History Made Beautiful: Recent Episodes
Martini Fisher
Podcast from blog posts of Ancient Historian Martini Fisher. Martini has made it her life's work to see history, and the world, through the eyes of joy.
If you like what you hear, consider subscribing to this podcast, reading Martini's writings through her blog www.martinifisher.com and her many books. And, of course, feel free to get in touch through social media to say hello.
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In 29 AD, Livia, the Empress of Rome and the widow of Emperor Augustus, died at the age of eighty-six. Although she was the mother of Tiberius, the current emperor of Rome, and an empress through her own marriage to Augustus, her funeral was very low-key by the standards of the Roman imperial family.
But Livia’s cult had grown throughout the empire even during her lifetime, and upon her death, Livia would have been the first woman in Rome's history to be pronounced a goddess.
Key quotes:
- "When Augustus’ sister Octavia died in 11 BC, her funeral oration was delivered by Augustus himself in his capacity as both Octavia’s brother and Emperor of Rome."
- "By contrast, the only person who spoke at Livia’s funeral was her great-grandson Caligula before Livia was buried in the Mausoleum of Augustus with minimal ceremony."
- "The senate also voted for an arch to honor Livia in remembrance of her deeds of charity and goodwill. However, the plan never came to fruition as, although Tiberius did not immediately resist this plan, he instead promised rather heroically to build the arch with his own money instead of using the public funds."
- "Among his first actions were the divine honors bestowed to Livia on the anniversary of her marriage to Augustus as well as what would have been her one-hundredth birthday."
- "Livia was still held in high regard during Nero’s reign, and she was still highly regarded after the Julio-Claudian dynasty ended in 68 AD."
Dive into the world of Rome's first Empress and discover the makings of a legend. Tune in now!
For more historical insights, visit Martini Fisher’s website and check out her book “Time Maps: Matriarchy and the Goddess Culture”.
Shortly after his marriage, the King of Egypt Ptolemy III, received word of imminent danger to his sister. In return for his safety as his marched to Syria to save his sister’s life, his loving wife promised to sacrifice a lock of her hair in return for his safety. Upon his return from the campaign, a lock of hair from the Queen’s head was cut and dedicated to the gods, only to disappear by the following day. Later, the court astronomer Conon then announced that he had discovered the lock in the night. To this day, the constellation is called Coma Berenices ("Berenice's Lock").
Key quotes:
- “Berenice was already hailed as Basilissa (queen) on coins even in her father’s lifetime and, upon her marriage, she would be known as Berenice II Euergetis (‘Berenice the Benefactress’).”
- “Allegedly, Demetrius and Apama soon became lovers. According to legends, Berenice killed Demetrius after seeing him in bed with her mother.”
- “Controlling the narrative of the retelling of Demetrius’ murder would have been one of the earliest challenges that the newlyweds faced.”
- “Ptolemy III needed to introduce a new mythological basis for the new chapter brought about by his own marriage to Berenice, strengthening his dynastic continuity.”
- “In the poem Berenice’s Lock, Callimachus provided further details of the event, that Zephyrus carried off the lock at the command of Aphrodite who then placed it among the stars.”
Join us as we unravel the romance, drama and politic of Berenice II, the girl who became Queen.
For more historical insights, visit Martini Fisher’s website and check out her book “Time Maps: Mesopotamia”.
In this episode, we delve into the captivating tale of the Revolt of the Batavi, an uprising that shook the foundations of the mighty Roman Empire during the years 69 to 70 AD. The Batavi, a small yet formidable Germanic population residing in Batavia along the Rhine delta, spearheaded this rebellion. As their ranks swelled with other Germanic and Celtic tribes from Gallia Belgica, they embarked on a daring mission to challenge the Roman dominion.
Key Quotes:
- “The Revolt of the Batavi, which occurred between 69 and 70 AD, was an uprising against the Roman Empire led by the Batavi, a small but powerful Germanic population of Batavia on the Rhine delta.”
- “The Batavi and their allies were able to humiliate the Roman army with a series of crushing defeats, including the annihilation of two Roman legions.”
- “The Batavi people’s leader was the Romanized Gaius Julius Civilis, whose skills were honed in the Roman army as an auxiliary officer familiar with the characteristics of Roman warfare.”
- “However, instead of supporting the Roman Empire, which had granted him citizenship, Gaius Julius Civilis decided to use his knowledge to help the Batavi.”
- “It was a low point in Roman history. But things took a turn in 77 AD where, following some initial victories, a massive Roman army eventually defeated the insurgents.”
- “Following peace talks, the Batavi surrendered once again to Roman rule. However, this time they were forced to accept humiliating terms and endure a legion being stationed permanently on their territory, at Noviomagus (modern-day Nijmegen, The Netherlands).”
- “The rebellion may not have ended in favor of the Batavi in the end, but the rebels’ early successes were undeniable. The Batavi’s early victories over the Roman legions were also foretold. They were predicted by Veleda, a seer.”
Join us as we unravel the remarkable saga of the Batavi rebellion—a saga that reverberated through history, pitting a determined people against the might of Rome.
For more historical insights, visit Martini Fisher’s website and check out her book “Time Maps: Mesopotamia”.
In this episode, we delve into the fascinating world of dreams and their interpretations in ancient civilizations. We explore how dreams played a crucial role in government, religion, and daily life in early civilizations like Mesopotamia and Egypt.
Key Quotes:
- “The Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest known works of literature, presents dreams as a powerful tool for foretelling and guiding the future.”
- “Dreams were not just personal experiences but played a crucial role in government, religion, and daily life in early civilizations.”
- “The dream of Gudea, king of the Sumerian city-state of Lagash, led to the construction of a temple for the god Ningirsu.”
- “The Assyrian kings Ashurnasirpal II and Ashurbanipal sought guidance and victory in dreams.”
- “Dreams were incubated within the confines of Asclepieions, temples dedicated to healing, in ancient Greece.”
- “Dream interpreters, often tribal elders, matriarchs, patriarchs, priests, and shamans, held a special place in these societies. They could enter the world of dreams at will, encounter souls, fight, recover lost souls, heal, and bring the meaning of the dream forth to the life of the dreamers.”
Join us as we explore how dreams were regarded as an important way of receiving messages from the world of power and spirit, from the gods and other powerful beings, and how they continue to fascinate us to this day.
For more historical insights, visit Martini Fisher’s website and check out her book “Time Maps: Mesopotamia”.
In this episode, we journey back to ancient Greece to explore the Sacred Band of Thebes, an elite force of 150 pairs of male lovers. We discuss their crucial role in ending Spartan domination and the deep bonds they formed in battle. We also touch on the paradox of civilization, where periods of great achievement often coincide with war and turmoil.
Key Quotes:
- “The Pals battalions were far from being a new idea. Thousands of years prior, in the 4th century BC, King Philip II of Macedon erected a tribute at Chaeronea to commemorate the bravery of a battalion he conquered whose soldiers had ties to each other that were more intense and passionate.”
- “This memorial commemorates the Sacred Band of Thebes, marking the communal grave in which they were buried.”
- “The Sacred Band of Thebes was an elite force of the Theban army consisting of 150 pairs of male lovers, and they played a crucial role in ending Spartan domination.”
- “One of civilization’s great paradoxes is that periods of great intellectual and political achievement are often accompanied by war and turmoil.”
- “The fourth century BC saw a period of political and military upheaval in ancient Greece, marked by the rise of powerful city-states and the growing influence of Macedon, led by Philip II (382 – 336 BC).”
For more historical insights, visit Martini Fisher’s website and check out her book “Time Maps: Mesopotamia”.
In this episode, we journey back to ancient Rome to explore the life and legacy of Marcus Tullius Cicero, the greatest Roman orator. We delve into his prolific writings, which span rhetoric, philosophy, and politics, and the surviving collections of his personal correspondence.
We take a closer look at his relationships with various public figures, his friend Titus Pomponius Atticus, and most intimately, his younger brother Quintus. Through these letters, we gain a candid view into Cicero’s character, his intellectual prowess, and his day-to-day moods. Join us as we unravel the complexities of brotherly bonds, political frustrations, and the enduring power of the written word in ancient Rome.
Key Quotes:
- “In modern times, Marcus Tullius Cicero is remembered as the greatest Roman orator.”
- “Many of his letters did not survive, and many others were, perhaps understandably, suppressed for political reasons after his death.”
- “With Quintus, his younger brother by four years, the famous Marcus Tullius Cicero speaks as he would to a brother, friend, confidant and colleague.”
- “Marcus’ response to his brother’s nagging is that although he feels capable to write, he lacks the time and inclination.”
- “Marcus and Quintus Tullius Cicero were the sons of a wealthy family in Arpinium.”
As promised in this episode, here are some links that you might find interesting:
- Anna Perenna and the Ides of March
- How to Win an Election: Lessons from an Ancient Roman Rebel
For more fascinating insights into history, check out Martini Fisher’s website and her book, “Time Maps: Mesopotamia”. Dive into the past and discover the rich tapestry of events and individuals that have shaped our world. Happy listening!
In this episode, we delve into the intriguing life of Flavius Belisarius, a general of the Byzantine Empire, and his tumultuous relationship with his wife, Antonina. We explore how Belisarius, a man of great military prowess, was brought down by his Achilles’ heel - his deep love for Antonina.
Despite her infidelities and their troubled marriage, Belisarius remained stubbornly loyal to Antonina, a fact that historians like Procopius and Edward Gibbon have noted in their writings. We also shed light on Antonina’s background, her rise from poverty, and her alleged use of magic to win Belisarius’ heart. Join us as we unravel the complex dynamics of power, love, and betrayal in the 6th century Byzantine Empire.
Key Quotes:
- “Flavius Belisarius personified the perfect example of what a general of a powerful empire ought to have been.”
- “His Achilles’ heel was none other than his wife, Antonina.”
- “The unconquerable patience and loyalty of Belisarius appear either below or above the character of a man.” - Edward Gibbon
- “Antonina herself from the first led an utterly wanton life. Acquainted with magic drugs used by her parents before her, she learned how to use those of compelling qualities and became the wedded wife of Belisarius, after having already borne many children.” - Procopius
- “In Antonina, Belisarius seemed to have met his intellectual equal.”
As promised in this episode, here are some links that you might find interesting:
- Ancient Roman Actresses and the Dark Side of Beauty
- Tale of Two Concubines
For more fascinating insights into history, check out Martini Fisher’s website and her book, "Time Maps: Mesopotamia”. Dive into the past and discover the rich tapestry of events and individuals that have shaped our world. Happy listening!
In this episode, we delve into the rise and fall of unusual ancient Roman politicians. We explore how the early distribution of political power was influenced by factors such as fresh water, fertile soil, and a temperate climate, which were crucial for the development of organized societies. We discuss the evolution of Rome from a minor power to an imperial behemoth, and how this complicated the concept of politics. We also examine the formation of the Tribune of the Plebeians in 493 BC, which gave commoners a presence in the government, and the subsequent weakening of the senate after the formation of the Roman Empire in 27 BC.
Key Quotes:
- “In the ancient world, the early distribution of political power was dictated by the availability of fresh water, fertile soil and a temperate climate.”
- “Rome’s evolution from a minor power into an imperial behemoth complicated the concept of politics even further.”
- “The ancient Roman senate was established in the first days of the city of Rome which was traditionally founded in 753 BC.”
- “All this changed in the formation of the Tribune of the Plebeians in 493 BC.”
- “The senate was greatly weakened after the formation of the Roman Empire in 27 BC as it buckled under successions of powerful emperors who often violently coerced this governing body.”
For more fascinating insights into ancient history, check out Martini Fisher’s website and her book, “Time Maps: Mesopotamia”. Dive into the captivating world of the past and uncover the secrets of the ancient civilizations.
In this episode, we delve into the captivating world of Ganesha, one of the most distinctive Hindu deities. We explore his role as the remover of obstacles and the patron of travelers, students, commerce, and new endeavors. We journey back to the Gupta Period (c. 320-600 CE), when Ganesha emerged as a distinct deity in a recognizable form. We trace his evolution as he became one of the most prevalent Hindu deities in foreign lands, particularly during the 10th century CE.
Key Quotes:
- “Ganesha as we know him today does not appear in the Vedas, at least not explicitly.”
- “A prototype of Ganesha was worshiped in prehistoric times outside the Indian subcontinent in places such as Afghanistan, Iran, Tibet, Mongolia, China, Cambodia, Japan and Mexico.”
- “Among Buddhists in Thailand, Ganesha maintained his function as a remover of obstacles and is therefore considered a god of success.”
For more fascinating insights into history and mythology, visit Martini Fisher’s website. Check out her latest book, “Time Maps: Mesopotamia”, available now on Amazon. Let’s continue to make history beautiful together.
When word of his younger brother’s life-threatening illness reached him, Roman General Tiberius (later Emperor Tiberius Caesar Augustus) who was in Pavia at the time, crossed the Alps like a man possessed. Without stopping day or night, he covered 200 Roman miles in a dangerous country. Tiberius' frantic dash across the Rhine from northwestern Italy to Germany to his brother's bedside evolved into a legend.
