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Beneath the piles of presents and a herd of magic reindeer lies the story upon which Christmas was built, the virgin birth of Jesus.

Though this is the miracle birth that’s gained the most lasting attention in our culture, it’s not unique, as LiveScience’s Megan Gannon shows with this list of six other supernatural beginnings from folklore around the world.

1. Horus

Horus, ancient Egypt’s falcon-headed patron god of kings, was conceived after the murder of his father Osiris. As the story goes, Seth killed his brother Osiris and scattered the dismembered pieces of his body. Osiris’ wife Isis picked up the pieces of her husband — all but his penis, which was thrown into the Nile and eaten by a fish, according to some accounts. After fashioning a golden phallus, Isis reassembled and resurrected Osiris to conceive her son Horus. [The Top 10 Most Controversial Miracles]

2. Huitzilopochtli

The earth mother of the Aztecs, Coatlicue, found a ball of feathers that fell from the sky and became pregnant when she placed it in her waistband. Outraged and suspicious of the origins of their mother’s pregnancy, Coatlicue’s 400 sons and her daughter, Coyolxauhqui, killed their mother. Her son Huitzilopochtli, the god of war and the sun god, sprang from Coatlicue’s womb, fully-grown and armored, when she was killed.

Full story at LiveScience.

Beyond Christianity.

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