Gvedic Indra and His 'All-Dreaded Thunder-Stone'
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Ancient Narrative Volume 1
History into fiction: the metamorphoses of the Mithras myths ROGER BECK Toronto Dedicated to Reinhold Merkelbach, whose explorations of ancient narra- tive and the mystery cults have always seemed to me profoundly well oriented, even when I would not follow the same path in detail. This article is neither about a particular ancient novel nor about the genre of the ancient novel in general. But it is about story-telling in the ancient world, and about the metamorphosis which stories undergo when they pass through the crucible of religious invention. Its subject, then, is narrative fiction — narrative fiction as the construction of sacred myth and of myth’s dramatic counterpart, ritual performance. The fictions I shall explore are the myths and rituals of the Mithras cult. Some of these fictions, I shall argue, are elaborations of events and fantasies of the Neronian age: on the one hand, events in both Italy and the orient cen- tred on the visit of Tiridates of Armenia to Rome in 66; on the other hand, the heliomania of the times, a solar enthusiasm focused on, and in some measure orchestrated by, the emperor himself. What I am not offering is an explanation of Mithraism and its origins. In the first place, our subject is story and the metamorphosis of story, not relig- ion. In the second place, I would not presume to ‘explain’ Mithraism, or any other religion for that matter, by Euhemeristic reduction to a set of historical or pseudo-historical antecedents. In speaking of the ‘invention’ of Mithraism and of its ‘fictions’, moreover, I intend no disrespect. -
Examining the Transference Between Mithraism and Christianity Peter J
\ The Sword and the Cross: Examining the Transference between Mithraism and Christianity Peter J. Decker III Advisor: Dr. Elizabeth Manwell Ph. D .. Kalamazoo College Co-Chair of Classics Department I - A paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degr~e of Bachelor of ~rts at - - Kalamazoo College. 2013 Table of Contents Acknowledgments ......................... ~ .... : ......................................................ii I. The Cult ofMithras: Imagery, Practices, and Beliefs ............................... .1-21 II. Examining the Transference between Mithraism and Christianity ............... ~ .. 23-38 III. Appendix .......................· ............................................................. 39 Bibliography .................... ·................................................................. 40-44 / 11 Acknowledgements I am deeply grateful to my loving parents who made it possible to attend Kalamazoo College and allow me to further my studies in Classics. Without their financial and emotional support I would not have been able to complete this Senior Independent Project (SIP). Love you Mom and Dad! I am also deepl_y thankful to the Todd family and their generous grant, the Todd Memorial Classics Study Abroad Grant, which allowed me to travel to Italy and gain the inspiration for the topic of my SIP. I would like to express aspecial thanks to my SIP advisor Prof. Manwell, for putting up with all my procrastination and my challenging writing. I hope you didn't spend to many nights up late editing my drafts. Without all of you none of this would have been possible. Thank you very much. 1 I. The Cult ofMithras: Imagery, Practices, and Beliefs In the spring of 2011 an American atheist group put up a billboard in downtown New York City which read: "Born of a virgin on December 25th, known to his 12 disciples as "the Son of God, and resurrected three days after his death, we wish a Happy Birthday to Mithras, the mythical Persian god imagined over 600 years before that other guy .. -
Water in Mythology
