One of my favourite myths from the Hindu - and more especially, Shaivite - legendarium, is that which surrounds Kaal Bhairava. Not merely because it is there are some cool happenings within it, or because we see one of the two best-presented incidences of an Axe as a Roudran Theological Argument [the other, of course, … Continue reading OF BHAIRAVA AND BALANCE – Vedic, Eddic, and Homeric Perspectives Upon Lore And Order In The Indo-European World View [Part 1]
Indo-European
RAGNAROK AND THE NIGHT LORD
Consider the Sanskrit terms राजन् and रजनी - Rajan and Rajani. They look similar, no? In fact, you'd be forgiven, even notwithstanding that the former's got a longer 'a' sound ['Raajan' - like Raja, which derives directly therefrom], for thinking that they are perhaps related forms of the same word. Maybe a masculine and feminine … Continue reading RAGNAROK AND THE NIGHT LORD
The “Buddhist” Coin Of Tilya Tepe – Arte-Facts #3
I've had this coin in my head for awhile now - and it seemed rather appropriate to post for a Wednesday. It's another of the artefacts from the justifiably famed Tilya Tepe burial-site in northern Afghanistan; a roughly two millennia old set of seven graves that are likely of Scythian origin, rediscovered in 1978. But … Continue reading The “Buddhist” Coin Of Tilya Tepe – Arte-Facts #3
“Einu nafni hétumk aldregi / síz ek með folkum fór” – “By one name I have never been known / since I went among the people”
Earlier this week, one of our associates - who's a good guy, although we don't always agree - put up a thought about comparative Indo-European theology. It included the following: "All IE religions have a sky father, Earth mother and twin Gods. But, that doesn't mean those Gods aren't sovereign entities, uniquely different from … Continue reading “Einu nafni hétumk aldregi / síz ek með folkum fór” – “By one name I have never been known / since I went among the people”
This Is #GangSteppe – Serpentine Steppe Treasure
This Is #GangSteppe - one of a pair of pendants found in a female's tomb in Northern Afghanistan. The treasure in question is part of what's often called the "Bactrian Gold", yet that is a bit of a misnomer. Dating from the 1st century A.D. [or possibly a century or so earlier], it actually appears … Continue reading This Is #GangSteppe – Serpentine Steppe Treasure
Give Me Bhaga
This Is #GangSteppe - a trio of Scythians, circa the 4th century B.C. Now, what is going on here is the warrior to the right (the bare-chested chap equipped with the arrows and bow) is presenting the head of a slain foe (likely a Macedonian, going by the Vergina Sun emblem on the pauldron of … Continue reading Give Me Bhaga
Warrior-Women of the Steppe?
'Scythian' female horse archer; broadly representative of a perhaps surprisingly viable typology of the Indo-European folk of the Steppe. In my previous piece on Naga Panchami, I briefly mentioned the flawed speculative etymology of Sauromatai, the Sarmatians - noting that some had sought to suggest it derived from scale-like armour and serpentine standards of this … Continue reading Warrior-Women of the Steppe?
Napoleon Jayanti
Three dear to me were born upon this day. In rough chronological order, Napoleon I Chakravartin, The Republic of India, and the Rev. Rolinson [the latter two are the same age]. The acknowledgement of one of these, is something of an ancestral cult - The Rev. Rolinson's own (partially French) Father having maintained, if not … Continue reading Napoleon Jayanti
ON THE GATES OF SOMNATH TEMPLE – AN ESSAY OF RAKSHA(PALA) FOR BOTH SWARAJ AND BANDHAN
The 15th of August marks India's Independence Day; and, as has become my custom, I have penned an article in honour of both the occasion, and the state and struggle for which it stands. Whereas 2017's piece looked at the geopolitical saliency of India, especially from the perspective of a small South Pacific state such … Continue reading ON THE GATES OF SOMNATH TEMPLE – AN ESSAY OF RAKSHA(PALA) FOR BOTH SWARAJ AND BANDHAN
Sky-Earth-Thunder – A Brief Comparative Model of the Divine Family
"Instead of posting a multi-thousand word article, I thought I'd try experiment with a shorter-form word-count chart. This time, a) seeking to briefly express how many Indo-European mythologies record a Sky Father - Earth Mother, Striker/Thunderer familial unit; b) show that Greek/Roman mythology did some ... odd things, that lead to at least two 'layers' … Continue reading Sky-Earth-Thunder – A Brief Comparative Model of the Divine Family
arya-akasha 