#mythologies

[luthienne]

José Saramago, Cain (tr. Margaret Jull Costa)

Roland Barthes, Mythologies (tr. Annette Lavers)

[interact-if]

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS REC LIST 2026

Our old rec lists are getting revamped! Over the next few weeks, we will be posting updated rec lists derived from the previous ones!

As a reminder - this post is continuously updated so feel free to post more recs in the notes! Additionally, we are a small team so please be kind while informing us in case you notice any mistakes!

Completed Works

Temple of Endless Night by Daniel Ivalyen (Ancient Egypt)

The Edifice by Lucian P. Smith (Various ancient civilizations)

Fields of Asphodel by @chrysanthemumgames (Greek; also has a sequel)

The Golden Rose: Book 1 by @anathemafiction (Ancient Rome)

Pendragon Rising by Ian Thomas (Ancient Briton)

The Price of Freedom: Innocence Lost by Briar Rose (Ancient Rome)

Works-in-Progress

Weeping Gods by @jcollinswrites (Egyptian)

The Moonless by @moonless-if (hiatus) (Ancient Mediterranean)

Defiled Hearts: The Barbarian by @defiledheartsblog (Ancient Rome)

The Eye of the Moon by @eyeofthemoongame (Filipino mythology)

[crazycatsiren]

Isn't it fascinating, something that cultures across the globe appear to have in common, is storytelling: folklores, myths, legends, oral traditions.

To explain natural phenomena that our ancestors at the time did not have the scientific and medical information for.

To teach life lessons they have learned to the next generations.

To scare the naughty children and get them to behave nicer.

To lull restless children to sleep.

To pass time, because let's face it, most people had few means of entertainment at the time many, many years ago.

To bring comfort in times of hardships.

And thousands of years later, we are still telling these stories. I think it's beautiful.

[kabishkat19]

Death Gala Guest List

Ereshkigal Ruler of the Underworld

Nergal God of inflicting death

Ninazu of the underworld

And the guest list continues…

[thirdity]

Myth does not deny things, on the contrary, its function is to talk about them; simply, it purifies them, it makes them innocent, it gives them a natural and eternal justification, it gives them a clarity which is not that of an explanation but of a statement of fact.

Roland Barthes, Mythologies

[cosmonautroger]

Roland Barthes, Mythologies, 1957

[diemelusine]

Fleeing paganism, Väinämöinen gives way to the power of the cross (1860) by Robert Wilhelm Ekman. Cygnaeus Gallery.