Category Archives: History

Mourning Announcements

Posted on March 25, 2023 by Nathan

Today is the anniversary of Jesus’ crucifixion. Okay, it probably really isn’t, and we don’t even know what year that happened, let alone the specific date. While Easter does sometimes fall this early, it’s rare. And if these first century … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Catholicism, Christianity, Christmas, Easter, History, Holidays, Islam, J.R.R. Tolkien, Judaism, Middle Ages, Passover, Religion, rosh hashanah | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Changing in the Telling

Posted on March 21, 2023 by Nathan

The Unkindest Tide, by Seanan McGuire – This book deals with the Roane, the aquatic children of the Luidaeg who had been mostly killed off centuries earlier, their skins then being used to create Selkies. The sea-witch vows to revive … Continue reading →

Posted in Anglicanism, Animals, Authors, Book Reviews, British, Catholicism, Christianity, Fairy Tales, German, History, Islam, Magic, marissa meyer, Middle Ages, Mythology, Norse, Nursery Rhymes, october daye, Relationships, Religion, seanan mcguire, Urban Legends, Welsh | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Skipping Through Time

Posted on February 23, 2023 by Nathan

Live A Live – This game was originally released by Square in 1994, and was directed by Takashi Tokita, who was the lead designer on Final Fantasy IV and later directed Chrono Trigger. Like the latter game, this is an RPG … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, China, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, History, Humor, Japan, Language, Magic, Monsters, Music, Names, Relationships, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Through an Uskglass Darkly

Posted on February 20, 2023 by Nathan

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke – The author’s debut novel was recommended to me because I liked her Piranesi.This book was much longer and more complicated, but I liked it. It takes place in the early nineteenth … Continue reading →

Posted in African, Art, Authors, Book Reviews, British, Christmas, Comics, History, Holidays, Humor, Magic, Monsters, Mythology, Relationships, Rick Riordan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I’d Idle On with an Eidolon

Posted on November 27, 2022 by Nathan

I’d been interested in the origin of the term “eidolon” after hearing the Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby episodes on Euripides’ Helen, and remembering that the term had been used in the Final Fantasy series. It’s basically a phantom, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Final Fantasy, Greek Mythology, History, Magic, Mythology, Names, Plays, Relationships, Religion, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Human Alchemy

Posted on October 19, 2022 by Nathan

The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, by Christopher Healy – This is an amusing take on well-known fairy tales focuses on what happens after the stories, and that it isn’t always just living happily ever after. The princes from Cinderella, … Continue reading →

Posted in Alchemy, Authors, Book Reviews, Fairy Tales, History, Humor, L. Frank Baum, Language, Magic, Maps, Mathematics, Middle Ages, Monsters, Mythology, Nursery Rhymes, Oz, Oz Authors, Philosophy, Relationships, Religion, Russian, seanan mcguire, Theosophy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tammy and Tommy in Fairyland

Posted on September 11, 2022 by Nathan

Picture by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law I’ve come across multiple mentions of the Ballad of Tam Lin, so I thought that might be something worth addressing in a post. The Scottish song is thought to have existed as far back as … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, British, Celtic, Diana Wynne Jones, Fairy Tales, Greek Mythology, Halloween, History, Holidays, Magic, Music, Mythology, october daye, Poetry, Relationships, Scottish, seanan mcguire, United Kingdom, Welsh | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Taliesin’s Tale

Posted on September 5, 2022 by Nathan

I don’t think I’ve said that much about the legendary bard Taliesin, although I’ve come across him when researching other British mythology. I tend to subconsciously associate him with Tam Lin and Thomas the Rhymer, I guess because they’re also … Continue reading →

Posted in Arthurian Legend, British, Celtic, Etymology, Finnish, Greek Mythology, History, Magic, Music, Mythology, Names, Poetry, Uncategorized, Welsh | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

It’s a Celtic Thing

Posted on August 27, 2022 by Nathan

I recently finished reading the Mabinogion, a collection of Welsh mythological prose, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest in the nineteenth century. I understand there have been better English translations since then, but this is what I could easily find online, … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Arthurian Legend, Board Games, British, Celtic, Characters, Christianity, Games, History, L. Frank Baum, Language, Magic, Magic Items, Mythology, Names, Oz, Oz Authors, Relationships, Religion, Roman Empire, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Welsh | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Women and Demons

Posted on August 18, 2022 by Nathan

Pandora’s Jar: Women in the Greek Myths, by Natalie Haynes – I believe I first saw this book mentioned in a list of online recommendations, but it was also discussed on the Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby! podcast. It focuses … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Chinese, Christopher Moore, Feminism, Final Fantasy, Focus on the Foes, Gender, Greek Mythology, History, Humor, India, Language, Magic, Monsters, Mythology, Relationships, Religion, Roman, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment