#ChthonicThursday: Mefitis

January 25, 2024

Mefitis was a Samnite and Oscian goddess from before Roman times, presiding over poisonous gases emitted from the ground, particularly in swamps and volcanic vapours. The area of her sanctuary is mentioned by Virgil as the entrance to the Underworld, boars were sacred to her, and she’s sometimes associated with healing. Marcus Terentius Varro, a famed Roman scholar, mentions a Grove of Mefitis on the Esquiline in Rome alongside an altar to Mala Fortuna (misfortune) and Febris, the goddess of fevers.

She’s today’s profile on my Patreon.

art and fashion

Troilo — The Breach

These days at Palazzo Reale, there’s a tailored exhibition of paintings by Paolo Troilo. It lasts until September 13th and it’s hosted in the so-called Princes Apartments, a wing rich with the layered history of Palazzo Reale and, by association, of Milan itself. Paolo Troilo

June 27, 2026 9:00 am

games, gamification and rpg

The Sophist in the Room: Facilitation, Maieutics, and LEGO® Serious Play®

Introduction: I Promised We’d Get Back to Plato Back in the second section of the previous article about LEGO® Serious Play®, I mentioned Plato and Socrates in passing, and then promptly moved on to Sutton-Smith. “I could start with Plato through Socrates,but we’ll get back

June 26, 2026 9:00 am

architecture, engineering and construction

To lie or to lose? The tendering dilemma

On unreasonable LOD requirements, dishonest tenders, and who really benefits A friend called me last week. BIM consultant, hands-on experience, knows what he’s doing. The situation he described was nothing new to me, yet it hit the same way it always does. The call He’s

June 24, 2026 9:00 am