mythographic

Mythographic is an adjective relating to mythography, the practice or study of myths—how they are told, organized, and interpreted. The word comes from Greek mythos "myth" and graphein "to write" and has been used since the early modern period to describe works that compile and arrange mythic material.

In classical and post-classical contexts, mythography denotes a genre centered on the collection, reconciliation, and explanation of myths. A mythographic work typically surveys major myth cycles, genealogies of gods and heroes, etiological tales that explain cultural practices or place-names, and variant versions from different regions. Its aim is to provide a structured reference that preserves sources and clarifies relationships among myths.

Two enduring examples of mythographic writing from antiquity and late antiquity are Apollodorus's Bibliotheca (The Library) and Hyginus's Fabulae. Both compile disparate myths into a single, accessible panorama, often with minimal narrative of their own and more focus on inventory and cross-reference. Later medieval and early modern repertoires continued this tradition in encyclopedic compendia and glossaries, as scholars sought orderly access to mythic material for philological and rhetorical purposes.

In modern usage, mythographic can describe any approach, work, or artwork that presents myths in an organized, catalog-like or interpretive frame, including visual or literary projects that map mythic narratives across cultures or time. It remains distinct from mythology itself, which denotes the myths as a body of stories, whereas mythography concerns their collection, analysis, and presentation.

See also mythography, mythographer, folklore studies.