Myths of the Underworld

Immerse yourself in stories of gods and goddesses of the underworld and explore how themes of death, love, and revenge are depicted in folklore and mythology by different cultures around the world.

Myths of the Underworld is a vibrant collection of ten retellings of forbidden love, acts of vengeance, and naive attractions. Modernized for today’s reader, these diverse stories span time and space. But while the cultures and traditions are varied, the themes woven throughout these tales reveal how the struggle to understand and accept death and all that comes with it is one that is quintessentially human. The ten different stories include:

• Hades and Persephone, the classic myth from Ancient Greece
• Kali, the Indian goddess (and wife of Shiva), known for her fierceness on the battlefield
• Anubis, the ancient Egyptian god of the underworld
• Mictlantecuhtli and Mictecacíhuatl, the lovers who ruled the Aztec underworld
• The Shinigami, Japanese spirits of the underworld
• Maman Brigitte, the Haitian intermediary of death
• Gamab, the Namibian god of fate who gifted rain to mankind
• Hel, the Norse overseer of the underworld
• Sedna, the Inuit goddess of the sea and the underworld
• The Sand Hills, the home of the dead for the Blackfeet Nation