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Sylvia Rose
Dec 5, 20232 min read
Lotan - Chaos Sea Dragon of Ugarit
Lotan means 'coiled' in Ugaritic. Lotan (Lôtān, Litan, Litānu), an enormous snake dragon, arises from the primal waters of chaos to wreak...
60 views
Sylvia Rose
Dec 5, 20233 min read
Bashmu (Bašmu): Voracious Serpent Dragon
Among the mighty monsters of mythology is Bashmu (Bašmu) of ancient Mesopotamia. One of the eleven creatures of destruction birthed by...
37 views
Sylvia Rose
Dec 2, 20233 min read
Sukkals - Mythic Viziers to the Gods
Part of the cosmology of Anatolia, Mesopotamia, the Levant and related sites, the sukkal acts as a vizier or advisor, helper, attendant,...
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Sylvia Rose
Dec 1, 20233 min read
Chaoskampf: Order & Chaos Battle Out
Chaoskampf means 'battle against chaos' in German. It's a favorite motif of myth throughout the known lands. Chaoskampf typically...
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Sylvia Rose
Dec 1, 20233 min read
Kothar (Kothar-wa-Khasis) Artisan God
In the bustling trade town of Ugarit, Syria, art is big business as local wares hit the market during the Bronze Age c. 3300 - 1200 BCE....
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 27, 20232 min read
Shakhar & Shalim: Divine Twins of Ugarit
In the ancient near East, divine twin brothers Shakhar (Shahar) and Shalim are the Ugaritic Gods of Dawn and Dusk. As markers of the...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 17, 20235 min read
Lucifer, Venus & Anti-Gods of Mythology
Lucifer is Latin for bringer of light, or the morning star, symbolic of the return of light each day. In Greco-Roman myth Aurora, Goddess...
52 views
Sylvia Rose
Nov 9, 20233 min read
Rhytons - Animal Vessels of the Ancients
Especially popular in the near East of the Bronze Age, rhytons (Gr. rhyta) were common for ceremonial purposes, displays of wealth or...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 4, 20238 min read
Inanna: Goddess Queen of Heaven
Inanna is the goddess of love, sexuality and war in ancient Mesopotamia. She's equated with Ishtar and Hurrian Shaushka. A divine...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 1, 20235 min read
Blacksmiths: Iron, Metal, Gods & Myth
Blacksmiths appear c. 1500 BCE. Metallurgy and metal workers date back to c. 7000 BCE, working metals such as native copper and gold. The...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 30, 20233 min read
Ereshkigal Goddess of Underworld & Night
The Mesopotamian Goddess Ereshkigal reigns for hundreds of years, beginning c. 2900 BCE and fading away about 600 BCE. She's one of...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 16, 20234 min read
Immortal - Quest for the Elixir of Life
The Elixir of Life has value beyond money. The concept first appears in Mesopotamia of the 2nd millennium BCE. Its discovery is one of...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 13, 20233 min read
Gnomes: Earth Spirits of Renaissance Mythology
Beloved in gardens, gnomes bring blessings of Earth. Thought to dwell in underground tunnels, caverns, soil and rocks, chthonic gnomes...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 10, 20237 min read
Women of the Wild Hunt: Holle, Diana, Frigg
A European phenomenon, the Wild Hunt is a supernatural event crossing several cultures including German, Norse, Roman, French, English...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 1, 20234 min read
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 the boreal forests...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 29, 20234 min read
Herbology & Lore: Rowan (Mountain Ash)
The Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) is easily recognized by its generous offerings of bright red berries. Also known as mountain ash, Rowan is a...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 27, 20236 min read
German Myth & Folklore: Dwarfs
Although the identifying feature of fairy tale Dwarfs is height, these magical creatures of Faerie were not always short. Common in Norse...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 26, 20235 min read
Apples: Nature, Spirituality & Folklore
Cultivation of apples goes back to the Middle Stone Age in central Asia. The wild ancestor of today's apples still grows naturally in the...
44 views
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