Read this story in the blog.
Read more about:
- Germanicus
- Castor (Son of Tiberius)
- Augustus
- Castor and Pollux (the divine twins)
- Legends of the Zodiacs
The works of Quintus Horatius Flaccus, or Horace, span an extraordinarily wide range, making him one of the central authors in Latin literature. Horace seemed to be just as comfortable writing about love and wine as he was about philosophy and literary criticism. However, the phrase that both best encapsulates Horace’s moral stance and saves him from oblivion, is the phrase ‘carpe diem’ (Odes 1.11.8), which endures well to the modern ages as a slogan on T-shirts and the name of a trendy line of leather goods.
Read on the blog.
Read more about Octavian and Mark Antony.
Penthesilea was breathtaking. “Aphrodite, the noble bride of the potent War- god, made her beautiful indeed in death, so that the son of Peleus (Achilles), could be pierced by the arrow of chastising love," writes the 4th century AD Greek poet Quintus Smyrnaeus in his poem Posthomerica ("Things After Homer"). In addition to her beauty, Penthesilea was also born into a family of queens. She was the daughter of Ares, the god of war, and Otrera, Queen of the legendary Amazons. Apart from Penthesilea, Ares and Otrera had three other daughters: Hippolyta, Antiope, and Melanippe. Hippolyta went on to become one of the most famous of the Amazon queens, while her other sisters Antiope and Melanippe ruled alongside her over their country's three major cities.
Read on the blog.
Read more:
- Aphrodite
- Battle of the Tragic Heroes: Legends of India’s Karna, Greek’s Achilles and Ireland’s Ferdiad
- Ares and Athena
- An Unhappy Divine Marriage
Elusive and difficult to pinpoint, the ‘Old Man of the Sea’ may take on many names in mythology. He embodies the virtues of truth and justice, until he was usurped by a sinister character who made a nuisance of himself by latching on to men, like an irritating conscience, which one could only be rid of by inebriation.
Read on the blog.
Read more:
- Women and the Sacred Invention of Beer
- Ancient History of the Forbidden Fruit
- Battle of the Tragic Heroes: Legends of India’s Karna, Greek’s Achilles and Ireland’s Ferdiad
- Sacrifice the Virgin, Save the People
Music has been an integral part of the world’s culture since prehistorical times and discoveries of ancient musical instruments are still being made to this day. Excavations at the early Neolithic site of Jiahu in Henan Province, China, (7000 - 5700 BC), have produced what may be the earliest complete and playable multinote musical instruments. A sarcophagus representing the oldest illustration of the seven-string lyre and double flute accompanying a ritual from the Minoan Period (3000 - 1400 BC) was also discovered in Crete.
Read here for:
- Courtesans and Music in Ancient China
- Hades and Persephone
- Apsara and Gandharva
- Mahabharata: The Pandava Brothers
"Man the Hunter," an early twentieth-century human origins story, saw hunting as the primary driver of human evolution. This story emphasizes our forefathers' bipedalism, large brains, sharp tools, and insatiable desire for violence. According to this story, hunting also gave rise to the concept of the nuclear family, with women serving as those who waited at home for men to bring home the meat. However, through decades of field research, anthropologists have developed a more flexible and comprehensive view of human labor, which holds that neither men nor women are particularly biologically inclined to gather.
Read more about:
- Mothers' Tears
- The Woman in White
- Witches
- The Body of a Goddess
- Hecate
- The Moon Goddess
- Floods
In the ancient battle of Thurii in 282 BC, between Rome and the Greek colony of Tarentum, the Romans noticed a youth of extraordinary height marching in front of them and performing miracles of bravery. It was only afterwards, when no candidate for the crown of honor showed himself to claim it, that the soldiers realized and became convinced that it was the war god Mars himself who had come to the rescue of his people.
Read more on the blog.
Read more about:
- Anna Perenna
- Ares and Athena
- Zeus and Hera
- Romulus and Remus
- Lupa
Numerous myths, ubiquitous to great civilizations spanning the globe, reflect a deep-rooted belief in an intimate connection between a human being and a tree. The Homeric Hymn to Aphroditeproclaims that when the tree is injured, the tree nymph also hurts, “…but when the fate of death is near at hand, first those lovely trees wither where they stand, and the bark shrivels away about them, and the twigs fall down, and at last the life of the Nymph and of the tree leave the light of the sun together”.
Read more stories of the Sacred Trees in the blog.
Read more about:
- Aphrodite
- Apsara
- Kinnara and Kinnari
The ancient figures of the “Divine Twins” are globally recognizable. Among the many associations attached to the Divine Twins is the custom of dual kingship, the warrior king and the priestly king, where one king would go on campaigns and the other would remain to protect and reassure the tribe. Mentions of this custom was made as early as accounts by ancient Greek historian Tacitus (c. 56 – c. 120 CE) and continued well into the Migration Age where the twin kings became popular legendary figures.
Learn more in History made Beautiful blog.
Learn more about:
- The Horse, the Snake and the Dog: The Three Heads of the Real Queen of the Night
- (for more on the role of the Divine Twin in the rule of Emperor Tiberius) A Story of Castor, the Refreshingly Quiet and Surprisingly Competent Politician of Ancient Rome
- (for a bit more on the role of the Ashvin Twin in the Mahabarata Epic) One Perfect Man = Five Imperfect Demigods
- Death, Courage and Sacrifices upon the Stars: Legends Behind the Zodiacs
Eucleia’s images and altar were worshipped in Locris and Boeotia, Greece, where brides and grooms would perform a sacrifice. There was also a sanctuary dedicated to Eucleia at Aegae, the original capital of Macedonia which also served as the burial-place of the Macedonian kings. At least two statue bases in the sanctuary were votive offerings by a woman named Eurydice. Two inscriptions were found and one of these inscriptions, dating back to 340 BC, reads “Eurydika daughter of Sirras to goddess Eukleia.” Eurydice is the paternal grandmother of Alexander the Great. But she was not the only Eurydice of Macedonia. Her great-granddaughter, a niece of Alexander the Great, was also named Eurydice. Both women were as far removed from the docile and subdued image that Eucleia was supposed to represent.
Read more in History made Beautiful blog.
Cycles of nature were at the core of the ancient practice of divination to decipher the will of the gods. Many different methods of divination were practiced in antiquity, such as dream interpretations (oneiromancy), interpreting the entrails of slaughtered animals (haruspicy), and augury (ornithomancy) which interprets the movements and activities of birds. Augury in particular became famously influential in the Roman empire.
Read more in History made Beautiful blog.
Click below to read more about:
- Romulus and Remus
- Vestal Virgins
- The Divinity of Owls
- Pulcher and the Ancient Celebrity
One day, the 19th century courtesan Esther Guimond was traveling through Naples when she was stopped for a routine examination of her passport. When asked her profession, she quietly and discreetly told the official that she was a woman of independent means. Seeing the puzzled look on the official’s face, she exasperatedly declared, “Courtesan! Take care to remember it!”. Then, perhaps feeling somewhat liberated by this word coming out of her own mouth, she told him audaciously to “go and tell that Englishman over there.” On her death certificate of 1845, Harriette Wilson, the famous British Regency courtesan and mistress of significant and very public men such as Major-General William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven, and statesman Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, is discreetly described as a “woman of independent means.”Read more about Ancient Courtesans in the blog.
Read more about:
- The First woman
- The Oldest Profession in the World
- Aspasia
- Ancient Roman actresses
- Apsaras
- Politics and the Woman's Body
- The Four Great Beauties of Ancient China
Six months into his rule, Roman Emperor Caligula fell severely ill. When he recovered, he abandoned the toga for silk gowns and took up the habit of dressing as a woman. He also declared himself as a living god. Caligula’s illness was widely credited by contemporary historians as a turning point to his madness. In contrast, Caligula’s parents, Germanicus and Agripinna, were the ‘Brad and Angelina’ of Ancient Rome. Their union provided the genetic lynch-pin between the two most powerful dynasties in Rome – the Julian and the Claudian, as well as celebrity, nobility and glamour. They were beloved by the Emperor and the empire alike. From the glowing reports on Germanicus and Agripinna, it was hard to believe that Caligula was their son.
However, it is possible that Caligula’s descent into madness was not as dramatic as it was reported. His childhood was extraordinary even by ancient Roman standards. In the time that he lived in and all Caligula and his parents have had to go through as a family, is it so hard to believe that this may have planted at least some of the seeds of Caligula’s peculiarities?
Read more about Germanicus and Agrippina in the History made Beautiful blog.
Find out more on the site about:
- Julia
- Mark Antony
- Drusus (Tiberius' son)
- The ancient significance of Cross-Dressing
Commodus, the son and heir of the distinguished “philosopher emperor” Marcus Aurelius, was a failure as a Roman emperor despite all the influences and privileges that would have prepared him for the position from a very young age. He was appointed co-emperor of Rome and ruled alongside his father when he was just 16 years old and became the sole emperor after the death of his father in 180 AD. What then followed were years of brutal misrule which precipitated civil strife that ended 84 years of the Roman empire’s stability and prosperity and led to several assassination attempts on his life.This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2023/05/03/the-assassination-of-commodus/
An ancient oracle told by a Pythian priestess says, “But when the time shall come that the female conquers in battle, driving away the male, and wins great glory in Argos, then many wives of the Argives shall tear both cheeks in their mourning.” This oracle was later alluded to by historian Herodotus (c. 484 – c. 425 BC) and geographer Pausanias (c. 110 AD – c. 180 AD). The female whom this oracle refers to was Telesilla, a woman renowned for her leadership of Argos through its political and military crisis and subsequent re-building. Telesilla was also a poet. She was evidently renowned enough that Antipater of Thessalonica, the author of over a hundred epigrams in the Greek Anthology, saw it fit to include her in his canon of nine female poets.Read more in History made Beautiful blog.
In 1493, the invention of the Gutenberg printing press dramatically amplified the gathering and dissemination of news. However, this innovation came with a dark side as it later delivered the Great Moon Hoax of 1835. The Great Moon Hoax was the first-large scale news hoax in which the New York Sun published a series of articles about the discovery of life on the moon. The articles were falsely attributed to Sir John Herschel, one of the best-known astronomers of that time, and were published complete with illustrations of humanoid bat-creatures and bearded blue unicorns.
Read more in History made Beautiful blog.
King Sejong of Korea’s crowning achievement is hangul, the Korean alphabet. In 1443 CE, the king and eight of his advisers started the process of developing an alphabetic system to represent the Korean language sounds and sentence structure accurately. The new writing system quickly spread among segments of the population who previously had not had access to enough education to learn the more complicated Chinese writing system such as women and those of the lower social classes. This episode is also worth noting as the king initially faced a backlash from the scholars.
Read more in History made Beautiful blog.
The assassination of Julius Caesar on the 15th of March 44 BC was a turning point in Roman history. Since then, the Ides of March became notorious as being associated with death. However, long before the Ides of March became associated with Julius Caesar’s murder, it was a day of celebration for the ancient goddess Anna Perenna, a goddess beloved by the common people.
Read more in History made Beautiful blog.
Martini's Instagram mentioned in the episode is here.
The Therigatha (“Verses of the Elder Nuns”) is a collection of short poems by and about the early enlightened women in Buddhism. These women were the theris (“senior ones”) among ordained Buddhist women. They bore that epithet due to their religious achievements. Most of the gatha (“poems”) in the anthology are the songs of their experiences. With some of its poems dating as early as the late 6th century BC, while the poems of the Therigatha are clearly nowhere near as old as the poetry of the Rig Veda, for example, which had been orally transmitted since the 2nd millennium BC, the poems in the Therigatha are still some of the early poetries of India.
Read more in the History made Beautiful blog.
Greek mythology tells us about Tiresias, a blind prophet of Apollo, who was famous for his clairvoyance and for being changed into a woman for seven years. He was in Thebes for seven generations, giving advice to Cadmus, the first king of Thebes, and seeing the story of King Laius and his son Oedipus unfold. After the Seven Against Thebes expedition, in which Polynices (son of Oedipus) and six others attacked Thebes, Tiresias died. Pliny the Elder even said that Tiresias invented augury.
Read more in History made Beautiful blog.
Benzaiten is one of Japan's most complex and popular syncretic deities who has long ago been conflated and associated with other divinities from the Hindu, Buddhist, and Japanese pantheons. Her many forms range from a two-armed beauty playing music to an eight-armed martial deity holding weapons and a divine representation of the supreme Shinto sun goddess, Amaterasu. Benzaiten is also an agricultural deity invoked for rain and harvests. This patronage earns her a place as one of the shichifukujin (‘Seven Gods of Fortune’).
Read more in History made Beautiful blog.
In 1898, a group of German archaeologists working in the Demeter sanctuary at Priene unearthed a peculiar set of Hellenistic female figurines. The head of each of these figurines sits directly on her legs. Each figure also has long hair that drapes around her back resembling a lifted veil. These figures represent Baubo.
To read more on History made Beautiful blog
The keris, a dagger from Southeast Asia, was named a Masterpiece of Humanity's Oral and Intangible Heritage by UNESCO in 2005. The keris is a dagger with an unusual blade shape made possible by switching between iron and pamor (nickelous iron laminations). A number of the most well-known representations of the keris may be seen on the bas-reliefs of the Borobudur and Prambanan temples. Through maritime trade links and the growing influence of the Majapahit Empire in Java around the year 1492, keris culture spread throughout the Indonesian archipelago as far as Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines.
Read more in History made Beautiful blog.
In the 1600s in Japan, the samurai went through a bad time that led to a lot of changes. It was also a time when it was painfully clear that because of their place in society, samurais were not only the first people to go into battle, but they also had to take the most damage when the government changed. Ironically, the hardest time in a samurai's life wasn't when he was fighting, but when he was at home in peace.
Read more on History made Beautiful blog.
As a historian, the truth is that no matter how hard we try, there will always be differences between what one historian says happened and what another historian says. We are constantly reminded that a person's views, background, and environment have a big impact on how they see history and life in general. Ancient historians can also see that this is true. In fact, the stories of their own lives are almost as interesting as the stories they have written.
Read more about them in History made Beautiful blog.
Symposium, a philosophical work by Plato written between 385 and 370 BC, is about a friendly competition between speeches given by famous men at a banquet. During the talk, Socrates says that a priestess from Mantinea named Diotima taught him "the philosophy of love" when he was young. Socrates also says that Diotima slowed down the spread of the Plague of Athens, which destroyed the ancient Greek city-state of Athens in the second year of the Peloponnesian War (430 BC). Aside from these few details, we don't know much about Diotima as a person, until now.
You can also read about Diotima in the History made Beautiful blog.
As Plutarch was writing about the Athenian statesman Pericles, he was amazed by "the great art or power this woman had, which she used to please the leading men of the state." This unusual woman is Aspasia.
You can also read about Aspasia in History made Beautiful blog.
After Thespis became the first known actor in the world, the words "actor" and "thespian" were only used to describe men for hundreds of years. Women in the theatre have always been more of an exception than the rule. But you know us... we like to break silly rules.
Read more of this topic on History made Beautiful blog
The church tried to ‘release these unhappy slaves of a cruel voluptuousness’. By the time of Valentinian I, who reigned from 364 to 375 AD, the church had gained considerable grounds in ‘rehabilitating’ performers and introducing them into respectable society. An actress who, on her death bed, asked for and received the last sacraments, had to promise to never return to her ‘hateful’ theatrical life in case she recovered. This was just one episode of of the many adventures of actors and actresses in ancient Rome.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/11/08/blame-it-on-the-theater-the-joys-of-being-actors-and-actresses-in-ancient-rome/
Those who are familiar with the Chinese word wuxiá (“martial heroes”) may associate the word with memories of martial arts films and television programs that portray a fanciful depiction of Chinese martial arts to audiences around the world. However, there is more to wuxia than meets the eye. Wuxia is in fact an entire literary genre that depicts the exploits of ancient Chinese martial artists. It has proven to be popular enough to be used in a number of modern cultural media, including Chinese opera, films, television series and video games.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/11/01/wuxia-and-the-history-of-kung-fu-movies-legendary-tales-of-chivalrous-martial-heroes-of-ancient-china/
Euripides was not only critical towards religions and ancient legends, he was also considered to be the biggest social critic of all the ancient Greek tragedians. He introduced strong female characters and intelligent slaves, as well as satirizing many of the heroes of Greek mythology
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/10/25/writing-about-the-tragic-comedy-of-ancient-greek-women/
The Cinderella story is a tale of serendipity and love – both of which are universal themes. These themes are perhaps the reason why the story seems to transcend time itself and became one of the world’s go-to princess tales, recognized all over the world albeit under different names. While there are many variants of the story, they commonly feature a young woman in unjust and oppressive circumstances whose fortune are remarkably and unexpectedly changed with the assistance of divine elements such as magical animals and fairy godmothers (or godfathers).
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/10/18/the-strange-and-beautiful-stories-of-cinderella-from-asia/
The history of romance novels and erotica is vast and fascinating! But what do we actually know about the genre? Where did it come from? How has it changed over the years? And why has it continued to be popular for centuries, even though in some cultures, erotica is still hidden?
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/10/11/from-erotica-to-historical-fiction-ancient-history-of-romance-novels/
The first illustrations of people with a modern comic book style were found in the early 1900s BCE. Carvings from this time period show that Egyptians played with creating comics, but they weren’t able to create them in the same way we do today.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/10/04/the-history-of-comic-books-from-the-ancient-world-to-today/
Star-crossed lovers, fathers killing sons and a warrior bride shackling her newlywed husband to the bed, all play a role in the legendary folklore of Persia’s most famous fabled family; that of Rostam and his ancestors and descendants.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/09/27/star-crossed-lovers-murderers-and-vicious-brides-literary-history-of-the-famous-family-of-persian-heroes/
Journey to the West is a classic Chinese novel written by Wu Cheng’en in the 16th century. It depicts the adventures of a Buddhist monk and his three disciples. Although Journey to the West may be considered a pleasant introduction to the calm and gentle Buddhist philosophy behind this story is in fact a real journey by a Buddhist monk ten centuries earlier.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/09/20/your-ultimate-guide-to-the-secret-rebels-behind-journey-to-the-west/
You may not know it, but the original Hamlet was actually a Danish Prince who had his father killed by his uncle. Over 600 years later, Shakespeare’s play about this prince is still a favorite among theater-goers. But how much do you actually know about the story behind this iconic tragedy?
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/09/13/the-mad-prince-a-closer-historical-look-at-shakespeares-hamlet/
Lady Murasaki’s Tale of Genji is one of the most celebrated novels in Japanese history. The story follows the life of Hikaru Genji, a child of nobility born into ancient Japan’s Heian Period. It was written by a woman known only as Murasaki Shikibu, who lived during this tumultuous time and recorded the customs and details of court life.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/09/06/what-happened-behind-lady-murasakis-tale-of-genji-discovering-the-secret-lives-and-times-of-11th-century-heian-japan/
Some babies shake rattles and others shake up kingdoms. We hear many stories of the unhappy lives and ends of child rulers. Most recently, in 1908, Puyi became the last emperor of China at only two years old. As the crowning ceremony began, the frightened little emperor had to be carried to the throne by his father as he cried, kicked, and clawed – desperately trying to escape. But he had no choice. A child though he was, he had to rule an empire.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/07/21/little-emperors/
the world, indicating that every culture had strong influences on each other and their legends. A minor example of this can be seen in something as simple as a body armor – Ancient India’s Karna’s kawach (“armour”) has been compared with that of Ancient Greek’s Achilles’ Styx-coated body and with Ancient Irish warrior Ferdiad’s horny skin that could not be pierced.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/07/19/battle-of-the-tragic-heroes/
We would often see her images and, perhaps just as often, forget her name. In paintings, she is a beautiful tragic figure, looking up helplessly towards a Roman soldier standing over her. However, in 16th century Europe, there was no other ancient name that fuels an artist’s imagination like “Lucretia”.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/07/14/the-rape-of-lucretia-politics-and-the-womans-body/
Chinese mythology and cosmology rest on the concept that the universe is shaped and maintained by two fundamental forces called yin and yang. They are opposites yet complementary forces that interact to form a dynamic system where the whole is greater than the assembled parts.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/07/12/yin-and-yang/
In “Civilization of China” (1911), Herbert Giles wrote that “for pleasure pure and simple, independent of gains and losses, the theater occupies the warmest place in every Chinaman’s heart”. The fact that the Chinese theater is also known by the name guo cui (“quintessence of the nation”) solidifies its prestige as the most important form of entertainment in China where it has been for centuries.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/07/07/for-pleasure-pure-and-simple-the-history-of-chinese-opera/
The concept of the afterlife in the ancient world is more varied and somewhat more complicated. Unlike travelling to hell, which seems to be a much quicker process, a soul’s journey to heaven consists of various tests and layers before it could reach its final resting place.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/07/05/heaven/
The people of ancient Rome knew of a tragic hero Drusus (Drusus the Elder), the younger brother of Tiberius who died in a campaign. But there was another, younger and lesser known, Drusus in Tiberius’ family. He was Nero Claudius Drusus (Drusus the Younger, nicknamed Castor), the only son of Tiberius. The elder Drusus may have been a hero, but Castor seemed to be mostly overlooked first by his own family, as well as future historians.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/06/30/a-star-in-the-imperial-shadow/
In mythology, the fox usually has a positive connotation. In early Mesopotamian mythology, the fox is one of the sacred animals and a messenger of the goddess Ninhursag. Then in Asia, the fox became cynical.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/06/27/legends-of-the-nine-tailed-fox/
Although the subject of strong women in history is always fascinating, it is a widely recognized but often forgotten fact that the greatness of a queen could not have occurred without the positive support of the male population, just as the king’s power could be maintained only because women also supported them. No power would survive for long against the apathy or opposition of half of the population. Therefore, although sons, brothers and grandsons were the only ones with an officially recognized right to inherit power, the ancient East also knew many female leaders who were successful rulers of kingdoms. In fact, Islamic history is riddled with crises that threatened to destroy a number of dynasties had it not been for the intervention of women.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/06/23/al-khayzuran/
Despite the numerous charges against him by ancient writers, there are also evidence that Nero enjoyed some level of popular support. A poem dated about two centuries after Nero’s death proclaims Nero a man “equal to the gods,”
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/06/21/the-lost-history-of-a-mad-man/
The nature of the god Pan was always one of paradox: an uncivilized god in a civilized world. He was the shepherd, the guardian between civilization and the wild. Much like the goat, which could never truly be domesticated, Pan has always retained a bit of his feral nature. He was among the most popular of the ancient Greek gods, yet his cult never had the far-reaching impact enjoyed by the cults of Dionysus, Athena, and Apollo. Pan is also famous for his unfettered sexuality, yet was rarely successful in his courting.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/06/16/the-sad-love-life-of-a-great-god/
At the end of the eighteenth century, the British began reforming their prisons. Prisons previously provided next to nothing to their occupants, according to U. R. Q. Henriques’ 1972 article “The Rise and Decline of the Separate System of Prison Discipline.” Families were forced to bring in food and blankets, and guards were bribed on a regular basis. People were worried that once prisons started providing necessities, the poor would commit crimes just to get free stuff. Such luxuries necessitated labor—ideally, painful and pointless labour.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/06/14/torture-your-way-to-fitness-the-history-of-treadmill/
The Matrikas have existed from as early as the Indus Valley civilization (3300–1700 BCE). The Rigveda (c. 1700–1100 BCE) merely refers to them a group of seven mothers who control the preparation of soma (the drink of the gods).
