Ghora - Gorgos - Yggr Three names, Three faces, Three qualities .. That are actually one and the same. The Terrifying Face of the Sky Father; in Sanskrit, Ancient Greek, and Old Norse respectively. But what do they mean in each of their original contexts? And how can we tell that these are, indeed, the … Continue reading Ghora – Gorgos – Yggr – The Terrifying Face of Thunder
Mountain Queen
The Corona Muralis of Cybele, Parvati Durga, Freyja Frigg Haglfaldini
It is Friday - Therefore, Devi Durga Devotional (A)Art(I); and, as has become my custom, a perhaps unexpected representation which helps us to illustrate something a little less well known about the Goddess. Now, something I genuinely love about our work is the manner in which the same Gods appear across the Indo-European-isphere - in … Continue reading The Corona Muralis of Cybele, Parvati Durga, Freyja Frigg Haglfaldini
Out Of Context Quotes And DevaRajya Uber Alles From The Iliad
Now this is something interesting to me. Recently, I heard a quotation - which sounded cool, had a 'resonancy' to it, but felt as if it had something almost 'missing'. The aphorism ran thus: "Without a sign, his sword the brave man draws,And asks no omen but his country's cause." I turned it over in … Continue reading Out Of Context Quotes And DevaRajya Uber Alles From The Iliad
The Tenth Day – The Death of the Demon – Dussehra / VijayaDashami
The Day after NavRatri [the 'Nine Nights' of Goddess Durga] is known as Vijaya Dashami / Dussehra - Victory on the Tenth,the Destruction of Evil. In many places, the Day is held to commemorate the Victory of Lord Rama over the demon-emperor Ravana. In others, it celebrates the Victory of Durga over Mahishasura. Others still, … Continue reading The Tenth Day – The Death of the Demon – Dussehra / VijayaDashami
SiddhiDhatri – The Final Night – Ninth of the NavaDurgas
The Ninth and Last of the Nine Nights of #NavRatri is dedicated to Ma as SiddhiDhatri - often rendered in translation as the 'Bestower of Boons', or words to that effect. And yet, while this is indeed a reasonable direct translation of SiddhiDhatri ('Siddhi' having amongst its meanings a 'Boon', often in the sense of … Continue reading SiddhiDhatri – The Final Night – Ninth of the NavaDurgas
MahaGauri – The Eighth Night of NavRatri – Eighth of the NavaDurgas
The Eight Night of #NavRatri is dedicated to Ma as MahaGauri – The Great White One. Now, as readers of yesterday’s piece – on KaalRatri – will be patently aware, this stands in seemingly stark contrast to the previous Night’s Aspect of MataJI, Who is the great(est) Black one. And yet, as it happens, a … Continue reading MahaGauri – The Eighth Night of NavRatri – Eighth of the NavaDurgas
Katyayani – The 6th NavaDurga, The Sixth Night Of NavRatri
The Sixth Night of #NavRatri is dedicated to Ma as Katyayani – Mahishasura Mardini Herself, the Devastator of the Demon. And, not at all coincidentally, one of my favourite of the NavaDurga Forms. In many ways, the tale of Ma Katyayani may be considered emblematic of so much of the Durgan mythic corpus – insofar … Continue reading Katyayani – The 6th NavaDurga, The Sixth Night Of NavRatri
The DeviSukta & (A)Art(I)
जय माता दी ! " 1. I proceed with the Rudras, with the Vasus, with the Ādityas and the Viśhvadevas; I support both Mitra and Varuṇa, Agni and Iñdra, and the two Aśvins. 2. I support the foe-destroying Tvaśtṛ, Pūśan and Bhaga; I bestow wealth upon the institutor of the rite offering the oblation (havis) … Continue reading The DeviSukta & (A)Art(I)
ChandraGhanta – Third of the NavaDurgas, The Third Night of NavRatri
The Third Night of #NavRatri is dedicated to Ma as ChandraGhanta – She Who Is Crowned With The Half-Moon In The Shape Of A Bell, to render it somewhat figuratively. Now, before going further (and for that matter, picking up the narrative thread where we left off with last night’s Brahmacharini post), it is necessary … Continue reading ChandraGhanta – Third of the NavaDurgas, The Third Night of NavRatri
Shailaputri – First of the NavaDurga
The first night of NavRatri is dedicated to Ma as Shailaputri – the Daughter of the Mountain. As noted in the introductory piece, the Mountain in question refers to King Himavat – the Lord of the Himalayas, and the father of Parvati [‘[Daughter] Of the Mountain’] in this particular cycle of Her incarnation. However, I … Continue reading Shailaputri – First of the NavaDurga
arya-akasha 