mythology
n. C / Un. a collection of traditional stories that explain the history of a culture or the reasons for natural events. These stories often involve gods, heroes, and magic.
n. a body of myths, particularly those belonging to a specific religious or cultural tradition. Often refers to the study of such narratives or a widely held but false belief.
Greek mythology features many powerful gods and goddesses.
Students in the literature class compared the creation stories found in Norse mythology with those from ancient Egypt.
The author draws heavily from Celtic mythology to construct a secondary world that feels both ancient and internally consistent, grounding the fantasy elements in established folklore.
First attested as Middle English in 1412. From Middle French mythologie, from Latin mythologia, from Ancient Greek μυθολογία (muthología, “legend”) μυθολογέω (muthologéō, “to tell tales”), from μυθολόγος (muthológos, “legend”), from μῦθος (mûthos, “story”) + λέγω (légō, “to say”). By surface analysis, myth + -ology or mytho- + -logy.
Uncountable when referring to the general study or collection of myths; countable when referring to a specific culture's set of stories.