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12 Days of Zagmuk: Chaos & the King
The Feast of Zagmuk begins in March and lasts twelve days. The name Zagmuk comes from the Sumerian term for 'beginning of the year'. The...

Sylvia Rose
Nov 4, 20234 min read
66 views


Care & Feeding of Ancient Gods - Enlil
An ancient Mesopotamian God, Enlil (Sumerian: Nunamnir ) is a powerful deity associated with wind, air, earth and storms. He's the major...

Sylvia Rose
Nov 3, 20234 min read
70 views


What is a Ziggurat?
Ziggurats are temple icons of ancient Mesopotamian architecture, usually constructed of baked clay brick. The ziggurat may be built over...

Sylvia Rose
Nov 3, 20233 min read
38 views


Ancient Mesopotamian Cities - Uruk
The stone walls of Uruk surround a vibrant city in ancient Mesopotamia. Uruk is the first definitive urban center. Uruk is believed...

Sylvia Rose
Nov 2, 20233 min read
49 views


Curse of the Evil Eye & Apotropaic Magic
The concept of the evil eye exists since the beginning of humanity on earth. The curse is cast with a malevolent look or glare. The evil...

Sylvia Rose
Nov 1, 20233 min read
47 views


Lamashtu, Baby-Eating Demon of Mesopotamia
An ancient Sumerian demon goddess, Lamashtu first appears c. 2900 - 2350 BCE. She attacks infants and pregnant, childbearing or nursing...

Sylvia Rose
Nov 1, 20234 min read
51 views


Kanesh (Kultepe): Kārum City of Trade
The ancient town of Kültepe (Kultepe, Kanesh, Kaneš), where the earliest writing originates, rises to a prosperous trade city and kārum ...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 31, 20233 min read
43 views


Trzciniec - Bronze Age Baltic Culture
In the Bronze Age, the Trzciniec culture (2400 - 1300 BCE) occupies areas of Central-East Europe in Poland and parts of Lithuania....

Sylvia Rose
Oct 27, 20234 min read
32 views


What is the Philosopher's Stone?
The Philosopher's Stone (Latin: lapis philosophorum ) conjures elements of primal lore and eternal powers. In history and legend, the...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 26, 20232 min read
85 views


Mythic Fire Gods: Vulkan of Germania
In the 1st century BCE Julius Caesar writes about the tribes of Germania. He's struck by the apparent sparsity of the Germanic pantheon,...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 20, 20233 min read
42 views


Visigoths, King Alaric & the Ruin of Rome
Under Alaric in 410 AD, the Visigoths invade Italy and attack Rome, the nerve center of the civilized world. Before that, with Visigoths...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 15, 20235 min read
33 views


Copper (Cu): Ruddy Metal of Myth & Magic
Copper (Cu) is one of the original seven metals of antiquity and has been used for thousands of years. This metal is found in the ground...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 14, 20236 min read
186 views


Der Türst: Dread Huntsman & the Wild Hunt
From the southern Germanic lands, past the Swiss border come tales of der Türst, the dreadful huntsman who rides like a demon through...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 11, 20233 min read
39 views


Tannenbaum - About the Yule Fir Tree
Tannenbaum is often equated with Christmas tree. Fir is best for the holidays. Its branches have flat soft foliage, it's easy to hang...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 11, 20233 min read
42 views


Warrior Queen: Kriemhild of the Burgundians
Kriemhild marries Germanic hero Siegfried of Xanten . A princess of Burgundy, she grows up in the halls of royal plots and suspicious...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 11, 20235 min read
43 views


Al-Mi'raj: Unicorn Hare of Arab Myth
One-horned hare Al-Mi'raj or Almiraj appears in popular Arabic mythology. Most famously the unicorn hare is part of the legendary tale of...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 9, 20232 min read
56 views


Cult of the Bull: Divine Sacrifice
A symbol of strength and virility, the Bull appears i n ancient art and architecture. Blood sacrifice of bulls and oxen usually involves...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 7, 20236 min read
45 views


Pagan Solstice Fests: Mithras & the Sun
Inspired by Persian Mithra, Romans recreate ancient cult rituals and religious mysteries in the worship of Mithras, based on the older...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 3, 20235 min read
56 views


Bear Worship: Sacrifice of the Gods
Worship of bears and bear sacrifice is an ancient practice, going back to early humans. Twenty thousand years ago, in boreal forests and...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 1, 20235 min read
25 views


Victorian Health: Sea Water Hydrotherapy
In the nineteenth century , Victorians are outdoors more than ever before as health spas flourish, fresh air vacations came into vogue...

Sylvia Rose
Sep 8, 20233 min read
71 views
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