While most people are at least somewhat familiar with the Graeco-Roman and Norse myths, every human culture has myths. Each shares commonalities with the myths with which we are more familiar, and each, in its differences, expresses what is unique about the worldview of the culture the myth inhabits.

In Persia, Zoroastrianism, based on the philosophy of the Iranian prophet Zarathustra, teaches an eternal conflict between the forces of evil and the forces of good (Leeming 411-2). Ahriman is the equivalent of the Christian Satan, the greatest of the demons and a force for evil and darkness. He is opposed by Ahuramazda, the creator of the universe, the god of light and wisdom and goodness (Rosenberg 63). Prior to Zarathustra's reforms, the Iranian god Mithra rivalled Ahuramazda for the role of supreme being. A solar god and war god, the cult of Mithra continued after Zarathustra and was particularly popular with the Roman soldiers. The Roman cult of Mithra involved the "ritual sacrifice of an ox and a bath of blood that would bring strength and loyalty" (Leeming 266)

The civilization of China has the longest duration of any other civilization, having lasted more than 4,000 years continuing to the present day (Gill, par. 1). Chinese history was largely told by the ruling class and focused on the rise and fall of ruling families (Gill, par. 2). Chinese culture has developed as a balance between threats from neighboring cultures and assimilations of those cultures into the Chinese way of life (Gill, pars. 4-5). The Chinese saw their domain as the self-sufficient center of the universe and derived from this image the traditional (and still used) Chinese name for their country--Zhongguo, literally, Middle Kingdom or Central Nation. China saw itself surrounded on all sides by so-called barbarian peoples whose cultures were demonstrably inferior by Chinese standards (Gill, par. 6). In China, a dualism also appeared in the primeval gods Yin and Yang. Yin represents the feminine, the earth, darkness, heaviness, the moon, and water. Yang represents the masculine, light, airiness, the sun, and fire (Rosenberg 325-6). Humans are created by Nu Ka, a Great Goddess with the tail of a dragon, out of the wet yellow clay along the river. Some she made by hand, and these became the aristocrats. Others she made more quickly, using a bit of braided rope. These became the poor, common folk (Rosenberg 326-8). In another myth, P'an Ku, a Father creator, hatches from the cosmic egg, the halves of the egg forming Yin and Yang. In his death, his body became the foundation of the world (Rosenberg 328-9; Leeming 307). Chinese mythology focuses on an earthly paradise ruled by Hsi Wang Mu, "The Goddess Mother of the Tortoise." Every 6,000 years, guests at her palace celebrate the "Feast of the Peaches" served by her daughters (Campbell 168). It is this image of a perfect place beyond time that becomes the central image of James Hilton's novel Lost Horizon.

In Africa, the Yoruba worshipped a father, sky god, Olorun, and the goddess of the waters and marshes, Olokun. The young god Obatala, with the help of the oldest son of Olorun, Orunmila, creates the dry land and people, only to have his world nearly destroyed by Olokun through a great flood (Rosenberg 509-14). The Boshongo and Bakhuba people of Zaire believed the sun was vomited from the upset stomach of Bumba. As the sun dried the primeval sea and land appeared, Bumba vomited the moon and stars, the animals and fish, and, finally, human beings (Rosenberg 515-517).

Modern readers often find the myths of South America and Mesoamerica, particularly brutal, with their emphasis on human sacrifice. But even Christianity has been condemned by some for its brutality with the crucified Christ as the centerpoint of belief and its emphasis on blood sacrifice (see I Corinthians 1.17-18; Philipians 2.8; Colossians 1.14, 20-22; Hebrews 9). The Toltec/Aztec Quetzalcoatl, the plumed serpent god, is the creator god who descends into the underworld for the bones from which to create humans, and like Christ, is prophesied to return, so that when the Spaniards landed in the Americas, the Aztec welcomed Cortes as the resurrected Quetzalcoatl (Leeming 332). Opposed to Quetzalcoatl was Tezcatlipoca, the jaguar god, also a creator and gift-giving god, but he is a trickster, whose gifts often lead to temptation (Rosenberg 609-610). For the Incas, the great creator is Viracocha (Rosenberg 570-3); for the Yekuhana of Venezuala, the creator is Wanadi (Rosenberg 578-9).

These are just a brief sampling of the many stories about gods and goddesses that have been told around the world.