A culture hero is a mythological hero specific to a group of people (cultural, ethnic, religious, etc.), who changes the world through invention or discovery. A typical culture hero might be credited as the discoverer of fire or agriculture, songs, tradition, law or religion, and is usually one of the most important legendary figures of a people, sometimes as the founder of its ruling dynasty.

Abenaki mythology Bedig-wajo (southern) Glooscap Ktaden (western)

Abrahamic mythology (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) 12 Apostles Abraham Adam Ali Joseph Dhu al-Qarnayn Gabriel Husayn ibn Ali Moses Raphael Noah Israfil David Elijah John the Baptist Jesus Muhammad Saint George Samson Solomon

Ainu mythology Ae-oyna-kamuy Kotan-kar-kamuy

Albanian mythology Drangue

Armenian mythology Anahit Aramazd Hayk Vahagn

Ashanti mythology Anansi Omoja Kwase Benefo

Australian Aboriginal mythology Bunjil I'wai Rainbow Serpent Wurrunna

Aztec mythology Ce Acatl Topiltzin Teotl

Banks Islands mythology Qat

Buddhist mythology Bodhisattvas Buddha Bodhidharma

Caroline Islands mythology Isokelekel

Celtic mythology Lugus Matres and Matronae Maponos Taranis

Chinese mythology Five Elders Fuxi Suiren Shujun Zhuanxu Ling Lun Kui Yao Shun Yu the Great Duke of Zhou Confucius Mencius Shen

Egyptian mythology Menes Ptah-hotep Netjeru

Etruscan mythology Tarchon Tyrrhenus

Finnish mythology Ilmarinen Lemminkäinen Joukahainen Väinämöinen Kaleva Kullervo

Greek mythology Achaean Leaders Aristaeus Atreidai Abderus Atalanta Actaeon Amphitryon Antilochus Argonauts Bellerophon Cadmus Cecrops Chiron Chrysippus Daedalus Dido Eleusis Eunostus Erichthonius Icarus Iolaus Oedipus Leonidas Lycaon Meleager Midas Niobe Orion Orpheus Pandion Parthenope Pandora Perseus Phoroneus Sisyphus Theseus Tantalus Tiresias Telegonus Triptolemos Theoús

Hungarian mythology Álmos Hunor and Magor

Inca mythology Manco Cápac Viracocha

Indian mythology Arjuna Ashoka Barbarika Bharata Bharat Bhima Bhishma Chandragupta Maurya Draupadi Ganesha Guru Nanak Hanuman Harishchandra Karna Krishna Mahavira Manu Mamuni Mayan Meghnad Nakul Parashurama Rama Rishabha Sahadeva King Shivi Shiva Sita Vikramaditya Vishvamitra Yudhishthira Vasistha Pururaba Vyasa Parashara Sahara Bhagirath Dhanvantari Palkapya Shalihotra Divodasa Pratardan Nimi Nemi janaka Prithu

Irish mythology Cú Chulainn Diarmuid Ua Duibhne Fionn mac Cumhail (Finn McCool) Lugh Oisín

Ho-Chunk mythology Red Horn

Inuit mythology Apanuugak Kiviuq

Japanese mythology Kami Abe Masakatsu Akechi Mitsuhide Ashikaga Takauji Date Masamune Honda Tadakatsu Minamoto no Tametomo Minamoto no Yoritomo Minamoto no Yoshitsune Miura Yoshimoto Miyamoto Musashi Takeda Nobushige Takeda Shingen Tomoe Gozen Tokugawa Ieyasu Toyotomi Hideyori Benkei Fujiwara no Hidesato Emperor Jimmu Empress Jingū Kato Kiyomasa Kibitsuhiko-no-mikoto Kintarō Kusunoki Masashige Kotoshironushi Minamoto no Yorimitsu Minamoto no Yoshimitsu Minamoto no Yoshitsune Minamoto no Yoshiie Miyamoto Musashi Momotarō Nomi no Sukune Emperor Ōjin Ōkuninushi Ōmononushi Ono no Komachi Oda Nobunaga Sakanoue no Tamuramaro Sanada Yukimura Taira no Sadamori Takemikazuchi Takeminakata Takenouchi no Sukune Takezaki Suenaga Takeda Shingen Tokugawa Ieyasu Toyotomi Hideyoshi Tsukuyomi Urabe no Suetake Urashima Tarō Uesugi Kenshin Uesugi Kagekatsu Usui Sadamitsu Watanabe no Tsuna Yamato Takeru

