This nineteenth-century Tibetian painting is of a well-known deity in the Tantric Buddhist tradition, named Vajrayogini. Unlike some other Buddhist traditions which have neither Gods nor Goddesses, the Vajrayana Tantric tradition has both, as we can see here. Vajrayana Buddhism differs from many other religious traditions in its elevation of the female. The eleventh-century Tantric […]
Vajrayogini in Buddhist Tradition Read More »
The leader of all the Gods in Norse mythology, Odin, was routinely accompanied by his ravens named Huginn (“thought”) and Muninn (“mind”), appearing together in visual records as early as the sixth century The names of these birds called attention to Odin’s vast knowledge — the medieval Icelandic sources have Odin’s ravens fly all over
Odin and His Ravens Huginn and Muninn Read More »
What drives us to learn? Are people with unusual intellectual capabilities also predisposed to want to use them? The case of Maria Gaetana Agnesi (1718-1799) raises these questions, because she possessed a rarified mind in an era when women of her social class were expected to marry and attend to domestic affairs rather than academic
Maria Gaetana Agnesi and the Desire to Learn Read More »
Kellys Run Nature Preserve near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is today part of a recently made ecological conservancy with beautiful views (see second photo) of the Susquehanna River amidst a great variety of forest life. The tree canopy and rugged terrain predominate the vista so much that you might never know earlier, human-driven economies had once existed
Lancaster, Pennsylvania’s Kelly’s Run Nature Preserve Read More »
“The Temptation of Eve” from the cathedral at Autun dates to about 1130. It was the first large-scale nude sculpture since Antiquity, and has become a hallmark of the “Renaissance of the Twelfth Century.” Although not as naturalistic as Ancient Roman sculptures could get, the Eve portrait gets kudos for representing the nude female body
“The Temptation of Eve” Read More »
Yesterday (November 5) in the U.S. was voting day, but in the U.K. many people lit bonfires and threw in effigies of “the Guy” for Guy Fawkes Day. In fact, our slang word “guy” comes from the person who became the most well-known architect of the Gunpowder Plot. In 1605, Guy Fawkes, a discontent Roman
Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot Read More »
In the Late Middle Ages, one chemical became a driving force in the economy, even forming the source of a cartel by the Papacy. Potash Alum [KAl (SO4)2] is a chemical compound that occurs naturally as crystals in some encrustacions (see second photo). It enables cell walls to harden – it can give a dill
Potash Alum and Medieval Italy’s Wool Industry Read More »
In our current social climate, it can seem that confidence in the scientific method and trust in the expertise of professionals are being challenged for the first time. Is it good news or bad, then, to realize that this is not the case? Strap in, ladies and gents, as I introduce you to _The Cellular
Cyrus Tweed’s “The Earth a Concave Sphere” Read More »
Sometimes Medieval art gets weirder the more you look at it. For instance, take these scenes of an animal fleeing from a hunter: the creature isn’t just turning his head back — he is actually biting off his testicles to throw them to his pursuer. Medieval people thought that beavers regularly did this (I know:
Medieval Beaver Hunting Read More »
You are looking at a late 3rd-c. CE Tauroctony, the sacred scene from the Roman Cult of Mithras. Frequently compared with the emerging religion of Christianity, Mithraism featured a savior deity who came down from the stars to save his adherents. Worshippers of this cult were all men, and they met in chambers that resembled
Tauroctony From The Roman Cult of Mithras Read More »
So this is a post about a children’s nursery rhyme. The burning of Protestants by “Bloody” Queen Mary (d. 1588) made a mark on the English, and some of this legacy still lingers today in the children’s nursery rhyme “Three Blind Mice.” Many folklorists believe the tune’s reference to a wife was actually code for
Historical Story of Children’s Nursery Rhyme “Three Blind Mice” Read More »
Over three thousand years ago, in the Fertile Crescent that stretched from the eastern Mediterranean seaboard to the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, legends about horrific floods sent by the Gods to destroy humankind became prominent. For instance, in the literary works _Atrahasis_, the Bible, and _The Epic of Gilgamesh_, a single hero and his family
The Fertile Crescent and Attempts to Destroy Mankind Read More »
This 14th century miniature painting illustrates the Christian ceremony of Baptism. By this point in Western European history, Baptisms were performed on infants and included a ritual exorcism: it was thought that every human was born with sin inherently, and this evil had to be removed in order for the child to enter God’s grace.
14th Century Baptism Ceremonies and Ritual Exorcisms Read More »
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, baptism for infants arose early in the Christian Middle Ages, and signaled to all witnesses that the child had been admitted into the grace of God. “Team God” was obviously the side everyone wanted to be on, but it raised a problem — when Christians opposed each other, whose
Emperor Constantine and His Nickname “Kopronymous” Read More »
This illustration of the Garden of Eden comes out of one of the most lavishly decorated Medieval manuscripts in history, the _Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry_ (c. 1416). Close examination reflects much more than the basic story from the Hebrew Bible’s story of the expulsion out of earthy paradise. For one, the world
Beauty Standards in “Tres Riches Heures du Duc be Berry” Read More »
The Ancient Romans atttibuted the Goddess Vesta with the power to keep Rome safe and prosperous, and they conceived of these qualities with the symbols of fire, penises, and female chastity. Vesta’s ancient temple (third slide) in the city of Rome had sacred fires, tended to by full-time priestesses whose ritual care preserved the integrity
Ancient Roman Goddess Vesta and the Temple Servants Read More »
We are approaching that holiday time of the year again: Saturnalia is almost upon us! The Ancient Romans celebrated this winter solstice festival for several days in late December. Although it was a religious festival, Romans thought of it as a fun, carnival time, when gifts were exchanged and lots of food consumed. The fifth-century
Ancient Roman Celebration of Saturnalia Read More »
Happy St. Lucy’s Day! Would you like to celebrate by meditating on gouged-out eyeballs? In a tradition stemming from the Middle Ages, saints who had been martyred were frequently shown in artwork with either the instrument of death (Lucy was also stabbed — see the knife?), or the body parts in their story recieving the
Saint Lucy and Her Traditional Celebrations Read More »
This is one of the most famous pharaohs from Ancient Egypt: Hatshepsut (d. 1458 BCE). She was highly effective in all arenas — economic, foreign policy, religious affairs — but although those who lived under her rule recognized her authority, having a female ruler (even a super talented one) jarred too much with expectations about
Ancient Egypt Pharaoh Hatshepsut Read More »
The tradition of gift-giving in human history resonates deeply this time of year, and although we usually think of this custom as a joyful one celebrating bonds of affection, love, and friendship, anthropologists have studied it in other contexts. Shown here in this 15th-century engraving by Northern Renaissance artist Martin Schongauer is a legend famous
The Tradition Gift-Giving in Human History Read More »
