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Achilles and Patroclus: Brothers from Other Mothers or Passionate Paramours?

Achilles and Patroclus: Close Confidants or Passionate Paramours?

The true nature of the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus, characters in Homer’s Iliad , has long been a source of speculation. Were they friends or lovers? Brothers from other mothers or...
Medieval knight.

Sir Lancelot: Exploring the History Behind the Legend

There is no doubt that most of us, in our childhoods and later in life, heard all about the stories and legends of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. For many, the stories of Arthur and...
‘L’enlèvement de Proserpine’ (The Rape of Proserpine) (circa 1636) by Peter Paul Rubens.

The Rape of a Goddess: How Demeter Beat the All-Powerful Zeus

Who were Demeter and Persephone? And why did their myth resonate so strongly with women of ancient Greece? The story of Demeter, goddess of the harvest, and her daughter Persephone, queen of the...
Of Runes And Sacrifice: The Initiation Ritual Of Odin in Norse Myth

Of Runes And Sacrifice: The Initiation Ritual Of Odin in Norse Myth

The total of the poetic, mythological and sapiential heritage of the ancient and early medieval Scandinavian tradition is contained in the texts canonically collected under the title of Edda . Within...
Sisyphus

The Sisyphus Myth: Cruel King Gets Eternal Punishment for Annoying Zeus

Doomed to forever roll a huge boulder up a steep hill, Sisyphus is a figure in Greek mythology who represents an impossible task. As his punishment in the Greek Underworld , each time Sisyphus neared...
A modern Medusa depiction.

The Real Story of Medusa: Protective Powers from a Snake-Haired Gorgon

In ancient Greek mythology, Medusa is the most famous of three monstrous sisters known as the Gorgons. The earliest known record about the story of Medusa and the Gorgons can be found in Hesiod’s...
Painted ceiling in Waltham Abbey parish church, depicting Janus facing both past and future.

How Janus Became the Doorkeeper of Heaven and God of the Gods

Janus is a deity found in the religion and myth of ancient Rome. The Romans believed that Janus was the god of doors, beginnings and endings, and transitions. In accordance to the role he played,...
Did Romulus, the legendary first king of Rome, (neurobite /Adobe Stock) really exist? (samott /Adobe Stock)

The Romulus Riddle: Did the Legendary First King of Rome Really Exist?

Recent excavations in Rome have re-ignited the debate over whether the legendary first king of Rome, Romulus, was a historical character or just a fanciful work of fiction. In fact, earlier this year...
This Germanic image links the stork with death and the underworld. Source: Hanna Gottschalk / Adobe Stock

The Bringer of Souls: The Stork Myth In Ancient Pan-European Beliefs

Ancient beliefs are often a complex puzzle and putting the pieces together can often be extremely challenging. Time has its way with unwritten traditions, and little of what wasn’t written down...
Wayland the Smith: The Lost Germanic Legend of the Flying Blacksmith

Wayland the Smith: The Lost Germanic Legend of the Flying Blacksmith

The world of ancient Europe is full of unique myths, legends, heroes, and gods, many of which have survived through time to the present day. In many ways, these legends shaped the identities of...
The Wolf Shepherd Deity, Lame Devils And Saints In Slavic Beliefs

The Wolf Shepherd Deity, Lame Devils And Saints In Slavic Beliefs

The world of Slavic mythology is of the most mysterious and richest ancient and living traditions in the world. As Slavs are the largest ethno-linguistic group in Europe, their beliefs are widespread...
Peter’s Tomb: A Mystery That Stretches From Rome To Jerusalem And Back

Peter’s Tomb: A Mystery That Stretches From Rome To Jerusalem And Back

On December 24, 1950, the words of Pope Pius XII resounded throughout the world in his Christmas radio message when he said: “(...) The tomb of the Prince of the Apostles has been found! ” The Prince...
One of the many statues of Neptune, Roman god of fresh and sea water and more.    Source: eurobanks / Adobe Stock

