the lesser known subtitle Mary Shelley gave her novel Frankenstein, “The Modern Prometheus”.

“The myth of Prometheus has been a favourite theme of Western art and literature”, particularly “in the post-Renaissance and post-Enlightenment tradition” – including popular culture, notably as the title of the Alien film prequel-sequel (presequel?).

 

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

Illustration of Hector, albeit in his duel with Ajax rather than Achilles, from The Story of the Iliad published in 1892

 

 

(12) HECTOR

 

Troy’s greatest warrior and the classical archetype of heroic antagonist, worthy adversary to Achilles in the Iliad.

It just goes to show you can have heroes on both sides. Indeed, there’s been a consistent tendency to see Hector as more heroic, or at least more sympathetic, than Achilles – a tendency that dates back potentially to the Iliad itself and certainly through to the modern reader.

“Hector is still the hero who forever captures the affection of the modern reader, far more strongly than his conqueror has ever done”.

It’s not a universal tendency. Some drily point out that the Iliad more tells than shows Hector’s prowess as a warrior – “Many, but not all, scholars of the Iliad see an incongruence between Hector’s in-story reputation and his actual achievements”. On the other hand, others argue Hector should have played it safe, “following his wife’s practical advice to defend Troy from the city wall” rather than “fighting on the frontlines for the sake of glory” – he was Troy’s crown prince after all.

However, Hector was fated to fall in an epic for which the declared subject in its opening line is the wrath of Achilles – which was, after all, targeted on Hector, at least after Achilles’ companion Patroclus is killed by Hector. This time, it’s personal for Achilles – and so he killed Hector, leaving the Trojan king Priam to beg Achilles if the latter could please stop dragging Hector’s dead body behind him while doing victory laps in his chariot.

Still, it’s hard not to see Hector as more heroic or sympathetic to Achilles, particularly as Hector is fighting foremost to defend his city and family.

“Hector throughout the Trojan War brings glory to the Trojans as their best fighter. He is loved by all his people and known for never turning down a fight. He is gracious to all and thus thought of favorably by all but the Achaeans…He turns the tide of battle”.

That consistent tendency to see Hector as more heroic, or at least more sympathetic, than Achilles – has also carried over to the Trojans against the Greeks in general. The Romans traditionally traced their lineage to Troy and hence accordingly took a positive view of Hector, followed by medieval writers who hailed Hector as one of the “Nine Worthies” or nine heroes from Biblical, classical and medieval sources, as well as others since who have favored Hector as the true hero of the Iliad.

 

RATING:

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

 

The most famous image of Roman mythology or legendary history – Lupa Capitolina suckling the twins Romulus and Remus, here depicted in a bronze sculpture in the Capitoline Museum debated as to its age and origin as either 5th century BC Etruscan sculpture or medieval (with the twins added later)

 

 

(13) AENEAS & ROMULUS

 

All roads lead to Rome – Rome leads back to Romulus and Aeneas.

My previous special mention for Hector leads naturally to special mention for Aeneas, similarly a Trojan hero – less prominent in Greek mythology or the Iliad but one that rose to prominence as the ancestral hero of Rome in Roman mythology and the subject of the Aeneid, epic poem by Virgil intended as a sequel to the Iliad and Odyssey as well as foundational legend for Rome (and the imperial cult of Augustus).

I particularly like that Aeneas is the son of the goddess Aphrodite, which effectively makes her Roman equivalent Venus the founding mother and patron goddess of Rome.

Aeneas may well have been the founding father of Rome but he didn’t found the city itself – hence he shares special mention with Romulus. Famously, Romulus was one of two twin brothers – and as famously, he and his twin Remus were suckled by a she-wolf, known as Lupa Capitolina or the Capitoline wolf, in their infancy. Also as famously (or infamously), Romulus had a falling out of fratricidal degree with his brother as he went on to found the city (and kingdom) of Rome – just as well because the city of Reme just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

 

RATING:

B-TIER (HIGH TIER)

 

 

 

Lao Tzu as depicted in Judge Dredd (prog 577, “The Sage”). Spoiler alert – the Tao doesn’t do too well against the Law

 

 

(14) LAO TZU / LAOZI

 

The legendary founder of Taoism and the author of its foundational text, the Tao Te Ching.

