Something I have often taken a bit of pleasure in, is finding the 'echoes' of underlying archaic Indo-European symbolism amidst the wreckage of the modern world. In various cases, these are 'traces' that were probably not consciously intended as such by their contemporary authors - and yet which nevertheless have some fundamental, recurring resonancy back … Continue reading Red Bull – The Indo-European Sky Father And A Certain Empowering Brew
Lord Agni
On The Indo-European ‘Interpretatio’ Of Dionysus – A Roaring Exaltation Of The Sky Father Comparatively Considered
Dionysus is a deservedly fascinating figure. And also a badly misunderstood one. As are many Greek deities, especially in their comparative Indo-European situation. I have written upon the linkages of Dionysus to various facings - dramatic masques, we may perhaps say - in other Indo-European pantheons in the past, and shall not seek to repeat … Continue reading On The Indo-European ‘Interpretatio’ Of Dionysus – A Roaring Exaltation Of The Sky Father Comparatively Considered
On Svarog As Sky Father – The Indo-European Sky Father As Song-Smith Of The Cosmos
In many ways, the enigmatic figure of Svarog is emblematic of both the difficulties that we face when reconstructing Indo-European mythology … and also the marvelous enduring features that make it so easy - if you know where and how to look. I say "difficulties", because Svarog is a seriously under-directly-attested figure, even by the … Continue reading On Svarog As Sky Father – The Indo-European Sky Father As Song-Smith Of The Cosmos
A THIRD DRAUGHT OF SOMA-KVASIR – THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE MEANING OF THE MEAD
As I have previously illustrated, it now seems that Snorri Sturluson's accounting of the Mead of Poetry is drawing from, and perhaps inexpertly seeking to summarize materials that are far older. That are Indo-European. That have likely been passed down since the points roughly at which the Vedic and the Eddic religious canons were broadly … Continue reading A THIRD DRAUGHT OF SOMA-KVASIR – THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE MEANING OF THE MEAD
Hail Hydra-Slayer: On The Mythic Combat Of Herakles And Athena – Indra And Vak Saraswati, Against The Demon-Dragon Of The Water
Herakles against the Hydra, Indra against Vritra - these are surely some of the best-known mythic combats in each of the Greek/Classical and Vedic/Hindu legendariums. Similarities immediately begin to suggest themselves - clearly, each is a fight of the Thunderer/Striker against a Demon-Dragon that is to be found 'midst waters. However, there is another, less … Continue reading Hail Hydra-Slayer: On The Mythic Combat Of Herakles And Athena – Indra And Vak Saraswati, Against The Demon-Dragon Of The Water
Arya Akasha Arka – Lighting The Flamethrower of Faith
"तवमग्ने रुद्रो असुरो महो दिवः ""You, O Agni, are Rudra - The Mighty Heavenly Sire [Dyaus Pitar]" RigVeda II 1 6 "We are judged in life for the evil we destroy. It is a bleak truth, that there is nothing but blood awaiting us in the gaps between the worlds. But ISHVARA sees all that … Continue reading Arya Akasha Arka – Lighting The Flamethrower of Faith
The Radiant Queen of the Heavens – On Scythian Tabiti As Template For The Greater Indo-European Solar Goddess [Part 3 – The Wide Shining One And The Eye Of The Bright Sky]
The point of all of this, has been to attempt to sketch out in broad (solar-ray-diant, perhaps via illumination, provided you don't look too directly at it) brush-strokes a sort of typology for the situation. One wherein we can clearly see that the Sky Father's Consort may have been 'replicated' and referred to in various … Continue reading The Radiant Queen of the Heavens – On Scythian Tabiti As Template For The Greater Indo-European Solar Goddess [Part 3 – The Wide Shining One And The Eye Of The Bright Sky]
On The Sky Disc, On The Solstice, On The Eclipse – A Bronze Age Commemorative Cartograph For The Sea Of Stars [Arte-Facts #6]
Sunday (aptly enough) marked the Solstice - Winter if you're down here in Patala-loka, Summer if you're in the Northern Hemisphere. With that in mind, it seemed an ideal time to produce an article on one of the most intriguing artefacts of the Indo-European Bronze Age - the Nebra Sky Disk, of the Unetice Culture in … Continue reading On The Sky Disc, On The Solstice, On The Eclipse – A Bronze Age Commemorative Cartograph For The Sea Of Stars [Arte-Facts #6]
The Indo-European Man – Sons of the Sun [Part II]: Yama And Manu – Firstborn of the Indo-Aryans
So, with that in mind - let us take a brief look at probably the oldest Indo-European origin myth that has come down to us: the Vedic understanding, which is to my mind also the 'cleanest' and easiest to directly understand. Both due to its age, and the strong presence of pretty much all the … Continue reading The Indo-European Man – Sons of the Sun [Part II]: Yama And Manu – Firstborn of the Indo-Aryans
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
arya-akasha 