On Why Valkyries Ride Wolves – An Extract From ‘On Odin As Agni’

[Author's Note: there are two salient occurrences which I can think of off-hand for Wolf-Riding female figures in the Nordic sphere. The Valkyries, and Hyrrokkin. In both cases, we could fairly extrapolate that there is something of a 'Psychopomp' role entailed here - the Wolf being correlate with the receiving, escorting, and journey of the … Continue reading On Why Valkyries Ride Wolves – An Extract From ‘On Odin As Agni’

Why OIT vs AMT In Some Ways Misses The Point At The Heart Of The Modern Indo-European World

I spent .. an extended period this morning responding to a misunderstanding about a certain Scythian archaeogenetic study. A chap who's quite a fan of OIT ['Out Of India Theory'] had read it completely the wrong way. You know how it goes. Anyway, after putting a few hours into showing how the study said the … Continue reading Why OIT vs AMT In Some Ways Misses The Point At The Heart Of The Modern Indo-European World

Sons Of The Sky Father – A Typological Preliminary [ Arya Akasha Arka ]

In the Heavens as it is upon Earth, Family is at the heart of everything. And, given the centrality of the Divine Family to the Indo-European mythology - an Arka ['essence', 'distillation'] post of this nature seemed a decent way to demonstrate the coterminities of a number of the salient figures involved. Now I stress … Continue reading Sons Of The Sky Father – A Typological Preliminary [ Arya Akasha Arka ]

Reincarnation Amidst The Ruins – The Still-Living Shaivite Saliency At Prambanan, An Eastern Bastion Of The Hindu Faith [Incredible Indo-European Holy Sites Series Part IV]

It is Wednesday - Woden's Day … and therefore, a suitably impressive Shaivite Temple ! Now, this is from Prambanan in Indonesia - a place we today think of as the world's largest Muslim-majority country. And yet, 1200 years ago when this impressive site was being constructed, it was quite different; the polity in question … Continue reading Reincarnation Amidst The Ruins – The Still-Living Shaivite Saliency At Prambanan, An Eastern Bastion Of The Hindu Faith [Incredible Indo-European Holy Sites Series Part IV]

Against Spurious “Pre-Indo-European-Ization” Of Indo-European Elements

This happens remarkably frequently - both in terms of the linguistics, but also in terms of the mythology and theology. There's quite a number of spaces wherein some academic or other commentator with a personal theory (or, worse, an agenda) has latched on to something and gone "well this seems like it shouldn't be Indo-European … Continue reading Against Spurious “Pre-Indo-European-Ization” Of Indo-European Elements

Against The Notion Of Gautama Buddha As A “Scythian Sage”

I recently happened across somebody sharing an excerpt from an article which claimed the Gautama Buddha to be a "Scythian Sage".There's something of a cottage industry in propounding that Buddha was Scythian - and while I don't disagree that Buddhism wound up having a lot to do with the Scythians … there's something else going … Continue reading Against The Notion Of Gautama Buddha As A “Scythian Sage”

Against The ‘Superhero’ Reductionism Of Indo-European Mythology

An associate asked this question - and I think it is an interesting one for us to address. My reply : "I mean … not necessarily - like, it depends upon what you mean by "superhero", of course - but there's pretty strong evidence that PIE deifics aren't … super-powered humans ; like, it's one … Continue reading Against The ‘Superhero’ Reductionism Of Indo-European Mythology

Do Hindus Have A Monopoly On Dharma – Or Is It A Broader Indo-European Notion ?

If you asked many Hindus to identify a cornerstone concept to our faith, I have no doubt that they would cite one word: "Dharma". Fantastically complex in its applications both theoretical and tangible/practical, there is no getting around its saliency - not just for the Hindusphere, but also for those other religions which have their … Continue reading Do Hindus Have A Monopoly On Dharma – Or Is It A Broader Indo-European Notion ?

An Indo-European Guide-Book of the Dead – As Massively Summarized For An Eleven Year Old, Apparently

Over the weekend, I somehow wound up called upon to explain how Indo-European eschatology and metempsychosis works … to an associate's 11 year old niece. Who wanted a reasonably comprehensive explication. I still massively simplified things, of course, because there was also an implicit time-limit … but as it may be of more general usage/interest … Continue reading An Indo-European Guide-Book of the Dead – As Massively Summarized For An Eleven Year Old, Apparently