The Mesopotamian Goddess Tiamat Was the Primordial Sea From Which Life Emerged

In the Mesopotamian creation myth, the goddess Tiamat was the primordial sea from which all life emerged, making her a “great mother” but also a dangerous force. As is often the case, she represents an older generation of gods that was the embodiment of a primordial force but was not worshipped. She was defeated by... Continue Reading →

The Mesopotamian War God Zababa, Patron of Kiš

In ancient Mesopotamia, each city had its own patron deity that protected the city. He was the patron of the city of Kiš, a major urban center in the 3rd millennium BC, a city believed to be the first city to receive kingship after the Great Deluge. Zababa was a fierce warrior god who was... Continue Reading →

How Jupiter Dolichenus Became the Patron of Rome’s Soldiers

Jupiter Dolichenus is one of the many new gods created when the Romans syncretized their deities with local deities they encountered as they expanded their empire. Unlike similar counterparts, this god became extremely popular beyond its region of origin, and his mystery cult was practiced, mostly by soldiers, across the empire. Mystery cults were very... Continue Reading →

How Medusa Transformed from a Divine Protector to a Victim

When most people think about Medusa, they think about the story told by the Roman author Ovid in his Metamorphoses. He casts her as a priestess of Athena who was ravaged by Poseidon in Athena’s temple. As punishment for this sacrilege, Athena transformed Medusa into a hideous monster with snakes for hair and a gaze... Continue Reading →

Are Paganism and Neopaganism the Same?

While Neopagans are pagans, the nuance of language is used to distinguish between the pagan religions that defined ancient cultures and modern takes on pagan philosophy. This article explains ancient paganism and when and how it started to be referred to as “pagan,” the disappearance of traditional pagan religions, and the modern revival of pagan... Continue Reading →

The History of Horoscopes & Should You Trust Yours?

Astrology has a long history. Many cultures, from the ancient Egyptians and Sumerians to the Romans to the Vedic Indians, believed in the principle “as above, so below.” They believed that the positions of the heavenly bodies at the time of your birth, your horoscope, could influence your character and destiny, and that by monitoring... Continue Reading →

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