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]
On “Thor Mantras” Proposed By DharmaNation
It has come to my attention that the chap who does "DharmaNation", is once again pushing his "Thor Mantras" effort. Now with all the appropriate respect that is due to the gentleman in question … there are some issues with what he has presented. I won't get into his attempted co-identification of Odin with Indra (if … Continue reading On “Thor Mantras” Proposed By DharmaNation
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
A Really Brief Synopsis Of Various Odin – Shiva – Dyaus Pitar Comparanda
I try to make a point of responding to questions, queries, and criticisms in relation to my work. Sometimes these are … peculiar. For example, earlier this morning, somebody commented on a post of our MahaShivRatri tribute piece that "Odin is a wind God, not a sky god. He has no relation to Shiva." … … Continue reading A Really Brief Synopsis Of Various Odin – Shiva – Dyaus Pitar Comparanda
Tryambaka Triophthalmos Triformis – The Three Eyes Of The Indo-European Sky Father As Seen Through Vedic & Hellenic Perspective
Tonight [the 11th of March 2021 at time of writing] marks the observance of MahaShivRatri - a Night dedicated to the worship of that Great God, Lord Shiva - the Indo-European Sky Father. Known to the Hindus as Rudra Shiva, the Norse as Odin, the Greeks as Zeus - and by half a hundred other … Continue reading Tryambaka Triophthalmos Triformis – The Three Eyes Of The Indo-European Sky Father As Seen Through Vedic & Hellenic Perspective
The ShivLing – A Guide To The Cosmos [ Glorious Modern Hindu Art (of) Post For MahaShivRatri ]
Another favourite Shaivite work of (A)Art-i for #MahaShivRatri - this depicts a ShivLing , which we might succinctly describe as a Shaivite Altar, although which has as its essence both the Axis Mundi of the universe entire and the Sthambha - the Sacrificial Post - of the Vedic religion. It is closely correlate with the … Continue reading The ShivLing – A Guide To The Cosmos [ Glorious Modern Hindu Art (of) Post For MahaShivRatri ]