Lady Meng Jiang
Hearing the news of her husband’s death, she wept so bitterly that a part of the Great Wall collapsed, revealing his bones.
Category Archives: Myths and Folktales
Women have been depicted as goddesses, creatures, biblical figures, legends and folk tale heroines throughout history – many based in a grain of truth.
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Yennenga
Yennenga was a legendary princess who is considered the mother of the Mossi people of Burkina Faso.
Winyan Ohitika (Makhta)
Sioux warrior who counted coup to avenge her brothers, who had been killed in battle.
Thákane
The daughter of a Basotho chief, Thákane led a band of warriors on a hunt to kill a nanabolele (water-dwelling dragon).
Three Strong Women
An arrogant wrestler gets more than he expected when he tries to mess with a young girl.
Ahalya
In traditional Hinduism, Ahalya is held up as the first of the panchakanya (“five virgins”), archetypes of female chastity whose names are believed to dispel sin when recited.
Tiamat
In the religion of ancient Babylon, Tiamat was a primordial goddess of the salt sea, who mated with Abzû, the god of fresh water, to produce younger gods.
Althaea
Queen of Calydon, who reputedly killed her own son, Meleager, in vengeance for Meleager killing his uncles (her brothers)
The Well of the World’s End
According to the folk tale, a girl’s stepmother gave the girl a sieve, ordering her to not come back without filling it at the Well of the World’s End.
Penanggalan
At night, this vampiric creature detaches its head and organs from its body to hunt humans, appearing as a disembodied head with a long, invisible tongue and exposed, tentacle-like entrails.