What I particularly like is that he just jotted down as a literal afterthought or postscript, at the request of a city sentry to record his wisdom for the good of the kingdom before being permitted to pass – before literally riding off into the sunset on a mystical water buffalo because he was that awesome.

Of course, that is probably pure legend in every respect, including the historicity of Laozi himself, but who cares when it’s that cool? And it’s apt enough for the source of Taoism, with its emphases on living in balance, naturalness, spontaneity, simplicity and detachment from desire – particularly living in the moment and wu wei, or the art of doing nothing effectively.

If only there had been some law requiring any foundational religious text be written by its founder like a university exam – within a prescribed time limit of an hour, or two at most.

Surely that would eliminate much of the source of religious conflict, which at heart often seems to be wars of literary interpretation. My book is better than your book. All those long rambling religious texts – really, less is more. Of course, that would also eliminate most, if not almost all religious books.

 

RATING:

B-TIER (HIGH TIER)

 

 

Collage of hook illustrations in the public domain – Cu Chulainn in Battle, illustration by J.C. Leyendecker in T.W. Rolleston’s Myths & Legends of the Celts 1911 (left) and Fionn Fighting Aillen, illustration by Beatrice Elvery in Violet Russell’s Heroes of the Dawn 1914 (right)

 

 

(15) CU CHULAINN & FINN MCCOOL

 

Cu Chulainn had me at warp spasm – and Finn McCool had me at the best name for a heroic protagonist outside of, well, Hiro Protagonist.

Mind you, Cu Chulainn also scores bonus points with me for being literally named for a dog – the hound of Culann (after “killing a fierce guard dog” as a child and “offering to take its place until a replacement could be reared”).

Cu Chulainn “is an Irish warrior hero and demigod in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, as well as in Scottish and Manx folklore…believed to be an incarnation of the Irish god Lugh”. Like Achilles, whom he resembles to a substantial extent, “it was prophesied that his great deeds would give him everlasting fame, but that his life would be short”.

By warp spasm, I’m referring to the “terrifying battle frenzy” for which he is known – “in which he becomes an unrecognisable monster who knows neither friend nor foe”. Like all true warrior heroes, he died in battle – and on his feet, binding himself to a standing stone so that he would remain on his feet until the end.

I can’t help but think of Cu Chulainn as the Conan of Irish mythology – both figuratively and literally, the latter as inspiration for Robert E. Howard’s Conan. That’s my speculation, based on my understanding that Robert E. Howard based Conan’s Cimmerian ethnicity on Celtic models.

Pat Mills’ barbarian Irish hero Slaine was definitely based in part on Cu Chulainn, but also from other sources of Irish mythology.

Speaking of which, Finn McCool is an anglicization of the less distinctive Fionn mac Cumhaill or Finn mac Cumhaill, the latter surname also a potential target for contemporary adolescent humor. He was the central figure of the Fianna Cycle or Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology – “the leader of the Fianna bands of young roving hunter-warriors, as well as being a seer and poet”.

 

RATING:

B-TIER (HIGH TIER)

 

 

Quetzalcoatl – or Kukulkan – as depicted in the Smite video game. There’s not many depictions of Papa Legba.

 

 

(16) QUETZALCOATL & PAPA LEGBA

 

I felt that these pantheons needed some representation in the special mentions for my top mythological heroes – and these two deities seemed to me to be the most heroic of their respective pantheons, Aztec and voodoo, albeit there’s not many heroic choices in pantheons that often seem villainous or at least alien.

