Tag Archives: constellations

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

The Secret Lives of Stars

Posted on January 9, 2022 by Nathan

It’s kind of an odd inspiration, I suppose, but I got an idea to write a post about star mythology from this tweet, for which I’m honestly not sure how serious the original posters were. There is some basis in … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Babylonian, Christianity, Greek Mythology, Judaism, Mythology, Religion, Science, Semitic | 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

Turtle Whirl

Posted on January 29, 2017 by Nathan

I was looking for information on the Black Tortoise of Winter who played a significant role in Grace Lin’s When the Sea Turned to Silver, and it turns out that he’s pretty closely tied to a god called Xuanwu, a … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Chinese, History, Mythology, Religion, Taoism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Slavic Star Sisters

Posted on May 29, 2016 by Nathan

I recently wrote about the Greco-Roman personifications of the Morning and Evening Stars, which they didn’t realize at the time were both the planet Venus. They were the children of Eos, goddess of the dawn. While looking for information on … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Greek Mythology, Mythology, Neil Gaiman, Norse, Slavic | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

It’s a Serqet to Everybody

Posted on November 8, 2015 by Nathan

I was born under the sign of Scorpio, the constellation identified with a nasty little insect with pincers and poisonous venom. People with my sign are supposed to be mean, crafty, and passionate; or something like that. If everyone born … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Aztec, Egyptian, Magic, Mythology, Native American, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Another Virgin Mother

Posted on October 4, 2014 by Nathan

Rick Riordan’s Greek mythology series have touched several times on the fact that some of its characters, most notably Percy Jackson’s girlfriend Annabeth Chase, are children of Athena. If you’ve studied mythology, you’d know that Athena is a perpetual virgin, … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Greek Mythology, Mythology, Percy Jackson, Rick Riordan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Post of the Hours

Posted on March 22, 2014 by Nathan

One common feature of mythology is an explanation of the procession of the seasons, often linking them to particular deities or to the death and rebirth of a god. In Greek mythology, it’s explained that the winter is when Demeter‘s … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Etymology, Greek Mythology, Language, Mythology, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Some of Us Are Looking at the Stars

Posted on August 10, 2013 by Nathan

I’m sure many of us will recall the time when we looked up into the night sky in all its majesty, saw the stars in their glory, and thought to ourselves, “THAT’S supposed to be a LION? What were those … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Authors, Douglas Adams, Greek Mythology, Mythology, Science, Star Trek | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bored in Hyperborea

Posted on December 4, 2010 by Nathan

In Greek mythology, it was said that the land of Hyperborea lay far to the north of the lands the myth-makers knew. The name means “beyond the north wind,” and it was regarded as being to the north of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Christmas, Greek Mythology, Holidays, Mythology, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments