Middle Eastern mythology

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Overview map of the ancient Near East
Overview map of the ancient Near East

Middle East mythology is a set of mythologies developed in the ancient Near East (today's middle east). The mythlogies were mostly polytheistic with the exception of the monotheistic Abrahamic mythology and the short–lived Egyptian Atenism.

Most mythologies were influenced by the mythologies of the near nations, for example the ancient Near East creation myths and the ancient Near East deluge myths.

Middle Eastern mythologies were mostly connected to nationality (i.e. each nation had its own mythology). For example, ancient Assyrians adopted the Babylonian mythology, but as oppose to the Babylonians, the Assyrians' primary god was Aššur and not Marduk.

Today in the spirit of New Age there are some neopaganist movements like Judeo-Paganism, the neo–Canaanite "Natib Qadish" and the neo-ancient Egyptian "Kemetic reconstructionism". The modern musical genre oriental metal has a lyrically focus on the Middle Eastern mythology.

[edit] Mythologies

See also: Religions of the Ancient Near East