Antiquitopia

I just stumbled onto this site: Encyclopedia Mythica . It looks like a quick and easy reference to various gods or figures of various myths and legends throughout world literature, ranging from Celtic, Greek, Roman, Mesopotamian, Persian, Indian, etc. Most of the "articles" are only a few lines long--enough to give you some bearings--while others are longer (the entry on Metatron is lengthier!). If anything, it might be useful if you are reading along in a text and do not know who or what a particular character is. Here is the entry on Metatron for a test-case: Metatron by Ilil Arbel, Ph.D. The myths of Metatron are extremely complicated, and at least two separate versions exist. The first version states he came into being when God created the world, and immediately assumed his many responsibilities. The second claims that he was first a human named Enoch, a pious, good man who had ascended to Heaven a few times, and eventually was transformed into a fiery angel. Some la...

I just stumbled on this website, Religion Facts , which has some quick and dirty basic information on many many many religions around the world throughout time. The huge comparison chart is interesting. Each page also gives some recommended books, including generated book recs from Amazon in case you find that religion interesting and want to investigate it more in-depthly than the website itself allows. I just gave the Ancient Mayan section a spin. They also have some specific comparisons between two religions, as well as general topics and how varying religions discuss it: such as homosexuality and religion , which gives a quick general overview and then hyperlinks to each religion, again with book recs. Give the site a whirl and see what you think. I think I just may add this to my sidebar. If you like that, see also perhaps the more in-depth and more involved Pluralism Project from Harvard run by Diana Eck. It seeks to "help Americans engage with the realities of relig...