‘For Want Of A Horse’ – On The Proper Perspective Upon Ritual Offerings And Why The ‘Asva’ Of ‘Asvamedha’ Is Held To Be Necessary As Same

Over the weekend, we had received a question from a reader as to the reasoning underpinning the Asvamedha - the Horse Sacrifice. Specifically, why would one offer a horse given the high value of such a creature in the late Bronze Age / early Iron Age milieu.  Now, several people proffered suggestions as to the answer here, … Continue reading ‘For Want Of A Horse’ – On The Proper Perspective Upon Ritual Offerings And Why The ‘Asva’ Of ‘Asvamedha’ Is Held To Be Necessary As Same

Brief Points Viz. The Half-Humanization And Apotheosis Of The Striker/Thunderer Deific Amidst The Classical Sphere

Here's some very, very cool Herakles art we saw recently (artist is one Javier Charro ) … And, because we wouldn't feel right just posting some art - a slightly edited transcript of me ranting to a comrade [Y. Allen] about the curious situation of the Classical perception of the Indo-European Striker/Thunderer deific. Namely, the … Continue reading Brief Points Viz. The Half-Humanization And Apotheosis Of The Striker/Thunderer Deific Amidst The Classical Sphere

On The ‘Herakles-Artagnes-Ares’ Of The Commagene – A Cautionary Tale In Interpretatio Mistranslation

A very cool shot - although there are some … curious points to it. Depicted is the Commagene ruler Antiochus I meeting with Hercules (… more on that in a moment). For those unaware, the Commagene kingdom was a most curious combination Greek / Iranic / Armenian (and later also Romanized) polity located in what's … Continue reading On The ‘Herakles-Artagnes-Ares’ Of The Commagene – A Cautionary Tale In Interpretatio Mistranslation

On Wyrd Women Dwelling In Waters Handing Out Swords As The Supernal Basedness For A System Of Government – Part 2 – The Coronation Of The DemiGod King : Hercules, Indra-Varuna And Those Rendered Alike To Him

If you've just joined us ... a brief catch-up on The Story So Far.  A few days ago, an associate asked about the relationship of the Goddess to the coronation of a King in comparative Indo-European terms. Me being me, this lead to ... the dedicated need for an (A)Arti-cle upon the subject. Several, in … Continue reading On Wyrd Women Dwelling In Waters Handing Out Swords As The Supernal Basedness For A System Of Government – Part 2 – The Coronation Of The DemiGod King : Hercules, Indra-Varuna And Those Rendered Alike To Him

On Wyrd Women Dwelling In Waters Handing Out Swords As The Supernal Basedness For A System Of Government – Part 1

Earlier in the week, an associate had asked for some further detail about the connexion between Goddess and Sovereignty, Coronation, and Kingship in Indo-European religion. It is something that at once sounds arcane and vaguely unfamiliar (perhaps in no small part because while many of us technically live under a Monarchy - at least, here … Continue reading On Wyrd Women Dwelling In Waters Handing Out Swords As The Supernal Basedness For A System Of Government – Part 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 ?

On The Archaic Notion Of The Indo-European Demigod

Recently, in the course of a discussion elsewhere, an occasional correspondant - 'Indian History' on twitter - made mention of a most intriguing Sanskrit term he'd observed in a Hymnal of the RigVeda. We were discussing 'Demigods', and whether these were a more exclusively Greek / Classical phenomenon or something of a broader Indo-European provenance. … Continue reading On The Archaic Notion Of The Indo-European Demigod

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