Also, how can you not have a soft spot for the name of Quetzalcoatl? It sounds cool – so much so that I like quipping my middle initial stands for it – and what’s more, it IS cool, meaning “feathered serpent”. Also, it absolutely rules at Scrabble.

“A major deity in Aztec and other Mesoamerican cultures, revered as the god of wind, wisdom, learning, the priesthood, and creation, often depicted as a serpent with feathers, symbolizing the connection between earth and sky, and representing life, death, and rebirth. He was associated with the planet Venus (as the morning/evening star), invented the calendar and books, and was a benevolent force, though his myths also involve exile and prophesied return, influencing early interactions with Spanish conquistadors.”

He can apparently be traced back to earlier Meso-American origins – among the Mayans under the less evocative (and Scrabble-winning) name of Kukulkan, or more controversially, even to a legendary Toltec ruler by the name of Ce Acatl Topiltzin. Even more controversially are those Spanish sources identifying Quetzalcoatl with St Thomas the apostle – or that the Aztecs identified Cortes with prophecies of the deity’s return.

I particularly like him because he is the least sacrificial of the Aztec gods, although sources vary as to whether he was opposed to human sacrifice or just had less of it.

Papa Legba is a loa or lwa in voodoo, “acting as the gatekeeper and intermediary between the human and spirit worlds, invoked first in ceremonies to open communication with other spirits. He is depicted as an old man with a cane, associated with crossroads, communication, and passage, symbolizing wisdom and the ability to remove obstacles, though sometimes appearing as a trickster.”

He scores bonus points for being commonly associated with dogs.

 

RATING:

X-TIER (WILD TIER)

 

Green Man sculpture by Tawny Gray at the Custard Factory, Birmingham, England, photographed by Valiantis, Wikipedia “Green Man (Folklore)” licensed under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

 

 

(17) GREEN MAN

 

It’s not easy being green – the Green Man, Jack in the Green, Green Knight…

“The Green Man, also known as a foliate head, is a motif in architecture and art, of a face made of, or completely surrounded by, foliage, which normally spreads out from the centre of the face. Apart from a purely decorative function, the Green Man is primarily interpreted as a symbol of rebirth, representing the cycle of new growth that occurs every spring.”

It has been argued as “related to natural vegetation deities” or even to represent “a pagan mythological figure” surviving in medieval art and architecture, but sadly the latter is a recent argument not supported by evidence.

However, “the Green Man is a term with a variety of connotations in folklore” – “During the early modern period in England and sometimes elsewhere, the figure of a man dressed in a foliage costume, and usually carrying a club, was a variant of the broader European motif of the Wild Man (also known as wild man of the woods, or woodwose). By at least the 16th century, the term “green man” was used in England for a man who was covered in leaves, foliage including moss as part of a pageant, parade or ritual”.

Hence the argument of the survival of a pagan mythological figure – by Lady Raglan in 1939 – which proposed a kind of Green Man Grand Unification Theory of the Green Man (including its frequent use as a name for pubs), the Jack in the Green folk costume and May Day celebrations.

And that’s just getting started – “The Green Man has been asserted by some authors to be a recurring theme in literature…the figures of Robin Hood and Peter Pan are associated with a Green Man, as is that of the Green Knight”.

 

RATING:

X-TIER (WILD TIER)

 

 

Cover art by Brian Bolland for issue 15 in November 2007 of the Jack of Fables comics series published by DC Vertigo, encapsulating this entry as a recurring character in folklore

 

 

 

(18) JACK

 

“Jacks are nimble. Jacks are quick. Jacks do not get caught in traps. Jacks kill Giants…Jack is a figure, like Robin Hood, who almost certainly embodies echoes of pre-Christian myths. He is a wise Fool, a Trickster. This halo of the chthonic, which is exceedingly difficult to pin down, may well explain the allure of the various Jack figures in innumerable rhymes and fairytales: the Jack who climbs the Beanstalk and rifles the treasure of the Giant; the Jack whose bargains, each of them magical, gains him the king’s daughter; Jack the Giant-Killer, whose four Magic possessions turn him into a Shapeshifter”.

