Myths and Legends of the World

Great Flood Myths

2025-05-18T21:13:00.000-04:00

Great Flood Myths

A great flood is sent by a god or goddess, or council of the gods, to destroy civilization in an act of divine retribution. One of the most common tells of a great flood that occurred in the distant past. Many cultures have stories about a time when a great deluge overwhelmed the Earth, drowning most of humanity and leaving only a few survivors to generate a new and hopefully improved human race.

Deucalion and Pyrrha and the Great Flood

In the Golden Age, humanity lived a simple, peaceful and innocent life, though in a rather childlike state.

In the Silver Age, people became more violent and warlike, but they were still noble and virtuous in their dealings with each other.

In the Bronze Age however, people became not only violent, but greedy, cruel and untrustworthy, obsessed with personal gain and caring little for love of family or common decency.

As the behavior of humanity worsened, Zeus, King of the Gods began to be concerned about their increasing depravity and lawlessness. Maybe if the he hadn’t given Pandora, the first woman, a box of evil and horror. Zeus was not satisfied with his punishment of the impious Lycaon. Arriving back at Mount Olympus, he called a council of all the Olympian deities and announced that due to the depravity of humanity that he had witnessed, he saw no alternative but to bring an end to humanity altogether.

While none of the other gods dared challenge Zeus' decision, they tentatively expressed regret that there would now be no mortals to offer them sacrifice. Zeus reassured them that a new human race would come into being through miraculous means to repopulate the earth. The other Olympians still warned their favorite mortals and oracles that Zeus’s deluge was coming.

Zeus' first thought was to simply wipe out humankind by blasting them with his thunderbolts, but then he feared that the earth and the very heavens might catch fire.

Instead, he resolved that all the peoples of the earth must perish by drowning. He called upon the South Wind who drove dark clouds swollen with rain across the sky releasing a huge downpour. The unrelenting rain destroyed all the farmers' crops in the field. Not yet satisfied, Zeus called on his brother the Sea God Poseidon to come to his aid. He summoned all his rivers and ordered them all to burst their banks and overflow. The waters rose and flooded the fields, villages and towns, swallowing them up. Most humans and animals were swept away and drowned. Birds flew searching for land before finally dropping into the sea from exhaustion. The whole land became one giant sea without a shore.

Deucalion was the son of Prometheus, Titan and his wife Pyrrha, the daughter of Epimetheus and Pandora. Deucalion was the most virtuous and god-fearing of men and Pyrrha the most pious and upright of women.

On Prometheus' advice, the couple took shelter from the flood in a giant chest or an ark and was tossed about on the waves for nine days and nights. Eventually, their ark came to ground on the high peak of Mount Parnassus, which broke the surface of the waves.

As soon as they emerged from the ark, the pious couple at once gave reverence to the local nymphs and forest gods and to Themis, the Titan Goddess of justice and giver of prophecies before that role was taken over by Apollo.

When Zeus saw that this god-fearing couple was the last two people on earth, he knew his work was done. He allowed Boreas, the North Wind, to blow the great rainclouds from the sky, while Poseidon calling on all the rivers to return to their banks. Bit by bit the waters receded, and the dry land appeared, with seaweed still clinging to the high branches of the trees. In answer to this need, Oracle of Delphi (Patron Themis) cryptically told them to throw the bones of their mother behind them. They interpreted this as meaning "throw stones over their shoulders onto Mother Earth," and did so. The stones Deucalion threw became men and those Pyrrha threw became women.

Unfortunately, the rumble of flood water mix with Gaea’s earth created the dread Python near Delphi. He later served Hera to pursue Leto and trying to devour her. More on him later.

Top 5 Black Warrior-Women of History (African History Explained)

2019-01-19T17:15:00.001-05:00

May the Fates guide you

2019-01-05T19:51:00.003-05:00

The Fates were even more powerful than the gods, though this did not stop the gods from trying. The ancient Greeks believed that many aspects of a person’s life were determined by the three mythical women known as Fates. They controlled the metaphorical thread of life of every mortal from birth to death. They were independent, at the helm of necessity, directed fate, and watched that the fate assigned to every being by eternal laws might take its course without obstruction. These were three sister goddesses that appeared in Greek and Roman mythology and were believed to have “spun out” a child’s destiny at birth. They determined when life began, when it ended, and everything in between. At the birth of each man they appeared spinning, measuring, and cutting the thread of life. The gods and men had to submit to them, but in the case of Zeus he is portrayed in two ways: as the only one who can command them (the Zeus Moiragetes) or as the one who is also bound to the Fates as incarnation of the fates. However not everything was inflexible or pre-determined. A man destined to become a great warrior one day could still choose what he wanted to do on any given day. The gods could simply intervene with decisions that could be helpful or harmful. In a sense, they controlled the metaphorical life of every mortal born.

Clotho: spun the thread of life from her distaff onto her spindle. She is depicted as a maiden and is often seen carrying a spindle or a roll (the book of Fate).

Lachesis: measured the thread of life allotted to each person with her measuring rod. She appeared as a matron with a staff with which she points to the horoscope on a globe.

Atropos: the cutter of the thread of life. She chose the manner of each person's death; and when their time was come, she cut their life-thread with "her abhorred shears". She chose the manner of each person’s death and when their time was up, cut their life-thread with shears. The smallest of the three, she is also characterized as the most terrible.

But the Fates were not always deaf to the pleading of others. When Atropos cut the thread of King Admetus, who happened to be Apollo's friend, Apollo begged the Fates to undo their work. It was not in their power to do so, but they promised that if someone took Admetus' place in the gloomy world of Hades' domain, he would live. The king's wife, Alcestis, said she would take his place. But Hercules, who happened to be Admetus' guest, rescued her from the underworld, and Admetus an Alcestis were reunited.

Known as Moirai or Moerae in Greek Mythology and Fata or Parcae by the Romans, the Fates were comprised of three women often described as elderly, stern, severe, cold and unmerciful. In various accounts, the three goddesses are shown with staffs, scepters or wearing crowns as symbols of dominion. They all lived in Zeus’s palace on Mount Olympus. Their names in Greek were Clotho, (“the spinner”), Lachesis (“the apportioner”) and Atropos (“the inevitable”). The Roman names for them were Nona, Decuma and Morta. While Greek portrayal of these deities was that of grave and busy maidens, Romans often showcased them as being mean or denying humans their hopes and desires.

Happy New Year

2019-01-01T00:11:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year

Starting this saturday I'll be update every saturday on the theme of the months

2018: What a year

2018-12-31T14:05:00.000-05:00

Chronus; God of Time highlight some of the events that going on in the world.

