Ancient “Bronze Age” tomb uncovered in Ireland

Some exciting recent news in the field of archeology, workers on a farm uncovered this ancient tomb. Will certainly be following this as more is learned about the burial.

https://www.livescience.com/amp/ancient-chamber-tomb-untouched-in-ireland.html

Today we celebrate May Day, a holiday which has persisted since ancient times. People rise early or welcome dawn without falling asleep, women wash their faces in morning dew, everybody gets ready and heads out to nature to celebrate the coming of Spring. In many European countries a wooden pole is erected and furnished in greenery and flowers and it is referred to as the Maypole. Around it people dance and celebrate the coming of fertility to the land. The maypole on the image was erected by me and my family.

Happy May Day!

- Daelendil, The Sun Riders
@solarcult

The birch is an important tree in the folk traditions of several European countries.

It is associated with the Goddesses Freya and Perchta, and symbolizes youth, love, fertility and femininity, but also renewal, protection, and flexibility.

Regionally, the “May Tree” is often a birch, or a softwood tree topped with a birch, and young men will frequently place a decorated young birch tree or branch at their beloved’s house, in front of her window, as a sign of their interest in her.

In the Scandinavian rune poems, it is associated with the rune Berkana.

- PGM, The Sun Riders
@solarcult

The Head of the Cnidian Venus

At the National Museum of Rome at the Baths of Diocletian, Rome

Birds of Prey: Symbols of Economic and Cultural Status in Pagan Scandinavia

Falconry in relation to pagan culture is usually associated with the Eastern cultures of the Steppe. But just when did our pre-Christian Germanic ancestors begin taking part in this noble practice that pairs man with apex predator? It's hard to say definitively, and hopefully with time more will be revealed.

- Grief, The Sun Riders
@solarcult

https://telegra.ph/Falconry-in-Pre-Christian-Scandinavia-05-03

Tjurkö Bracteate

This Migration Era bracteate is one of my personal favorites.

The inscription is pretty easy to read and features an early use of a kenning. The inscription in Proto-Norse is:

Wurte runoz an walha-kurne Heldaz Kunimundiu

Which is generally read as:

Heldaz wrought runes on foreign corn for Kunimunduz.

Walha, which means foreign, is the origin of words such as “Welsh”, and kurne (corn) was a general word for grain (before the discovery of maize). As grain was likely an important commodity in the Germanic regions before the widespread adoption of currency, “foreign corn” is thought to mean “gold”.

-Hariwulfaz, The Sun Riders
@solarcult

"Sunday" is derived from the Old English Sunne ("Sunnandæg"), in the typical tradition of naming the days of the week after the Germanic Deities. The same pattern can be seen in Latin, diēs sōlis, or the Ancient Greek Hλίου ημέρα ("helíou 'eméra").

This is well known. However, what is less well known is the discrepancy between the Germanic and other Indo-European religious traditions in relation to the Sun deity. In Germanic traditions, the Sun is feminine (Old English: Sunne; Old Norse: Sól; Old High German: Sunna), whereas, in the other traditions, the Sun is personified as a male deity (Sanskrit: Suryā, सूर्य; Greek: Hēlios).

Lugh Samildánach

It is my belief, based on their correspondence to the “Mitra” archetype, that Numa Pompilius is the Roman legendary figure matching Irish Lugh. Numa was associated with all the arts as he divided the immediate territory of Rome into pagi and established the traditional occupational guilds of Rome:

"So, distinguishing the whole people by the several arts and trades, he formed the companies of musicians, goldsmiths, carpenters, dyers, shoemakers, skinners, braziers, and potters; and all other handicraftsmen he composed and reduced into a single company, appointing every one their proper courts, councils, and observances." -Plutarch

This is as close a match to Lugh’s title of “Samildánach” (skilled in many arts) as I’ve found. This aspect of Lugh is one of the reasons he was sometimes considered similar to Mercury.

Notably, the Roman and Irish similarity on this makes sense as they shared a recent ethno-cultural history via their Italo-Celtic root.

- O’Gravy, The Sun Riders
@solarcult

Seeland-II-C Bracteate

This Migration Era bracteate is highly interesting to practitioners of Germanic paganism for a number of reasons.

Most prominent is the triple, single stave Tiwaz bindrune, of which there is one other example of in the archeological record.

Additionally, the inscription states: Gibu Auja. Auja is thought to be related to the word Auda (fortune/riches), which forms the first part of the modern English names Edward or Edwin. Auja, however, is thought to mean chance or luck (Thus: Give Luck!). Some also hypothesize this phrase is related to the ᚷ-ᚨ repeating bindrunes observed in other artifacts of the Elder Futhark corpus.

Overall, bracteates such as these were considered magic amulets to our ancestors, worn for blessing or luck.

Pictured here is a modern reproduction of the original bracteate, of which no decent quality images could be found readily.

-Hariwulfaz, The Sun Riders
@solarcult

Jupiter and Thetis (1811)
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Inspired by: She sank to the ground beside him, put her left arm round his knees, raised her right hand to touch his chin, and so made her petition to the Royal Son of Cronos. 

Iliad 1.500–502

Wäinölä has completed a series of 18 posts on the Mari people's animal sacrifice rituals, including original photos of authentic ritual.

Start reading here: https://t.me/Wainola/555

Mahabharata – all volumes in 12 PDF-files

The complete Mahabharata translated into English prose directly from the original Sanskrit text

Written by: Pratap Chandra Roy

Published by: ORIENTAL PUBLISHING CO.

Edition: First

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Mahabharata VOL 1 – The Adi Parva, 540 pages, 35 MB.

Mahabharata VOL 2 – Sabha Parva & Vana Parva I, 434 pages, 28 MB.

Mahabharata VOL 3 – Vana Parva II, 428 pages, 25 MB.

Mahabharata VOL 4 – Virata & Udyoga Parva, 542 pages, 25 MB.

Mahabharata VOL 5 – Bhisma Parva, 344 pages, 23 MB.

Mahabharata VOL 6 – Drona Parva, 506 pages, 24 MB.

Mahabharata VOL 7 – Karna, Salya Sauptika, Stree Parvas, 592 pages, 28 MB.

Mahabharata VOL 8 – Santi Parva I, 420 pages, 29 MB.

Mahabharata VOL 9 – Santi Parva II, 422 pages, 21 MB.

Mahabharata VOL 10 – Santi Parva III, Anusasana Parva I, 422 pages, 20 MB.

Mahabharata VOL 11 – Anusasana Parva, 418 pages, 21 MB.

Mahabharata VOL I2 – Awamedha, Asramavasika, Mahaprasthanika, Swarga-Rohanika Parvas, 316 pages, 15 MB.

Statue of Vulcan. Blansko. Czech Republic