Pitru Paksha - the Fortnight of the Ancestors - is nearly at a close ; and immediately after it comes NavRatri - the Nine Nights of the Mother Goddess. The former, is when the veils between the worlds are thinner, and one's ancestors (Pitrs - etymologically cognate with 'Fathers') are able to come and visit, to receive … Continue reading The Indo-European Queen of the Dead – A Bridging-Place Between Pitru Paksha And NavRatri
Death
‘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
Grandfather In The Sky – An Account Of Nuristani Imro Appearing To His Shamans, Situated In Indo-European Context
It is Wednesday - Woden's Day - and therefore, something a little different. This is another excerpt from Richard Strand's interview with the Nuristani Vasi headman, Zaman Xan, in 1973. See if you notice anything … familiar sounding from a comparative Indo-European perspective: Speaking of his tribe's shamans, and their manner for encountering Imra / … Continue reading Grandfather In The Sky – An Account Of Nuristani Imro Appearing To His Shamans, Situated In Indo-European Context
On Wolves Against Zoroastrian Identification
Something else that has been playing upon my mind as applies that fine Sogdian funerary sculpture's purported Zoroastrian provenancy … is the name of the Sogdian whose tomb it was. In his own language, it is Wirkak - that is to say, 'Wolf', from the same root a Sanskrit 'Vrka', etc. Now, why that is interesting … Continue reading On Wolves Against Zoroastrian Identification
The Indo-European Death And Resurrection Show – A Remarkable Persistence Even At The Periphery Of Modern (Myth)Understanding
The recent Pew Research Forum analysis of religion in India makes for interesting reading. One point which has attracted some surprise is the finding that apparently 'only' 40% of Hindus really believe in Reincarnation (as compared, as a point of interest, to 27% of Indian Muslims, 29% of Indian Christians, 18% of Indian Sikhs, 18% … Continue reading The Indo-European Death And Resurrection Show – A Remarkable Persistence Even At The Periphery Of Modern (Myth)Understanding
On Persephone As “Iron Queen”
I've been meaning to post this for some time - because it's an interesting perspective which I think is a useful part of countering the Victorian-era 're-characterization' of Persephone. But, as is my proclivity, I felt I had to check out some of the claims made herein … to make sure that things hadn't gone … Continue reading On Persephone As “Iron Queen”
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’
On Valaskjalf, Hlidskjalf, Paramevyoman: The Golden Throne And The Indo-European Solar Realm Of The Glorious/Ancestral Dead – The Indo-European Cosmology – A Brief Guided Tour: Part Dieux
As we have often maintained, the 'Vedic' and 'Eddic' Indo-European mythologic canons fit together exceptionally well. This does not simply mean that they are closely concordant - but also that where there are 'gaps' in our understanding in the one, we often find some element in the other which corresponds to the area that is … Continue reading On Valaskjalf, Hlidskjalf, Paramevyoman: The Golden Throne And The Indo-European Solar Realm Of The Glorious/Ancestral Dead – The Indo-European Cosmology – A Brief Guided Tour: Part Dieux
Kaal Hades Erebus – A Brief Look At The Darkening Veil Betwixt Light And Life, Darkness And Death – The Solar Underworld Covered
Something I love about our field is the manner in which the linguistics - the etymology - facilitates the proper understanding and construal of meaning. This is occasionally derided as being the supplanting of serious theology via etymology … but with this I do not agree. At most, it is the supplementation - and as … Continue reading Kaal Hades Erebus – A Brief Look At The Darkening Veil Betwixt Light And Life, Darkness And Death – The Solar Underworld Covered
The Black Avenging Form Of The Serpentine Earth Mother
[An extract from 'The Queen of Serpents - The Serpentine Figure Of The Indo-European Earth Mother', looking at the prominent association of the Dark Avenging form of the Earth Mother deific with both Serpents, and the upholding of Divine Law and morality. Particular exemplar instances parsed include the Nordic Skadi's snake-delivered sanctioning of Loki, the … Continue reading The Black Avenging Form Of The Serpentine Earth Mother
arya-akasha 