Good 2018

Hundreds of teachers went on strike
Teachers protested low pay and substandard working conditions early this year in states such as West Virginia, Oklahoma and Arizona ― and some even got what they wanted. Teachers need go pay and the students/teachers ratio need to reasonable 1 to 15 - 20 sounds good to me.

The Winter Olympics occurred
Athletes from 92 countries turned up last winter to ski, skate, snowboard, sled and curl in PyeongChang, South Korea. Norway won the most medals, with Germany and Canada coming in second and third and the U.S. in fourth. Because of systemic doping at previous games, Russian athletes were barred from competing under their flag and placed 13th.

The Brits made a ‘baby Trump’ blimp, complete with a diaper and an iPhone.
On a summer visit to the U.K., the U.S. leader skirted the capital, where huge protests were staged against him. Trump described his travel plans thus: “I guess when they put out blimps to make me feel unwelcome, no reason for me to go to London.”

North and South Korea vowed to end the Korean War
Although Trump’s meeting with Kim Jong Un got most of the attention, both Koreas pledged this year to denuclearize the peninsula, and it seems that’s starting to happen.

India decriminalized gay sex
People did some nice things in 2018! Like this big step forward for the global gay rights movement.

Ireland repealed its Eighth Amendment
Here’s another nice thing: Swells of Irish voters turned out to ax an ’80s-era abortion ban considered one of the most restrictive in the Western world.

Scientists got closer to ending mosquitoes
U.K. researchers eradicated caged mosquitoes using genetic engineering this year. Their work could have a hugely positive impact on global malaria cases and this reporter’s likelihood of ever going camping again.HELL YA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bad 2018 too many count

The government shut down two other times
While we are acutely aware of the current will-they-or-won’t-they funding crisis, a government shutdown happened on two previous occasions in the past year. Once in January for three days and another time in February for nine hours.

Net neutrality died
The Obama-era rules mandating that all internet content be treated equally ended officially in June.

An aide wrote President Donald Trump notes for a meeting, and he inadvertently showed them to everyone

The president apparently needed a cheat sheet on expressing empathy during a meeting with survivors of the Parkland, Florida, mass shooting and their parents in February. Photographers captured him holding a note with some reminders. Point No. 5 read simply, “I hear you.”

A White House official allegedly removed a major document from Trump’s desk, and he did not notice
Journalist Bob Woodward’s Fear, a look at the Trump White House, contained among some alarming anecdotes a claim that officials covertly moved to prevent Trump from handling a document withdrawing the U.S. from the North American Free Trade Agreement. One official said he would “just take the paper off [the president’s] desk.”

Weird 2018

It rained iguanas
Kind of. Basically, January’s cold snap all along the East Coast caught our little scaly friends off guard. When iguanas get too cold, they enter a lethargic state until their bodies warm up again. And if they’re up in a tree when they become, essentially, lizard bricks, sometimes they fall. Which they did!

A very expensive piece of art self-destructed
In October someone bought Banksy’s “Girl With Balloon” for $1.4 million at a stuffy Sotheby’s auction house, and the work’s ornate frame turned out to be a functioning shredder.

All those local news anchors were forced to read the same Trumpian script
Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns nearly 200 local news stations, forced its journalists to read a script backing Trump’s war on the news media. It was creepy.

Trump supposedly has a ‘fear of being poisoned,’ and that’s why he likes McDonald’s so much
Michael Wolff’s Fire & Fury, the Trump administration tell-all that made waves in January, included a claim that the president likes eating “safely premade” food because of ― allegedly ― his paranoia.

Tide Pods
Early this year, some teens thought it would be funny to film themselves doing the Tide Pod challenge, in which a person bites into a Tide Pod, a product that saves you the time it takes to pour laundry detergent into the washer. They may or may not have been inspired by a 2015 Onion article. Their exact numbers are not known, but members of the news media responded in masse with the kind of righteous finger-wagging that accompanies news that certain teens have done a certain stupid thing.

Happy Winter Solstice

2018-12-21T14:25:00.001-05:00

Because winter is the darkest time of the year, the winter solstice has long been a time of great celebration, heralding the return of light to the world. Ancient cultures throughout the world and history have held celebrations of this time, most of them of days or even weeks duration.

Yule In Scandinavia, the party lasted from Dec. 21 into January. In many places, a sacrifice was made at the end of the festival on Mid-Winter Night, (Jan. 12). The sacrifice was originally probably human, (accounts say that Swedish Kings sacrificed male slaves every 9th year, for example), but became a boar, (think "Boar's Head Carol"). Germanic peoples celebrated the holiday from Dec.-Jan. on a date chosen by their lunar calendar. Records also reflect that the holiday was celebrated in Iceland.

The root of the word is the same as the root of the word "jolly" and other traditions based in Yule include decorating fir trees, hanging mistletoe and holly and giving gifts. (We owe a lot to Yule.) And, believe it or not, the tradition of Christmas ham comes from the tradition of feasting on the ritual boar.The Yule (Jul) particular god was Jólner, which is one of Odin's many names.

At Yule, (also associated with the God Jul), it also was believed in some cultures that the spirits of the dead, as well as demons, returned to earth at this time and that people could have intercourse with them.

Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, (Birthday of the Unconquered Sun) The Mithras religion celebrated the birth of their God, Mithras on December 25. It is, in fact, the reason that December 25 became the date chosen to celebrate Christmas. His story was similar in many, many ways to that of Jesus. Popular with Roman soldiers, he was of Iranian/Zoroastrian origin.
It was believed that Mithras was created by the chief deity, Ahura-Mazda, and born of a virgin woman, to save the world. Mithras was also believed to have been resurrected after death and to have ascended to the heavens in human form. He also was worshipped on Sundays. He was associated with the Sun, which begins its journey to the peak of its power each winter. Mithrasists believed that the rituals observed on this date were as old as humankind.

Brumalia this holiday celebrated the maturing of wine and the God Dionysus in Greece. Dionysus is God of Wine, Grape Harvest and Winemaking, Madness and Religious Ecstasy. The word Bruma is Latin for the Winter Solstice.

Saturnalia, December 17-23 was a huge Roman Festival. It was originally celebrated for a day but people had so much fun it became a weeklong event. In Roman mythology, Saturn was an agricultural deity who was said to have reigned over the world in the Golden Age, when humans enjoyed the spontaneous bounty of the earth without labour in a state of innocence. The revelries of Saturnalia were supposed to reflect the conditions of the lost mythical age.

