Latin materials speak of 'Divine Crows' [Corniscae Divae - Allen has this as "Crow-Goddesses", even] which are of Juno; Festus' Epitome [56L] relates: "Corniscarum Divarum locus erat trans Tiberim cornicibus dicatus, quod in Junonis tutela esse putabatur", with this being often cited in accompaniment of an engimatic inscriptional "DEVAS CoRNISCAS SACRVM". This, whilst lesser-known today, … Continue reading The Crows of Juno
Classical Studies
Prometheus & Ithax, Saboteur of Sacrifice – Part One: The Emissary of the Anti-Divine
As applies Prometheus - everybody knows the main 'pop-culture' narrative. But what if there was an additional reason that Prometheus deserved the outcome - and for Prometheus to have wanted to interfere with setting down the formulaic metaphysics of sacrifice to begin with… Now, here is the key detail - a fragment transmitted via Hesychius … Continue reading Prometheus & Ithax, Saboteur of Sacrifice – Part One: The Emissary of the Anti-Divine
The Kouretes And The Rudras
Beautiful rendition of the Kouretes (Curetes) carrying out Their Dance about the newborn youthful Zeus (the infant at the base - there's a tripartite Thunderbolt behind Him also). Their Dance with its noise was undertaken to shield Zeus from Kronos - It was a … Safety Dance Now, I didn't just post this in order … Continue reading The Kouretes And The Rudras
Psychopompi Germanica – And Why It’s Not Odin
In recent days I have run into a rather recurrent skein of assertions about Odin purportedly being a "Psychopomp". Now as for why this has kept coming up - the context has been fairly much what you'd expect. Namely, people looking to affirm an accuracy for that well-known 'Interpretatio' from Tacitus, whereby Odin is inferred … Continue reading Psychopompi Germanica – And Why It’s Not Odin
A Post For The Sky Father [Arya Akasha Arka]
I had intended to have this up on Monday - Lord Shiva's Day - however the brief overview for the concept turned itself into a half-written full-length article. Instead of that, we shall just observe that the Indo-European Sky Father being engaged with in these recurrent iterations of Post/Pillar or Tree, speaks to a significant … Continue reading A Post For The Sky Father [Arya Akasha Arka]
On The Symbolism Of The Gigantes & Gigantomachy [Part One: He Shall Tread]
We had earlier received a question as to the iconography of the Gigantes of Classical myth - more specifically, what was up with the Serpents they so prominently feature instead of legs in an array of renderings. And, because it's a very, very cool illustration for the concept - here's a beautiful 2nd-3rd Century (BC) … Continue reading On The Symbolism Of The Gigantes & Gigantomachy [Part One: He Shall Tread]
Diwija Dualis [Part Two: Disappear, Into Darkness]
At the close to our previous installment, our attention had turned briefly towards a particular prominent Hellenic iteration as to the 'myth-in-motion' for the Dual-Goddess(es) - namely, Her flight whilst in Form(s) Dark, Wrathful/Avenging, and Equine from Her Husband, the Sky Father as Stallion ; and with the "Daughter" deific often attested with relation to … Continue reading Diwija Dualis [Part Two: Disappear, Into Darkness]
Diwija Dualis [Part One: Divinity, Co-Invoked In Stone]
For some reason, I found these absolutely beautiful. Three facings to the same rather large (as in, it's around two meters tall) marble block, unearthed at Corinth in 1974 - it'd been shifted and integrated into a Byzantine-era wall. The female figures are reasonably straightforwardly identified as Kore (Persephone) and Demeter, with the male figure … Continue reading Diwija Dualis [Part One: Divinity, Co-Invoked In Stone]
Lycaon – Classical Corroborations Contra the Calumny of Clement of Alexandria Against Zeus
Urgh. I know I've said it before … but some of these early-ish Christian 'Against The Pagans' efforts really do rather annoy me. Why? Because they're often pretty uh .. 'bad faith'. Tonight's example? Clement of Alexandria in his Protrepticus ('Exhortation', 'Urging' 'Pro-Turning/Converting'): "Jupiter himself, when the of Lycaon the Arcadian, partook of a human … Continue reading Lycaon – Classical Corroborations Contra the Calumny of Clement of Alexandria Against Zeus
Further Points Upon The ‘Refraction’ Of The Sky Father – With Particular Emphasis Upon Zeus, Hades, Poseidon
I should clarify that I'm not posting this with an intent of having a go at the gentleman who'd raised the counterclaim (hence, in part, why I've anonymized his comment in the cap below) - but rather, because various of the elements in my reply might be of a broader interest (the situation as to … Continue reading Further Points Upon The ‘Refraction’ Of The Sky Father – With Particular Emphasis Upon Zeus, Hades, Poseidon