I am, it would appear, once again infuriated. This time, by that most frequent of annoyances, Academic Shenaniganry. Specifically pertaining to Lord Shiva. An associate had directed my attention to a recent work by Lubotsky that attempted to set out that a rather large and integral swathe of Vedic religion … was non-Indo-European. And was, … Continue reading No, Śarva, The Archer Theonym Of Rudra, Is Not Of Non-Indo-European Origination
Central Asia
RudraGanika – A Study In Eternal Return As Manifested Through The Sky Father’s Female Retinue Across The Indo-European World
[Author's Note: This work brings together several (my)themes close and dear to my heart. It had been intended to be published upon MahaShivRatri - the 1st of March in 2022 - however, Time waits for no man (other than Her Husband); and my continuing to find further elements which cried out to be included resulted … Continue reading RudraGanika – A Study In Eternal Return As Manifested Through The Sky Father’s Female Retinue Across The Indo-European World
Against Verethragna / Indra Equivocation
We frequently encounter perceptions that the Zoroastrian figure of Verethragna is 'their' Indra. This is … not exactly the case. For a start, the Zoroastrian Indra is, conveniently enough, also called Indra. And, just as Indra (our Indra) is a Deva (God), we find that the Zoroastrian Indra is a Daeva - in their heretical … Continue reading Against Verethragna / Indra Equivocation
On The Etymology of Marut – A Mytholinguistic Illumination As To The Indo-European ‘Storm Troops’ Of The Skies
[Author's Note: I am a great proponent of 'mytholinguistics' - the notion that we can make important and useful addeucements as to the effective mythic essence of an element by looking at its etymological roots and likely even further archaic depth of meaning. And, as part of this, the application of remarkably consistent patterns of … Continue reading On The Etymology of Marut – A Mytholinguistic Illumination As To The Indo-European ‘Storm Troops’ Of The Skies
On The Taliban’s Enthusiasm For Mahmud Of Ghazni As Smasher Of Somnath
This would appear to be a case of, as the kids might say - "New School Nikes, Old School Kicks". But one point absolutely must be made here - Mahmud of Ghazni was a warlord who fought and died of disease a millennium ago. He is, in a word - "history", a footnote. Cleaved to … Continue reading On The Taliban’s Enthusiasm For Mahmud Of Ghazni As Smasher Of Somnath
Devi At Panjikent – A Sogdian Depiction Of The Great Goddess Accompanied By The Spear-Wielder
I am a bit late with this one - but Friday's Day is Devi's Day, and with Dawn just creeping over the horizon … outline reproduction of one of the incredible mural paintings from Panjikent, a Sogdian centre in modern-day Tajikistan. The central figure to the depiction is Nana, mounted upon a lion-like vahana. As … Continue reading Devi At Panjikent – A Sogdian Depiction Of The Great Goddess Accompanied By The Spear-Wielder
The Ganesha Of Kabul – And His Custodian Guard [ Arte-Facts #14 ]
In our field, we are so often delving into impressive legends of long ago - myths about men who once lived and wrought deeds so mighty that they seem frankly 'incredible' (in the old sense of the term) today. And that can leave one quite jaded about the modern era for reasons that ought be … Continue reading The Ganesha Of Kabul – And His Custodian Guard [ Arte-Facts #14 ]
‘Nomads’, ‘Murmurers’, & ‘Death-Seekers At the Border’ – Three Further Perspectives On Barbarians Drawn Into The Broader Indo-European Sphere
Following on from our earlier piece looking at 'Barbarian' in Vedic understanding - here are several further examples .. along with broader Indo-European comparanda contextualizing each. Two of these were furnished by the same associate [A.P.] whom I had been discussing with in the excerpt posted earlier. I have not independently tracked them down in … Continue reading ‘Nomads’, ‘Murmurers’, & ‘Death-Seekers At the Border’ – Three Further Perspectives On Barbarians Drawn Into The Broader Indo-European Sphere
A Brief Point On “Barbarian” Labelling In Sanskrit
Earlier, I'd been discussing with associates the curious co-occurrence of Barbaros / Barbara in Sanskrit and Ancient Greek respectively. This lead to the following - presented here for a broader audience. "as applies the linguistics, I think from memory that earliest attested occurrences in Ancient Greek are some centuries prior to earliest attested occurrences in … Continue reading A Brief Point On “Barbarian” Labelling In Sanskrit
Ganesh Gets In Everywhere – The Ganesha Of Endere In The Taklamakan For Ganesh Chaturthi
Tonight marks the first night of Ganesh Chaturthi - and so therefore, some rather amazing art one and a half millennia ancient from the Khotanese Saka ( Scythian ) settlement of Endere, in the Taklamakan Desert of Western China. Why? Well, partially it is because this piece has been on my mind recently and I … Continue reading Ganesh Gets In Everywhere – The Ganesha Of Endere In The Taklamakan For Ganesh Chaturthi
arya-akasha 