During Saturnalia, Saturn was honored with sacrifices, the placing of a couch n front of his temple and the untying of ropes that bound his statue the rest of the year. A master of ceremonies was elected for the festivities. There were also many private rituals that were observed. Schools were closed, presents were given, there was a holiday market and gambling was a favorite activity. Instead of togas, people wore more colorful, informal clothes and feasting and drinking occupied everyone's time.

During Saturnalia, slaves were allowed to gamble and were not to be punished. They had a banquet either with, in front of or served by their masters and they were expected to treat them disrespectfully. This role reversal was, however, mostly symbolic.

The interjection, "Ho", comes from the Latin "io", which was frequently invoked at this time in the greeting "io, Saturnalia", equivalents to "Merry Christmas" now.

Bernie Sanders On TYT: Fate Of Country Is At Stake

2018-11-05T12:37:00.001-05:00

PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF THE GODS
VOTES TOMORROW!!!!!!

Halloween Special: H. P. Lovecraft

2018-10-31T20:48:00.001-04:00

Depiction of Hades

2018-10-30T21:25:00.000-04:00

Hades is one of my favorite gods and here is some of my problem with depiction of Hades over the years (looking at your Hollywood).

Why does Hades dislike heroes, you may ask? Because they are always little fuckin bitches to him, that’s why. Theseus and Pirithous went to go and steal his wife. Main reason for this so they can marry the daughter. That isn’t a friendly thing to do! Mortals daring to compare themselves with the gods. blasphemy!!! They go into the fuckin Underworld, they know the fuckin house rules - it’s for dead people ONLY, the upper world is for living people, that’s a no brainer. So Pirithous paid with his life and Theseus, with the help of Herakles went crying away back upstairs. But that’s not the end of Hades’ hero woes. The motherfuckers just don’t give up! Amphiaraus fell through his freak ‘in ceiling (check the story here it's interesting), Orpheus came to get back his wife (but Hades kind of liked him cause he was polite and played nice music) and Aeneas went for a little Roman propaganda wander too. But despite this he actually did help one or two heroes!! Perseus is the main name, where Hades lent him his helmet of darkness, without which, the hero would never have been able to slay Medusa. He also allowed Herakles to take Cerbereus to complete his labor and stop Hera tormenting him for awhile.

He is the Devil. NO. NO. Let me just. No. His realm contains Paradise (or Heaven), Super-Paradise (the Blessed Isles), the Fields of Asphodel (Purgatory), Reincarnation via the Lethe, and of course the Fields of Punishment (Greek Hell) or Tartarus (Greek Super Hell). Which means he supplies for pretty much every single religious requirement. Super awesome, super-efficient and super well-run. NOT DEVIL. DAMN YOU CHRISTIANS AND YOUR PROPAGANDA!!!!!

Underworld God prejudice. Yup. And he’s not the only one. Shout out to Anubis, who also gets hated on when we should all be running away from Seth, Anubis’s dangerous father. Modern day people instantly know Anubis is Egyptian and pretty cool. The Romans didn’t help with Hades either, as they were so afraid of him (and death), they made up a bunch of nicknames. Philosophers, some poets and artists liked him though.

He is most egalitarian of the gods. Unlike Hera, Persephone was seen as an equal rather than a subordinate in ruling and the pair seemed to get on rather well after their sudden start. Hades often listened to Persephone’s council (with Orpheus etc.) and let her run parts of his kingdom - the souls of women and children were sacred to Persephone (Odyssey, Bk 11). So, compared to pretty much all of the other male gods, ESPECIALLY his brothers, he was much better toward the ladies. Persephone was known to get viciously jealous of any other women (2 in total, compared to Zeus circa a few thousand) who were Hades’ lovers (short story; she killed them), so we might interpret that as love. But who knows what the gods were really up to? Although, out of all godly marriages, Hades and Persephone’s was the most faithful (Hades cheated twice, Persephone cheated once - hey, they were Greeks) and the most equal.

Thank you for reading my rant about Ruler of the Underworld and Happy Holiday!!!

Basque Witch Trials

2018-10-25T17:31:00.001-04:00

Changing of Season: Mabon

2018-09-22T21:42:00.000-04:00

Mabon is the season in which the harvest is being gathered. It's also the time in which the hunt often begins -- deer and other animals are killed during the autumn in many parts of the world. The autumn equinox, or Mabon, takes place on or near September 21, and its spring counterpart falls around March 21. If you're in the Northern hemisphere, the days will begin getting shorter after the autumn equinox and the nights will grow longer—in the Southern hemisphere, the reverse is true. The idea of a harvest festival is nothing new. In fact, people have celebrated it for millennia, all around the world. In ancient Greece, Oschophoria was a festival held in the fall to celebrate the harvesting of grapes for wine. In the 1700's, the Bavarians came up with Oktoberfest, which actually begins in the last week of September, and it was a time of great feasting and merriment, still in existence today.

Popular Gods and Goddesses of Agriculture

Demeter: Greek Goddess of Agriculture, the Bountiful Harvest, and the Green Earth. She is the Mistress of the Season

Osiris: Egyptian God of Agriculture, Rebirth and the Nile flood. He is also Ruler of the Afterlife

Pomona: Roman Goddess of Fruit Orchard and Harvest.

Popular Gods and Goddesses of the Hunt

Cernunnos is a protector of the forest and master of the hunt.

Artemis is the Greek goddess of both hunting and childbirth. Her twin brother was Apollo

Odin is associated with the concept of the wild hunt and leads a noisy horde of fallen warriors across the sky.

In some parts of the northern hemisphere, autumn has a strong association with the end of summer holiday and the start of a new school year, particularly for children in primary and secondary education. "Back to School" advertising and preparations usually occurs in the weeks leading to the beginning of autumn.

Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated in Canada, in the United States, in some of the Caribbean islands and in Liberia. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States, and around the same part of the year in other places. Similarly named festival holidays occur in Germany and Japan.

Television stations and networks, particularly in North America, traditionally begin their regular seasons in their autumn, with new series and new episodes of existing series debuting mostly during late September or early October (series that debut outside the fall season are usually known as mid-season replacements). A sweeps period takes place in November to measure Nielsen Ratings.