And there are many more Jack figures in mythic folklore and modern fantasy. Of course, not all of them are heroic – although Jacks tend to be ambiguous heroes at the best of times as befitting for tricksters. Some are more neutral or even verging on dangerous – Jack Sprat, Jack Horner, Jack in the Green, Jack O’Lantern. Others are outright villainous – Spring-Heeled Jack, Jack the Ripper, Jack Ketch.

“Jack is an English hero and archetypal stock character appearing in multiple legends, fairy tales, and nursery rhymes. Folktales about Jack date back to 15th century England but have since spread to other countries through English migration and colonialism. Appalachia in particular has a tradition of Jack tales, often told through folk songs…Unlike moralizing fairy heroes, Jack is often thievish, lazy or foolish, but emerges triumphant through wit and trickery, resembling the trickster or rebel archetypes”.

My favorite adaptation of Jack is as Jack of Fables, the title character of the series of comics of that name by Bill Willingham, spun off from Willingham’s Fables series (and Jack’s role as supporting character in that series). Aptly enough for this special mention, he is (almost) every Jack that has appeared in folklore – Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack the Giant-Killer, Jack and Jill, Jack Horner, Jack Be Nimble, Jack Frost, Jack O’Lantern…

 

RATING:

X-TIER (WILD TIER)

 

Collage of modern rendition inspired by New Kingdom tomb paintings by Jeff Dahl, Wikipedia “Anubis” under licence https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en and cover art for John Barth’s Giles Goat-Boy

 

 

(19) DOG GOD & GOAT BOY

 

And now we get to my wildest special mentions, where the heroes of mythology crossover into my personal mythology.

Dog gods – “deities depicted as dogs or whose myths and iconography are associated with dogs” – occur in different mythologies, but crossover into my personal mythology due to my reverence for them. Dog gods always get bonus points from me!

“Various cultures and mythologies feature dog gods, protectors, and mythical hounds, most notably Anubis, the ancient Egyptian jackal-headed deity of the underworld.”

As for goat boy, it’s just Pan, isn’t it? Not quite – it’s for all the capering and capricious caprine deities out there, all the satyrs, fauns, and goat boys out there. As a Capricorn goat boy myself, I borrow the term for my personal mythology from Bill Hicks comedy routine, in which he styles himself as Randy Pan the Goat Boy, available for children’s parties (where he cavorts with their mommy).

Of course, there’s also Giles Goat Boy by John Barth – very much the mythic hero.

 

RATING:

X-TIER (WILD TIER)

 

 

Cover of 2022 hardcover edition of Mr Mojo Risin’ by Scott Tatum, which by the way is a wild fictinoal ride featuring none other than Jim Morrison

 

 

(20) MR MOJO RISIN’

 

Here it is, my wildest special mention where I adapt my own personal Morrison-esque mythology – but you have to admit that Mr Mojo Risin’, that iconic incantation by Jim Morrison in the bridge of The Doors single L.A. Woman, encapsulates much of the essence of the mythic hero, particularly the dying-and-resurrecting divine figure.

Even if it was fortuitously an anagram of the singer’s name – “in the bridge, Morrison repeats the phrase Mr Mojo Risin’, which is an anagram of his name Jim Morrison”.

But Stark After Dark I hear you say, what about your recurring tendency to reserve your final twentieth special mention for your kinky or kinkier entry?

O – but I have! My mythology is a s€xual mythology, Mr Mojo Risin’ looking for his L.A. Woman. And that was in the incantation from its inception:

“After we recorded the song, he wrote “Mr. Mojo Rising” [sic] on a board and said, “Look at this.” He moves the letters around and it was an anagram for his name. I knew that mojo was a s€xual term from the blues, and that gave me the idea to go slow and dark with the tempo. It also gave me the idea to slowly speed it up like an 0rgasm.”

