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

Sirius In Central Asia – Soma, Tisya, Tishtrya, Rudra

It is Wednesday - Odin's Day - and so therefore, as has become our custom, some fine devotional (a)art-i.  Except this exquisite piece is not from the Northlands of Scandinavia - rather, its provenance is that most mysterious of Indo-European lands … far-flung Central Asia. Khotan, amidst the deserts and mountains fringing China's western edge in … Continue reading Sirius In Central Asia – Soma, Tisya, Tishtrya, Rudra

Vedic Dragon-Slaying In Sogdian Armour ? A Mural Of Panjikent

Something that has truly given me cause for wonder as we've been delving further into the mysteries of Indo-European Central Asia … is just how immediately recognizable certain myths, certain figures, certain truths remain even 'midst seemingly unfamiliar overlay. This fine rendering from Penjikent in modern-day Tajikistan is just such an instance. A Sogdian depiction, … Continue reading Vedic Dragon-Slaying In Sogdian Armour ? A Mural Of Panjikent

The Way Of The Gun – The Surprising Re-Development Of A Proto-Indo-European Term Into Modern English … And its Comparative Cognates Considered In Both Ritual And Conventional Phraseology Across The Indo-European Sphere

Something I have long remarked upon is the manner in which certain terms, certain concepts … they are to be found in incredibly archaic spheres, and then they 'fade away' or they undergo some transmogrification which obscures their essence somewhat, only to thence re-emerge somewhere else entirely amidst one of the Indo-European descendant groups who … Continue reading The Way Of The Gun – The Surprising Re-Development Of A Proto-Indo-European Term Into Modern English … And its Comparative Cognates Considered In Both Ritual And Conventional Phraseology Across The Indo-European Sphere

The Triumph Of The Thunder-God – Restored : An Analysis Of A Husdrapa Hailing Of Thor’s Victory Over Jormungandr Via The Vedic Verses

Something which has long played upon my mind is a most curious discrepancy between the Nordic mythology - and seemingly every other Indo-European canon of belief.The subject of this purported disunity? The Dragon-Slaying of the Thunderer-Striker Deific.  For as everybody knows - in the major, indeed downright iconic cases of Indra contra Vritra or Herakles … Continue reading The Triumph Of The Thunder-God – Restored : An Analysis Of A Husdrapa Hailing Of Thor’s Victory Over Jormungandr Via The Vedic Verses

On Indo-European Divine Inspiration – And The Zoroastrian Persecutory Suppression Of Same

Frequently when the subject of the Zoroastrian inversion of Indo-European religious belief is brought up, people presume that it is 'just' some form of linguistic confusion - a 'reversal of polarity' afflicting only an incredibly limited array of things. 'Deva' ['Deus', '-Tyr', etc. - 'God', 'Shining One'] becoming 'Daeva' ['Demon'], for example; and if they … Continue reading On Indo-European Divine Inspiration – And The Zoroastrian Persecutory Suppression Of Same

ON THE INDO-EUROPEAN TYPOLOGY OF IOLAUS – THIRD DRAGONSLAYER  Part Three – Academics And Anaryas : The Wrongful Reconstruction Of The Myth

Amongst the Zoroastrians, the dragon-slayer is known as Fereydun, or more archaically as Thraetaona. Who is, curiously, the son of the Zoroastrian figure of Tritas / Thrita. Now, for the Zoroastrians, there is no Indra - except in their lists of demons. As is well known, when they began their heresy against the previously prevalent … Continue reading ON THE INDO-EUROPEAN TYPOLOGY OF IOLAUS – THIRD DRAGONSLAYER  Part Three – Academics And Anaryas : The Wrongful Reconstruction Of The Myth

Yama Iamso Coin of the Kushans, And What This Means For Central Asian Indo-European Religion – Arte-Facts #7

I've had this coin in my head for some days now - a golden coin of the Kushan king Huviska (who appears on the obverse), featuring what appears to be Yama on the deity side. Why? Because of the iconography with which Yama - here hailed as 'Iamso' - is displayed. He's holding a Spear … Continue reading Yama Iamso Coin of the Kushans, And What This Means For Central Asian Indo-European Religion – Arte-Facts #7