American football is played almost exclusively in the autumn months; at the high school level, seasons run from late August through early November, with some playoff games and holiday rivalry contests being played as late as Thanksgiving. In many American states, the championship games take place in early December. College football's regular season runs from September through November, while the main professional circuit, the National Football League, plays from September through to early January. Summer sports, such as stock car racing, Major League Soccer, and Major League Baseball, wrap up their seasons in early to late autumn; MLB's championship World Series is known popularly as the "Fall Classic". (Amateur baseball is usually finished by August.) Likewise, professional winter sports, such as professional ice hockey, basketball and most leagues of soccer football in Europe, are in the early stages of their seasons during autumn; American college basketball and college ice hockey play teams outside their athletic conferences during the late autumn before their in-conference schedules begin in winter.

The Christian religious holidays of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day are observed in autumn in the Northern hemisphere.

In Indian mythology, autumn is considered to be the preferred season for the goddess of learning Saraswathi, who is also known by the name of "goddess of autumn" (Sharada).

In Asian mysticism, Autumn is associated with the element of metal, and subsequently with the color white, the White Tiger of the West, and death and mourning.

How We Pay for Medicare for All: An In-Depth Breakdown (w/ Andrea Witte)

2018-09-13T18:53:00.001-04:00

Dragons - Divine Beings

2018-08-21T14:54:00.003-04:00

Dragons are probably the single most important mythical creatures in Chinese culture. They appear in multiple national celebrations, Chinese idioms (known as Chengyu), as well as being part of the Chinese zodiac. They adorn multiple buildings and doors as carvings, are weaved into fabrics for traditional Chinese clothes, and are painted in murals and used in dances to this day. Unlike their Western or European counterparts, Chinese dragons are loved and worshiped. Chinese people consider themselves to be descended from the dragon. It is the symbol of emperors and imperial rule, and its legends have shaped a good portion of modern Chinese culture.

In Eastern culture the dragon started out as an elongated, almost serpentine creature, usually, but not always showing four shortened legs, and a spaded tail. They were covered in scales, had a crest on the head, and were brightly colored in many hues. The dragon is a positive force, and represents power, excellence, and striving for goals, as well as being a benevolent force, which radiates goodwill, good luck, and blessings. Shrines to them can be found in many places in China, usually near the sea, since Eastern dragons tended to be water creatures.

Chinese dragons are considered very auspicious and lucky. They are magical beings that can cause weather changes and summon rain. 龙卷风 (lóng juǎn fēng)” or “dragon twisting wind.”

Because Chinese society was founded on agriculture that thrived during the wet season, Chinese dragons were deities and were worshiped. However according to Chinese folklore, the dragon is not without a temper; whenever there was severe flooding or heavy winds, the people would burn incense and sacrifice plates of food to the dragon to appease it. In fact, the Chinese word for tornado is “

Chinese dragons are part of the harmonious forces yin and yang, which play a large part in Chinese philosophy. Dragons are classified as yang, and considered bright, masculine, and solar. The phoenix is yin, which is dark, feminine, and lunar. At Chinese weddings, these two creatures appear together as symbols of harmony.

To the Chinese, the Imperial Dragon or Lung is the primary of four benevolent spiritual animals, the other three being the phoenix, the unicorn and the tortoise. Having unrivaled wisdom and power the dragon symbolized the Emperors of China themselves, who were actually called dragons. Hsi, China's first emperor was said to have a dragon's tail. Shen Nung, his successor was supposed to have been fathered by a dragon. The Chinese Emperor sat on a dragon throne, rode in a dragon boat and slept in a dragon bed.
To distinguish the Chinese imperial dragon from all other dragons, only the Imperial Dragon bore five claws

In China dragons are know as Lung. There are four main kinds of Lung.

The Celestial Dragon (Tien-lung): The Celestial Dragon protects the places of the Gods.

The Spiritual Dragon (Shen-Lung): The Spiritual Dragon controls the wind and the rain.

The Earth Dragon (Ti-Lung): The Earth Dragon controls rivers, and water on the Earth.

The Underworld Dragon (Fut's-Lung): The Underworld Dragon guards precious metals and gems.

In Eastern culture, the dragon represents the essential forces of Nature. While Emperors consulted them as revered advisors, they did not always follow that advice, and consequently the dragons' anger would either produce storms and floods though the clouds they breathed out, or such things as water shortages, when they beat their tails about, and emptied lakes and rivers. A dragon's celestial breath, known as sheng chi, bestows warmth from the sun, wind from the ocean, soil from the Earth, and water from rain.

Dragon Kings

A Dragon King is a deity in Chinese mythology commonly regarded as the divine ruler of an ocean. They have the ability to shapeshift into human form and live in an underwater crystal palace. They have their own royal court and command an army comprising various marine creatures. Apart from presiding over aquatic life, a Dragon King can also manipulate the weather and bring rainfall.

Because of this association, they are seen as "in charge" of water-related weather phenomenon. In premodern times, many Chinese villages (especially those close to rivers and seas) had temples dedicated to their local "dragon king". In times of drought or flooding, it was customary for the local gentry and government officials to lead the community in offering sacrifices and conducting other religious rites to appease the dragon, either to ask for rain or a cessation thereof.

The four Dragon Kings in Journey to the West are:

Ao Guang (敖廣), Dragon King of the East Sea (corresponding to the East China Sea)
Ao Qin (敖欽), Dragon King of the South Sea (corresponding to the South China Sea)
Ao Run (敖閏), Dragon King of the West Sea (sometimes seen as the Qinghai Lake and beyond
Ao Shun (敖順), Dragon King of the North Sea (sometimes seen as Lake Baikal)

"According to Chinese mythology, the Dragon’s Gate is located at the top of a waterfall cascading from a legendary mountain. Many carp swim upstream against the river’s strong current, but few are capable or brave enough for the final leap over the waterfall. If a carp successfully makes the jump, it is transformed into a powerful dragon. A Chinese dragon’s large, conspicuous scales indicate its origin from a carp. The Chinese dragon has long been an auspicious symbol of great and benevolent, magical power. The image of a carp jumping over Dragon’s Gate is an old and enduring Chinese cultural symbol for courage, perseverance, and accomplishment. Historically, the dragon was the exclusive symbol of the emperor of China and the five-character expression, Liyu Tiao Long Men, was originally used as a metaphor for a person’s success in passing very difficult imperial examinations, required for entry into imperial administrative service. To this day, when a student from a remote country village passes the rigorous national university examination in China, friends and family proudly refer to the “Liyu Tiao Long Men.” More generally, the expression is used to communicate that if a person works hard and diligently, success will one day be achieved." - Carp Leaping Over the Dragon's Gate. This legend still lives on in the pokemon Magikarp and its evolved form Gyarados. Gyarados appears to be based off a sea dragon or a sea serpent from China.