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/06/09/the-sacred-seven-mothers/
The year 1386 was the worst year of Geoffrey Chaucer’s life. But this was also the year where he made the best decision in his life. After a long period of going through every kind of worldly and professional upheaval, he set out to write his Canterbury Tales.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/06/07/the-bards-tales-writing-the-canterbury-tales/
In one of the shrines of the Thanumalayan temple in Kanyakumari district, India, is the stone sculpture of a four-armed deity sitting cross-legged in Sukhasana (“easy pose” – similar to sitting in a simple cross-legged position) holding a battle-axe, a large shell, a vase and a staff around which the deity entwines a long trunk. At first glance, one would think that this is the famous elephant-headed Hindu god Ganesha except that this deity is clearly female.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/06/02/vinayaki/
Born in Arezzo in 1492, Aretino amassed considerable wealth and influence through his clever, astutely observed satirical writings and verse. He was forced to flee Rome after his sonetti lussuriosi (“Lustful Sonnets”), describing the sixteen positions depicted in Raimondi’s erotic engravings, scandalised society
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/05/30/pietro-aretino-a-renaissance-pornographer/
The two major Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, still appear widely in popular folk drama, tales and art all over Southeast Asia with slight adaptations in all the myriad cultures of the region. Scenes from the epics are illustrated in the relief sculptures of temples such as the Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the Rama temple in Malaysia, and mural painting in Vat Oup Moung, a Buddhist monastery in Vientiane, Laos. The five Pandava brothers of Mahabharata especially became blue prints in many traditional cultures of the south and southeast Asia as the perfect heroes. Kings claim descendants of the brothers, and their names are used for temples and streets even to this day.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/05/26/one-perfect-man-five-imperfect-demigods/
Antonin Dvorak’s opera Rusalka, based on Slavic folklore, was first performed in Prague on March 31, 1901, and went on to become one of the most successful Czech operas. The opera’s Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém (“Song to the Moon”) is frequently performed in concert and has been recorded separately to this day.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/05/23/death-and-the-rusalka/
in all of Greek Mythology, no siblings seem to hold a worse grudge against one another than the two war deities. The Ancient Greek society, in turn, did not hesitate to pit them against one another in their belief, their stories and their worships.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/05/19/ares-and-athena/
Mesopotamia was in turmoil during the third millennium BCE. The conquest of Sargon the Great resulted in the formation of the world’s first great empire. Akkad grew to be one of the world’s largest cities, and northern and southern Mesopotamia were united for the first time in history. Enheduanna, Sargo of Akkad’s daughter, is a fascinating character in this historical setting.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/05/16/enheduanna/
The word ‘shaman’ conjures up images of medicine men smoking peace pipes, dancing in a trance to drumming around a fire or African sangomas, adorned with leopard skin, throwing dollose bones and shells to divine and drinking beer from calabash. This is far removed from the concept of sophisticated, regal shaman queens of the East in China, Japan and Korea who used their talent and connection with the ‘Otherworld’ to the benefit of their kingdoms and populace. Later this feminine healing power was suppressed and persecuted by religious men, who regarded it as a threat to their faith.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/05/12/shaman-queens/
Courtly love was sensual love for an unattainable, idealised lady, but it was essentially pure, which prohibited physical consummation – imagine all of the angst, desire, and jealousy that could incite passion if there was no physical release. That was the theory, at least.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/05/09/the-service-of-ladies-the-story-of-ulrich-von-liechtenstein/
Fredegund (545 – 597 CE), the queen consort of Chilperic I – the Merovingian Frankish king of Soissons, has a reputation of being one of the most bloodthirsty and sadistic women in history. Accounts by Gregory, the Bishop of Tours (539 – 594 CE), depict her as a murderous lady who achieved power through her husband and used it to keep his kingdom in a state of war for more than forty years. She was also known as an early exponent of dirty warfare who relied heavily on poison and other covert operations
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/05/05/fredegund/
In the late 20th century, the concept of a link between appearance and “immoral” behaviour fully emerged, rendering the saying “never judge a book by its cover” pointless. This time, rather than mythical kings, it was minority groups that were frequently targeted.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/05/02/immorality-and-the-rise-of-the-wolf-ladies/
Sword dancing has found its place in many different cultures. In Asia, the sword dance is often used for plot descriptions and characterization in Chinese opera. In Pakistan and Nepal, military dances are still commonly performed for weddings and other occasions. In India, the Paika Akhada (“warrior school”) previously used to train Odisha warriors, is performed in the streets during festivals. Sword dances are also performed all over Europe, particularly in areas corresponding to the boundaries of what used to be the Holy Roman Empire.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/04/28/dance-of-the-swords/
There was silence for a moment after the matron appeared—and then the “Diggers,” like one man, sprang up and cheered and cheered…
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/04/25/at-the-heart-of-war-stories-of-women-of-anzac/
One of the most famous Roman antiquity inscriptions comes from Vindolanda, a fort along Hadrian’s Wall in northern Britain. This is Claudia Severa’s so-called “birthday letter,” which she wrote to her friend Sulpicia Lepidina around 100 CE. Severa dictated to a scribe on a small wooden tablet the invitation to her friend for a birthday celebration on September 11th, as well as well wishes in her own handwriting.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/04/10/heres-to-more-life-love-and-adventures-to-come-the-ancient-history-of-birthday-celebrations/
The werewolf is a staple of supernatural fiction these days, and one could be forgiven for thinking that this snarling creature was created during the Medieval and Early Modern periods as a result of superstitions around witchcraft and black magic. But the werewolf is much older than that.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/03/28/ancient-stories-of-werewolves/
About 48 million years ago, an owl swooped down to catch its prey in broad daylight – we know this because in 2018 Dickinson Museum Researchers found the exquisitely preserved remains of the owl. Its skull shares a telltale characteristic with modern-day hawks which also hunt by day. As they have evidently existed since the ancient times, the owl has been regarded with fascination, awe and fear throughout history. They feature prominently in the myths and legends of a variety of cultures.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/03/24/ancient-legends-of-the-divine-owl/
Legendary magician Merlin were said to carry a silver bough from an apple tree which allowed him to cross into the other worlds and to return to the land of the living. It’s no accident, then, that the apple tree is closely associated with knowledge, truth and enlightenment. The association between apples and knowledge continues In the Christian tradition as Eve offers Adam an apple – a forbidden fruit which grew on the tree of knowledge. Images after images were painted of this scene and the “forbidden fruit” became immortalized in arts as an apple.
What is it about the apple that caused it to become such a sacred symbol in the mythologies of the world?
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/03/17/divine-apples/
In his Argonautica, ancient Greek author Apollonius of Rhodes provides a rather romantic introduction of Medea as a young woman desperately in love. Unfortunately, this introduction quickly takes on a sinister turn and casts Medea as one of the most infamous and controversial figures in Greek mythology.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/03/10/medea/
Despite the misogyny in the ancient world, discussions and debates about gender equality has also started (or, at least, made famous) by an unlikely source: male philosophers.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/03/08/women-according-to-ancient-men/
Not much was known of the young Antinous before he attracted the attention of the ruler of the Roman world at its height. He was born in Bithynia, the northwest corner of the country that we now call Turkey, in the year 111 CE. He was very likely not from a wealthy family. However, because of his mysterious bond with Roman Emperor Hadrian, by the end of his short life Antinous was a house-hold name all over the Roman Empire.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/03/03/the-divine-beloved/
If the gorgeousness of the Greek goddess of love has been established as scholarly facts, what else can be said about her? Looking at classical arts alone, Aphrodite seems to have no distinctive attributes other than her beauty, however, she was much more than just beautiful.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/02/24/aphrodite/
Sixteenth century Theologian Martin Luther has referred to Melusine unfavorably several times as a succubus and nineteenth century composer Felix Mendelssohn wrote a concert overture titled “The Fair Melusina”. These days, images of Melusine are still seen in the Vendée region of Poitou, western France, where one can drink Melusine-brand beer and eat Melusine-style baguettes. In Vouvant, paintings of her and her sons decorate the “Tour Melusine,” the ruins of a Lusignan castle guarding the banks of the River Mère, where visitors of the tower can lunch at the Cafe Melusine nearby. The image of Melusine is so famous and enduring that, perhaps without knowing her by name, we still recognize her image today as the logo for Starbucks Coffee.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/02/17/melusine/
The last of the four regions of the Underworld is the Fields of Mourning, which are reserved for the souls of those who died of a broken heart. Those souls “wander in paths unseen, or in the gloom of dark myrtle grove: not even in death have they forgot their griefs of long ago” (Aeneid, Book 6, line 426). Some of the most famous inhabitants of the Fields of Mourning are Dido, Phaedra, Procris and Laodamia.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/02/10/women-in-the-fields-of-mourning/
These women are the apsaras, beautiful dancing women in the court of Indra, king of the gods, in the celestial palace in Hindu mythology. They are the heavenly charmers who fascinated heroes and allured sages from their devotions as well as the “rewards” in heaven given to heroes who fall in battle. The apsaras have the power to change their forms and give good luck to whom they favor.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/02/03/the-daughters-of-pleasure/
Theodoret of Cyrrhus (423–457) tells us that when little girls played games in forth-century Syria, they played monks and demons. One of the girls, dressed in rags, would reduce her little friends into giggles by exorcising them. This glimpse into a Syrian childhood scene points to the prestige of the monk figure and may serve as a preview to what must appear in this modern age as a somewhat strange theme in the setting of Christian hagiography—the woman monks of the deserts.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/01/27/our-lady-monks-mothers-of-the-desert/
Kinryuzan Sensoji Temple, located in Asakusa, Tokyo is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Japan. Dedicated to Kannon Bosatsu, the Bodhisattva of compassion, the temple is one of the most widely visited spiritual sites in the world with over 30 million annual visitors. Kinryuzan means the ‘Golden Dragon Mountain’. Legend has it that the Sensoji Temple was founded in 628 AD after two fishermen fished a gold statuette of Kannon from the Sumida River. Although the understandably confused fishermen tried to put the statue back into the river, it always returned to them. Therefore, the Sensoji temple was built nearby for the goddess represented by the statue found by the fishermen.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/01/20/dragons-of-ancient-asia/
Iranian mythology has no recorded evidence that the image of the serpent was ever associated with the practice of medicine or pharmacy. Instead, it was the mythical bird, Simurgh.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/01/17/simurgh/
A woman’s face, dubbed Hilda, was reconstructed from an ancient skull housed in The University of Edinburgh’s Anatomical Museum. Hilda lived between 55 BC and 400 AD and was of Celtic origin. She was probably more than 60 years old when she died, nearly double the life expectancy of the time, as a female’s life expectancy in her era was roughly 31 years. Having a long life during the Iron Age indicates a privileged background. Hilda’s was one of the six ‘Druids of the Hebrides’ skulls presented to the Edinburgh Phrenological Society in 1833. Therefore, Hilda was most likely a female druid.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/01/13/the-secret-stories-of-the-ancient-poets-of-the-celts/
In trying to conjure an image of the Buddha after hearing this story, one might picture a simple, contemplative man with a serene smile and, especially after his time as a starving ascetic, possibly slightly malnourished. Indeed, in India, Nepal and throughout Southeast Asia, Buddha is commonly depicted as tall, slender and serene. However, we are also familiar with the image of the “Fat Buddha”, “Laughing Buddha” or “The Happy Chinaman” – a short, well-fed, jolly man whose belly one can rub for good luck. This figure is popular in China and those areas to which Chinese cultural influence spread. Artwork of him from past to present shows him laughing gleefully – a stark contrast with the legendary Buddha. The Laughing Buddha is often conflated with the historical Buddha in spite of the distinct visual differences in their depictions, but they were different people.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/01/10/the-laughing-buddha/
In Japan, the annual meeting between the two stars is equally celebrated as the Tanabata (“Weaving Princess”) Festival. Traditionally, a bamboo plant would be brought into the house, and a picture of the two stars would be hung upon it. The Altair star is represented as a farmer leading a cow, and the Vega star is a princess with a loom. These celebrations originated in the ancient story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/11/25/the-legend-of-the-cowherd-and-the-weaver-girl/
An ancient legend says that Targitaus, a supernatural being who dwelled in the Black Sea domain, has three sons. Together, the three brothers ruled the land until four golden implements fell from the sky. The implements were a plow, a yoke, a battle-ax and a drinking cup. Suddenly, the four implements began to blaze. Out of the three brothers, it was Colaxais, the youngest brother, who was the only one able to pick up the burning objects. Thus, Colaxais became the first sole ruler of the Scythian kingdom. The culture of the Scythians, a group of ancient tribes of nomadic warriors who lived in what is now southern Siberia, flourished from around 900 BC to around 200 BC.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/11/22/the-warrior-priests-of-the-goddess-of-love/
When he was only 10 years old, the Yunnan province was reconquered by Chinese forces led by Ming Dynasty generals. His father was killed in the battle that ensued, and he soon found himself among the boys who were captured by the Ming army. He was castrated as was customary for juvenile captives. He survived this ordeal and was forced to serve in the army. Years later, this little Muslim captive from Yunnan became one of the greatest adventurers in history.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/11/18/the-rise-of-a-great-adventurer/
Five is one of the mystical numbers according to Hindu belief. There are five ingredients prescribed for worship: wine, fish, flesh, lard and chant, corresponding to the five senses in the human body: taste, smell, sight, touch and hearing. It is also believed that nature manifests itself in five forms: earth, water, fire, wind and sky. Each kanya is born of one of these elements, and these five elements of nature formed the essence of their characters.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/11/15/the-five-eternal-virgins-of-ancient-india/
Mariam sponsored the Andalusian Mosque in 859 AD which still stands today. For her part, Fatima began buying properties adjacent to the mosque, thereby significantly increasing the size of the mosque to found the Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque and University.