Water in Mythology Michael Witzel Abstract: Water in its various forms–as salty ocean water, as sweet river water, or as rain–has played a major role in human myths, from the hypothetical, reconstructed stories of our ancestral “African Eve” to those recorded some ½ve thousand years ago by the early civilizations to the myriad myths told by major and smaller religions today. With the advent of agriculture, the importance of access to water was incorporated into the preexisting myths of hunter-gatherers. This is evident in myths of the ancient riverine civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, and China, as well as those of desert civilizations of the Pueblo or Arab populations. Our body, like the surface of the earth, is more than 60 percent water. Ancient myths have always rec- ognized the importance of water to our origins and livelihood, frequently claiming that the world began from a watery expanse. Water in its various forms–as salty ocean water, as sweet river water, or as rain–has played a major role in human tales since our earliest myths were re - corded in Egypt and Mesopotamia some ½ve thou- sand years ago. Thus, in this essay we will look to - ward both ancient and recent myths that deal with these forms of water, and we will also consider what influence the ready availability (or not) of water had on the formation of our great and minor early civi- lizations. Many of our oldest collections of myths introduce the world as nothing but a vast salty ocean. The old - MICHAEL WITZEL, a Fellow of the est Indian text, the poetic Ṛgveda (circa 1200 BCE), American Academy since 2003, is asserts: “In the beginning, darkness was hidden by the Wales Professor of Sanskrit at darkness; all this [world] was an unrecognizable Harvard University. -
University of Groningen Greek Religion, Hades, Hera And
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by University of Groningen University of Groningen Greek Religion, Hades, Hera and Scapegoat, and Transmigration Bremmer, J.N. Published in: EPRINTS-BOOK-TITLE IMPORTANT NOTE: You are advised to consult the publisher's version (publisher's PDF) if you wish to cite from it. Please check the document version below. Document Version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Publication date: 2005 Link to publication in University of Groningen/UMCG research database Citation for published version (APA): Bremmer, J. N. (2005). Greek Religion, Hades, Hera and Scapegoat, and Transmigration. In EPRINTS- BOOK-TITLE Copyright Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Downloaded from the University of Groningen/UMCG research database (Pure): http://www.rug.nl/research/portal. For technical reasons the number of authors shown on this cover page is limited to 10 maximum. Download date: 12-11-2019 GREEK RELIGION has long been the most important religion for Western European scholars who attempted to gain a better understanding of the phenomenon of religion. Great historians of religion, from Vico and Herder to Friedrich Max Müller, Jane Ellen Harrison and Frazer of The Golden Bough , all steeped themselves in the religious legacy of the Greeks whom they considered superior to all other nations of the past. -
Chapter 22 – Gauss' Law and Flux
Chapter 22 – Gauss’ Law and Flux • Lets start by reviewing some vector calculus • Recall the divergence theorem • It relates the “flux” of a vector function F thru a closed simply connected surface S bounding a region (interior volume) V to the volume integral of the divergence of the function F • Divergence F => F Volume integral of divergence of F = Surface (flux) integral of F Mathematics vs Physics • There is NO Physics in the previous “divergence theorem” known as Gauss’ Law • It is purely mathematical and applies to ANY well behaved vector field F(x,y,z) Some History – Important to know • First “discovered” by Joseph Louis Lagrange 1762 • Then independently by Carl Friedrich Gauss 1813 • Then by George Green 1825 • Then by Mikhail Vasilievich Ostrogradsky 1831 • It is known as Gauss’ Theorem, Green’s Theorem and Ostrogradsky’s Theorem • In Physics it is known as Gauss’ “Law” in Electrostatics and in Gravity (both are inverse square “laws”) • It is also related to conservation of mass flow in fluids, hydrodynamics and aerodynamics • Can be written in integral or differential forms Integral vs Differential Forms • Integral Form • Differential Form (we have to add some Physics) • Example - If we want mass to be conserved in fluid flow – ie mass is neither created nor destroyed but can be removed or added or compressed or decompressed then we get • Conservation Laws Continuity Equations – Conservation Laws Conservation of mass in compressible fluid flow = fluid density, u = velocity vector Conservation of an incompressible fluid = -