Fury of the Dragon

2018-08-13T09:00:00.000-04:00

I had an epiphany last week on a topic for the hottest part of the Season (blame climate change). The topic is the dragon or rather the western depiction of dragon. The Western Dragon is the better known in Western culture and the other version especially the Chinese dragons deserve their own post. So let's explore the dragon and some of its history.

What is a Dragon?

Dragons are usually thought to have wings and breathe fire. They also are said to have scales and claws. Some also have horns. Almost always they are said to be venomous. Some dragons may have two or more heads. They may also have more than one tail. They may have two, four or even more legs; however, most are known to have four legs. Dragons are said to eat things such as rats, birds, snakes, bats, or even humans, especially children.
Dragons are very intelligent creatures. They live in remote areas, far away from humans, in places that are dark, damp and secluded, such as caves. Dragons were first thought of as creatures that lived in water. Later they became associated with fire. Sea serpents may have been the first dragons, and may be the reason for this association.
Almost all Western dragon stories portray the dragon as the villain from whom the hero must protect the city or the princess. But some dragons can take on the form of the protector. You can see this biggest differences in dragons usually come from different cultures, especially the cultures of the East and the West. Each culture seems to have their idea about dragons.

Dragons cannot be put all into one group, as there are so many dragons. Each culture seems to have their own type of dragon, and each of these dragons is usually very different. Some people have said that dragons once existed, maybe during the time of the dinosaurs. Others believe that dragons began around the same time the earth began. A few people even claim to have seen a dragon in their life time. Of these people who claim to have seen one, they usually agree that it was humans who finally defeated the dragons.
But most of all, dragons are fascinating, magical creatures who have captivated our attention for thousands of years. The many different kinds of dragons and the ability for us to use our imagination to create these creatures only add to their appeal. Many stories have been told about these great beings and it seems like dragons are a part of our mythical history. Whether these creatures are or ever were real probably doesn't matter due to the fact that the imagination can create them in almost any situation.

Western Dragon

The Western dragon tends to be quite huge and heavy with sharp-claws and bat-like wings. They are typically with reptile features but may also have fur or feathers. Sometimes they are dark colored but always shinny. Some have forked tongues, others crests, fringes, or some other adornment. It always has the ability to belch forth blazing fire and fumes. They are the largest of all the serpents and all the beasts of the earth, the dragon uncoiled at the beginning of time and have multiplied in names and shapes ever since. Known by all the peoples of the world, it is the greatest of all beasts. In the West, the dragon is the drakon (“sharp-sighted”, “watchful”) of the Greeks. The Romans called it drako, and the British know it as “drake”-as in “firedrake”- and “worm.”

Western dragons have traditionally been a symbol of evil. A typical Western dragon can fly and breathe fire. Many legends describe dragons as greedy, keeping hordes of gold and other precious treasure. In myths and folklore, dragons were monsters to be conquered. As dragons may be seen to represent the dark side of humanity, including greed, lust, and violence, the conquest of a dragon represents the confrontation and extinguishment of those evil instincts. In medieval legends the Dragons represent evil or the old pagan way that are defeated by virtue of Christianity. An example of this is the Christian knight St. George is depicted killing the Dragon of the old English pagan beliefs.

The dragon has also been used as a symbol of war. The Viking longship, also called a drakkar or dragon ship, was used to transport Viking warriors on their raids across Europe. Often, sea-going dragon ships would have a dragon head mounted at its stern to ward off sea serpents and evil spirits.

In the West, dragons are either living in caves or mountain dwellers and predators. Cave dweller dragons stay most of the time in the coldness of the dark. The caves, filled with fire and water, are easily guarded and located close to towns, where food is convenient. Mountain predators live in cave-riddled mountains that provide an invincible structure, a sort of protection.

Western Dragons like to feed upon livestock, human flesh and prefers young people and those who are weak. They also hunt large game animals such as deer, elk, and sometimes livestock. In folklore, it is depicted that they typically take a flight at night to terrorize the villagers and cause pestilence over the land. However, there are also many accounts of dragons giving assistance to weary travelers or acting as guardians or protectors over sacred forests or treasures.

Western dragons were also very intelligent, and in many cases capable of speech. Legend has it that Western dragons held secrets, knowledge or power that may only be claimed when the dragon is slain. The one who killed the dragon must drink its blood and eat its flesh to have these secrets revealed.

Example:

In fairy tales, dragons are often guarding a princess or maiden and must be slain by a heroic rescuer, serving as a testament slayer’s bravery.

Beowulf's Dragon (Beowulf)

The third and final enemy in the epic poem Beowulf, one of the earliest known works of fiction. The dragon is also the first example of a fire-breathing dragon in literature. The dragon is awoken after a slave steals a jewel-encrusted cup from its layer, driving the dragon into a frenzy. The monster attacks Beowulf's homeland, forcing Beowulf to act by going into its lair with his thanes. In the end, all of Beowulf's thanes run away except Wiguf. Beowulf dies in battle with the beast, but he does allow Wiguf to deliver the killing blow.

JORMUNGAND, THE MIDGARD SERPENT

Jormungand is the son of Loki, Aesir God of Mischief and Angerboda. This serpent was expelled by Odin and forced to encircle the earth and hold its tail in its mouth under the depth of the seas. Thor and the giant Hymir were fishing using an ox head as bait when something very powerful grabbed the hook. The gigantic head rose up out of the water, and Thor was ready with his hammer, but Hymir lost his nerve and cut the line. the serpent disappeared beyond the waves.

Many ages past, then the Day Of The Last Battle (Ragnarok) came. This was a war with god against giant, deity against demon, and man against monster. The Midgard Serpent let go of its tail and uncoiled itself to go ashore to fight Thor, the only being that would be worthy challenge. They met on the beach, and Thor immediately slammed bolts of lightning at the monster. Jormungand snapped its jaws at Thor trying to bite him fatally, with no luck. Thor raised his War Hammer and slammed it on the skull of the dragon. With a massive roar the dragon died. Thor also died that day, suffocated from the dragon's venomous breath.

Saint George and the Dragon

A bloodthirsty monster that appears in an episode to the hagiography of Saint George called Saint George and the Dragon. The dragon lives by a spring that provides all the water for the city of Cyrene. The dragon demands human sacrifices and the princess of Cyrene is chosen as the next victim. The princess is tied to a wooden stake near the spring. Saint George, a soldier of the Roman Empire, discovers the distressed princess and untied her. Saint George charges the dragon on horseback. His sturdy lance penetrates deep enough only to wound the dragon. Using the princess's sash as a leash, Saint George and the princess lead the injured creature into town. Saint George announces he will finish off the dragon if the citizens convert to Christianity. They agree to convert, and Saint George draws his sword and kills the dragon.

