Fate & Fabled

Cultures around the world have venerated trees for thousands of years, often seeing them as gifts from or manifestations of Gods. With their impressive size, longevity, and ability to support life, it’s hard not to see trees as divine. But unlike the gods they sometimes represent, trees rely on us almost as much as we rely on them.

In Irish folklore, Cú Chulainn was one of the greatest warriors ever to live. From his first battle against a vicious hound at the age of 6 to his last against an entire army just two decades later, Cú Chulainn lived a legendary, but short life. Some might call him a tragic hero, but is it tragic to get everything you ever wanted?

Unicorns aren’t all pretty white horses, some of them have scales, fangs, or ox tails. It turns out, cultures around the world have tales of mythical one-horned creatures who often rule over the other beasts of their land. Over time, these often sinister characters morphed into a symbol of rarity and resilience.

Greek Gods are notorious for petty squabbling, brutal punishments, and meddling in people’s love lives. But in the myth of Prometheus, an immortal makes the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of humankind. A wily Titan who stole fire from the Gods and gave it to humans, Prometheus represents risk, progress, and generally sticking it to the man — Zeus.

In many mythologies, music is associated with the explosion of life and bursts of creativity. But it’s also used to explore the dark side of human nature: the desire to manipulate our surroundings, or to control others.

In recent years we have seen a very welcome uptick in the number of fantasy books inspired by West African folklore. The Afrofuturism and Africanfuturism movements have paved the way for Black authors across the diaspora to build worlds and tell stories influenced by their heritage, allowing wider audiences to finally meet the spirits of Yoruba lore.

Imagine being the mother to every single living thing. What would you do if one of your children threatened the safety of the others? Would you kill or imprison your progeny to save the world? Gaia would know. As Greek mythology’s original Mother Earth, with the unique ability to create life from nothing, it was often Gaia’s burden to save the world from the cruelty of her immortal children.

Vikings were some of the fiercest fighters in human history, using their impressive battle prowess to spread Norse influence between the 8th and 11th centuries. Their bravery as warriors was driven by one ultimate desire: to join Odin in Valhalla. Only the most worthy Vikings would get to spend their afterlives in that hallowed hall, and the choice of who made the cut fell to a group of powerful,

The Buddhist and Hindu Tantric goddess Chinnamasta is an audacious incarnation of divine feminine energy. She teaches us about giving and receiving, self-preservation and sacrifice, reproduction and death.

Majestic, mysterious forms that hold the secrets of the universe? Or big, inscrutable rocks that take a lot of effort to climb? In pretty much every culture, it’s all about majesty and mystery when it comes to mountains. Home to mighty deities, sacred grounds, and sublime phenomena, mountains loom large in our collective imagination.