 

RATING:

X-TIER (WILD TIER)

 

 

Top Tens – Heroes & Villains: Top 10 Villains of Mythology (Special Mention) (20) Doppelganger (Fetch & Weird)

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Pointing mirror guy meme

 

 

(20) DOPPELGANGER (FETCH & WEIRD)

 

“And I will show you something different from either

Your shadow at morning striding behind you

Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you”

 

That’s right – it’s you. You are your own worst mythic enemy, my final special mention for villains of mythology.

Well, okay – not exactly you, but another version of you. At least equally matched but possibly better than you – harder, better, faster, stronger – because they are supernatural and do you better than you do.

“A doppelgänger (also doppelgaenger and doppelganger) is a supernatural double of a living person, especially one who haunts the doubled person.” Usually ominous, as in literally an omen or “harbinger of bad luck”.

Essentially the same concept as the archaic usage of fetch or weird for a similar entity.

And yes – it’s also an exception to my rule of reserving my final twentieth special mention for a kinky or kinkier entry, unless of course that’s your kink or you want to take narcissism literally.

 

RATING:

X-TIER (WILD TIER – OR LITERALLY WEIRD TIER!)

Top Tens – Heroes & Villains: Top 10 Heroes of Mythology (Special Mention): (20) Mr Mojo Risin’

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Cover of 2022 hardcover edition of Mr Mojo Risin’ by Scott Tatum, which by the way is a wild fictinoal ride featuring none other than Jim Morrison

 

 

(20) MR MOJO RISIN’

 

Here it is, my wildest special mention where I adapt my own personal Morrison-esque mythology – but you have to admit that Mr Mojo Risin’, that iconic incantation by Jim Morrison in the bridge of The Doors single L.A. Woman, encapsulates much of the essence of the mythic hero, particularly the dying-and-resurrecting divine figure.

Even if it was fortuitously an anagram of the singer’s name – “in the bridge, Morrison repeats the phrase Mr Mojo Risin’, which is an anagram of his name Jim Morrison”.

But Stark After Dark I hear you say, what about your recurring tendency to reserve your final twentieth special mention for your kinky or kinkier entry?

O – but I have! My mythology is a s€xual mythology, Mr Mojo Risin’ looking for his L.A. Woman. And that was in the incantation from its inception:

“After we recorded the song, he wrote “Mr. Mojo Rising” [sic] on a board and said, “Look at this.” He moves the letters around and it was an anagram for his name. I knew that mojo was a s€xual term from the blues, and that gave me the idea to go slow and dark with the tempo. It also gave me the idea to slowly speed it up like an 0rgasm.”

 

RATING:

X-TIER (WILD TIER)

Top Tens – Heroes & Villains: Top 10 Villains of Mythology (Special Mention) (19) Boogeyman

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Promotional poster art for the 2023 film The Boogeyman, adapted from the Stephen King short story of that name

 

 

(19) BOOGEYMAN

 

“I don’t want to alarm you but there may be a boogeyman – or boogeymen – in the house!”

“The bogeyman also spelled or known as bogyman, bog, or bogey, and boogeyman in the United States and Canada is a mythical creature typically used to frighten children into good behavior. Bogeymen have no specific appearances, and conceptions vary drastically by household and culture, but they are most commonly depicted as…monsters that punish children for misbehavior.”

“The bogeyman, and conceptually similar monsters, can be found in many cultures around the world. Bogeymen may target a specific act or general misbehavior, depending on the purpose of invoking the figure, often on the basis of a warning from an authority figure to a child. The term is sometimes used as a non-specific personification or metonym for terror – and sometimes the Devil”.

There’s nothing really to add to that description, except for my fondness for the term bugbear which I understand to originate from the same etymology (and was adapted as a goblin-like creature in Dungeons and Dragons) – and that the Stephen King short story The Boogeyman remains one of my favorites.