But they were not the only women who sponsor buildings for their communities.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/11/11/powerful-women-and-higher-education-of-ancient-islam/
The Four Great Beauties are four ancient Chinese women renowned for their beauty which they skillfully exercised to influence Chinese history. Although each of the Four Great Beauties frequently appear as the subjects or objects of arts, one seldom learns much of them beyond their names, descriptions of their looks and brief mentions of their skills, which was then preserved by Confucius as part of his philosophy.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/11/08/the-four-great-beauties-of-ancient-china/
Crossdressing is recorded around the world from the ancient past up to the present. In the ancient world, cross-dressing often mirrored gender-crossing actions of deities. In this context, it was tolerated, even supported, as an aspect of religious devotion. Also in this context, the transformation of gender is often associated with the process of coming closer to divinity by breaking down the categories of ordinary human experience. The manipulation of dress, therefore, is the most visible and convenient way for human beings to do what divine beings accomplish by other means, including crossing gender.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/11/04/ancient-history-of-cross-dressing/
Ancient Greek and Roman world gave us many individuals who were celebrities in their day and whose careers provide us with what we recognize today as different aspects of the modern celebrity culture such as endorsements, groupies and 15 minutes of fame – albeit without the terminology. The price of fame in the ancient world is also surprisingly, and in some cases chillingly, similar with what we see today.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/11/01/celebrity-culture-in-the-ancient-world/
Richard Wagner’s 19th century opera, Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of Nibelungen), affectionately known as the “Ring” Cycle, may be considered by many as the height of operatic absurdity, with larger than life staging, costumes and voices. The image is so ingrained in the modern consciousness that opera lovers and non-lovers alike associate the opera, specifically the character of Brunhilde, with a heavy-set female opera singer wearing her hair in pig-tails, costumed with horned helmet and armor. As the opera went on to make its mark on popular culture, from featuring in an episode of Bugs Bunny to inspiring a Quentin Tarantino film, Brunhilde became a more visually recognizable figure, which is not always followed by immediate association to her name and her story.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/10/28/it-aint-over-till-the-fat-lady-sings/
“Each of the criminals is bound to an iron pillar and the ox-headed demon is in the process of administering punishment—using iron or copper blades he peels the skin of the person’s face, just as a butcher kills a pig and then flays it.” This passage is found in a Chinese Shanshu (“good book” or “morality book”) titled Diyu yu-chi (roughly translated as “Record of a Journey to Hell”). The book emerged in tenth century China and talks about the things that one would find in hell which, of course, include many forms of tortures.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/10/25/the-bureaucracy-of-death/
In the battle against the Samnites in 296 BCE, general Appius Claudius uttered a prayer, “Bellona, if you grant us victory today, I promise to build you a temple.” his prayer was proven to be effective as the Romans proceeded to capture and plundered the Samnite camp, giving a massive amount of booty to their own sodiers.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/10/21/bellona/
There is an unusual rock formation in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia, on the north escarpment of the Jamison Valley. The three rocks stand close to the town of Katoomba and are one of the Blue Mountains’ best known sites, each towering above 900 meter (nearly 3000 foot) -heights. These three rocks, known as “the Three Sisters” seem to capture the sunlight and remain full of colors throughout the day. Even at night time, they look golden against the backdrop of the dark sky.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/10/18/sisters-and-the-stones/
Valentine’s Day is celebrated annually on February 14. It is recognized as a celebration of romance in many regions around the world.
This holiday that evolved to what we know as Valentine’s Day today was a very ancient pre-Roman pastoral festival to avert evil spirits and purify the city. According to Plutarch, from February 13th to 15th romantic Roman fellows stripped naked, grabbed some goat-skin whips and whipped consenting young maidens in hopes of increasing their fertility. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/02/21/celebrating-ancient-valentine-she-wolf-politics-and-whippings/
There are many versions and stories popular in different regions of China about the legend of the Chinese Zodiac. Why were there twelve animals in the zodiac calendar and where did the order come from? How did the rat get first place and the dragon come in fifth? Consensus seemed to say the rat cheated which, according to at least three of the versions, he totally did! But, then again, the following versions are only six out of probably thousands, so I may be a tad unfair to the little beast.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/01/24/can-we-really-trust-the-rat-6-reasons-the-rat-came-in-first-in-the-race-of-the-legendary-chinese-zodiacs/
There are three little messages that we pass along to each other in my family. One, spend a little time to pray around midnight to be grateful for the year that has passed and ask for blessings for the coming year. Two, if possible, despite perhaps the long night of partying, get up early in the first day of the New Year to watch the sunrise. Lastly, don’t travel long distance so near the major holidays. If one does need to travel, try to travel one or two weeks before 25 December at the latest and ideally wait for one or two weeks after the holidays to return. These are all ancient advice.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2018/12/28/ask-for-blessings-wake-up-early-and-dont-travel-too-far-welcome-to-the-new-year/
Long time ago, there was a lady. She had had a happy life. She grew up as daughter of a rich man and eventually married to a rich young man. She lived happily with her husband and bore him a son.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/04/24/death-impermanence-and-knowing-that-you-are-not-alone/
One of the very first word in the history of Western literature is “anger”. That is how Homer’s “Iliad” begins. Composed sometime in the eighth century BC, it starts with a call to the Muse to help tell the story of the “anger” of Achilles — and of the incalculable sorrows and the terrible deaths of so many brave warriors that this wrath caused. Homer’s epic, set during the war between Greeks and Trojans, is as much about anger, private vendetta and its fatal consequences as it is about heroic combat and the clash of two ancient superpowers.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/05/01/driving-away-your-anger-with-kindness/
Some people are naturally patient. But the rest of us need to practice for it to become a habit. Becoming more patient will not happen overnight, but persistence can pay off.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/05/08/patience-good-things-take-time/
Once upon a time, there was a rich man. As he became older, this rich man realized that the suffering of old age was about the same for rich and poor – in other words, in the end his money didn’t mean as much as he thought. So he gave up his wealth and class position, and he went into the forest to study under an old master and live as a poor monk. He practiced meditation and developed his mind. He freed himself from unwholesome thoughts and, slowly but surely, he became contented and happy.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/05/15/achieving-simple-happiness/
Shakespeare was arguing his belief that there is a strong link between truth and beauty. This may not be the most famous sonnet he ever wrote, but it’s one of the best poetic meditations on the meaning of beauty.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/05/22/the-true-value-of-beauty/
Psychologist Robert Provine’s theory is that, “Laughter is a mechanism everyone has. It is a part of universal human vocabulary. There are thousands of languages, hundreds of thousands of dialects, but everyone speaks laughter in pretty much the same way.” Babies have the ability to laugh before they ever speak. Children who are born blind and deaf still retain the ability to laugh. In other words, when you have very little else, you will still have the ability to laugh.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/05/29/the-importance-of-laughter/
The history of the arrival and spread of Islam in Indonesia is a little unclear despite it being one of the most significant developments in Indonesian history as there are many competing theories and only fragmentary historical evidence. One theory states it arrived directly from Arabia before the 9th century, while another credits Sufi merchants and preachers for bringing Islam to Indonesian islands in the 12th or 13th century either from Gujarat, India or directly from the Middle East.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/06/05/spread-of-islam-and-introduction-to-the-javanese-philosophy/
Joseph Campbell wrote, “a hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.”
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/07/17/going-to-hell-and-back-turning-chaos-to-opportunity/
People in Turkey have known the jokes and stories of Nasreddin Hodja, a comedic writer said to have lived in the 13th century, since their childhoods. His stories have traveled over land and sea, making their way into the hearts and minds of tribal members of various cultural backgrounds, from Turkey to the Persian, Arabian and African cultures, even along the Silk Road to China and India. His messages are so universal that every culture seems to claim this man as their own. However, despite his popularity, there are still debates about his very existence. So, who is Nasreddin Hodja and did he really exist?
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/10/14/nasreddin-hodja/
The koala is a major draw for Australian zoos and wildlife parks. They are featured heavily in Australia-related advertisements, cartoons, and soft toys. If one were to name the animal most closely associated with Australia, it is very likely that the koala or the kangaroo would be mentioned. Personality-wise, the koalas’ most enduring quality is probably their laid-back nature. They generally look as happy and comfortable being in the arms of humans as they are climbing trees and eating eucalyptus leaves.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/10/11/ancient-stories-of-the-koala/
Serat Rama is a composition of the old Javanese song composed at around 870 AD. In the poem, Rama explained the concept of leadership to Wibisana, the new king of Alengka. After watching his extended family die on the battlefield, Wibisana was unwittingly put in the unexpected and unwanted position of being the next king of Alengka. Seeing this, Rama gave him a crash-course on leadership called Astabrata, a teaching about obligation of a great king.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/06/12/how-to-be-a-leader-an-ancient-javanese-philosophy/
In 1904, a copy of an ancient book which had been lost for more than 1400 years was discovered in India. A modest book written on palm leaves, its outward appearance was proven to be deceiving as the book contained surprisingly detailed information on how an effective government should be run, treating wide-ranging topics from war, diplomacy, law, taxation, agriculture, how to manage secret agents, when it is useful to violate treaties, even when to kill family members.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/10/08/arthashastra/
Although they have the power to change their shape at will and appear as animals, monsters, or beautiful women, sculptures and literatures generally depict the Rakshasas with a terrifying appearance – fearful side tusks, ugly eyes, curling brows and carrying a variety of horrible weapon. But, as with everything else in life, not all Rakshasas are ugly.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/10/07/rakshasas-the-beautiful-the-virtuous-the-sleepy/
Her father Sunda King Lingga Buana gave his blessings and, accompanied by his queen and ministers, he travelled with his daughter to Trowulan, the capital of Majapahit, for her marriage to Majapahit ‘s king. As the Sunda king arrived in Majapahit, they were welcomed by none other than Gajah Mada himself.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/10/06/the-bloody-wedding-of-bubat/
Legends about the Ebu Gogo go back to early western exploration of Flores by the Portuguese in 1511 CE, who heard that there was a tribe of wild men and women who stole food and kidnapped children.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/10/04/the-tribe-of-wild-grandmothers/
Dancers at the court of the Susuhunan of Solo, Surakarta, between 1910 to 1930 The Nobility of Indonesia is comprised by the more than 350 royal families that ruled the Indonesian Princely Estates, plus the customarily recognised nobility of each particular Kingdom. Their members form an ancient nobility of blood whose noble titles are many times socially, traditionally and routinely recognized. However, although socially tolerated and the chiefs of these Royal houses sometimes still have representational and ceremonial roles, they no longer have legal privileges,
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/06/19/the-priyayi-class-and-the-javanese-nobility-titles/
In the small island of Bali in the 10th century, lived another King Udayana. Belonging to the Warmadewa dynasty, the earliest dynasty in Bali, King Udayana’s rule saw the prosperity of his people through consistent market strategies and trade relations, as well as a rich diversity in the agricultural sector, which led to abundant harvests. To this day, Udayana’s name is associated with Bali’s past greatness.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/09/30/udayana/
if she ended up being a wife of a low-ranking official or a well-off merchant, Julia would have been perfectly content. But she wasn’t. Being the daughter of the first emperor of Rome meant that it was her destiny to be a part of the political maneuverings of the empire whether she wanted to or not.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/09/27/julia/
The Medang kingdom or the Mataram kingdom was a Javanese Hindu-Buddhist kingdom which flourished between the 8th and 11th centuries. It was based in Central Java, and then in East Java. The first account of the Medang Mataram Kingdom is in the Canggal inscription, dated 732, discovered in the Gunung Wukir Temple compound in the village of Canggal, southwest of the town of Magelang. This inscription, written in Sanskrit using the Pallava script, tells of the erection of a lingga (symbol of Shiva) on a hill in the Kunjarakunja district , located on a noble island called Yawadwipa (Java), blessed with abundance of rice and gold. The lingga was founded by order of Rakai Mataram Sang Ratu Sanjaya (King Sanjaya Lord of Mataram) the founder of the kingdom. At its peak, the kingdom had become a dominant empire—not only in Java, but also in Sumatra, Bali, southern Thailand, Indianized kingdoms of the Philippines, and the Khmer in Cambodia.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/06/26/the-golden-age-of-java/
Even with its riches and long history, Srivijaya was, for a long time, largely forgotten. Although Palembang, the capital of Srivijaya became a part of Indonesia, even the modern Indonesian people never heard of the empire until the first hint of its existence was alluded to by French scholar George Coedes who published his findings in Dutch newspapers in 1918, based on inscriptions found in Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. It was not until 1992 that another French scholar, Pierre-Yves Manguin, pin-pointed the center of Srivijaya as the Musi River, between Bukit Seguntang and Sabokingking in South Sumatra.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/09/23/the-rise-and-fall-of-srivijaya-the-forgotten-empire/
A modern research shows that while many people do lack information on their family heritage these days, it also shows that they want to and are willing to take the steps to learn more about where they came from. In fact, 84 percent agree that it is important to know about their heritage. Being aware of your history is important for many reasons like creating a sense of connection, a greater emotional well-being and even providing means to develop a sense of personal identity. Now imagine if this was taken away…
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/09/20/damned-to-be-forgotten/
The vision of heavily armed men has become so heavily associated with the art of war that at this point it has become a cliché. So much so that, despite the many evidence throughout history of many female fighters, strategists and leaders, the association between women and war are still mostly seen as somewhat of a novelty even to this day. Stories of ancient female warriors are relegated to legends and folklores with minimal historical accounts attached to their lives, which leads to doubts on whether these women actually existed. Some of them are so fantastical and unrealistic that one would be forgiven to be inclined to immediately dismiss them. The lives and exploits of notable warrior women in history such as Artemisia I of Caria, Boudicca, or Joan of Arc are mostly considered examples of exceptional personal valor instead of reflections of the societies in which they lived.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/07/24/ancient-ladies-of-war/
Nyai Roro Kidul is a well-known figure in Javanese mythology who is still venerated by the Javanese today as the spirit queen of the Indian Ocean. Living in her palace on the bottom of the ocean off the south coast of Central Java, she rules the ocean, the spirits, nymphs, and other beings from the underworld.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/09/16/nyai-roro-kidul-the-lady-of-the-south-seas/
When Farinelli, the most famous castrato of his time, sang in London, one woman squealed “One God, one Farinelli!”. “Long live the knife, the blessed knife!” screamed other estatic female fans at opera houses as the craze for Italian castrati reached its peak in the 18th century. Farinelli was later summoned by the Queen of Spain to sing her husband, Philip V, out of his depression, and went on to become the most potent politician in Spain as well as owner of his own opera house.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/09/13/the-strange-beauty-of-the-castrati/
