Beating Disease Over The Head With The Serpent-Staff Of The Storm Wind – Rudra, Odin, Shiva, Hermes, Mercury, Maruts As Healers

It is WEDNESDAY - Wodan's Day, Mercredi - Dies Mercurii - The Day of बुध, The Wise One! And for this, we shall do something a little different. Earlier today, I was at hospital for some tests, and the (Indian) tech happened to notice my Aum pendant so we had struck up a conversation about … Continue reading Beating Disease Over The Head With The Serpent-Staff Of The Storm Wind – Rudra, Odin, Shiva, Hermes, Mercury, Maruts As Healers

Aesir-Vanir, Asura-Deva, but also A’Sura, Daeva

There's a few comparative mythographic ideas out there that are simple, intuitive, comfortable, persistent ... and downright wrong. One of these is the thorny thicket of presumptions which have grown up around three not-unrelated sets of terminology from the Vedic, Eddic, and Zoroastrian corpuses. The core of which is basically that as there was an Aesir-Vanir … Continue reading Aesir-Vanir, Asura-Deva, but also A’Sura, Daeva

OF BHAIRAVA AND BALANCE, Vedic, Eddic, and Homeric perspectives upon Lore and Order [Part 4C] Bhikshatana – The Path Of The Divine Exile

Following on from Bhairava's decapitation-strike and humbling blow against Brahma, The Terrifying Executioner ('Headsman', as we shall soon see) incurred the sin of Brahmanicide - Brahmahatya. And this is quite important, for while Brahma's egregious misdeed had themselves both represented and perpetuated a grievous 'imbalance' - Bhairava's forcible correction thereof had also created an 'imbalance' … Continue reading OF BHAIRAVA AND BALANCE, Vedic, Eddic, and Homeric perspectives upon Lore and Order [Part 4C] Bhikshatana – The Path Of The Divine Exile

“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”

GHOST DIVISION – On The BhutaGana of Mahadev & The Einherjar of Odin

GHOST DIVISION - On The BhutaGana of Mahadev & The Einherjar of Odin [Author's Note: This piece was initially intended as an offering for MahaShivRatri, which was this year in early March. A combination of delays in the writing and peer-review process - for which I take full responsibility - meant that it was not … Continue reading GHOST DIVISION – On The BhutaGana of Mahadev & The Einherjar of Odin

Piety – A Relationship With The Gods

There are many approaches to piety, and perspectives upon the proper 'relationship' with God or Gods. It has been said that the 'Abrahamic' faiths tend more towards the notion of 'submission' and wonderment towards an ultimately unknowable transcendental ... indeed, outright "ineffable" supreme. And, to be sure, you do also get not entirely dissimilar perspectives … Continue reading Piety – A Relationship With The Gods

Pitru Paksha – The Fortnight of the Ancestors

Today marks the commencement of Pitru Paksha - the Fortnight of the Ancestors. This is an ancient Hindu custom whose core elements will be immediately familiar to you. Partially due to the existence of somewhat comparable observances in Western European cultures such as the Celts and the Romans (such as the strikingly similar annual 'Parentalia' … Continue reading Pitru Paksha – The Fortnight of the Ancestors