“It is often described as a dark, formless creature with shapeshifting abilities. The bogeyman is known to satiate its appetite by snatching and consuming children. Descriptions of the bogeyman vary across cultures, yet there are often commonalities between them including claws/talons, or sharp teeth”.

 

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Top Tens – Heroes & Villains: Top 10 Heroes of Mythology (Special Mention) (19) Dog God & Goat Boy

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Collage of modern rendition inspired by New Kingdom tomb paintings by Jeff Dahl, Wikipedia “Anubis” under licence https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en and cover art for John Barth’s Giles Goat-Boy

 

 

(19) DOG GOD & GOAT BOY

 

And now we get to my wildest special mentions, where the heroes of mythology crossover into my personal mythology.

Dog gods – “deities depicted as dogs or whose myths and iconography are associated with dogs” – occur in different mythologies, but crossover into my personal mythology due to my reverence for them. Dog gods always get bonus points from me!

“Various cultures and mythologies feature dog gods, protectors, and mythical hounds, most notably Anubis, the ancient Egyptian jackal-headed deity of the underworld.”

As for goat boy, it’s just Pan, isn’t it? Not quite – it’s for all the capering and capricious caprine deities out there, all the satyrs, fauns, and goat boys out there. As a Capricorn goat boy myself, I borrow the term for my personal mythology from Bill Hicks comedy routine, in which he styles himself as Randy Pan the Goat Boy, available for children’s parties (where he cavorts with their mommy).

Of course, there’s also Giles Goat Boy by John Barth – very much the mythic hero.

 

RATING:

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Top Tens – Heroes & Villains: Top 10 Villains of Mythology (Special Mention) (18) Wendigo

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Antlered skull image for the Wendigo from the trailer for the 2022 film – reflecting the contemporary trend towards depicting the Wendigo with a deer skull for a head

 

 

(18) WENDIGO

 

“The Wendigo, the Wendigo
I saw it just a friend ago
Last night it lurked in Canada
Tonight on your veranada!”

 

A malevolent supernatural being “in the mythologies of several Algonquian and Athabaskan peoples”, with its definitive characteristic as its monstrously voracious hunger, for eating you – or perhaps even worse, possessing you. While its definitive characteristic is its hunger for human flesh, whether literally as predation or metaphorically as possession, its more disturbing feature is its human origin – that the Wendigo is a human transformed into a cannibal monster.

The nature of that transformation varies – “you can become one just by coming across a Wendigo, being possessed by the spirit of a Wendigo or even dreaming of a Wendigo”. Of course, that suggests that somewhere down the chain, there must be an original Wendigo, which is where other causes of transformation might kick in, such as cannibalism or whatever.

The appearance of the Wendigo also varies – “its most common description is a dreadfully skinny giant of ice devoid of lips and toes”, although recently that’s been overtaken by having antlers or even a deer’s skull with antlers for a head due to recent media adaptations or depictions.

What also varies is the way it can be killed, if indeed it can be. “The more it devours, the larger and more powerful it grows, and thus it can never find enough food to satisfy its hunger”.

Although it varies, the Wendigo is consistently a “malevolent, cannibalistic, supernatural being” – “they were strongly associated with the north, winter, cold, famine, starvation”. As such, it has been widely adapted throughout popular culture, particularly in the horror genre.

 

RATING:

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Top Tens – Heroes & Villains: Top 10 Heroes of Mythology (Special Mention) (18) Jack

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Cover art by Brian Bolland for issue 15 in November 2007 of the Jack of Fables comics series published by DC Vertigo, encapsulating this entry as a recurring character in folklore

 

 

 

(18) JACK

 

“Jacks are nimble. Jacks are quick. Jacks do not get caught in traps. Jacks kill Giants…Jack is a figure, like Robin Hood, who almost certainly embodies echoes of pre-Christian myths. He is a wise Fool, a Trickster. This halo of the chthonic, which is exceedingly difficult to pin down, may well explain the allure of the various Jack figures in innumerable rhymes and fairytales: the Jack who climbs the Beanstalk and rifles the treasure of the Giant; the Jack whose bargains, each of them magical, gains him the king’s daughter; Jack the Giant-Killer, whose four Magic possessions turn him into a Shapeshifter”.