In Asian mythology, just before the Lunar New Year, the kitchen gods would go to Heaven to report to the Heavenly Emperor on his family’s activities during the year. In China, the family “send off” their kitchen god to heaven to make their report by burning the paper in which an image of the paper god was drawn that had hung over their stove for the entire year. The smoke rising to the heavens represents his journey to heaven, while fire crackers are lit to speed up the kitchen god’s travel. To ensure a good report before the Heavenly Emperor, honey would be rubbed on the lips of the paper god so that the kitchen god would have only sweet things to say to the Heavenly Emperor, or so that the sticky honey would prevent him from opening his mouth and tells the Heavenly Emperor any bad news.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/08/07/the-kitchen-in-asian-mythology/
The art of shadow puppetry, or shadow play, is an ancient form of storytelling which utilizes flat translucent screen. It has a long history in China, India, Nepal, and Southeast Asia, as well as in Turkey and Greece, surviving everything from war and famine to cultural revolutions. Shadow puppetry is so embraced by many different cultures that each culture seems to have their own history and legend of the first shadow play performance— therefore claiming it, or at least different versions of it, as their own.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/09/09/javanese-wayang-and-the-history-of-shadow-puppetry/
They are rarely mentioned in historical records but female warriors have increasingly been studied and researched. Of female martial artists, the accounts are rarer still, and generally become a mix of historical facts and legends. One such story is the Shaolin Abbess Ng Mui, her student Yim Wing Chun, and their roles in the conception of a martial art called the Wing Chun Kung Fu.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/09/06/the-fighting-nun/
Star signs are one of those things which we take for granted. Although we ‘consult’ star signs, we do not usually bother with how they come about. Many of the signs got their names from various Greek legends, but some predate even those.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/04/17/death-courage-and-sacrifices-upon-the-stars-legends-behind-the-zodiacs/
The picture of a powerful empire politically and culturally dominating the whole of the Indonesian Archipelago is attached to the “Golden Age” of Majapahit in the fourteenth century. It was the time of the famous poets Prapafica and Tantular, and of the sculptors of reliefs that have been preserved on the Surawana, Tigawangi and Kedaton temples. The two men largely credited for this success are the great king Hayam Wuruk (1350-1389 CE) and the prime minister Gajah Mada—both their names and likenesses are still venerated in the region today. Gajah Mada especially is credited with bringing the empire to its peak of glory and serves as an important national hero in modern Indonesia—a symbol of patriotism and national unity. However, paving the way for the two heroes was a woman
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/09/02/dyah-gitarja/
As fire is “divine” and heavily associated with creation (creation of food, creation of warmth and so on), a lot of ancient myths imply that fire was meant for the gods, not mankind, to control. Therefore, the giving of fire or, more often, the theft of fire for the benefit of humanity who were not meant to hold such power, is a theme that recurs in many world mythologies.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/08/30/thieves-of-fire/
Once there was an old man named Meng who lived with his wife in the southern part of China. One spring, Meng sowed a seed of calabash in his yard. The bottle gourd grew little by little – its vines climbed over the wall and entered his neighbor Jiang’s yard. Like Meng, Jiang had no children. Jiang became very fond of the plant. He watered it and took great care of it. With the tender care of both men, the plant grew bigger and bigger and showed a beautiful calabash in autumn. Jiang plucked the calabash and the two old men decided to divide it by half. However, when they cut it, they found a pretty little girl lying inside. They decided to raise the child together and named the girl Meng Jiang – a combination of both their names.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/03/27/the-bitter-tears-of-lady-meng-jiang/
One afternoon in the 1960s, the people of Magelang in Java, Indonesia, gathered on the edge of the main road which connects Magelang and Yogyakarta and sounded anything they could find which could make a loud noise. After some time, the wind blew from the south. This southern wind, according to the local legend, was a Lampor. A Lampor refers to trips to several regions in Java which are carried out by the soldiers of Nyi Roro Kidul, the mythical Queen of the Southern Seas, led by her commander Nyi Blorong.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/08/26/the-goddess-with-the-golden-scales/
As the bird is the symbol of the spirit of life, the serpent is the symbol of the sting of death. This was a very wide-spread ancient belief. The association of the bird and the serpent to life and death goes back to the last part of the stone age, later represented by ancient Greek’s Medusa, all the way to ancient China where the two animals are revered as embodiments of power and nobility.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/08/23/the-bird-the-snake-the-woman/
Semar is probably one of the oldest characters in Indonesian mythology who was not derived from Hindu mythology. He was made famous by performances of Wayang (Shadow Puppets) in the islands of Java and Bali as a rather unattractive, short man with breasts, a great sized behind, and uncontrollable urge for farting. However, underneath his peculiar appearance, Semar plays a major part in the Indonesian creation myth as the elder brother of the supreme god Batara Guru (the Hindu god Shiva).
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/08/14/the-fallen-god-and-the-power-of-humility/
Stories of Hanuman’s heroic deeds have been passed down through generations for thousands of years. us monkey was born in East Asia through the first Chinese novel Hsi-Yu Chi (“Journey to the West”). The story is based on a Buddhist monk who journeyed to India in search of Buddhist sutras from 602-664 CE. Protecting him on his journey, according to the book, are four companions also led by a divine monkey, Sun Wu Kong.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/08/19/the-divine-monkeys-and-their-tales-of-redemption/
The story of Adam or Eve is by no means universal. According to the Iroquois, Huron and Navajo people, the first human being was, in fact, a woman. Nevertheless, the role of the woman in many legends are the most intriguing as, varied as they are in the way in which they were created and in their circumstances, the first woman share many similar characteristics across cultures – they are beautiful, they change the course of the world through their mere existence and they provide us with glimpses of personalities that women around the world still inherit to this day.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/08/16/the-first-woman/
For centuries, rice has been a staple diet and plays an important role in Asian culture. Although rice farmers have found their lives to become more difficult due to climate change, Bloomberg states in 2016 that 16 million people still farm rice in Thailand alone. Commemorating the beginning of the rice growing season with an annual Royal Plowing Ceremony in the month of May is an ancient tradition for countries such as Thailand, Cambodia and Sri Langka among others. Some of the duties of the Emperor of Japan as chief Shinto priest is the ritual planting of the first rice seeds on the grounds of the Tokyo Imperial Palace as well as performing the first harvest ritual. Rice fields in Asia are generally protected by goddesses.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/08/21/dewi-sri-and-nang-khosop-the-goddesses-who-gave-their-life-and-bodies-so-that-mankind-could-live/
Apart from being a shrine to the Lord Buddha, Borobudur is also a temple for Buddhist pilgrimage. A pilgrim’s journey begins at the base of the monument and follows a path around the temple. The pilgrim then ascends to the top of the monument through the three realms in the Buddhist cosmology. Those three realms are Kamadhatu (“the world of desire”), Rupadhatu (“the world of forms”) and Arupadhatu (“the world of formlessness”). However, to experience this journey, the pilgrim will first walk through the gate of the temple adorned with a terrifying head which gives the illusion of the gate looking like the open mouth of the giant. The giant head represents Kala (“time”).
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/08/12/batara-kala-and-the-monstrous-faces-of-the-guardians-of-time/
Rome would stand “as long as the pontifex climbs the Capitoline beside the silent Virgin,” the poet Horace said. The “silent Virgin” was a Vestal virgin, a priestess of Vesta, the Roman goddess of the hearth and home. She was an embodiment of the city and citizenry, and her well-being was fundamental to the well-being and security of Rome. A vestal is a woman of the city. Beloved and closely watched by the people. But what usually happens to the woman who is “watched by the people”?
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/08/09/scandalous-virgins/
Due to the influence of the Greek Artemis-Selene and the Latin Diana-Luna, we generally associate the moon with femininity. Among the Germanic nations, the moon is masculine and the sun feminine. It is the daughter of Sol, the Norse Sun-goddess, who in the regenerated world shall ride on her mother’s track when the gods are dead; and it is the god Mani, who at Ragnarok, the Twilight of the gods, shall be devoured by the Wolf of darkness, Managarmr (Moon-swallower), a reduplication of the terrible wolf Fenrir.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/04/03/deus-lunus-the-men-of-the-moon/
Semar is probably one of the oldest characters in Indonesian mythology who was said to not have been derived from Hindu mythology. He was made famous by performances of Wayang (Shadow Puppets) in the islands of Java and Bali as a rather unattractive, short man with breasts, a great sized behind, and uncontrollable urge for farting. However, underneath his peculiar appearance, Semar plays a major part in the Indonesian creation myth as the elder brother of the supreme god Batara Guru (the Hindu god Shiva).
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/08/05/semar/
Virgil, in his Aeneid, describes Deiphobe, better known as the Sibyl of Cumae, as coming from “a hundred perforations in the rock, a hundred mouths from which the many utterances rush”. But she was not the only Sibyl. There were others. Many of these women rubbed shoulders with the greatest warriors and leaders of their ages, shaping the future instead of merely foretelling it.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/08/02/sibyls-the-women-behind-power/
A solar creation myth from Japan contains a reference to a floating cloud in the midst of infinite space, before matter had taken any other form. This also nicely describes the original nebula from which scientists say the solar system was evolved. The legend says that when there was no heaven, earth, sun, or moon, there was only the Invisible Lord of the Middle Heaven existing in an infinite space. With him there were two other gods. Between them, they created a floating cloud in the midst of which was a liquid formless and lifeless mass from which the earth was evolved.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/03/20/sol-et-luna-creation-myths-of-the-sun-and-the-moon/
The Olympics took place every four years for more than a millennium. However, as important as this was to the Greeks, participation in the Olympics was open primarily to men and boys. Women were of course discouraged to participate. But this did not stop the ladies from having their own athletic competitions, even competing against the men and winning.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/07/29/ancient-women-and-the-olympics/
Kelea was the beautiful sister of Kawao, king of Maui who, at the age of twenty-five, succeeded to the sovereignty of that island. Brought up in the royal court at Lahaina, Kelea was uncommonly beautiful. But she never cared about marriage. She loved the water and became the most graceful and daring surf-swimmer in the kingdom. Frequently, when the waters of Auau Channel surged wildly under the south wind, Kelea would plunge into the sea with her surf-board, and ride the waves that those who watched and applauded her were half-inclined to believe that she was the friend of some water-god, and could not be drowned.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/03/13/a-prophecy-came-to-life-the-story-of-kelea-the-surf-rider-of-maui/
The ancient Greek historian Thucydides once wrote, “Human nature is constant”. An election is a messy process and something that we have tried to get right for thousands of years. In some ancient Greek city-states, election by lot was a method of choosing public officials. It was used especially in the Athenian democracy, from which most information about the practice is derived. This practice provided the regular turnover of officeholders. As a result, for better or worse, the operations of government were not in the hands of experts, but in the hands of the people.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/09/25/how-to-win-an-election-lessons-from-an-ancient-roman-rebel/
Most European giants are represented as being evil and cruel. The term “giant” and the reputation for cruelty derives from the Gigantes of Greek mythology, who were savage creatures with men’s bodies and serpentine legs.
According to Hesiod, they were children of Gaia and Uranus, born from the blood of Uranus after he had been castrated by his son Cronus. In a war between the Gigantes and the gods of Olympus, called the Gigantomachy, the gods prevailed and the giants were slain or restrained.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/07/12/book-talk-giants/
A beautiful girl, Psyche, is born after two older sisters. People throughout the land worship her beauty so deeply that they forget about Venus, who is supposed to be the most beautiful being ever. Jealous, Venus plots to ruin Psyche. She instructs her son, Cupid, to pierce the girl with an arrow and make her fall in love with the most hideous man alive. But when Cupid sees Psyche, he shoots himself with the arrow instead.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/02/29/cupid-and-psyche-love-cannot-live-where-there-is-no-faith/
In English djinns are called genies, a name that came indirectly from the same ancient Semitic root “GNN” (meaning concealment or invisibility) as the Arabic word “djinn”. From this root the Romans got “genius”, referring to a guardian spirit of a person or place. In PreIslamic Arabia the djinns were often worshipped much as the Romans worshipped their “household” gods – they were considered to be the protective and helpful gods of a person, family, household or location – the “genius” of a person or place.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/07/05/book-talk-djinns/
In Plato’s Symposium (c. 385–370 BCE), Socrates mentions that, in his youth, he was taught “the philosophy of love” by a woman named Diotima, a priestess from Mantinea. She taught Socrates the concept of love as a means of ascent to contemplation of the divine, arguing that the goal of love is immortality, either through the creation of children or beautiful things. This is an ancient concept. So ancient, in fact, that there are many love stories that were so great that they gave birth to changes in the world and new knowledges that we take for granted today.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/02/07/the-firsts-of-the-world-greatest-ancient-love-stories/
Dragons or large serpent-like creatures are so common in mythology and folklore that we should suspect that there are some grains of truth behind them that we have lost sight of - something more than just imagination and fairy stories. Modern dragon lore is mainly fantasy - few of the people who write about them have ever encountered even one little dragon. Apart from occasional tales of sea serpents no reliable reports of dragon sightings have reached Euroamerica in the past eight hundred years, but early in the seventeenth century some European naturalists were still writing about them as if they were common knowledge.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/06/28/book-talk-dragons/
Because to Christianity’s prominent influence in Western society, the book of Genesis have left a lingering demonization of snakes in the Western culture. However, serpents act as important symbols in many world cultures and not all of them symbolize evil. In Ancient Greece, nonpoisonous snakes often roamed freely in temples dedicated to Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine as they interpreted snakes’ ability to shed their skin as a type of regeneration and thus a symbol of healing. The Norse god Jormungand, known as the Midgard Serpent, is also considered a cosmic serpent as he circles the world with his body. In the Hindu tradition, Shesha is a cosmic serpent and the king of all Nagas. Shesha holds the universe in his hood. Nagas occur in Buddhist lore too. One story tells of a Naga named Mucalinda sheltering Buddha from a storm as he meditates in a forest.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2019/07/05/the-loving-serpent-the-legend-of-madam-white-snake/
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,” as Shakespeare’s Hamlet says, “than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” He was right. The things that go on in people's minds are very real and can influence worldly events. In fact, it often seems that they are the only things that can influence the world. After the Great Enlightenment, humanity’s perception of “reality” permanently shifted, never to be the same again. We started to place high values in progress, rationality, science, logic and belief. Our whole modern world is built on them – but there were immense costs involved too.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/06/21/new-release-horatios-world/
Odin, the chief ruler of the gods, was tall and old, wise and reverend. His beard was white and long, and he seemed to be forever brooding deeply over the mysteries of life and death. He had only one eye as he sacrificed the other to obtain great wisdom.
Every morning, Mimer drank a draught with the Gjallar-horn. The then young Odin had deep desire to receive the wisdom and strength which the mead alone can give. He entreated Mimer to give him a draught in exchange for one of his eyes which was cast into the well.He then drank the Gjallar-horn he became worthy to rule over gods and men. Thus Odin taught to all men that self-sacrifice is required to obtain wisdom and power.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2019/01/25/the-one-big-mistake-deeds-of-odin/
THE Asa-gods built Asgard, the celestial city set high above the heavens. It stands upon a holy island in the midst of a dark broad river flowing from the thunder-vapours that rise through the great World-tree from Hvergelmer (“the roaring cauldron”), the mother of waters.
A dark and lofty wall protectes Asgard, and the great boiling river breaks angrily at its base. There is no entry-way apart from Odin’s mighty gate. If anyone who is unworthy cross the river unscathed by the vafer-flames and wants to open the gate of Asgard, he would be caught suddenly by a chain which which crushes him.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2019/01/18/the-divisions-of-the-universe-nine-worlds-of-the-ancient-norse/
Historians often write them off as mad women. The name Maenad evenliterally translates as the “raving ones”. But these women are much more than that. They are sacred worshippers and holy priestesses to the god of wine, madness and frenzy – Dionysus.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/06/14/divinity-beneath-the-madness/
Sortition by lot was a form of selecting public officials in some ancient Greek city-states. It has been used particularly in the democracy of ancient Athens from which most information on the practice is derived. This procedure overturned the electoral races and allowed for the daily succession of the office holders. Therefore, the government’s activities were not in the hands of experts, but through the sorting system which at least gives the people some practical political education.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/10/14/very-short-story-about-voting-in-ancient-greek-and-rome/
By the middle of the legendary eighteen-day bloodbath that was the Kurukshetra war in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, the war had been inconclusive. However, the power of Bhisma, the leader of the Kauravas’ massive army, was undeniable until Lord Krishna saw a ray of hope through Shikhandi, a young male soldier who was born a woman.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/06/07/the-ancient-price-of-speaking-truth-to-power/
The general appearances of ancient Chinese deities lead us to think of them as sober imperial bureaucrats. Mostly, they look like middle aged men dressed in official-looking robes, spending their time reading formal petitions and responding by giving stern orders to their underlings – rather like the more artistic version of our modern politicians. Although several of the most popular deities are female, gender immediately raises problems for the bureaucratic image of some important deities as governing elites tend to favor a religious practice that reflected themselves (male, old, humourless etc). Women, as well as men who are viewed to be rebels or misfits, tends to be excluded from the sites and definitions of power. But a group of joyful misfits changed all that.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/05/31/divinity-in-diversity/
In Maori mythology, Ranginui and Papatūānuku are the sky father and the earth mother. They lie locked together in a tight embrace. Their many children, the gods, are therefore forced to live in the cramped darkness between them. These children always dreamed of living in the light. When they grew up, Tumatauenga, the god of war and fiercest of the children, proposes that the best solution to their predicament is to kill their parents.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/02/01/the-beginning-of-the-world-the-pain-and-separation-of-the-divine-family/
At the very beginning there was nothing. Then a vast and empty gulf opened in space. The length and breadth of this gulf was immesurable and its depth was beyond any of our comprehension. That gulf contained the beginning of everything.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2019/01/11/from-the-body-of-a-giant-ancient-norse-story-of-creation/
The twins Romulus and Remus were borne by Ilia, daughter of king Numitor, and the war-god Mars. They were condemned by King Amulius, the ruler of Alba, to be cast into the river. The king’s servants took the children and carried them from Alba as far as the Tiber on the Palatine Hill. However, when they tried to descend the hill to the river to carry out the command, they found that the river had risen and they were unable to reach its bed. They therefore thrust the tub which the children slept into the shallow water at the shore.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2018/12/21/sons-of-the-wolf-the-birth-of-romulus-and-remus-founders-of-rome/
In an expedition to the court of Mark, king of Cornwall and England, Riwalin, king in the land of the Parmenians, had become acquainted and subsequently passionately in love with Mark’s beautiful sister, Blancheflure. Later, as he was assisting Mark in a campaign, Riwalin became mortally wounded and was carried to Tintajole. Blancheflure, disguised as a beggar maid, hastened to his sickbed and saved Mark’s life through her devoted love. The lovers then fled together to his native land and Blancheflure was proclaimed as his consort. However, Morgan attacked Riwalin’s country and, the king entrusted the pregnant Blancheflure to his faithful retainer Rual. Rual placed the queen for safekeeping in the castle of Kaneel. Here she gave birth to a son and died as her husband fell in the battle against Morgan.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2019/01/04/hero-born-in-sorrow-the-birth-love-and-death-of-tristan/
The widely distributed group of sagas that have been woven around the mythical Knight of the Swan (the old French Chevalier au cigne) can be traced back to very ancient Celtic traditions. The following is the story of Lohengrin, the Knight of the Swan, as transmitted by the medieval German epic and briefly retold by the Grimm brothers under the title "Lohengrin in Brabant."
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2018/12/14/destiny-repeats-the-knight-of-the-swan-and-the-son-of-the-grain/
The beautiful Naupaka flower is one of Hawaii’s most common plants found both along the beach and in the mountains. Its appearance is unique as it looks like a flower that has been torn in half.
There are different legends about this flower, and they all relate to the story of forbidden love.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/01/04/naupaka-the-legend-of-the-torn-flower/
Ancient cultures around the world saw the sea as a dangerous place, filled with beings who preyed upon people - especially men. The legatus of Gaul once wrote to Emperor Augustus claiming that he found a considerable number of nereids dead upon the sea-shore. Although most retelling of the Odyssey depict the sirens as little more than dangerous women leading men to their deaths, there have also been some studies that provide more depth.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/05/24/the-wisdom-from-the-sirens-lips/
On the early hours of 1 January 2020, flash floods took place throughout the Indonesian capital of Jakarta and the metropolitan area. Water levels reached 30-200 cm in many parts of the city, even standing at four meters in some areas. More than 397,000 people were evacuated to higher grounds. Due to landslides, hypothermia, drowning and electrocution, officials reported the death toll at 60 on 4 January 2020.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/01/08/reflecting-on-floods-finding-hope-and-new-beginnings-in-an-ancient-disaster/
Adonis is a young man renowned for his beauty. But he is not interested in love and only wants to go hunting. When Venus sees Adonis, she falls in love with him and comes down to earth where she encounters him setting out on a hunt. She asks him to get off his horse, and speak to her,but Adonis does not want to talk to any woman, not even a goddess. So she forces him to listen. She lies down beside him, gazes at him, and talks of love. He manages to get away and goes to get his horse.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/02/15/no-such-thing-as-true-love-the-tragedy-of-venus-and-adonis/
The Roman author Ovid was born a year after the assassination of Julius Caesar. He wrote various works throughout his long career, but none so insightful for the everyday person as his Ars Amatoria (“The Art of Love”).
At first glance, the three books of Ars Amatoria are a collection of short poems playing with the common tropes of love stories - the locked-out lover, the slave go-between, the symptoms of love-sickness, the rich rival, the poor poet, infidelity and occasionally successful erotic encounter. But, they also include advice to the reader on how to be a good lover.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/07/10/8-ancient-roman-love-hacks/
It is one of the odd mysteries of life that when a man was unfaithful to his wife, the wife would first blame the other woman. Such was the case with Namakaokahai and Pele. Overcomed with rage, Namakaokahai sent high tides and floods to destroy Pele’s home. Pele fled but could not escape her sister’s wrath.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/01/17/the-sisters-of-fire-and-water/
Probably the oldest transmitted hero myth we know is from the period of the foundation of Babylonia (circa 2800 BC). It concerns the birth history of its founder, Sargon of Akkad. He was best known for his conquests of the Sumerian city-states in the 24th to 23rd centuries BC. The Sumerian king list makes him the cup-bearer to king Ur- Zababa of Kish. Sargon appears as a legendary figure in Neo-Assyrian literature of the 8th to 7th centuries BC. Tablets with fragments of a Sargon Birth Legend were found in the Library of Ashurbanipal.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2018/12/07/sargon-karna-and-ion-hidden-sons-of-virgin-mothers/
Marriage is a beautiful thing. However, even the most optimistic among us will agree that marriages are challenging and takes a lot of work to maintain. It is so challenging that it takes two people to maintain a working marriage - the two people are, of course, the husband and wife who want to make it work. Some marriages maybe downright difficult, miserable and even unsalvageable at times. Even Hera, the ancient Greek goddess who were actually in charge of family and marriage, had to constantly battle the many infidelities of Zeus, her philandering husband.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/05/17/the-unhappy-marriage-of-an-ancient-goddess/
Although not everybody wants to be famous, it is still a natural human desire to receive some recognition for one’s talents and contribution. For the more ambitious, those who aim for everlasting fame must deal with numerous challenges from jealousy of rivals to possible extinction of their own civilisation and language.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/07/03/9-ancient-ways-to-everlasting-fame/
In the Dreamtime, the cluster of stars which we know as the Pleiades were seven beautiful ice maidens. Their parents were a great mountain and an ice-cold stream that flowed from the hills. The seven sisters wandered across the land, their long hair flying behind them like storm clouds. Their beauty was so entrancing that every man who saw them fell in love with them instantly. But the maidens' affections were cold.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/04/10/the-maidens-and-the-stars-star-legends-of-aboriginal-australia/
To this day, poems by Muhammad Jalal ad-Din Rumi have sold millions of copies. This makes him one of the most famous poets in the world. His poems were often compared to Shakespeare's for their resonance. Rumi lived in the close of the Golden Age of Islam. His writings on tolerance give us further value in offering a glimpse of the beliefs and tradition in which Rumi experienced in his lifetime.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/06/26/inclusivity-tolerance-and-the-golden-age-of-islam/
In the 6th Century BCE, an Indian physician named Sushruta, who was widely regarded in India as the “father of surgery”, wrote one of the world’s earliest works on medicine and surgery. The work included the method of skin grafting, which entail transplanting pieces of skin from one part of the body to another. His treatise also provides the first written record of a forehead flap rhinoplasty, a technique still used today, in which a full-thickness piece of skin from the forehead is used to reconstruct a nose. However, Sushruta was not the first inventor of plastic surgery. The first known record of plastic surgery was in 1213 BCE, when ancient Egyptians tried to preserve the nose of their dead king by surgically inserting bones and seeds into it.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/08/28/scar-removals-and-breast-reductions-graeco-roman-practices-of-plastic-surgery/
“[Men] lived like gods without sorrow of heart, remote and free from toil and grief: miserable age rested not on them; but with legs and arms never failing they made merry with feasting beyond the reach of all devils. When they died, it was as though they were overcome with sleep, and they had all good things; for the fruitful earth unforced bare them fruit abundantly and without stint. They dwelt in ease and peace.” - Hesiod.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2018/11/30/the-man-of-the-sun-the-story-of-quetzalcoatl/
In a country such as Mexico, where the success or failure of the crops depends entirely upon the rainfall, Tlaloc, the Rain God, was a deity of high importance. He made his home in the mountains which surround the valley of Mexico, as these were the source of the local rainfall, and his popularity is vouched for by the fact that sculptured representations of him occur more often than those of any other of the Mexican deities.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2018/11/23/dance-for-tlaloc-the-rain-god-and-his-people/
The proverb of cleanliness being "next to godliness" is popularly credited to John Wesley's 1778 sermon. But it also came from writings in the Talmud. Washing oneself in clear water before paying homage to the gods and deities became part of the ceremonies in many ancient religions. In ancient Egypt, people washed their faces and hands before praying to the goddess Isis, and the priests bathed their bodies at least twice every night and twice during the day. Christian author Tertullian (c. 155 – 240 CE) tells us that water had inherent natural cleansing properties and, as an essence of holiness, water could remove all taints and open the way to the new state of existence.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/07/31/the-ancient-magic-of-hygiene/
In the Aztec pantheon, Huitzilopochtli occupied a place similar to that of Mars in the Roman. In ancient Roman religon, Mars was the god of war and a guardian of agriculture - a rather strange combination, but characteristic of early Rome. Second in importance only to Jupiter, Mars was the most prominent of the military gods in the religion of the Roman army. Although origin of Huitzilopochtli is obscure, the myth relating to it is distinctly original in character.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2018/11/16/huitzilopochli-the-birth-of-a-war-god/
Passionate women were among Jesus’ earliest followers and have been important members of Christian church from the very beginning. Apart from learning from and speaking to women both in public and private, Jesus himself also taught and had meals with men as well as women. Mark 7:24-30 and Matthew 15:21-28 tell us that it was an unnamed woman who taught Jesus that the ministry of God is belongs to all who have faith and not limited to any particular groups or persons.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/12/21/the-passion-of-independent-women-in-early-christianity/
In the Gospel of Matthew (14:6–9), “… on Herod’s birthday, the daughter of Herodias (Salome) danced before them: and pleased Herod. Whereupon he promised with an oath, to give her whatsoever she would ask of him. But she being instructed before by her mother, said: Give me here in a dish the head of John the Baptist. And the king was struck sad: yet because of his oath, and for them that sat with him at table, he commanded it to be given. And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.”