Slavic Pagan World
Slavic Pagan World 1 Slavic Pagan World Compilation by Garry Green Welcome to Slavic Pagan World: Slavic Pagan Beliefs, Gods, Myths, Recipes, Magic, Spells, Divinations, Remedies, Songs. 2 Table of Content Slavic Pagan Beliefs 5 Slavic neighbors. 5 Dualism & The Origins of Slavic Belief 6 The Elements 6 Totems 7 Creation Myths 8 The World Tree. 10 Origin of Witchcraft - a story 11 Slavic pagan calendar and festivals 11 A small dictionary of slavic pagan gods & goddesses 15 Slavic Ritual Recipes 20 An Ancient Slavic Herbal 23 Slavic Magick & Folk Medicine 29 Divinations 34 Remedies 39 Slavic Pagan Holidays 45 Slavic Gods & Goddesses 58 Slavic Pagan Songs 82 Organised pagan cult in Kievan Rus' 89 Introduction 89 Selected deities and concepts in slavic religion 92 Personification and anthropomorphisation 108 "Core" concepts and gods in slavonic cosmology 110 3 Evolution of the eastern slavic beliefs 111 Foreign influence on slavic religion 112 Conclusion 119 Pagan ages in Poland 120 Polish Supernatural Spirits 120 Polish Folk Magic 125 Polish Pagan Pantheon 131 4 Slavic Pagan Beliefs The Slavic peoples are not a "race". Like the Romance and Germanic peoples, they are related by area and culture, not so much by blood. Today there are thirteen different Slavic groups divided into three blocs, Eastern, Southern and Western. These include the Russians, Poles, Czechs, Ukrainians, Byelorussians, Serbians,Croatians, Macedonians, Slovenians, Bulgarians, Kashubians, Albanians and Slovakians. Although the Lithuanians, Estonians and Latvians are of Baltic tribes, we are including some of their customs as they are similar to those of their Slavic neighbors. Slavic Runes were called "Runitsa", "Cherty y Rezy" ("Strokes and Cuts") and later, "Vlesovitsa". -
A Reader in Comparative Indo-European Religion
2018 A READER IN COMPARATIVE INDO-EUROPEAN RELIGION Ranko Matasović Zagreb 2018 © This publication is intended primarily for the use of students of the University of Zagreb. It should not be copied or otherwise reproduced without a permission from the author. TABLE OF CONTENTS Abbreviations........................................................................................................................ Foreword............................................................................................................................... PART 1: Elements of the Proto-Indo-European religion...................................................... 1. Reconstruction of PIE religious vocabulary and phraseology................................... 2. Basic Religious terminology of PIE.......................................................................... 3. Elements of PIE mythology....................................................................................... PART II: A selection of texts Hittite....................................................................................................................................... Vedic........................................................................................................................................ Iranian....................................................................................................................................... Greek....................................................................................................................................... -
And Darkness-World. an Andean Healing Ritual for Being Struck by Lightning
Field-Work Reports Lightning from the Upper-, Earth- and Darkness-World. An Andean Healing Ritual for Being Struck by Lightning. CONTENTS SUMMARY, ZUSAMMENFASSUNG, RESUMEN 1. Lightning in Andean ethnology: Locating the present study 2. The healing ritual 2.1 First phase: Mesa for the gloria lightning 2.2 Second phase: Mesa for the lightning of the mountain spirits 2.3 Third phase: Mesa for the lightning that struck the earth 2.4 Fourth phase: Mesa for the lightning of the Darkness-World 2.5 Fifth phase: Incense ceremony and burning of the mesa for the gloria lightning 2.6 Sixth phase: Purification, burning, and calling the lost soul 3. Final words: Innumerable lightnings in comparative data NOTES CITED LITERATURE I am deeply indebted to the following institutions which support my ethnomedical research in Bolivia: Robert