With the Shaivite Holy Month of Shravan Maas in full (indeed, double!) swing, it seems apt to detail a potentially remarkable Indo-European concordancy between the Nakshatra (Asterism) of Śravaṇa (aka Śroṇa ) and the Hellenic perception of same. Depicted upon this star-chart (sourced from Manasataramgini) is the constellation of Aquila in Western / Hellenic terms. … Continue reading Shravana , Ganymede , Gayatri , Shyena – And Other Points Of Syzygy Within Vedic And Classical Myth And Star-Lore
Gunnlod
Dyaus Draconis – The Dread Dragon Forms of the Indo-European Sky Father [ Part One – Of Grave Wolves And Flashing Eyes : The Odinic Ophidian Observed ]
Recently, we had marked MahaShivRatri - the Great Night of Shiva. And therefore, as has become our custom, we present a devotional tribute (A)Arti-cle. An effort that is, at once, intended to explore a facet of Him (as the Hindu Shiva) - and yet also cast a broader illumination upon that same dimension in relation … Continue reading Dyaus Draconis – The Dread Dragon Forms of the Indo-European Sky Father [ Part One – Of Grave Wolves And Flashing Eyes : The Odinic Ophidian Observed ]
On Gods, Rindr, and ‘Gotcha’ – An Investigation Of An Account Of Saxo Grammaticus In Light Of Vedic Comparanda
Frequently, when somebody wishes to take-to-task a devotee of Indo-European religion (whether Germanic, Hindu, Hellenic, it seems to happen to all of us all the same), they do so via the simple tactic of taking this or that morally unpalatable incident from the mythology and asking of us : "And you're OK with that?" Now, … Continue reading On Gods, Rindr, and ‘Gotcha’ – An Investigation Of An Account Of Saxo Grammaticus In Light Of Vedic Comparanda
The Goddess-Given Empowerment Of The Indo-European Hero – As Beautifully Illustrated Via Athena In The Iliad And Vak Devi
It is FRIDAY - Devi's Day ! And therefore, art by HC for a broad Indo-European mythic typology which I have long had trouble finding illustrated anywhere else. Now, in essence, what we have observed is a standard situation wherein the Goddess bestows empowerment to Her Chosen. This is found at several prominent points in … Continue reading The Goddess-Given Empowerment Of The Indo-European Hero – As Beautifully Illustrated Via Athena In The Iliad And Vak Devi
The Eddic Mead of Poetry & Vedic ‘Fire Bird’ Agnicayana Soma Rite
Now, to explain what's going on here … This is one of those Vedic - Eddic strong concordancies. Concerning the Mead of Poetry, and Soma: what Griffith translated in RV I 14 as 'Meath' (the actual word he'd rendered thus appears to be Sanskrit 'Madhu' - Sweet - being used as a noun. Which is … Continue reading The Eddic Mead of Poetry & Vedic ‘Fire Bird’ Agnicayana Soma Rite
The Upasads – Sieges, Homage, Spiritual Warfare, And The Necessary Restoration Of Western Indo-European Religious Ritual Reconstruction
Something that is going to be absolutely essential when it comes to reconstructing the 'high religious' rites for western Indo-European spheres - is working out where, in the depths of the mythology, ritual understandings are to be deliberately inferred. Why? Because so much of Indo-European ritual is comprised of what Eliade eloquently termed the 'Eternal … Continue reading The Upasads – Sieges, Homage, Spiritual Warfare, And The Necessary Restoration Of Western Indo-European Religious Ritual Reconstruction
The Sieger Of Forts And The Slayer Of Dragons – Several Athena Hailings & Durga Comparatively Considered
Two of the most prominent Goddess facings for the Indo-European world would have to be Durga and Pallas Athena. I have written extensively elsewhere as to various vital coterminities between Their respective theologies - however something occurred to me recently that has as-yet lain unaddressed. A similarity of these theonyms - 'Durga', and 'Pallas'. For … Continue reading The Sieger Of Forts And The Slayer Of Dragons – Several Athena Hailings & Durga Comparatively Considered
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
Soma Kvasir Abbreviated – The Myth of the Mead of Poetry, Distilled
In a bid to make some of the content from last week's Soma and the Mead of Poetry article more accessible, I've compiled a brief side-by-side comparative of the most important direct equivalencies we've identified between these, drawn from the Skaldskaparmal and various Vedic hymnals: Eddic - Vedic - Meaning E: Kvasir - V: Soma … Continue reading Soma Kvasir Abbreviated – The Myth of the Mead of Poetry, Distilled
Soma Kvasir – The Eddic-Vedic Myth Of The Meath of Poetry
Every so often, we happen across some element that is clearly the same thing across two (or more) Indo-European cultures; and which, regardless of the otherwise impressive span of distance between them (whether distance of time, or mere geography), even a lay-person can immediately grasp that we are talking about the same concept. Unfortunately, this … Continue reading Soma Kvasir – The Eddic-Vedic Myth Of The Meath of Poetry