Tag Archives: hell

Cities of the Damned

Posted on April 16, 2023 by Nathan

The idea of the world of the dead as a physical place is fascinating to me, probably at least partially because I love maps. Whether people in ancient times who wrote about such things genuinely believed that the Underworld had … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Etymology, Final Fantasy, Greek Mythology, Language, Maps, Monsters, Mythology, Poetry, Religion, Roman, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

These Judges Are Such Cretans

Posted on April 12, 2023 by Nathan

When the world of the dead is presented as a place of reward or punishment, as has become pretty standard, that generally means that someone has to decide who goes where. The Underworld of Greek mythology came to have three … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Art, Greek Mythology, Monsters, Mythology, Poetry, Roman, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Put a Zork in It

Posted on February 3, 2023 by Nathan

I remember seeing magazine ads for Zork and other text-based adventure games when I was a kid, and thought they seemed pretty fascinating. I never actually got to play any of them at the time, though. I don’t think they … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Authors, Douglas Adams, Games, Greek Mythology, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Humor, J.R.R. Tolkien, L. Frank Baum, Lewis Carroll, Magic, Maps, Monsters, Mythology, Oz, Oz Authors, Video Games, William Shakespeare | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 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

Love That Leviathan

Posted on November 19, 2022 by Nathan

I’d been meaning to discuss Leviathan a little more, which I think was inspired by the name being used for the base of the rebel organization Astrea in Cosmic Star Heroine. Considering all the other references to classic games, I had thought … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Art, Cartoons, Celtic, Christianity, Comics, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Japanese, Judaism, Language, Magic, Monsters, Mythology, Names, Pokémon, Religion, Semitic, Video Games, Welsh | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

An Apple Was the Cause of It All

Posted on October 30, 2022 by Nathan

Comfort Me with Apples, by Catherynne M. Valente – It’s hard to say anything about this book without spoiling it, as a twist is integral to the plot. At the same time, though, there are some things about the twist … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Authors, Book Reviews, Catherynne M. Valente, Christianity, Fairy Tales, Food, Humor, Judaism, Korean, Magic, Mythology, Names, Relationships, Religion, Rick Riordan | 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 , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 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

There Is No Such Thing as Subtle Cruelty

Posted on March 5, 2022 by Nathan

I haven’t been listening to a lot of music lately, as when I get the chance to listen to anything, there are two podcasts for which I’ve been working through the archives. Beth has been really getting into Sparks as … Continue reading →

Posted in Albums, Christianity, Conspiracy Theories, Food, Greek Mythology, Hinduism, History, Humor, Music, Mythology, Religion, Tori Amos | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Fellowship of Hell Can’t Help You Now

Posted on February 2, 2021 by Nathan

The History of Hell, by Alice K. Turner – Erica Olivera recommended this book to me, and I quite liked it. In a casual style, it explores the concept of Hell throughout history, in both religion and popular culture. It … Continue reading →

Posted in African, Art, Babylonian, Book Reviews, British, Catholicism, Christianity, Egyptian, Greek Mythology, History, Humor, Monsters, Mythology, Philosophy, Plays, Poetry, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments