Researching for fiction, especially in the realms of mythology, can feel like a quest in its own right, with twists and turns and hidden gems of ancient meaning. Here are my favourite – and often underrated – sources for mythology research and fantasy fiction inspiration from around the web. This post contains resources that cover multiple mythologies, and part 2 will be resources that specialize in specific regional mythologies.
I’ve spent hundreds of hours searching for and reading reliable information on myths, creatures, and divinities from around the world. This list focuses on free resources rather than books, though there are many excellent academic books and papers out there. Some popular but less rigorous summary books can interpret things differently to how you would, or even be flat-out wrong (not naming any names). Looking at sources closer to the originals is always worth it!
Tips and techniques for reading ancient sources
Embrace the unknown
When you encounter unfamiliar concepts, stories, and particularly words, don’t let that put you off. Embrace the unknown and use it as an opportunity to grow and explore. When you stumble on something you’ve never heard of, let curiosity guide you to dig deeper – you might uncover a hidden wonder. It’s ok to put a pin in it and revisit later rather than get distracted from reading.
Accept that there are things you’ll misunderstand or interpret in a different way than the author would have originally intended. Don’t be put off – keep going! Things will fall into place as you become more familiar with the surrounding context. No matter the country, the past is always a different culture too. And there are beautiful things to be found.
Context is key: read around the subject
To better understand the richness of mythology, it helps to read broadly. What do you already know about related cultures, history, and folklore in a broader context? For example, learning a little about the history of ancient India can shed light on the complex array of gods and stories in Hinduism. Appreciating the cultural backdrop can enrich your understanding.
Pen and paper as trusty allies
When navigating a sea of information, don’t underestimate the power of handwritten notes. Research shows writing by hand helps you think and remember (here’s a quick overview and the paper). I jot down research notes as I explore various sources. This not only helps you absorb the information more effectively but also serves as a valuable reference as you weave the threads of mythology into your own unique story. Sometimes I won’t understand something until I find another part of the puzzle, so it helps to have recorded notes to go back to! I also bookmark a lot of tabs and sort them into folders. What methods of notetaking work for you?
Piecing things together
As you unearth intriguing fragments of history and mythology, don’t be afraid to fill in the gaps with your imagination. Allow your creativity to weave together different elements from various sources, connecting the dots in your own unique way. It’s within the gaps between the known and the unknown that the magic of historical and mythological fiction can take shape and flourish.
Myths and folklore are often light on the internal worlds of characters, using omniscient or objective third-person narration. But how would the characters feel? What could be driving them? Exploring narrative points of view, such as first-person, or limited or deep-third person narration can help you think about the story from a character’s individual perspective.
Cultural awareness: the past through a different lens
While the past is a different culture with different customs, beliefs, and values, some living groups also identify with particular mythologies and religions. Cultural practices that may seem shocking or horrific now may have been an accepted part of life in certain places in some historical periods. Consider how you’ll approach such aspects. Will you portray them in their historical context? Would your characters see them differently to you? How can we be respectful of the cultures whose stories we’re exploring? I firmly believe we should be able to read and appreciate stories from anywhere; who writes whose stories is a different debate. Do you have lived experience that ties in and could lend authenticity to your narrative?
Recommended resources
Internet Sacred Text Archive
This website describes itself as “a quiet place in cyberspace devoted to religious tolerance and scholarship.” It’s a freely available archive of over 1,700 books on religion, mythology, and folklore, as well as some more esoteric topics. It’s somewhat better for browsing than searching the many topics for books that are now out of copyright. Some of my favourite traditional stories here are from Inuit and West African tales.
📖 “The Two Friends Rescued by the Benevolent Ingnersuit” by Henry Rink.
World History Encyclopedia (WHE)
Written by scholars, researchers, and historians, each article must pass an editorial review to academic standards. I first came across WHE when researching for a client project and was impressed with how well-researched, reliable, and well-written the articles were. It’s also a beautiful looking website with a great search function!
Each piece is stand alone, so you don’t have to be an expert in the area to understand a new topic. When there’s so much AI-generated and regurgitated fluff about mythology on the web, the quality of WHE really stands out. I’ve never looked back and volunteer as their proofreader now! So if you spot a typo (or style inconsistency, if you’re so inclined) email editors@worldhistory.org and it’ll probably be me who reviews your eagle-eyed spot!
There are thousands of articles on a vast range of global topics. I have too many favourites, but here’s one you might like:
📜 Psyche by Harrison W. Mark.
Wisdom Library
At Wisdom Library, there is a wealth of dharma-related content from Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. This is my go-to Hinduism resource, so it might get a mention in part 2 too! There are books, articles, hymns and detailed translations.
The search capabilities are excellent and include dictionary resources for various languages including Sanskrit and Pali, among many othes. At the bottom of the search results page you can see “Relevant text”, click “show preview” to help you find what you’re looking for and then click through to read the whole chapter in question.
There is a bit of a learning curve with this website, but for the serious researcher in dharma-based traditions it is an absolute treasure trove.
📖 “The arrival of Shurpanakha at the Hermitage” in The Ramayana of Valmiki by Hari Prasad Shastri.
Project Gutenberg
Founded in 1971, Project Guttenberg has over 70,000 free ebooks of cultural works to download or read online. There are specific bookshelves on different topics such as the folklore bookshelf and the mythology bookshelf. One of my personal favourites there, because these are the types of stories my father-in-law tells, is Village Folk-Tales of Ceylon by H. Parker. I also love the footnotes in this book!
📖 “The Three Questions” in Village Folk-Tales of Ceylon, Volume 1 (of 3) by H. Parker.
Crash Course World Mythology
If you enjoy video content, Crash Course World Mythology with Mike Rugnetta is an educational adventure. There are foundational stories from different cultural traditions, grouped by theme, so nice and comparative. Great animation and example stories, and themes include creation stories, tricksters, monsters, and more!
Mythology and Fiction Explained
Short and watchable introductions on YouTube, with particularly good coverage for Greek gods and goddesses. These videos can be a helpful jumping off point, giving you context or a general introduction to a new character.
Godchecker
Not that deep in terms of detail, but a useful place to view the widest collection of pantheons (groups) all in one place. A good way to discover characters you’d like to know more about.
Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts
Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts
This is the only one I haven’t used myself as much, but it looks really promising and I wanted to provide a folklore-based resource for you. It’s a large collection of folklore, fairytales and fables, predominantly European and Indian, collated by theme.
📖 Cinderella and related stories of persecuted heroines
📖 Creation Myths from the Philippines
Conclusion
Okay, I have more recommended resources than I thought and will split this into two blog posts here! Part 2 will have my favourite resources for specific mythologies. Do you have any favourite research sources I should add to this list? Let me know in the comments and I’ll see about adding them.
Do you find research morish too? In a previous post I’ve written about when to make yourself stop researching.
If you love writing historical or mythological fiction, you might like this free writing contest. Disclosure – I’m one of the organizers and am on the judging panel. Judging is blind, so don’t tell me what your short story is about!
Joanne Taylor • Ajatar Editing 
Leave a comment