Tag Archives: virgin mary

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

Of Bunnies and Bonnets

Posted on April 17, 2022 by Nathan

Picture by Helena Nelson-Reed Happy Easter! Some years ago, I wrote a little about the origins of the Easter Bunny and the name of the holiday. I don’t have a whole lot to add, but there’s some, so I might … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Art, Authors, British, Cartoons, Celebrities, Christianity, Easter, Food, German, Greek Mythology, Holidays, Judaism, Lewis Carroll, Music, Mythology, Passover, Religion, Roman, Television, They Might Be Giants, Toys, VoVat Goes to the Movies, XTC | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I Spy a May Queen

Posted on May 5, 2021 by Nathan

I knew as a kid that the first of May was May Day, but it’s not something I ever celebrated. I don’t think it’s that big in the States, or at least not the part where I lived. The Wikipedia page … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholicism, Christianity, Greek Mythology, may day, Nursery Rhymes, Oz, Oz Authors, Religion, Roman, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

More Names, More Fun

Posted on March 12, 2021 by Nathan

After I shared my last post on Dragon Quest names on Discord, Arlen Pavka replied with a list of names from the mobile and Nintendo Switch versions of DQ2, which includes a few I hadn’t previously seen. I’ve written about … Continue reading →

Posted in Arthurian Legend, British, Buddhism, Cartoons, Christianity, Comics, Dragon Quest, Families, Final Fantasy, German, Germany, History, Language, Metroid, Mythology, Names, Norse, Religion, Star Wars, Television, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 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

Ho Ho Home Invasion

Posted on December 18, 2020 by Nathan

I usually don’t like to make two of the same kind of post in a row, but ’tis the season, so here are some more reviews of Christmas-related audiovisual media. Santa Claus – I’d heard of this 1959 Mexican movie, … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Cartoons, Catholicism, Christianity, Christmas, Food, Holidays, Humor, Magic, Mythology, Religion, Television, Video Games, VoVat Goes to the Movies, Zelda | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Santanimals

Posted on December 18, 2018 by Nathan

According to the annoyingly catchy Christmas novelty song “Dominick the Donkey,” Santa Claus rides a donkey because “the reindeer cannot climb the hills of Italy.” But can’t the reindeer fly, in which case hills would be more or less irrelevant? … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Art, Christianity, Christmas, Finnish, Holidays, Music, Mythology, Norse, Poetry, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Dragon and the Maiden

Posted on May 11, 2016 by Nathan

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, by Patricia Wrede – This is a series of four books: Dealing with Dragons, Searching for Dragons, Calling on Dragons, and Talking to Dragons. The last was actually the first written, but after Wrede was convinced … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Fairy Tales, History, Magic, Middle East, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Holy Family Reunion

Posted on December 8, 2013 by Nathan

I’ve examined Jesus’ immediate family before, but what about beyond that? John 19:25 refers to a woman named Mary of Clopas, called as Jesus’ “mother’s sister,” being present at the crucifixion. But since his mother was named Mary, does that … Continue reading →

Posted in Catharism, Catholicism, Christianity, Conspiracy Theories, Gnosticism, Holidays, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments