Category Archives: Islam

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

Roland in the Deep

Posted on January 24, 2023 by Nathan

I think I first heard of Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso in a blurb about C.S. Lewis comparing J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings to it. Well, they do both have a magic ring that makes people invisible, and a monster … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Arthurian Legend, Authors, Book Reviews, British, C.S. Lewis, Characters, Christianity, French, Greek Mythology, Islam, J.R.R. Tolkien, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Magic Items, Monsters, Music, Mythology, Names, Oz, Oz Authors, Poetry, Relationships, Religion, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Video Games, William Shakespeare | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Quran So Far Away

Posted on May 1, 2022 by Nathan

I’ve now read through the Quran, mostly using this translation. I know it’s really only considered authentic in Arabic, but I can’t read that language. Discussing Islam can be kind of awkward, especially because the amount of Islamophobia in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Arabian, Book Reviews, Christianity, Gnosticism, History, Islam, Judaism, Language, Magic, Middle East, Mythology, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tell Me About the Dragons, George

Posted on April 26, 2022 by Nathan

I had a few other things I wanted to write about, but since I found out Saturday was St. George’s Day, I thought he might be worth looking into. As someone who didn’t attend a church where saints were really … Continue reading →

Posted in Anglicanism, Authors, Catholicism, Christianity, Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Crusades, Diana Wynne Jones, Eastern Orthodox, England, Greek Mythology, History, Holidays, Humor, Islam, J.R.R. Tolkien, L. Frank Baum, Monsters, Mythology, Oz, Oz Authors, Religion, Roman, Roman Empire, Stan Freberg, Tom Holt | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

As the Hours and the Days and the Weeks and the Months and the Years Go By

Posted on December 29, 2021 by Nathan

With this year soon coming to an end, I was thinking about whether there’s any connection between the number of days in a year and degrees in a circle, and apparently there is. Of course, a modern year doesn’t have … Continue reading →

Posted in African, Astronomy, Babylonian, Christmas, Easter, Egyptian, Greek Mythology, History, Holidays, Islam, Judaism, Mathematics, Mesopotamia, Mythology, New Year's Day, Norse, Religion, Roman, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Drawn Into Divine Drama

Posted on August 21, 2021 by Nathan

I’ve had some of these book reviews already written for a while, and I’ve finished a few more books, so I think it’s time to put the finishing touches on this post. City of the Plague God, by Sarwat Chadda … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Arthurian Legend, Authors, Babylonian, Book Reviews, British, Christianity, Families, French, Hinduism, History, Holy Roman Empire, Humor, Islam, Magic, Malaysian, Monsters, Mythology, Percy Jackson, Poetry, Relationships, Religion, Rick Riordan, Semitic, William Shakespeare | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Idris Lives

Posted on September 21, 2020 by Nathan

It’s a common theme in many mythologies to have a figure who is regarded as the inventor of writing, and often also a keeper of esoteric knowledge. Greek mythology had Hermes, the Egyptians had Thoth, Babylon had Nabu, and Judaism … Continue reading →

Posted in African, Arabian, Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek Mythology, Islam, Judaism, Language, Magic, Mathematics, Mythology, Names, Norse, Philosophy, Poetry, Religion, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

When I Get to the Bottom, I Go Back to the Top of the Slide

Posted on May 12, 2020 by Nathan

I recently saw an update from Amanda Palmer where she mentioned playing Snakes and Ladders with her son, apparently what you do when your husband leaves you in the middle of a pandemic, or something. But what I actually wanted … Continue reading →

Posted in Amanda Palmer, Animals, Board Games, Games, Hinduism, History, India, Islam, Jainism, Music, Pachisi, Philosophy, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Heroes and Villains

Posted on March 12, 2020 by Nathan

Daughters of Destiny, by L. Frank Baum – This 1906 story of succession and conspiracy was originally written under the pseudonym Schuyler Staunton. It takes place in Baluchistan, a region made up of parts of Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. Within … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Comics, Eric Shanower, Islam, L. Frank Baum, Magic, marissa meyer, Monsters, Oz, Oz Authors, Religion, Video Games, Zelda | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Prester Change-O

Posted on March 8, 2020 by Nathan

I’d seen mentions of Prester John, but I wasn’t really sure who he was. I’ve since found out he was a mythical Christian king in or near India whom the European Church saw as a potential ally against the Muslims … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholicism, Christianity, Comics, Crusades, History, Islam, Maps, Middle Ages, Monsters, Mythology, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments