Mythology Archives

The first piece of official promotional artwork for 'Shadow of the Tomb Raider'

Official ‘Tomb Raider’ Site Teases Fans With Audio Clues About Lara Croft’s Next Adventure

April 14, 2018August 21, 2022 - by Kelly M - Leave a Comment

Fans who visited the official Tomb Raider site throughout March and April will no doubt have tried their hand at solving the Maya-themed puzzles being used to promote Shadow of the Tomb Raider. And to reward their efforts, Square Enix was kind enough to share some tiny clues about Lara Croft’s upcoming adventure. One of these …

A close-up of a naga lizard (Image credit: Wikiraider)

Gods & Monsters: The Naga

January 25, 2017August 21, 2022 - by Kelly M - 5 Comments.

One of the things I’ve always found intriguing about the Tomb Raider series is how often the game writers, developers, and artists draw on real-world mythology and folklore for inspiration when they’re designing ancient environments for Lara Croft to explore and the exotic creatures that populate them. In previous instalments of my Gods & Monsters series, …

Concept art from Rise of the Tomb Raider

Noah Hughes on the Mythology of Rise of the Tomb Raider

March 24, 2015June 18, 2020 - by Kelly M - Leave a Comment

In episode 28 of Crystal Dynamics’ studio podcast, Tomb Raider Franchise Director Noah Hughes took the opportunity to talk a little about the mythology behind Rise of the Tomb Raider and Lara’s search for the legendary lost city of Kitezh. Here’s a short summary of the key points raised in the podcast: Why Kitezh? – The dev …

Ammit, as seen in Lara Croft & the Temple of Osiris

Gods & Monsters: Ammit

December 12, 2014August 19, 2022 - by Kelly M - 9 Comments.

The highly-anticipated Lara Croft & the Temple of Osiris has finally hit the stores and those of you who’ve already played the game will already be familiar with the game’s key enemies and level bosses. In the last edition of Gods & Monsters, we had a look at the evil snake demon, Apep, who can be …

Apep as seen in Lara Croft & the Temple of Osiris

Gods & Monsters: Apep

November 20, 2014August 19, 2022 - by Kelly M - 3 Comments.

In their second developer diary “Puzzles 101”, Executive Producer Scot Amos and Lead Level Designer Jeff Wajcs introduced us to another of Lara Croft & the Temple of Osiris’s growing cast of antagonists: the evil snake boss Apep. Like the playable characters Isis and Horus, Apep was modelled after the Egyptian demon of the same name …

5 Fantastic Online Resources on Norse Mythology

November 10, 2014August 19, 2022 - by Kelly M - Leave a Comment

Valhalla, Mjölnir, Asgard, Thor, Helheim… All of these names will be familiar to those who have played Tomb Raider: Underworld or are fans of Marvel Comics’ long-running Thor comic-book series. But if you’re longing to learn more about the Norse myths and legends that helped inspire the narrative of Underworld, check out the five fantastic websites and online databases listed below! 1) Wikipedia’s Norse Mythology …

Statue of Aztec maize goddess seen in Tomb Raider 1

Arte-Factual: Aztec Maize Goddess

July 11, 2014August 22, 2022 - by Kelly M - 1 Comment

When I first played Tomb Raider 1 back in 1996, I never realized how many real-life Pre-Columbian artefacts could be spotted throughout the Peru sections of the game. Some of these were already familiar to me – such as the Chimú bird carving – as I had done some research on Peruvian art and archaeology …

The god Horus as seen in Tomb Raider: Last Revelation

Oh My Gods! 5 Online Guides to Egyptian Mythology

July 2, 2014August 19, 2022 - by Kelly M - 6 Comments.

Back in March, I compiled a list of online resources on Aztec mythology for those who wanted to learn more about Xolotl and the other gods mentioned in Lara Croft & the Guardian of Light. And since the Egypt-centric Lara Croft & the Temple of Osiris is heading our way later this year, I thought …

The Aztec god Xolotl as seen in Lara Croft & the Guardian of Light

5 Fantastic Free Resources on Aztec Mythology

March 2, 2014August 19, 2022 - by Kelly M - 1 Comment

In the co-op action-adventure game Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, Lara and the Aztec warrior Totec find themselves in a race against time to stop Xolotl, the Keeper of Darkness, from destroying the world. Players may come across a number of relics throughout the game that are named after figures from Aztec mythology, such …