Bosch Stiftung, Stiftung Volkswagenwerk, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, and the Universitat Ulm. I also would like to express my deep gratitude to all Callawaya medicinemen and patients who gave me the opportunity to learn from their wisdom and life. SUMMARY: The present empirical study is based on participant observation and complete tape recorded documentation of seven healing rituals for being struck by lightning as performed by the Callawaya medicinemen in the Andes of Bolivia. One of them is described in detail including a selection of pray- ers that accompanies it in its original version (Quechua). A comparison between this ritual and the others documented by the author as well as what Andean studies have up to now contributed to the understanding of lightning as a numen and as an occasion for rituals does highlight the unique concep- tual and ritual richness of the one described thus contributing to an expansion and deepening of our understanding of Andean religion and Andean ritual culture. -
Origins of Hinduism: the Indus Vanev Cmlizauon
Hinduism Indian Religions Name ____________________ Origins of Hinduism: TheIndus vanev CMliZaUon i Hnduism. unlike most majorreligions, does not have a central figure upon whom it is founded. Rather, it is a complex faith with rootsstemming back fivethousand yearsto the people of the Indus Valley, now part of Pakistan. When the Aryan tribesof Persia invaded theIndus Valley around 1700 BCE, the groups' beliefsmerged and Hinduism beganto form. Most of what we know of the Indus people (also called Dravidians)comes fromarchaeological find ings. Artifacts and relics dating back as early as 2000BCE tell the story of a civilization flourishing with craftsmanship, agriculture, and religious life. As··we will see, manyof these earlypractices and beliefsstill shape Hinduism. For example, the Indus put greatimportance on cleanliness or ritual bathing. MohenjoDaro, one of the major Indus cities, contained a huge water tankfor public bathing. Today, many Hindu temples feature such tanks. Another lastinglegacy of Hinduism is foundin the abundanceof terra-cottafigurines unearthed in the Indus Valley. Popular amongthese small ceramicstatuettes were depictions of pregnant women, "mother goddesses." The fertility and strengthof the goddess and the rebirth andcontinuity she pro vides remaincentral to the Hindu faith. Ceramicseals also provideinsight into the Indus' religious beliefs. Among the most common design was that of the bull. It represented virility, or sexual force,which is still consideredsacred to the Hindus. Shiva, among the most revered Hindu gods, is associated with the bull. The Indus were an agriculturalpeople, growing crops and raising animals. Livingon the banks of the Indus River, dependent on its nourishment and renewal, there was deep reverencefor water. -
The Spaciotemporal Patterns of Georgian Winter Solstice Festivals
THE SPACIOTEMPORAL PATTERNS OF GEORGIAN WINTER SOLSTICE FESTIVALS Nino Abakelia Abstract: The article focuses on the rituals and ritual symbols of winter sol- stice festivals in Georgia, which are discussed from a spaciotemporal perspec- tive and which, in their turn, are based on cosmological symbolism. The article aims to show how everyday life changes through ritual into a winter mythico- ritual scenario and how the surrounding built environment of a society is being mythologized. How a place of dwelling as a microcosm is opposed to macrocosm; how symbolism conveys further the dialectic of the hierophanies by transform- ing things or humans into something other than what they appear in the profane experience. The article investigates who are the main characters of the ritual performance. For this purpose, the selection of ritual guests and their symbolic meanings in various rituals are discussed. Also, an attempt has been made to explain what they symbolize. While exploring the rituals from the spatiotemporal perspective, it is possi- ble to distinguish between three kinds of ritual guests: (i) the first-foot, who through ritual embodies the transcendental supernatural powers, which are represented by different saints (predominantly by St Basil, in other cases by St George, and others); (ii) Evangelical “shepherds”; and (iii) the spirits of the dead, who are divided into “visible” spirits of the dead, embodied by a group of dis- guised mummers, and invisible ancestral spirits of the family. All these ritual guests were unavoidable visitors at winter solstice festivals and were responsible for ensuring the wellbeing and prosperity of the family. By means of the rituals and ritual guests the society communicated with the outer world and guaranteed welfare for the forthcoming New Year. -
