I had seen this image of Hanuman with Lords Ram & Lakshman posted upon the occasion of the former's Jayanti and I did a double-take. Why? I'd been answering a question around Hanuman as an 'Avatar' or 'Form' of Shiva / Rudra on Hanuman Jayanti … and there we had Hanuman, appearing garbed in a … Continue reading A Certain Blue-Cloaked Figure In Disguise …
Odyssey
On Sin
Recently, we were asked to weigh in on this perennially popular style of claim that there's no such thing as 'Sin' in Indo-European religion, or European (IE) religion pre-Christianity. We shall quote our (brief) reply, with some minor additions: "Ultimately, the way to argue it is quite simple. The existence of Cosmic Order as a-priori … Continue reading On Sin
Mercury The Dog-Headed
It is Wednesday … and it's also November. So therefore, here's Mercury, heralding November. For Dies Mercurii, you understand. Now there's something a bit different about this depiction - the fact that Mercury is, here, a cynocephal … a 'dog-headed' figure (which I suppose would render the apt Old Norse translation for 'Cynocephalic' as 'Ulfhednar'). … Continue reading Mercury The Dog-Headed
The Indo-European Queen of the Dead – A Bridging-Place Between Pitru Paksha And NavRatri
Pitru Paksha - the Fortnight of the Ancestors - is nearly at a close ; and immediately after it comes NavRatri - the Nine Nights of the Mother Goddess. The former, is when the veils between the worlds are thinner, and one's ancestors (Pitrs - etymologically cognate with 'Fathers') are able to come and visit, to receive … Continue reading The Indo-European Queen of the Dead – A Bridging-Place Between Pitru Paksha And NavRatri
On Persephone As “Iron Queen”
I've been meaning to post this for some time - because it's an interesting perspective which I think is a useful part of countering the Victorian-era 're-characterization' of Persephone. But, as is my proclivity, I felt I had to check out some of the claims made herein … to make sure that things hadn't gone … Continue reading On Persephone As “Iron Queen”
The Wealth Of The Lord Of The Dead – A Brief Explication
Yesterday I was asked a question relating to Pluto / Pluton / Plutus , Hades , and Dis Pater. Specifically, whether these had much to do with the Indo-European Sky Father Deific. The short answer is: Yes, Very Yes. There's a few other things I should probably say, particularly around the actual etymology (and, for … Continue reading The Wealth Of The Lord Of The Dead – A Brief Explication
The Indo-European Cosmology – A Brief Guided Tour : Part One – Ritual Space And The Radiating Law
Two areas I have long intended to direct more effort towards extolling - are Indo-European Cosmology and Ritual. Both are fascinating, and as it happens, quite fundamentally coterminous much of the time. However, they're also both huge - and so instead of a series of five-to-fifty-thousand wor(l)d plus megaliths, I thought I'd try something a … Continue reading The Indo-European Cosmology – A Brief Guided Tour : Part One – Ritual Space And The Radiating Law
The Cyclopes And The Ribhus Elves – Solar Smiths of the Sky Father
One of the most iconic creatures from Greek mythology must surely be the Cyclopes. Best known from Odysseus' encounter with Polyphemus during the course of the Odyssey, the Cyclopes is one of those classic mythic tropes - the big, brutish monster who must be defeated via cunning and guile lest he devour the hero and … Continue reading The Cyclopes And The Ribhus Elves – Solar Smiths of the Sky Father
On Disregarding The Puranic Mythology For Allegedly Denigrating Vedic Gods
Quite frequently, we hear it said that people may like Vedic religion, Vedic mythology - but they balk at the later developments upon same. Often because they claim that these subsequent scriptures "denigrate" various Vedic - and therefore Indo-European - Gods. I have already addressed elsewhere the arguments that the Puranas contain all manner of allegedly "non-Aryan" elements … Continue reading On Disregarding The Puranic Mythology For Allegedly Denigrating Vedic Gods
OF BHAIRAVA AND BALANCE – Vedic, Eddic, and Homeric perspectives on Lore and Order [Part 3B]: The Vengeance of Athena, The Wrath of Poseidon, The Hubris Of Ajax the Lesser And Also Of The Undutiful Greeks
Two further points shall be made here before we move on to our third comparative example, and thence ultimately to our conclusions and instruction resulting therefrom for the Modern Indo-European Man [technically speaking, this is "man" in a less-gendered than usual sense - 'thinking being', or 'Child of Man(n)u(s)', I mean] . The first of … Continue reading OF BHAIRAVA AND BALANCE – Vedic, Eddic, and Homeric perspectives on Lore and Order [Part 3B]: The Vengeance of Athena, The Wrath of Poseidon, The Hubris Of Ajax the Lesser And Also Of The Undutiful Greeks