Neptune: The Evolving Roman God Of Fresh Water, The Sea and Horses

The ancient Romans believed that Neptune was the god of the sea. Although he is most commonly compared to the Greek god Poseidon , this had not always been the case. Originally, Neptune was a god of...
Crossing the Veil: The Pre-Christian Origins of Halloween and Samhain

Crossing the Veil: The Pre-Christian Origins of Halloween and Samhain

Halloween, or the ancient Samhain, is considered the time of year when the veil between our world and the spirit world is at its thinnest. As darkness falls and families light their pumpkin Jack-o'-...
The stele dubbed by some as the “astronaut of Casar” is exhibited in the Caceres Museum, Caceres, Spain.      Source: Left; Alberto del Barrio Herrero / CC BY-SA 2.0, Right; verpueblos

The Astronaut of Casar Is An Unsolved Mystery, But Can We Explain It?

Some artifacts seem to be easy to misunderstand or are not well understood at all and this leads to wild theories. One of the biggest curiosities on display at the Caceres Museum in Caceres, Spain is...
The Young Woman’s Mask of Death That Inspires The Living

Unforgettable Death Mask: The Unknown Woman of the Seine

Death , to most of us, is a distant nightmare lurking somewhere on an unfathomable horizon, a future concern. But there have always been people who see beauty in death, like we see beauty in a rose...
Representation of Hel, the Norse goddess of the Underworld

Going to Hel and Back: The Realm of the Norse Goddess of the Underworld

By far, Loki’s most well-known children are the ones he had with the giantess Angurboda. These include the wolf Fenrir, the Midgard Serpent Jormugandr, and the goddess Hel. Legends say that the...
Could the origin of the Basajaun myth reside in an encounter between the primitive and Mesolithic populations of the ancient Basque Country, and the migrating Neolithic settlers? Source: Gorodenkoff / Adobe Stock

The Myth of the Basajaun: A Basque Story of an Ancient Encounter

The genetic background of modern day Europe can often be a complicated topic to talk about. History often brings the migrations of faraway peoples, which is how the Indo-Europeans merged with the...
Dante holding open a copy of the Divine Comedy while gazing towards Mount Purgatory (1530), Agnolo Bronzino

A Pilgrimage of Thought, Pt 2: The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri

The most widely read work of Florentine politician and writer Dante Alighieri, the Divine Comedy dictates a tale of the three realms of the afterlife as believed by the Italians of the Middle Ages...
Mithras and the bull, fresco from Temple of Mithras, Marino, Italy, dated 2nd century AD.    Source: Public Domain

Mithras, the Persian God Championed by the Roman Army

Mithras the god originated in the east, in Persia (modern day Iran) where he was first worshipped. When soldiers of the Roman Empire came back to the West they brought this cult with them and in time...
Deadman’s Island Source: Екатерина Белоусова / Adobe Stock

Prison Hulks, Devil Dogs and Smuggling on Deadman's Island

Deadman's Island is located near the town of Queenborough, on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, England. The uninhabited mudbank island, measuring 1200 by 200 meters (3937 by 656 feet), is home to...
Immortal Koschei the Deathless on his enchanted steed

A Slavic Legend of Immortality: Koschei, the Deathless

A figure from Slavic folklore , Koschei the Deathless (aka Koschei the Immortal) was known for his titular characteristic: his inability to die. What is most interesting about this figure, however,...
Mimir, the bodiless god of wisdom, plays a fundamental role in the stories of Odin and the Norse gods.

The Bodiless God of Wisdom: Mimir in Norse Mythology

The god who transcends even Odin’s power, Mimir (or sometimes called Mim) is remembered throughout Norse mythology as the oracular head from which the two races of gods, the Aesir and Vanir, seek...
Beowulf against the dragon.

Finding Beowulf: Is Some of the Famous Anglo-Saxon Heroic Epic Based on Truth?

Beowulf is possibly the most famous example of Anglo-Saxon literature. The heroic epic was created between the 8th-11th century and is set in Scandinavia. In the tale, Beowulf helps the king of the...

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