Biblical Mt. Ararat: Two Identifications
68 Armen Petrosyan: Biblical Mt. Ararat: Two Identifications Biblical Mt. Ararat: Two Identifications ARMEN PETROSYAN Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Yerevan, Armenia Abstract: The biblical Ararat, mountain of landing of Noah’s Ark has two general identifications in the Armenian Highland: Mountain of Corduena (modern Cudi dağı) and Masis (Ararat, Ağrı dağı), situated respectively in the extreme south-east and extreme north- east of modern Turkey). The ancient sources actualized the first localization. Since the 12th century the second became more and more popular. The paper deals with the myths and legends associated with those mountains and the history of identification of the biblical Ararat. Ararat, the mountain of the landing of Noah’s Ark, has been identified in various locations, but up until now two main candidates persist: the mountain of Corduena and Masis. In the Hebrew Bible (Masoretic text) the mountains are called 'Arārāṭ, in the Greek translation (Septuagint) – Ararat, in Chaldean and Syrian (Peshitta) – Qardū, in Arabic – Qarda, and in Latin – “Mountains of Armenia”. Ararat is believed to be the Greek version of Hebrew 'RRṬ, i.e. Urartu (Piotrovsky 1944: 29; 1969: 13; Inglizian 1947: 5 ff., 63 ff; Musheghyan 2003: 4 ff.: Salvini and Salvini 2003; Marinković 2012). On the other hand, Ararat is almost identical to the Armenian term Ayrarat – the name of the central province of Armenia, with Mt. Masis at its center. However, Urartu and Ayrarat are two different geographical concepts. Ayrarat is the Armenian name of the region, which in Urartian sources is referred to as the land of Etiuni or Etiuhi (in the north of Urartu). -
The Changing Image of Zeus in Olympia
https://publications.dainst.org iDAI.publications ELEKTRONISCHE PUBLIKATIONEN DES DEUTSCHEN ARCHÄOLOGISCHEN INSTITUTS Dies ist ein digitaler Sonderdruck des Beitrags / This is a digital offprint of the article Judith Barringer The Changing Image of Zeus in Olympia aus / from Archäologischer Anzeiger Ausgabe / Issue 1 • 2015 Seite / Page 19–37 https://publications.dainst.org/journals/aa/1911/5932 • urn:nbn:de:0048-journals.aa-2015-1-p19-37-v5932.1 Verantwortliche Redaktion / Publishing editor Redaktion der Zentrale | Deutsches Archäologisches Institut Weitere Informationen unter / For further information see https://publications.dainst.org/journals/aa ISSN der Online-Ausgabe / ISSN of the online edition 2510-4713 Verlag / Publisher Ernst Wasmuth Verlag GmbH & Co. Tübingen ©2017 Deutsches Archäologisches Institut Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Zentrale, Podbielskiallee 69–71, 14195 Berlin, Tel: +49 30 187711-0 Email: [email protected] / Web: dainst.org Nutzungsbedingungen: Mit dem Herunterladen erkennen Sie die Nutzungsbedingungen (https://publications.dainst.org/terms-of-use) von iDAI.publications an. Die Nutzung der Inhalte ist ausschließlich privaten Nutzerinnen / Nutzern für den eigenen wissenschaftlichen und sonstigen privaten Gebrauch gestattet. Sämtliche Texte, Bilder und sonstige Inhalte in diesem Dokument unterliegen dem Schutz des Urheberrechts gemäß dem Urheberrechtsgesetz der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Die Inhalte können von Ihnen nur dann genutzt und vervielfältigt werden, wenn Ihnen dies im Einzelfall durch den Rechteinhaber oder die Schrankenregelungen des Urheberrechts gestattet ist. Jede Art der Nutzung zu gewerblichen Zwecken ist untersagt. Zu den Möglichkeiten einer Lizensierung von Nutzungsrechten wenden Sie sich bitte direkt an die verantwortlichen Herausgeberinnen/Herausgeber der entsprechenden Publikationsorgane oder an die Online-Redaktion des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts ([email protected]). Terms of use: By downloading you accept the terms of use (https://publications.dainst.org/terms-of-use) of iDAI.publications.