Smaug

One of the most iconic villain dragons is Smaug from J.R.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit. During his reign, Smaug claimed mountains of stolen gold and demolished cities. The last of the great dragons of Middle Earth and the primary antagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. He lives within the Lonely Mountain and has a huge pile of treasure that he stole from the dwarves. Bilbo Baggins tries to steal a two-handled cup from the treasure hoard, but Smaug later discovers the theft and circles the sky above the mountain in a rage, bellowing and shooting flames. Later, Bilbo makes himself invisible and sneaks into the dragon's cave again. Although Smaug cannot see Bilbo, he can smell him, and he mocks the invisible hobbit. Bilbo flatters the vain Smaug into rolling over onto his back. Bilbo spots an open patch in Smaug's jeweled armor. Knowledge of his weak spot is passed on to Bard the Bowman, who kills Smaug with a single, black, dwarf-made arrow.

Charizard

Charizard is a draconic, bipedal Pokémon. It is primarily orange with a cream underside from the chest to the tip of its tail, which burns with a sizable flame. Charizard has a long neck, small blue eyes, raised nostrils, and two horn-like structures protruding from the back of its rectangular head. There are two fangs visible in the upper jaw when its mouth is closed. Two large wings with blue-green undersides sprout from its back, and a horn-like appendage juts out from the third joint of each wing. Charizard's arms are short and skinny compared to its robust belly, and each limb has three white claws. It has stocky legs and cream-colored soles under its feet. Charizard resembles stereotypical European dragons, which are heavily associated with the element of fire in Western folklore; this would later be reflected in the Fire/Dragon typing of Mega Charizard X. Considering the lizard basis of its pre-evolutions and Japanese and English nomenclature, Charizard's draconic design may be a reference to how various types of lizards are named after dragons, most notably Komodo dragons and flying dragons -- two categories of lizards with which Charizard shares loose physical similarities.

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2018-07-22T06:07:00.001-04:00

Happy Fourth of July

2018-07-04T14:05:00.001-04:00

The Declaration of Independence was a justification for a revolt against the British which included a list of charges against the British king. The Fourth of July commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. It was initially adopted by Congress on July 2, 1776, but then it was revised, and the final version was adopted two days later.
The Declaration of Independence was signed by 56 men representing the 13 colonies. The moment marked the beginning of all-out war against the British. The American Revolutionary War is said to have started in 1775, however. The Declaration was signed more than two years after Boston officials refused to return three shiploads of taxed tea to Britain, fueling colonists to dump the tea into the harbor in what became the infamous Boston Tea Party.

Several countries have used the Declaration of Independence as a beacon in their own struggles for freedom. These countries include France, Greece, Poland, Russia, and many countries in South America.
America isn’t the only nation that celebrates the Fourth of July. It might sound odd, but if you celebrate the Fourth of July outside the U.S., you still might see fireworks in Denmark, England, Norway, Portugal and Sweden. This is because thousands of people emigrated to the U.S. in the early 1900s. Some European celebrations on the Fourth take place near tourist destinations -- to attract U.S. travelers -- or near American military bases.
Most of the Founding Fathers agreed that July Fourth is the correct day to celebrate America’s independence from Great Britain -- except one. Adams thought July 2, the day the Second Continental Congress voted in Philadelphia to declare independence from Britain, would be the day patriots celebrated. “The Second Day of July 1776 will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America,” Adams wrote on July 3. “It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.

Americans were observing and celebrating July Fourth as early as 1777, however, the holiday was not nationally recognized. The first major celebration occurred in Philadelphia, which included a parade, a thirteen-shot cannon salute, and fireworks. Americans celebrated the holiday year after year and Congress officially recognized July Fourth as a holiday in 1870. July Fourth gained its federal recognition from a bill that passed and recognized major state holidays such as Christmas and New Year’s Day on a federal level.

Fun facts:

Today, the 4th of July is America’s drunkest holiday (with over $1 billion spent on beer every year and over half a million on wine), but the tradition goes back pretty far. Soldiers in the Continental Army were given extra allowances of rum to celebrate Independence Day.

The oldest continuous Independence Day celebration in the United States is the 4th of July Parade in Bristol, Rhode Island; it began in 1785.

The "Star Spangled Banner" was written by Francis Scott Key and was originally a poem stemming from his observations in 1814 concerning the British attack on Baltimore's Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. It was later put to music, though not decreed the official national anthem until 1931.

The 4th of July is the biggest day of the year for hot dogs. More hot dogs are eaten on this day than any other day of the year. Estimates place the number of dogs eaten on this date at 155 million, or enough to stretch across the American nation more than 5 times over. We wonder what percentage of those 155 million hot dogs are consumed during the annual hot dog eating contests usually held over the 4th of July?

The Wane of the Sun: Apep

2018-06-21T20:53:00.002-04:00

We are all too happy to talk about Apep (probably closer to Apapi in ancient Egyptian), also known in Greek circles as Apophis, the dread serpent of darkness and primordial chaos who lurks in the unfathomable depths of the shadow world of Duat.

Apep - often called "the Apep" in Egyptian texts, to distinguish it from lesser serpents that might be considered its offspring or representatives - is an enormous snake that lurks in the darkness of Duat, sometimes said to lie coiled around the fabled Mount Bakhu, at others believed to lie in the fathomless dark waters of the primordial Nun, the only place infinite enough to contain its endless bulk. According to the Pyramid Texts, Ra, the sun god, travels through Duat each night, dying when the sun sets but resurrecting himself at the dawn to allow the sun to be reborn the next day, but Apep lies in wait there to try to stop him, appearing in the dark underworld skies with hordes of evil minions and lesser serpents.

