Category Archives: Greek Philosophy

There’s an Apkallu for That

Posted on June 20, 2022 by Nathan

Beth and I went to the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island on Saturday, and watched The Shape of Water last night, so it’s been a good weekend for fish-people. The rest of this paragraph will have some SPOILERS for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Babylonian, Cold War, Final Fantasy, Greek Philosophy, Hinduism, History, Humor, Monsters, Mythology, Philosophy, Popeye, Relationships, Religion, Space Program, Video Games, VoVat Goes to the Movies, Zelda | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Follow the Arrow

Posted on February 27, 2022 by Nathan

Sculpture by John Raimondi Abaris the Hyperborean is one of those mysterious magicians who shows up in multiple sources, and has led to additional speculation and apocryphal stories in more recent times. He was first mentioned in Archaic Greek texts, He is … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Authors, British, Comics, Dragon Quest, Greek Mythology, Greek Philosophy, Magic, Monsters, Mythology, Neil Gaiman, Philosophy, Poetry, Religion, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Washed-Up Atlantis

Posted on February 16, 2022 by Nathan

I’ve started listening to the Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby podcast, which I found on Twitter. I have a lot to catch up on, but I did listen to some of the most recent installments about Atlantis. As the host … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Buddhism, Conspiracy Theories, Ethnicity, Frank Black/Black Francis, Greek Mythology, Greek Philosophy, J.R.R. Tolkien, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Maps, Monsters, Music, Mythology, Oz, Oz Authors, Philosophy, Prejudice, Religion, Technology, Theosophy, William Shakespeare | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

When the World and I Were Young

Posted on January 5, 2022 by Nathan

Continuing on the theme of calendars from another recent post, I’ve done some investigation into different calculations of the age of the world. The Jewish calendar and the traditional Byzantine one both date from the Anno Mundi, or Year of … Continue reading →

Posted in African, Babylonian, Chinese, Christianity, Eastern Orthodox, Egyptian, Greek Philosophy, Hinduism, History, Judaism, Mathematics, Mayan, Mythology, Native American, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Semitic, Zoroastrianism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Falling for the Fairy Fellowship

Posted on October 21, 2020 by Nathan

I’ve mentioned the fairyland on the other side of the world from Oz a few times, but since I’m planning on writing some fiction that takes place there, I might as well detail what we know about it. It first … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Characters, Chinese, Greek Mythology, Greek Philosophy, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Melody Grandy, Monsters, Mythology, Onyx Madden/Jim Nitch, Oz, Oz Authors, Philosophy, Phyllis Ann Karr, Places, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

You Should Have Put a Ring on It

Posted on October 25, 2019 by Nathan

The Wizard of Oz has been said to be the ultimate chick flick, as it’s about two women fighting over shoes. But then, J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium is one where a lot of world conflicts arise from jewelry, so maybe that’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Arabian, Authors, Fairy Tales, Greek Mythology, Greek Philosophy, J.R.R. Tolkien, Magic, Music, Mythology, Norse, Philosophy, Semitic, Video Games, Zelda | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

War Between the States of Being

Posted on August 28, 2019 by Nathan

Erica Olivera’s presentation on Theosophy and its influence on L. Frank Baum at the latest OzCon included some information on the four kingdoms, those of mineral, vegetable, animal, and human. The animal-vegetable-mineral division is part of general knowledge, as well … Continue reading →

Posted in Alchemy, Animals, Biology, Characters, Christianity, Evolution, Greek Philosophy, History, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Oz, Oz Authors, Philosophy, Prejudice, Religion, Science, Snobbery, Theosophy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Everybody Poops Genius Pieces

Posted on May 20, 2016 by Nathan

Little People, by Tom Holt – This fantasy story, rather less epic than many of Holt’s works, is narrated by a boy who sees elves in his garden. After being sent away to boarding school by his stepfather, he falls … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Greek Mythology, Greek Philosophy, History, Humor, Mythology, Oz, Philosophy, Tom Holt | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Doubters of the Divine

Posted on February 14, 2016 by Nathan

Battling the Gods: Atheism in the Ancient World, by Tim Whitmarsh – This book is partially a response to the idea that atheism is a new idea, a product of the age of science and reason that turns against ancient … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Christianity, Fairy Tales, Feminism, Greek Mythology, Greek Philosophy, Hellenistic Greece, History, Humor, Mythology, Philosophy, Religion, Robert Rankin, Roman Empire | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Eye on the Ideal

Posted on April 5, 2014 by Nathan

The phrase “ship of fools” is pretty common, being the title of a few different books and songs, as well as a play that the Unabomber wrote while in prison. It originates, however, with Plato, who intended it as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Greek Philosophy, Hellenistic Greece, History, Philosophy, Politics, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments