African/Egyptian Terms:
| animism | polytheism | monotheism |
| myth | tale | griot |
Greek/Roman Terms:
| epic | epic simile | Olympians | Invocation of the Muse |
| bard | oracle | in medias res | epithet |
| lyric | monody | narrative | satire |
| carpe diem | unity of time and place | Sophists | comedy |
| tragedy: | spectacle | melody | fable/plot |
| diction | character | thought |
Indian Terms:
| Sanskrit | Riga Veda | dharma | sudra |
| Hinduism | Islam | Buddhism | moksa |
| brahman | Brahman | karma | mantra |
| ksaitrya | caste | guru | vaisya |
Asian Terms:
| tanka | haiku | noh | shite | yugen |
| waki | jo | ha | nakairi | kyu |
Religious Terms:
| Hebrew/Judaism | Shinto | Hindu | Buddhism | Zen Buddhism | Sufism |
| Islam/Muslim | qasida | ghazal | Christianity | parable | fable |
| symbolic retribution | allegory | passion play | miracle play | morality play | fabliau |