And there are many more Jack figures in mythic folklore and modern fantasy. Of course, not all of them are heroic – although Jacks tend to be ambiguous heroes at the best of times as befitting for tricksters. Some are more neutral or even verging on dangerous – Jack Sprat, Jack Horner, Jack in the Green, Jack O’Lantern. Others are outright villainous – Spring-Heeled Jack, Jack the Ripper, Jack Ketch.

“Jack is an English hero and archetypal stock character appearing in multiple legends, fairy tales, and nursery rhymes. Folktales about Jack date back to 15th century England but have since spread to other countries through English migration and colonialism. Appalachia in particular has a tradition of Jack tales, often told through folk songs…Unlike moralizing fairy heroes, Jack is often thievish, lazy or foolish, but emerges triumphant through wit and trickery, resembling the trickster or rebel archetypes”.

My favorite adaptation of Jack is as Jack of Fables, the title character of the series of comics of that name by Bill Willingham, spun off from Willingham’s Fables series (and Jack’s role as supporting character in that series). Aptly enough for this special mention, he is (almost) every Jack that has appeared in folklore – Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack the Giant-Killer, Jack and Jill, Jack Horner, Jack Be Nimble, Jack Frost, Jack O’Lantern…

 

RATING:

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Top Tens – Heroes & Villains: Top 10 Villains of Mythology (Special Mention) (18) Xipe Totec & Baron Samedi

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Baron Samedi as depicted in his standard design in the Smite video game from the fan wiki

 

 

(17) XIPE TOTEC & BARON SAMEDI

 

“It’s going to be a beautiful day, heh heh heh, yes sir, a b-e-a-u-tiful day” – Baron Samedi in the James Bond film “Live and Let Die”.

 

Just as I felt that these pantheons needed some representation in the special mentions for my top mythological heroes, so too I felt they needed representation among the special mentions for my top mythological villains.

Ironically, that was as strange as nominating heroes from the pantheons. Sure, the whole Aztec and voodoo pantheons might seem villainous to those not familiar with them, although it might be more accurate to describe them as anti-heroic or alien in their morality.

Still, these two deities seemed to me the best nominations as mythological villains for their respective pantheons.

I mean, who else among the Aztec pantheon than Xipe Totec, whose name means Our Lord the Flayed One?

Sure, he earned this special mention on the back (or is that skin?) of his adaptation in Grant Morrison’s The Invisibles – one whose modus operandi seemed to be wearing the skin of his victim’s faces on his own – but there’s his portfolio as a deity.

“In Aztec mythology, Xipe Totec…was a life-death-rebirth deity, god of agriculture, vegetation, the east, spring, goldsmiths, silversmiths, liberation, deadly warfare, the seasons, and the earth”.

All but the deadly warfare seems benevolent – except that he connected agricultural renewal with warfare and indeed was believed to be the god that invented war. He also had a strong association with disease – so potentially he had the means to be all Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse wrapped up as one.

Baron Samedi – which translates in English as Baron Saturday – is probably the most famous voodoo loa or deity. It’s a little unfair to rank him as villain rather than the antihero or trickster that he more accurately is.

Apart from his fame and his role as a god of death, what earns him villainous special mention is more by way of adaptation – the first is as the model for the cult of personality by Haitian dictator Papa Doc, and the second is his role as villainous henchman for James Bond in the film Live and Let Die, strikingly played by Geoffrey Holder and perhaps the only genuinely supernatural antagonist for Bond, if his post-credits appearance is anything to go by.

 

RATING:

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