Tag Archives: paradise

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

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

Crazy Celtic Cruises

Posted on February 13, 2019 by Nathan

A common theme in mythology and related fiction is that of the sea voyage that includes a visit to a bunch of weird islands with bizarre people and creatures. This sort of thing can also happen in stories of overland … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, C.S. Lewis, Catholicism, Celtic, Christianity, Chronicles of Narnia, Conspiracy Theories, Final Fantasy, Greek Mythology, Maps, Monsters, Mythology, Poetry, Religion, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On Earth as It Is in Heaven

Posted on March 20, 2018 by Nathan

The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power, by Jeff Sharlet – I think I first heard about the secretive fundamentalist Christian organization known as the Family or the Fellowship on Bill Maher years ago, and I … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Capitalism, Christianity, Comics, Conspiracy Theories, Economics, Fundamentalism, Islam, Judaism, Music, Politics, Prejudice, Real Time with Bill Maher, Religion, Television, The Colbert Report, Zoroastrianism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Baum vs. the Bible

Posted on May 19, 2016 by Nathan

When we discussed John R. Neill’s Lucky Bucky in Oz on the old Nonestica mailing list, J.L. Bell mentioned how Bucky recalled the story of Jonah and the Whale when riding inside Davy Jones. Biblical allusions are uncommon in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Oz, Oz Authors, Religion, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Theosophy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Peri the Wind High, Low

Posted on May 14, 2016 by Nathan

I had heard of peris as basically Persian fairies, which is more or less true, but there’s a little more to it than that. In Persian mythology, including but apparently not limited to Zoroastrian beliefs, the peris seem to have … Continue reading →

Posted in Fairy Tales, Islam, Mythology, Persian, Religion, Zoroastrianism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Virgin and the Houri

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Nathan

It’s a popular notion these days that Islamic terrorists believe they’ll be rewarded with seventy-two virgins in Paradise. Why seventy-two? There’s somewhat of a justification for this, but as usual the meme only tells part of the story. The Quran … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Discworld, Islam, Religion, Terry Pratchett | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments