Iduna, Iðunn

This apple is not forbidden,
if magic needs a spark,
because you are there,
when the blossom blooms.
You are there
when there is renewal,
for the young
and for the old.
Vital life, vital force,
golden eternity.

Lieve groet, Dirkje

A bit of Irish lore - As a young boy, the great warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill (pronounced Fee-un Mack Cool) was sent to live with the celebrated poet Finnegas. Fionn acted as an apprentice and learned from the old eccentric’s immense wisdom. The two settled along the banks of the beautiful River Boyne in Leinster.

One day Finnegas recounted the ancient tale of the bradán feasa (bra-dawn fassa), also known as the Salmon of Knowledge, to Fionn. The druids of old had told of a salmon that had eaten the nuts of the magical hazel trees that lined the bank of the river. In eating the nuts, the salmon had gained all the knowledge of the world. According to the druids, the one who ate the Salmon would gain all this knowledge for themselves.

Finnegas had spent years of his life by the edge of the river trying to catch the Salmon. After years of waiting, one-day Finnegas managed to catch the legendary fish. Without a second’s delay, he passed it into Fionn’s hands and ordered the boy to cook it but not to eat a single morsel. Ever obedient, Fionn did exactly as he was instructed.

After a while, Finnegas returned to the camp but the second he saw the expression in Fionn’s eye his heart sank. Finnegas asked the young boy if he had indulged in the forbidden fish. Fionn responded that while cooking the fish he had burned his finger and started sucking his thumb to ease the pain.

Disheartened, the old man instructed Fionn to eat all of the Salmon. However, upon finishing Fionn didn’t feel any wiser than before. Finnegas suggested that he try sucking his thumb again. Fionn did as he was told and the moment he placed his thumb in his mouth all the knowledge of the world rushed into his head.

It was this incredible knowledge and wisdom gained from the Salmon of Knowledge that allowed Fionn to become the leader of the Fianna, the famed heroes of Irish myth

From An Absent One (1871). Lawrence Alma-Tadema (Dutch, 1836-1912).

This is 100% true. If you have to hide from friends, are they your friends? If you can’t be true around your family, it’s a pathetic excuse for one.

Coin of Indo-Greek King Agathocles
c. 190 BCE

Depicted are the Deities Vāsudeva-Krishna and Saṃkarṣaṇa. There are also inscriptions in both the Greek and Brāhmī scripts.

Who were the Indo-Greeks?

After the death of Alexander and the subsequent break-up of his Macedonian-Greek Empire, various territories in Bactria & Northern India remained under Greek control. They were independent kingdoms with local Greek rulers, where a synthesis of Greek, Hindu & Buddhist ideas was quickly established. The predominant Greek territory, Yavanarajya ("Kingdom of Yavanas"), was established in the 2nd century BCE, spanning parts of modern Afghanistan as well as the greater Punjab region. It survived until the first decade of the Common Era, where it was disestablished around the year 10 CE.

Svarog the great celestial god of the Slavs. He is the god of celestial fire, and smithing. I believe this god has a connection to cosmic white light, or cosmic aether light

Svarog in Slavic Mythology 
There are very few traces of pre-Christian Slavic mythology which have survived to present day, but apparently Svarog's name is derived from Sanskrit ("Sur" or "shine") and Vedic "Svar," which means "shines" or "gleams" and "svarg" which means "heaven." It may have been an Iranian loan word, rather than direct from India. 

The Celtic Goddess Airmid is the Celtic Irish Goddess of Herbalism and Healing.
#Airmid
#TuathaDeDannan
#CelticGoddesses