Fate & Fabled

The Epic Norse War That Ended With Spit In Norse mythology, there are two types of gods: the war-loving Aesir and magic-wielding Vanir. Long ago, they fought an epic war over who should be worshiped more by humans, but neither side could win. They reached a truce and united into a single pantheon, which is very rare in folklore. This might indicate a meeting of cultures in Norway from more than 3000 years ago!

The Mesopotamian myth of Gilgamesh is less of a hero’s journey, and more of an existential crisis.| After making a bad reputation for himself, losing his one true love, and botching an epic quest, Gilgamesh is forced to admit that being a hero isn’t everything it's cracked up to be.

Knights of the Round Table were expected to adhere to a strict moral standard of piety, honor, bravery, and courtesy called chivalry. But considering that they often spent their days killing and rampaging at the behest of their lord, that must've required some next-level compartmentalization.

Ancient Greeks portrayed Amazons as very real bloodthirsty, man-hating warrior women in their art for centuries, and then they faded into myth. Modern archaeological evidence suggests that the myths were inspired by fighting women from nomadic tribes in the Eurasian Steppes, revealing the ways that Greek writers exaggerated reality.