Tag Archives: herodotus

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

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

You Can’t Sit at Our Table

Posted on January 31, 2022 by Nathan

Today, I wanted to look at the Table of Nations from Genesis 10. The Hebrew word that’s usually translated “nations” is goyim, which became gentilis in the Latin Vulgate. Both words have come to mean non-Jewish people in general, and … Continue reading →

Posted in African, Christianity, Egyptian, Ethnicity, Etymology, Families, Greek Mythology, History, Judaism, Language, Monsters, Mythology, Names, Prejudice, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Troglodyte Tuesday

Posted on March 10, 2021 by Nathan

I mentioned in my review of Rick Riordan’s The Tower of Nero that I liked the way it portrayed the troglodytes, and since I don’t think I’ve done it before, I might as well take a look at the origins … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Authors, Cartoons, Dragon Quest, Games, Greek Mythology, Language, Monsters, Music, Mythology, Rick Riordan, Television, Trials of Apollo, Video Games, Zelda | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Close Encounters of the Fundamentalist Kind

Posted on July 31, 2016 by Nathan

You may have heard about Ark Encounter, the replica of Noah’s Ark that was built in Kentucky. This was the brainchild of Ken Ham, founder of Answers in Genesis and an Australian creationist, like Ray Comfort. So they believe the … Continue reading →

Posted in Babylonian, Christianity, Current Events, Evolution, Fundamentalism, Greek Mythology, Mythology, Religion, Science, Semitic | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Great Ants

Posted on June 11, 2016 by Nathan

In Rick Riordan’s latest book, The Hidden Oracle, Apollo encounters a group of giant ants guarding the entrance to a sacred grove. These ants, the Myrmekes, are indeed part of Greek mythology, or perhaps more accurately Greek pseudo-history. The Myrmekes … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Authors, Greek Mythology, Hugh Pendexter, Monsters, Mythology, Oz, Oz Authors, Rick Riordan, Trials of Apollo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Priestesses and Prostitutes

Posted on May 3, 2016 by Nathan

One rather controversial idea presented in a book I read recently was that temple prostitution didn’t actually exist. I’m not sure if she was referring just to the Arabian Peninsula, or proposing that it didn’t happen anywhere. There’s apparently a … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, History, Judaism, Middle East, Mythology, Religion, Semitic, Sexuality | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Jezebel of the Ba’al

Posted on April 24, 2016 by Nathan

Jezebel: The Untold Story of the Bible’s Harlot Queen, by Lesley Hazleton – This book examines the reputation of one of the most infamous figures in the Bible, the wife of King Ahab of Israel and daughter of the King … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Feminism, History, Judaism, Middle East, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Days of Wine and War

Posted on March 7, 2015 by Nathan

We all know Dionysus as the god associated with drinking and parties, but the story of his invasion of India isn’t quite as well known. Apparently, in order to secure a place in Olympus, the wine god was ordered by … Continue reading →

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Amazon Primer

Posted on November 8, 2014 by Nathan

While warfare has traditionally been considered a masculine pursuit, Greek legend contains accounts of the Amazons, an all-female tribe of powerful warriors. While they were often said to live in Asia Minor, they were sometimes located in Africa or the … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Exploration, Authors, Comics, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Gender, Greek Mythology, Heroes of Olympus, History, Mythology, Oz, Rick Riordan, Video Games, Zelda | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments