It is Monday Night - Lord Shiva's Night - And therefore … an evocative modern illustration. It is from a series of such commissioned by the well-known Shaivite monastery in Hawaii. And what is it illustrating ? Well, I would say that it is the suite of verses known from the Yajurveda [TS IV 5 … Continue reading Homage to the Rudras of Horse and Chariot
Horse
Of Goddesses, Gods, and Ghosts at the Crossroads – A Comparative Indo-European Exploration [Extract 1]
Part One: The Opening of the Ways [Illustration is one of the fine Enodia marble relief works, from Kozani in what was once Macedonia, and dated to mid-late 2nd-3rd century AD; assumedly a votive offering. 'Enodia' can be seen written across the top, next to Her head. Note also the presence of the Horse and … Continue reading Of Goddesses, Gods, and Ghosts at the Crossroads – A Comparative Indo-European Exploration [Extract 1]
On Bellerophon – Echoes Of A Coronation Rite And Slayer Of The Demon Of Enclosure ?
Now *this* is interesting - quite a familiar shape, you'll see the various Christian depictions of St George engaged in a spot of dragon-slaying, for instance. However, what's depicted here is Bellerophon (mounted upon Pegasus) slaying the Chimaera, from a floor mosaic on Rhodes, circa 300-270 BC. I am not saying that various much more … Continue reading On Bellerophon – Echoes Of A Coronation Rite And Slayer Of The Demon Of Enclosure ?
Revanta – A Lord of the Wild Hunt
It is SUNDAY - The Day of the Sun ! And so therefore, we present a rather lesser-known 'Saura' ['Solar'] figure: Revanta, the Huntsman Son of Surya [Sun] - and, fittingly, accompanied by a further Hindu reflex of the Indo-European 'Wild Hunt' ! And we shall look at Them once again in due course - … Continue reading Revanta – A Lord of the Wild Hunt
‘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
On The Alcis Twins – The Heroic Horse-Twins Of Another Name
Our field is one wherein so often, we find fundamental contiguity of Essence - obscurated via the seeming diversity of transposed expression. So it is with the Alcis pairing. These are described in Tacitus as being akin to the Classical Castor & Pollux - the Helping Hero (Horse) twins known also variously as the Asvins … Continue reading On The Alcis Twins – The Heroic Horse-Twins Of Another Name
Perseus , Krishna , Karna – Three Perspectives Upon The Origin Myth Of The Indo-European Striker/Thunderer
I have been meaning for some time to take a look at the Indo-European underpinnings of Krishna - in part because it helps to dispel this lingering and insistent misapprehension about post-Vedic / 'Puranic' era Hinduism being somehow 'non-Indo-European' mythology or religion. Now, a full-scale writeup of all the observed concordancies for this figure is … Continue reading Perseus , Krishna , Karna – Three Perspectives Upon The Origin Myth Of The Indo-European Striker/Thunderer
The Solar Asva – The Shining-Maned Horse Amidst The Sea Of Stars
As it is a salient Solar occasion today, here is an excerpt from my earlier work - 'The Sea Horse Of Sovereignty - On Hellenic Poseidon , Vedic Varuna, Scythian Thagimasidas , And The Essential Equine Elevator-Empowerer Of The Ancient Indo-European King' In it, we examine part of the underlying reasoning for the Horse's involvement … Continue reading The Solar Asva – The Shining-Maned Horse Amidst The Sea Of Stars
The Apple of Odin to Rerir, The Fire-Seed of Agni, The Egg of Nemesis, The Paternity of Alexander, And The Asvamedha of Dasharatha – On The Equine Investiture Of The Divine Essence In A King’s Heir-To-Be In The Indo-European Mytho-Religious Sacro-Political Tradition
It is curious how things align. During the course of my research, looking over the ancient scriptural materials of two cultures in order to demonstrate that Odin is Agni - I happened across a potent potential explication for an otherwise rather curious phenomenon encountered in the Greek mythos. And then one of my devotees asked … Continue reading The Apple of Odin to Rerir, The Fire-Seed of Agni, The Egg of Nemesis, The Paternity of Alexander, And The Asvamedha of Dasharatha – On The Equine Investiture Of The Divine Essence In A King’s Heir-To-Be In The Indo-European Mytho-Religious Sacro-Political Tradition
The Near-Dioscuri Experience Of Simonides The Pious Poet
I found this rather amusing. Per Cicero, there is a tale of the Greek poet Simonides having a near-death experience. Or, we should say - a Near Dioscuri experience ! Simonides had been commissioned to eulogize the sporting victory of Scopas at a banquet held by the latter. In the course of doing so, the … Continue reading The Near-Dioscuri Experience Of Simonides The Pious Poet