Mythology Archives - Tomb Raider Horizons

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, 2018June 14, 2020 - by Kelly M

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 …

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

Gods & Monsters: The Naga

January 25, 2017August 23, 2020 - by Kelly M

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 …

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

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: …

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

Gods & Monsters: Ammit

December 12, 2014May 17, 2022 - by Kelly M

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 …

Apep as seen in Lara Croft & the Temple of Osiris

Gods & Monsters: Apep

November 20, 2014January 30, 2022 - by Kelly M

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 …

5 Fantastic Online Resources on Norse Mythology

November 10, 2014June 19, 2019 - by Kelly M

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 …

Statue of Aztec maize goddess seen in Tomb Raider 1

Arte-Factual: Aztec Maize Goddess (Tomb Raider 1)

July 11, 2014January 30, 2022 - by Kelly M

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

The god Horus as seen in Tomb Raider: Last Revelation

Oh My Gods! 5 Online Guides to Egyptian Gods and Religion

July 2, 2014June 19, 2019 - by Kelly M

Back in March, I compiled a little list of online resources on Aztec mythology for those who wanted to learn more about Xolotl and the other gods mentioned in the popular co-op game, Lara Croft & the Guardian of Light. And now that the Egypt-centric Lara Croft & the Temple of Osiris …

Guest Blog: Thoughts on Aztec Philosophy

March 5, 2014June 12, 2019 - by Kelly M

Guest blog by C.T. Murphy. Games are an excellent medium for modern storytellers to explore ancient cultures and their mythologies. While many series, such as Tomb Raider, do so with some sense of realism, it’s the games that re-purposed ancient mythological ideas into their own entities that first introduced me …

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

5 Fantastic Free Resources on Aztec Mythology

March 2, 2014June 19, 2019 - by Kelly M

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 …

Guest Blog: Gates of Hel: The Norse Cosmology Behind Tomb Raider: Underworld

August 6, 2013May 23, 2019 - by Kelly M

In Tomb Raider: Underworld (2009), we follow Lara as she visits a number of Norse ‘underworlds’, scattered across locations including Mexico, the Mediterranean, and Thailand. Here she finds a series of artefacts allowing her to wield Thor’s legendary hammer Mjölnir, the key to opening the gates of Helheim, where she …