It is Wednesday ! Odin's Day ! And so therefore, some absolutely excellent (A)Art-i and accompanying commentary upon the relevant Indo-European theological precept, in His Name - quite literally, as it should happen. The art is by HC - and was initially destined to evocatively illustrate a section of my ongoing RUDRAGANIKA series.Yet it … … Continue reading On Becoming Rudra – The Indo-European Investiture Of The Divine Essence In Ritual And Beyond
Greco-Roman
Sculpture Of A Maenad In Offering
A most intriguing sculpted depiction of a Maenad, an embodied expression of the female retinue members of Dionysus. Now, as we have said - the Maenads are often approached as simply being 'frenzied' devotees of Dionysus. However, they are much more complex figures. The 'frenzy' is in fact 'furor' - they are 'inspired', and bearing … Continue reading Sculpture Of A Maenad In Offering
On The Hair Colouration Of Greek Gods
Recently, we had seen a comment that read the following: "Even though the vast population of Greeks were brunettes, their gods were always blond." Now, this fine mosaic depicting Poseidon and Amphitrite is, in fact, a Roman one from the 300s AD - but one shall, perhaps, immediately observe Poseidon's rather impressive blue hair. Indeed, … Continue reading On The Hair Colouration Of Greek Gods
The Return Of Myth To Raffles Girls’ School – A Spontaneous Singaporean Resurgence Of Athenian Piety … Opposed By School Authorities
This is .. well, it's a few things. One of which is infuriating. The statue above is from Raffles Girls School in Singapore. It is a pretty prestigious academic institution. Hence, in part, why it has a statue of Athena on school grounds. Now, perhaps understandably, some students at said school, during a high-stress exam … Continue reading The Return Of Myth To Raffles Girls’ School – A Spontaneous Singaporean Resurgence Of Athenian Piety … Opposed By School Authorities
Mercury The Dog-Headed
It is Wednesday … and it's also November. So therefore, here's Mercury, heralding November. For Dies Mercurii, you understand. Now there's something a bit different about this depiction - the fact that Mercury is, here, a cynocephal … a 'dog-headed' figure (which I suppose would render the apt Old Norse translation for 'Cynocephalic' as 'Ulfhednar'). … Continue reading Mercury The Dog-Headed
The Indo-European Queen of the Dead – A Bridging-Place Between Pitru Paksha And NavRatri
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
On Triptolemus And Demeter, Soma And The Sacral Rites Of Life And Land
A foundational principle of Indo-European ritual is succinctly expressed in the Latin maxim - 'Do Ut Des' : "I Give So That You Might Give". The Tale of Triptolemus might be thought to similarly simply express the truth of this utterance - although upon closer examination, its resonancies are anything but "simple", especially when considered in … Continue reading On Triptolemus And Demeter, Soma And The Sacral Rites Of Life And Land
On the Wolf Symbolism integral to Indo-European Warrior Tradition – An Excerpt From Speidel’s “Ancient Germanic Warriors: Warrior Styles from Trajan’s Column to Icelandic Sagas”
"Of all wild animals, wolves are closest to man in social instincts. They respect rank, delight in each other’s company, and are so dedicated to the pack that the Hittite king Hattusilis told his assembly, “May your clan be one, like that of the wolves!” As dogs they are eager and faithful beyond words. Wild … Continue reading On the Wolf Symbolism integral to Indo-European Warrior Tradition – An Excerpt From Speidel’s “Ancient Germanic Warriors: Warrior Styles from Trajan’s Column to Icelandic Sagas”
Procul Este Profani – An Aeneid Reference From The US Air Force 416th Flight Test Squadron Unit Blazon
Not quite Techno-Heraldry , but a pretty cool unit-patch all the same. Not just for the rather cool iconography, but also due to the significance of the Latin maxim. US Air Force 416th Flight Test Squadron, Edwards Air Force Base, 'Special Projects' flight. Now, the squadron in question was basically brought back into being in … Continue reading Procul Este Profani – An Aeneid Reference From The US Air Force 416th Flight Test Squadron Unit Blazon
Reconsidering The Parentage Of The Striker/Thunderer In Light Of The Heavenly Pair – A Voyaging Exploration Back To The Archaic Original Situation As To The Motherhood Of Herakles And Others
Earlier this evening, I had cause to make mention of the phenomenon of 'back-filling' or 'retrospective' additions to the Indo-European mythic corpus. What I mean by this - is that in some situations, as a mythological canon expands we seem to find certain details 'shifting'; the gaps of space which are opened up via the … Continue reading Reconsidering The Parentage Of The Striker/Thunderer In Light Of The Heavenly Pair – A Voyaging Exploration Back To The Archaic Original Situation As To The Motherhood Of Herakles And Others
arya-akasha 