It is Friday - Devi's Day - And so therefore, Devi-otional (A)Art(i) posting ! Absolutely beautiful rendering by Shuvankar Biswas - which does that rarest of things … takes the established theological/iconographic/mythological conceptry and brings it together to create something which seems 'new' yet resonates with the effortless weight of ages! What do I mean … Continue reading Glorious Modern Hindu Art Of Devi As Flame-Speaker Of The Universe’s Inception And Unfurling Course
Svarog
A Brief Note On Tvastr As Dyaus
We had a question to the page about why I'd placed Dyaus and Tvastr in the same spaces on a recent image. A good question. I have long maintained that Tvastr is also an expression of the Indo-European Sky Father deific [i.e. Dyaus Pitar]. I have sketched out the typology for the Masque of the … Continue reading A Brief Note On Tvastr As Dyaus
On Valaskjalf, Hlidskjalf, Paramevyoman: The Golden Throne And The Indo-European Solar Realm Of The Glorious/Ancestral Dead – The Indo-European Cosmology – A Brief Guided Tour: Part Dieux
As we have often maintained, the 'Vedic' and 'Eddic' Indo-European mythologic canons fit together exceptionally well. This does not simply mean that they are closely concordant - but also that where there are 'gaps' in our understanding in the one, we often find some element in the other which corresponds to the area that is … Continue reading On Valaskjalf, Hlidskjalf, Paramevyoman: The Golden Throne And The Indo-European Solar Realm Of The Glorious/Ancestral Dead – The Indo-European Cosmology – A Brief Guided Tour: Part Dieux
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
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
On The Preservation Of Faith In The Indo-European Periphery – And Its Corrosion In The Indo-European Core
[Author's Note: This was initially intended as a brief introduction to a piece on the Slavic figure of Svarog as a Sky Father expression - however, it has grown somewhat, and contains an important, freestanding point. So here it is on its own] The Indo-European world can probably be divided up into those mythic cultures … Continue reading On The Preservation Of Faith In The Indo-European Periphery – And Its Corrosion In The Indo-European Core
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
“Beware The Man Of One Book” – A Case-Study In Slavic Secondary Source Over-Reliance
[Disclaimer: We're fully aware that there are a range of sources utilized in the reconstruction of Slavic Indo-European religion; and that there is, indeed, occasionally quite capacious use to be made in such endeavours from the writings of 'outsiders' to the traditions in question, and preservations embedded in later texts. The following is presented … Continue reading “Beware The Man Of One Book” – A Case-Study In Slavic Secondary Source Over-Reliance