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
Diodorus Siculus
On An Oft-Misinterpreted Term Of Power Affixed To ‘Man’
Something I found kinda nice - Ait. Br. III 34, from a suite of Roudran undertaking (hence why the cautionary note about what to do "should this verse appear to be too dangerous") - referencing / explicating how to utilize RV I 43 6 - notes that there's a pair of terms, 'Naraḥ' & 'Nāryaḥ', … Continue reading On An Oft-Misinterpreted Term Of Power Affixed To ‘Man’
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]
On Disregarding The Puranic Era Mythos When Seeking To Make Sense Of The (Proto-)Indo-European
Predictably, this lead to a rant. "Just that it’s not useful to use the Puranic canon for Indo-European reconstruction because they’re centuries separated from the original mythos." This is also significantly incorrect. I suppose I should explain. Consider the situation surrounding the famed progeny of Surya & Saranyu/Chhaya. Indeed, that whole myth all up. It … Continue reading On Disregarding The Puranic Era Mythos When Seeking To Make Sense Of The (Proto-)Indo-European
On The ‘Interpretatio Germanica’ Of Odin
In the dying days for the past year, we had yet another brew-up of that perennial comparative IE misapprehension that we can succinctly surmise as "Jupiter is Thor", with a side-order of "because Tacitus said so". Now, as it should happen, Tacitus in fact said no such thing (and indeed, it's the Hercules that Tacitus … Continue reading On The ‘Interpretatio Germanica’ Of Odin
The Cyan Paṭh To Tartarus Via Way Of Kashmir [The Indo-European Propitiation Of Persephone-Kali – Part Three]
To begin as we had earlier intended to continue - there exists a recurrent occurrence within the Indo-European both mythology and ritual praxis for the immersion of the Goddess figure. This comes in several semi-overlapping expressions, contingent upon the local requirements and developments for their mythology. For instance - we in the Hindusphere know of … Continue reading The Cyan Paṭh To Tartarus Via Way Of Kashmir [The Indo-European Propitiation Of Persephone-Kali – Part Three]
On The Meaning Of Dragons – An Indo-European Exploration : Part Three – The Custodian of Colchis , The Draconic Defender Of The Nemean Naos Dios
Now, there are two key points that we wish to make viz. this circumstance of the Colchisian Dragon (and we shall leave certain comments viz. Medea and other such potent female figures in relation to the Dragons for another day). The first of which being that it is quite clear that the specific suite of … Continue reading On The Meaning Of Dragons – An Indo-European Exploration : Part Three – The Custodian of Colchis , The Draconic Defender Of The Nemean Naos Dios
On Indo-European Divine Refraction
Last week, we ran a post in reaction to yet another wave of Very Online Christian Triumphalism about Zeus having long ago been 'replaced' as the major deity worshipped in the Greek sphere. We pointed out that as Zeus Pater = Jupiter = Dyaus Pitar, with Dyaus Pitar quite directly (and in Shruti) being hailed … Continue reading On Indo-European Divine Refraction
Upon The Erinyes As ‘Sentinel Serpents’ – And Athena As ‘Dragon Queen’
With Naga Panchami - the Celebration of Serpents - just concluded, it seemed an admirable time to return to something we have oft mentioned in passing in the past. That being the most implacable figures of the Erinyes … and the perhaps lesser-known deific that is at Their Head. And, because this is an Arya … Continue reading Upon The Erinyes As ‘Sentinel Serpents’ – And Athena As ‘Dragon Queen’
The Carnyx – A Celtic War-Horn
This is a Carnyx, a Gaulish War-Horn, modelled upon the beautiful example found at Tintignac in the Occitan region of France (well, Corrèze - but linguistically…) . Specifically, the 'Dragon Headed' find - there were several other at least partial examples of the instrument at the same site featuring Boar or Serpent crafted bells; buried … Continue reading The Carnyx – A Celtic War-Horn