It's Friday - Devi's Day And so, therefore, a fine sculpted depiction from the series of Classically inspired works by Karl Heinrich Möller that adorn the Schlossbrücke in Berlin. In this case, 'Athena Arms The Warrior' ('Athena bewaffnet den Krieger') - which we would consider to be an expression of a typology prominent not only … Continue reading Devi Athena Arms The Warrior Of The Divine
Sculpture
The Dancing Shiva of Nohleshwar
It is Monday - Lord Shiva's Day !And so therefore, this remarkable sculpture of He, photographed by an associate of ours [N.G., to whom we are indebted for its appearance and permitted use].The figure comes from the walls of the Nohleshwar Temple in Damoh, Madhya Pradesh. This is a Shaivite Temple, with the eponymous Nohleshwar … Continue reading The Dancing Shiva of Nohleshwar
Of Goddesses, Gods, and Ghosts at the Crossroads – A Comparative Indo-European Exploration [Extract 1]
Part One: The Opening of the Ways [Illustration is one of the fine Enodia marble relief works, from Kozani in what was once Macedonia, and dated to mid-late 2nd-3rd century AD; assumedly a votive offering. 'Enodia' can be seen written across the top, next to Her head. Note also the presence of the Horse and … Continue reading Of Goddesses, Gods, and Ghosts at the Crossroads – A Comparative Indo-European Exploration [Extract 1]
On ‘Idol Worship’ – A Curious Charge
Every so often, twitter throws up something rather curious as applies what we might euphemistically term 'interfaith dialogue'. In this case, what I am told is an Indian Christian … having a bit of a go about "Idolatry". And, as you can tell by the list of 'carve-out' exemptions which then ensue … kinda missing … Continue reading On ‘Idol Worship’ – A Curious Charge
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
Athena Promachos – Immortal Sentinel of the City
The Acropolis at Athens - Leo von Klenze, 1846. Note the very, very large Athena statue in pride of place upon the Acropolis. This is Athena Promachos (Ἀθηνᾶ Πρόμαχος) - Athena Who-Fights-In-The-Front-Line. The meaning of the epithet is reasonably direct - the 'foremost fighter', the warrior at (and as) the proverbial 'tip of the spear'. … Continue reading Athena Promachos – Immortal Sentinel of the City
Of Rudra Bhava & Χαος Amidst The Indo-Greeks
It is MONDAY - Lord Shiva's Day ! And therefore … something perhaps unexpected. A 'Greek' Rudra ! As pointed out to me by that eminent explorer of such finds, the sage Manasataramgini. Now, in the course of our work we have frequently discussed how the north-western zone of the ancient Hindusphere formed quite the … Continue reading Of Rudra Bhava & Χαος Amidst The Indo-Greeks
The Ganesha Of Kabul – And His Custodian Guard [ Arte-Facts #14 ]
In our field, we are so often delving into impressive legends of long ago - myths about men who once lived and wrought deeds so mighty that they seem frankly 'incredible' (in the old sense of the term) today. And that can leave one quite jaded about the modern era for reasons that ought be … Continue reading The Ganesha Of Kabul – And His Custodian Guard [ Arte-Facts #14 ]
A Curious Shiva-featured Buddhist Shrine Guardian
Monday is Lord Shiva's Day … and therefore … Well, there's something curious going on here. This fine carving is from the Lingquan temple complex in Anyang, China. It would be easy to declare it to be a rather Sinicized depiction of Lord Shiva, found in a Buddhist context. There are most certainly an array … Continue reading A Curious Shiva-featured Buddhist Shrine Guardian
Weshparkar – Vayu-The-High-Working But Also Shiva – On Funerary Stonework Of Sogdian Wirkak And Wiyusi – Arte-Facts #12
I've had this image on my mind for some days now. Both for what it represents - yet also for what it doesn't. What's been projected upon it, in other words. Now, as for the former - it's a representation of the Sogdian deific, Vesparkar (also anglicized as Weshparkar, Veshparkar, Wysprkr etc.), from a fine relief … Continue reading Weshparkar – Vayu-The-High-Working But Also Shiva – On Funerary Stonework Of Sogdian Wirkak And Wiyusi – Arte-Facts #12
arya-akasha 