What exactly Apep's aim here is this as the embodiment of chaos, Apophis was a great threat to Ma'at and even chaotic deities, such as Seth fought against him. When the Creation started, his sheut was trapped beneath The First Land, giving him an enduring hatred for Ma'at. And because he was Isfet, the first spirit in times, that is the manifestation of Isfet, and Ra was born from the Creation, that was the devastation of the Serpent's chaotic plane. Prophecy had it that the world would end when Apophis ate the sun, Ra. Seth fought as Ra's lieutenant, defending his sun boat. Sekhmet was originally Ra's champion, but when she proved to be too difficult to control, she was replaced by Bast.
Because Apep is so terrible (always described as fathomlessly huge, which is why it is depicted with such tightly-packed coils to represent how much of it there is, and sometimes said to have a head made of vicious hard flint or eyes of gold) and so dangerous, the sun god was understood to not be able to fight such a fearsome foe alone. The solar baroque was staffed with a defense team intended to help him fight Apep off each day, including

Horus, god of kingship and warfare

Maahes, lion god of slaughter and courage

Serket, scorpion goddess of poisons and disease

Mehen, the serpent god who opposes his fellow snake

Each day, through their combined efforts, Apep is defeated or turned aside and Ra is saved to begin the day anew, although not without great hardship and injury to all.

The foremost of Ra's defenders, and the only deity who stands as a true opponent who can face Apep's might, is Set, god of the deserts. Apep's powers include a terrible hypnotic gaze that can freeze even a god so that they lose all reason, not to mention its unending coils which are wrapped around the baroque itself and all the gods within, and thus many of the defending gods are paralyzed by its gaze each day, or physically restrained so that they cannot help Ra as they intend to. Set, however, is the strongest and most powerful of all the divine warriors, and he is unaffected by any of Apep's dangerous skills; he is too strong to be held in its coils, and too loyal and determined to be hypnotized, which allows him to take over and drive the baroque for Ra while the sun god fights the snake's influence himself. He then fights Apep with a great iron spear, eventually skewering it and driving it off until the great struggle begins again the next day.
Apep's not just a big mindless sun-eating snake, either; when it comes to Set, its downright snarky, trading insults and one-liners back and forth with the god of chaos, including making fun of his missing testicle. So clearly there is plenty of malevolent intelligence behind those great serpentine eyes.

In spite of the efforts of Ra and his fellow gods, Apep's attacks are not always in vain. Occasionally, it successfully swallows the sun; this is the case when eclipses occur, which were believed to be the result of Apep performing a surprise attack during the daytime, and which last as long as it takes for the gods to come to Ra's rescue and fight the snake off before the day can resume, and on at least one memorable occasion, the sun didn't rise at all thanks to Set being called away to the birth of his son Anubis, leaving the baroque woefully under defended. Apep was ruinously wounded when Set returned and carved a hole in its throat to let the baroque through, but we must assume it enjoyed the victory while it lasted.

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2018-06-09T18:03:00.001-04:00

Homosexuality in Ancient Egypt

2018-06-01T03:55:00.000-04:00

Homosexuality in the past shows clearly that the different cultures had words (and therefore mental constructs and concepts) of same-sex activity; however since the needs of agricultural/pastoral living require reproduction not only to work the farm but also to provide support for the parent in old age, it was expected that no matter what one's affectional preferences were that each individual would marry and reproduce. Life expectancy in the ancient time was generally in 40s and 50s and infants' and children's mortality rate are high. There are little to no recorded instances of homosexual or lesbian couples in the some culture; moreover, the idea of living as an exclusively homosexual person did not exist in most cultures until present day Western civilization appeared. While the stories about Seth and his sexual behavior may reveal rather negative thoughts and views, the tomb inscription of Nyankh-khnum and Khnum-hotep may instead suggest that homosexuality was likewise accepted. Ancient Egyptian documents never clearly say that same-sex relationships were seen as reprehensible or despicable. No ancient Egyptian document mentions that homosexual acts were set under penalty. Thus, a straight evaluation remains problematic.

Lesbianism was acknowledged in Ancient Egypt, though evidence of it is relatively sparse. A number of archaeologists have suggested that there is sexual symbolism in a number of scenes depicting women embracing, while others explicitly depict scenes of intimacy, particularly in the artifacts from Amarna period. In much of Ancient Egyptian art, however, it is difficult to distinguish males from females, due to the androgynous features of the figures depicted.

While evidence points to the fact that Ancient Egyptian society was largely accepting of male homosexuality, nonetheless, the receptive partner was viewed as inferior, while the active partner was celebrated and praised for his virility and. In the myth of Horus and Set, Horus was not concerned with denying having had intercourse with his uncle, but with denying having been on the receiving end of the act like many ancient Mediterranean cultures.

With the passing of time and the changes in ideology and beliefs, as traced in the artifacts from each era, the disdain for the receptive partner in a homosexual relationship grew. Eventually, Ancient Egyptians began using homophobic phrases in their insults and jokes.

In his study of sexuality in Ancient Egypt, archaeological researcher Mohamed Gamal supports this theory, stating: “In contemporary Egyptian society, in certain youth circles, particularly those in the tourism and hospitality industries, it is not shameful to admit having engaged in homosexual relations, so long as you are the active partner.”

He traces these changes in ideology to the fact that Egypt was the center of a vast empire, thereby coming into contact with a number of different civilizations and cultures, which “perhaps disdained homosexuality, and therefore influenced Egyptian culture in that regard.” This was, of course, compounded by the advent of the Abrahamic faiths, which forbade homosexuality.

In the creation story for the Egyptian gods, the first deity, Atum (Ra), was both male and female, according to studies by researcher Mark Brustman. The ancestor to all self-produced two offspring, Shu and Tefnut, through either a sneeze or his own semen.

Isis was among the few goddesses worshipped by the Egyptians and their Mediterranean neighbors in Greece and Rome. The Great Mother Goddess and a protector of children, she also cared for society’s outcast, which may be why gay priests in ancient Egypt worshipped the deity. In one tale documented at Isiopolis, Isis appeared in a dream accompanied by an Egyptian retinue to calm the pregnant Telethusa, who feared she would deliver a girl against her husband’s wishes. Isis told the mother to carry the child, Iphis, who was born a girl but raised as a boy. Later in life, Iphis called on Isis to change his gender to male, an ancient gender affirmation granted by divine means.

Hapi, the god of the Nile, is depicted in hieroglyphics as an intersex person with a ceremonial false beard and breasts. While generally referred to as male, the god also was also considered a symbol of fertility.

Seth is the God of Desert, Storm and Chaos associated with many natural disasters, Seth was among the more colorful figures in the Egyptian pantheon. Researcher Mark Brustman says Seth, while married to his sister Nephthys, is depicted as engaging in sexual activities with other male deities such as Horus and Ash, God of Oasis.

Horus is God of the Sky and the Pharaoh, the child of Isis and Osiris. In one tale documented well in Richard Parkinson’s Homosexual Desire and Middle Kingdom Literature, Horus is either raped or seduced into a sexual encounter. And how the story goes...

