Atargatis, also known as Ataratheh and redubbed Derceto by Pliny the Elder, was a chief goddess in northern Syria, with evidence of her cult being discovered at Palmyria. She was a fertility goddess but also presided over her city at Aleppo, called Hierapolis by the Greek, where she was the baalat (the “mistress”) and presided […]
On Friday I wrote a piece concerning an exhibition you can see at Milan’s Archeological Museum and, in passing, I mentioned the museum’s collection amouns to… well, next to nothing. Since the internet is a beautiful place, people got upset and I thought I should rectify my statement: the very small archaeological museum in Milan […]
If you ask anyone to name an iconic symbol connected with Ancient Egypt, some will say the scarab, but many will say the eye. The Egyptian seemed to be positively obsessed with that body part and it’s not very difficult to guess why: it looks like a jewel, and yet it’s soft and vulnerable; it can […]
As my followers know, especially those on Instagram, I’m partial to water bodies: give me a river, a lake, a channel or the sea, and I’m a happy girl. As such, I couldn’t turn down to go and see the recent exhibition on Milan and its Waterways, closing next March and curated by a bunch […]
Sokar was the ancient god of the cemeteries in Memphis and became god of a death seen as a transformative process, the middle ring of a cycle that started with Ptah and ended with reborn Osiris. Alongside Apophis, Anubis, and other Egyptian-inspired characters, Sokar is also a character in Stargate and comes from the Goa’uld, […]
In Greek mythology, Minthe was an underworld naiad, a nymph of water, connected with the infernal river Cocytus, so I guess this could also work for #MermaidMonday. Hades, king of the Underworld, was very fond of her and she eventually became his mistress, but this didn’t escape Persephone or, according to other accounts, her mother […]
Tuchulcha was a double-gendered, lesser deity in Etruscan mythology, announcer of death and guide through the Underworld. They’re today’s feature on my Patreon.
In Egypt, concepts that might in other cultures belong to the realm of ab- stract philosophy were expressed by symbols, images, and, to a lesser extent, myths. Geraldine Pinch, Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt (2002) While I was at the Aswan airport, waiting to catch my plane […]
Once upon a time, the god Ra started to grow old and humanity plotted to overthrow him. Upon discovering their treachery, he assembled the gods and decided to send against men a female embodyiment of his wrath: the goddess Hathor in the form of the Eye of Ra. The goddess found the rebels hiding in […]
Most people go on vacation to relax, which often requires disconnecting from reality entirely. Being wired that way, they are able to enjoy runaway resorts and places where all you do is sleep. Alas, my brain won’t accept anything of the sort: if you want me to stand still in daylight, with nothing to do, […]