Korean mythology Haneunim Hwanung Hyeokgeose Jumong Tan'gun

Lakota mythology Iktomi

Maya mythology Maya Hero Twins Ku

Mesopotamian mythology Enkidu Gilgamesh Ziusudra

Muisca mythology Bochica

Navajo mythology Changing Woman The Diyin Dine Nayenezgani

Norse mythology Amleth Arngrim Bödvar Bjarki Bjorn Ironside Cnut the Great Egil Egil Skallagrimsson Eric Bloodaxe Erik The Red Sweyn Forkbeard Harald Bluetooth Harald Hardrada Harald Fairhair Helgi Hothbrodd Ymir Norns Ivar the Boneless Ragnar Lodbrok Rollo Gunnar Hamundarson Sigurd Fafnersbane Starkad Svipdagr Lief Erikson Freydis Eiriksdottir Guðs

Ohlone mythology Kaknu

Ojibwe mythology Nanabozho

Persian mythology Ardashir-e Bābakān Arash Afrasiab Abu Muslim Khorasani Amir Arsalan Anahita Babak Khorramdin Banu Goshasp Bahram-e Gur Bahram Chobin Bizhan Borzu son of Sohrab Cyrus the Great Darab Shah Esfandiyār Farhād Faramarz Fereydun Garshasp Giv Goudarz Hasan-i Sabbah Hushang Iraj son of Fereydun Jamshid Kaveh the Blacksmith Kay Kawad Kay Kāvus Kay Khosrow Kay Lohrasp Kay Bahman Keyumars Khosrow Anushiravan Khosrow Parviz Kush the Tusked Kiya Buzurg-Ummid Mashya and Mashyana Nariman Rostam Sām Salm son of Fereydun Siyâvash Sohrab Tahmurath Tous son of Nowzar Tur son of Fereydun Vishtaspa Zarēr Yazatas Zoroaster

Polynesian mythology Atua Atonga Māui

Roman mythology Deus Imperatoris Aeneas Dido Egeria Caeculus Cloelia Evander of Pallene Gaius Mucius Scaevola Gnaeus Marcius Coriolanus Horatii and Curiatii Horatius Cocles Lupa Julius Caesar Lucius Junius Brutus Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus Lucretia Manius Curius Dentatus Marcus Curtius Marcus Furius Camillus Marcus Manlius Capitolinus Numa Pompilius Romulus Scipio Africanus Servius Tullius Silvius Tarpeia Titus Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus Verginia

Serbian mythology Saint Sava Svevlad Mihailo Vojislavljević

Slavic mythology Ivan Tsarevich Krakus Samo Piast Misizla

Solomon Islands mythology Qat To-Kabinana

Talamancan mythology Sibú

Tibetan mythology Gesar Pha Trelgen Changchup Sempa

Turkic mythology Alpamysh Bamsi Beyrek Battal Gazi Dede Korkut Koroghlu Manas Oghuz Khagan Ural-batyr

Ugarit mythology Danel

Ute mythology Cin-an-ev

Vietnamese mythology Kinh Dương Vương Lạc Long Quân Thánh Gióng Thạch Sanh Thành hoàng

Weenhayek mythology Ahutsetajwaj Tapiatsa

Welsh mythology Bendigeidfran Ceridwen Dôn Gwydion Hu Gadarn Lleu Llaw Gyffes Lud son of Heli Magnus Maximus Merlin Modron Pryderi Pwyll Rhiannon

Zuni mythology Ahayuta Awonawilona

See also List of folk heroes