Facial Reconstruction: Corded Ware.
c. 2900 - 2350 BC

The intellectual caste always carried a long staff, much like Merlin the wizard, going back to Sumeria. A medieval Irish priest carried a staff, bell and holy book. The cane showed the power entrusted to him to guide the flock. The bell was used to call prayers & curse evildoers.

To add - I don't doubt that these staffs were used as weapons by priests etc. But the staff was meant to show him as a type of sovereign, akin to the rod of kingship or Zeus' scepter of Argos. The sage used his staff (knowledge) to beat alien spirits/idols away from his people.

ON VELES: THE SERPENT

The myth about Veles being the Serpent comes from the 20th century reconstruction movement taken up by Soviet philologists Vyacheslav Ivanov and Vladimir Toporov. The myth about Veles as the Serpent that fights Perun the Thunderer is based on comparative mythology and Veles was taken up as the Enemy of the Thunderer due to his name being cognate with the names of Velnias (Baltic) and Vala (Vedic), both enemies of the Thunderer. According to the myth, Veles comes out of the underworld in the form of a serpent and heads towards Perun’s realm, by climbing up the World Tree, from which he tries to steal his son, wife or cattle. Perun doesn’t let him go, but attacks him in rage, charging lightning bolts at him. Veles uses his magic to hide. He takes form of people, animals or trees, but he cannot escape Perun’s wrath, in the end Perun smites him. Victory over Veles represents the ending of a cycle, which means that Veles will be reborn and return with the same thing in mind.

Rest in peace Christopher John Reuel Tolkien. 1924 – 2020. Thank you for your work to protect your fathers legacy, we will remember you for it, and boycott any nonsense the modern world tries to make of Middle-Earth.

Paganism is not a religion. Paganism precedes religion. The secret lies in the etymology of the word. "Religio" in latin means to re-bind, to re-connect. It implies man was once connected to the divine, and he disconnected from it, he is closed off to it. Paganism existed before this disconnection happened, before religion-as-sectarianism was born. Religion was born out of desperation, because humans need the divine. In terms of reconnecting man with the divine, religion has had only mixed success.

That is why, although practical, it is hard not to be tempted to do away with the moniker "pagan". Follower of the Indo-European tradition, follower of the Eternal Natural Way are good alternatives to describe ourselves, though a mouthful. Also, wiccans are not pagans (though more on this a bit later).

Why Wicca is not part of the Indo-European tradition (or any tradition at all):

Wicca is a form of British neopaganism invented in the 1950’s. It has no correlation with actual British paganism nor any type of paganism from anywhere. Wicca has different "official" varieties but nowadays, most Wiccans are eclectic Wiccans, meaning they follow the basics of the first varieties of Wicca, but also incorporate other things from outside of that into their personal practice. In other words, they do whatever they want.

The practice of Wicca, usually called witchcraft, has absolutely nothing to deal with the any form traditional "witchcraft". Despite general stereotype, most people in the pre-christian era were suspicious of "witchcraft" that was not done in the name and benefit of the state and by a vetted and select few. This was very serious business and it was mostly based around prophecy; an example of it being used would be to predict the outcome of a battle. Wiccan witchcraft is based on a combination of English Christian cunning folk practices of the 15th through 19th centuries, and ceremonial magick, yes magick with a k, from Semitic countries.

In conclusion, Wicca is NOT a European religion. It is hardly a religion at all.

#Sif #Norse #Germanic #Rapunzel #Grimm

https://taliesinsmap.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-dagda-irish-wind-harvester-part-2.html?m=1

Second part of the Dagda series. Must read paragraph for TL;DR-ers below. To the rest, enjoy the article.

-The Sun Riders

“The idea that the Dagda is simply the primordial sky god in fact has the preponderance of cases against it and thus a more daunting burden of proof. Again and again, considering figures like Zeus, Jupiter, Varuna, Enlil, and perhaps Odin, we see Father Sky-like figures who seem to have absorbed at least one other god as if making it their active aspect, or as if that god has pushed his way onto the sky kingship, or in some other way has combined the Father Sky role with other roles."

for those that have yet to read the first part

since we've gotten quite a few newcomers: this is our first and most comprehenisve article on paganism titled "What does it mean to be a pagan". It's (relatively) short and sweet, dispels several very common misconceptions and lies told about the Indo-European tradition.

-The Sun Riders

William-Adolphe Bouguereau - Birth of Venus

(I adore Bouguereau's work, much more to my tastes than anything the Impressionists got their grubby claws on.

-Owen)

Honau Elf Grotto, Germany, 1936. Foto taken by my paternal Grandmother.


The Elfengrotte (Elf Grotto) was built in 1897 in the vicinity of
Honau train station in the style of the era by the sculptor G.Heid living in Honau
It was based on the well-known legend of "Oberon".

After World War II, this grotto was not reopened.
In their rooms an oil mill was furnished, but it only had a short life.
Nowadays the building is a recreational home.

ON VELES: LORD OF THE UNDERWORLD

Like other chthonic deities, Veles is often associated with rivers. His places of worship were often located next to them. After the coming of Christianity, people of Czechia started referring to the Devil as Veles. This occurred because Veles was known as having horns. Literary evidence linking him to the Devil started appearing in 14th or 15th century, with the publishing of Tkadleček, a prose work written by an unknown Czech:
“… which devil, or Veles, or dragon sent you against me… Oh let the sins at the Veles go… What Veles is whispering them! …”
Various lines mentioning Veles from Tkadleček

There also exists a Czech story about a man who is disappointed in his wife. He had enough of his evil wife and wishes for her to be turned into a goose and sent over the sea to Veles. This story and the above mentioned place of Veles worship correlate to the common Indo-European myth about the waters being the passage way between the world of the living and the world of the dead.

Gilt silver ring thought to possibly depict #Ukko.

Sysmä, Finland.

Circa 1050 CE.

To all our Apple users who were affected by the decision to remove certain channels, here’s a diagram to circumvent this ban and see all the channels you desire

Nākat, ļaudis, skatīties,
Cik sarkana debess mala:
Tur cīnās bāleliņi
Tēvu zemi aizstāvot.

              22742
Page 223, LTDZ. Book 5, Part 2.  War songs.

Come, people, to watch,
How red is the skyline:
There fight our kinsmen,
Defending their fatherland.