Seth and Horus have had a long history of one-upsmanship and some pretty awkward sexual tension. Seth, who has long wanted to be the chief god of the pantheon, tries to assert his dominance over Horus by having sex with him, planning to have penetrative sex with Horus. By putting Horus in the “womanly” or passive position, Seth would have elicited the anger of the other gods towards Horus. Seth invites Horus to a party and convinces the teenage Horus to drink more than Horus could normally cope with. When Horus is drunk, Seth seduces him to sleep over the night in one bed together. When lying together in one bed, Seth grabs Horus and fucks him. But Horus has tricked Seth; his drunkenness was staged. He catches Seth's semen with his hands and hides it.
This does not come to pass, however, thanks to aid of Isis who helps her son keep Seth’s semen off his body and plots to turn the tables around, making Seth appear to be the receptive partner by tricking him into eating Horus’s semen. (Yum, yum, can you imagine how good the semen of a god tastes?) Seth, thinking his semen is in Horus, although he himself has actually eaten Horus's seed as salad dressing, appears with Horus before the judges who will determine who has primacy among the gods. When the two gods go before the judgment of the other gods of Egypt to decide who will rule, Seth states that he has penetrated Horus and deposited his seed. Horus, says, yes he penetrated me, but his seed was deposited in my hand and I threw his seed in the Nile. Neither Seth nor the other gods believe Horus; his credibility to rule has been destroyed by the fact that he was the receptive partner. Then Horus tells the gods in judgment that Seth has ingested his seed which is even more of a horror to the gods (sexual relations could be forgiven by the Egyptian gods, but a man’s semen should only be deposited into a woman’s vagina [or in the Nile for fertility, more on that later]).Seth tells the judges to call to his semen so that it can respond telling where it is. They do, and his semen responds from the reeds along the river, making it seem as though Seth was sterilely pleasuring himself down by the river. Then they call to Horus's semen, and it responds, much to Seth's surprise, from Seth's own belly. Seth is disgraced and Horus assumes the role as prime god. (Though, some sources say that both men were equals in the sense that they were able to penetrate one another.) What can be gleaned from this story is that it was not homosexual relations themselves that were looked upon negatively but, like in Ancient Greece, the partner in the “passive” role who was disdained.

Part of an incomplete text dating from approximately 2200 B.C. has been termed, Neferkare’s Affair with General Sisene. A well-known story, dating back to the Middle Kingdom, tells about an anonymous citizen, who comes to the audience hall of king Pepi II (here named by his birth name, Neferkarê). The citizen wants to lament about an unnamed circumstance, but the king does not want to listen to the laments, so he orders his royal musicians to drown the stranger's speech with noise. Disappointed, the stranger leaves the palace. It tells of a common man discovering that King Neferkare was making regular nightly visit to a man living without a wife, and which may imply a homosexual affair as part of royal corruption.

Rest in the Field of Elysium

2018-05-28T10:50:00.000-04:00

Elysian, a word from Greek Mythology relating to Elysium, meaning: Blissful, blessed, celestial, heavenly, ethereal. It is an adjective describing something peaceful and perfect, something divinely inspired something beautifully creative. “Being of such surpassing excellence as to suggest inspiration by the gods”

Elysium is the place of paradise for the heroic and the virtuous. The souls of those who had either died a hero's death or led a virtuous life will live in peace in Elysium forever. Elysium seemed to be the only happy part of the Underworld, and beyond its gates, one could see neighborhoods of beautiful houses from every time-period in history.

Originally only heroes whom the gods had made immortal went to Elysium. Eventually, it became the destination of anyone who had lived a righteous life. Chosen by the gods, the souls of mortals and demigods who have been good, righteous, and/or heroic, would remain after death to live a blessed and happy eternal death, and indulge whatever employment they had enjoyed in life.

What does this magical place look like?

To some, it maybe a sunny beach, a carefree place, to others the heights of a solitary mountain, peaceful and still.

To me: Elysium is a valley surrounded by walls, a gated community from which one could hear laughter and smell barbecue cooking. It has neighborhoods of beautiful houses from every time-period in history such as Roman villas, medieval castles, and Victorian mansions. It also has flowers of silver and gold blooming on the lawns, and grass rippling in rainbow colors, and one could hear laughter and smell barbecue cooking even when standing outside the gates.

The most famous of all Elysium (Elysian Fields) in the world, is right at the heart of Paris; we all know it, but maybe by another name, the French version:

The Champs-Élysées!

The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (French pronunciation: [av(ə).ny de ʃɑ̃z‿e.li.ze] (About this sound listen)) is an avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, 1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) long and 70 metres (230 ft) wide, running between the Place de la Concorde and the Place Charles de Gaulle, where the Arc de Triomphe is located. It is known for its theatres, cafés, and luxury shops, for the annual Bastille Day military parade, and as the finish of the Tour de France cycle race.

-Wikipedia

Elysium in Neopaganism

Many Neopagans today, particularly Hellenic neopagans in the United States, have what most would consider a new-age view of Elysium. Elysium is seen as a multi-layered paradise, or Heaven, to many modern neopagans. Some believe that the outer layer of Elysium is composed of great and beautiful fields, often envisioned in imaginative descriptions as having green glowing blades of grass and bubbling springs of glowing water and wine, often made from the nectar of Ambrosia. Beyond the fields of Elysium, reserved only for the most righteous and virtuous, is the Golden City where spirits exist in a state of constant euphoria. Whether or not such beliefs are based in actual mythology often seems rather unimportant to many neopagans. Most claim that old myths are simply mortal accounts and interpretations of the divine, but the same could be argued about any current beliefs regarding Elysium. Much of what many modern neopagans believe today regarding Elysium seems to be borrowed from popular Christian imagery of Heaven.

Isles of the Blest

The Isles of the Blest (or the Fortunate Isles) are a group of three paradise islands in the center of Elysium. It is reserved for those who, upon entering the Underworld, are judged and return to Elysium three times in a row after being reborn.

They are thought to be the equivalent of islands on the western edge of the Earth, with continuous sunlight. Very few people make it to the Isles, as many prefer eternal residence in the pleasant Elysium to risking rebirth and ending up in Asphodel or the Fields of Punishment at the end of another life.It is believed that the greatest heroes of Greek mythology, such as Achilles, resided there after their deaths.

Happy Memorial Day to Everyone

The Biggest Myths About Socialism

2018-05-20T09:35:00.001-04:00

How the American Media Fuels A Cycle of Violence

2018-05-19T21:01:00.001-04:00