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2019/03/29/charm-of-the-ancient-enchantress-the-evolution-of-the-dangerous-woman/
The thing about Aphrodite is that she is passionate. Ancient mythology gives us numerous instances where Aphrodite punished those who neglected her worship or resented her power, as well as others in which she favoured and protected those who did homage to her and recognized her sway. As Aphrodite is the goddess of love, we take it for granted that her “passion” will not stray far from her brand. We imagine her passing her passions along her many lovers. Without a lover, she became "jealous" and her passion is used as a reason for her anger and punishments to those who disrespected her. Aphrodite knows what she wants and she expects recognition.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2019/03/22/charm-of-the-ancient-enchantress-aphrodite-and-the-mystery-of-passion/
The thing that I like about Circe is how self-sufficient she is. She has her own house which she manages to her liking, she is surrounded by her books and potions and she turns rude guests into animals. She manages this while still letting Odysseus believe that he was the one who dumps her and that she is the one who is not good enough to win his heart - thus keeping his heroic ego intact.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2019/03/15/charm-of-the-ancient-enchantress-circe-and-the-glamour-of-independence/
Odysseus' ship was destroyed by the whirlpool of Charybdis and he escaped on floating wreckage. Odysseus drifted for nine days until the gods led him to the island of Ogygja where Calypso lives. Odysseus describes her as “the goddess of braided hair and of strange powers and of human speech; she welcomed me and tended me."
While Odysseus was being mended, the gods assembled in divine council, and Athena began to recount to them the many distresses of Odysseus that again had come before her mind, “He is pent up in an island now,” she says, “overwhelmed with misery; he is in the domains of the Nymph Calypso, who is keeping him with her there perforce and thwarting return to his own country.” Thus to escape from a lone woman, the hero needs the gods to step in.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2019/03/08/charm-of-the-ancient-enchantress-calypso-and-the-magic-of-good-housekeeping/
We often hear that femme fatales such as Cleopatra, who managed to entrance not one but two Roman generals, was not beautiful. In fact, she was apparently quite homely in her appearance. However, she was powerful, intelligent and well-read - well-positioned to seduce a thinking man such as a scholar, a senator or an emperor.
The sirens in ancient Greek mythology were no supermodels either. In early Greek art, they were represented as birds with large women's heads, bird feathers and scaly feet. Later, they were represented as female figures with the legs of birds, with or without wings, playing a variety of musical instruments. The tenth-century Byzantine encyclopedia Suda says that from their chests up, the sirens were little birds with women's faces.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2019/03/01/charm-of-the-ancient-enchantress-sirens-and-the-art-of-romance/
A Maori legend tells us about Niwareka, daughter of a tohunga ta moko(tatooist) as well as the princess of the underworld. Niwareka wanted to explore the world above and while she was there she met Mataoroa. Niwareka fell in love with Mataoroa and married him. As knowledge of ta moko did not exist in the world above, Mataoroa simply wore designs painted on his body, rather than being chiselled as a real ta moko supposed to be. Ta moko is different from tattoo in that the skin is carved by uhi(chisels) instead of being punctured with needles. This leaves the skin with textured grooves, rather than the smooth surface of a normal tattoo.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2019/06/07/you-think-getting-a-tattoo-is-painful-the-myth-rituals-and-symbolism-of-maoris-ta-moko/
Hollywood saw the emergence of many blonde actresses from 1930’s to the 1950’s. Epitheths such as “screen siren” or “cinematic goddess” were attached to the most popular blonde actresses of the day, By the magic of cinematic lighting, pale skin and blonde hair were made to look like the closest approximation of what the viewers’ imagine ancient goddesses would look like.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/05/10/ancient-blondes/
Empress Euphemia’s rose from a freed slave to the most powerful woman in Rome in her time through her marriage to Justin I (450-527 CE). Historia Arcana (“Secret History”) by Procopius of Caesarea (c. 500 – c. 554) introduced the Empress Euphemia as Lupicina – a slave and a barbarian concubine of her owner.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/05/03/even-empresses-had-haters-tale-of-two-concubines-and-sensational-ancient-biographies/
As fire is considered to be an agent of purity and as a symbol of righteousness and truth, a sacred fire is often a place for the offering of sacrifices and prayers. Therefore, those entrusted with tending this flame often held a sacred, important and very demanding role in the culture.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/04/24/keepers-of-the-eternal-flame/
Half-human half-beast creatures are found in myths and legends of nearly every, if not all, culture in the world. Ancient Greek’s Pan, who symbolizes and rules over the untamed wild, is depicted with the hindquarters, legs, and horns of a goat while otherwise being mostly human in his appearance. One of the most popular representations of Anubis, the Egyptian god of death, depicts him as a figure with the body of a man and the head of a jackal with pointed ears holding a gold scale while a heart of the soul is being weighed against Ma’at’s truth feather. In Buddhist mythology, there is the Kalaviṅka, a divine bird with a human head who preached the Dharma through its songs and, in South east Asian mythology, two of the most beloved mythological characters are the benevolent half-human, half-bird creatures known as the Kinnara and Kinnari, celestial musicians who come from the Himalayas and watch over the well-being of humans in times of trouble or danger.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/04/19/demons-from-the-sea-and-wilderness-lovers-from-the-sky-and-songs/
Before the first moon landing in 1969, the Chinese moon goddess Chang’e was mentioned in the Apollo 11 Air-to-Ground Voice Transcription between the Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas and the Apollo 11 crew. The center said, “Among the large headlines concerning Apollo this morning, there’s one asking that you watch for a lovely girl with a big rabbit. An ancient legend says a beautiful Chinese girl called Chang-o has been living there for 4,000 years. It seems she was banished to the Moon because she stole the pill of immortality from her husband. You might also look for her companion, a large Chinese rabbit, who is easy to spot since he is always standing on his hind feet in the shade of a cinnamon tree. The name of the rabbit is not reported.” To this, astronaut Buzz Aldrin replied, “Okay. We’ll keep a close eye out for the bunny girl.”
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/04/12/the-rabbits-on-the-moon-stories-of-sacrifice-and-companionship/
He is the last of the distinguished family line of guardians of the Holy Grail. But he was wounded. He was not only unable to fulfill his duties, he was also unable to father a next generation to carry on after his death. His impotence affected the fertility of his land, reducing it to a barren wasteland. All he could do was fish in the river near his castle and wait for the elusive “chosen one” who could heal him.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/03/08/the-fisher-king-and-the-divine-ancient-fishermen/
The art of dance was incorporated in many religious rituals and festivals of ancient civilizations. From the third millennium BC, ancient Egyptians started to use dance as an integral part of their religious ceremonies, using dancers to perform important events such as divine tales and celestial patterns of shifting sun and stars. In ancient Greece, dance was very freely used for public purposes until it eventually brought about the birth of the popular Greek theatre in the 6th century BC. The Hindu faith has a close connection to music as they claim that it was the dance of the Supreme Dancer Nataraja, a representation of the Hindu god Shiva as the supreme dancer, that formed the entire Universe. Indeed, each of the Hindu gods and goddesses has their own manner of manifesting power through dance movements. Buddhism is also known for their Korean Seungmu dance performed by Buddhist monks.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/02/22/ancient-mothers-of-drummers-and-the-art-of-dance/
Rangda is electrifying, dangerous and otherworldly. She embodies power. She has protruding eyes, pendulous large breasts and a large red tongue hanging down her body. Her mouth is full of big teeth and curving fangs, her fingernails are extended to long pointed claws and her unkempt mop of gray hair hangs down her back. Legends of Rangda include her fondness for eating children as well as causing disease and pestilence.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/03/01/vilifying-the-ancient-goddess/
Throughout history, women were pharmacists, cultivating healing herbs and exchanging the secrets of their uses. They were also nurses, counselors and midwives who traveled from home to home and village to village. They have always been healers.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/02/15/healers/
When their people are in danger, good men and women will find a way to help, even if it means sacrificing themselves. According to Pliny the Elder, human sacrifice in Ancient Rome was abolished by a senatorial decree in 97 BCE, although by this time the practice had already become so rare that the decree was mostly a symbolic act. The Vedic Purushamedha (“human sacrifice”) is already a purely symbolic act in its earliest records. This was then followed by a period of embarrassment about violence in rituals of this sort as this period corresponds to the rise of Buddhism and Jainism, both of which place emphasis on ahimsa (“non-violence”). This period also corresponds to the composition of the Chandogya Upanishad (c. 8 – 6 BCE) which lists non-violence as a virtue. The Yasiitomi-ki, a diary of the fifteenth century CE, contains an old tradition called Hitobashira (“human pillar”) in which maidens were buried alive at the base or near some constructions to protect the buildings against disasters or enemy attacks. Therefore, apparently for a time, a very very long time ago, virgin sacrifice could be done for a number of widely accepted reasons – from winning a war, appeasing an angry deity, to architecture.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/02/08/the-virgin-sacrifice/
Green is a colour that is universally known as representing nature and the environment. It is also the color of growth, renewal and rebirth. However, green also forebode death. In Egyptian wall paintings, Osiris, the ruler of the underworld, was typically portrayed with a green face. In Ancient Greece, green is associated with Demeter, the goddess of the harvest. For the Romans, green was the color of Venus who, despite being the Roman counterpart of the Greek Aphrodite, also served as the goddess of the gardens, vegetables and vineyards. The Roman poet Lucretius ( c. 99 BC – c. 55 BC) opens his didactic poem De rerum natura (“On the Nature of Things”) by addressing Venus as a mother of nature and a personified symbol for nature’s generative aspect.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/02/01/the-colour-green-the-earth-and-the-goddesses/
In the works of the classical Sanskrit writer Kalidasa (c. 4th – 5th century CE) we see descriptions of women being invited to the king’s garden specifically to sing, dance, play and laugh. As women’s laughter was an expression of their sense of security and happiness, hearing women’s laughter may have been considered as a sign that the empire was doing well. On the other hand, to this day women’s tears made people uncomfortable and often willing to do just about anything to stop the tears flowing. Another rather interesting reaction is when a woman’s tears invoke anger to those who hears it, or even outright denial (“you’re too sensitive”, “you misunderstand me”, “that’s not what happened”). No one wants to hear about a woman’s unhappiness, especially if they feel that they can do very little to help.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/01/25/the-ancient-power-of-womens-tears/
On a personal level, I always associate a smile or a laughter with leadership, especially by women. It is a great power to be able to light up our surroundings by a smile. Laughter just might be the most contagious of all emotional experiences. It is also a full-on collaboration between mind and body as well as one of the most mysterious features we have as human beings, mainly because the little act of laughter has a complicated mechanism behind it and can encompass so many things.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/01/18/potens-risus-creation-destruction-and-the-power-of-womens-laughter/
We all have heard variations about this woman. She is a female ghost dressed in all white and associated with some local tragedy. Common to many of these legends is the theme of loss or betrayal of a husband or lover. Also common is the story that she is a restless spirit who has lost her children. She may also be a young woman who was murdered and seeks vengeance. Whatever her reason may be, the result remains the same – the Woman in White walks the earth long after her death, searching for her children, her murderer, or anything else she needs before she can move on to the afterlife.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/01/11/the-woman-in-white-through-history/
“He was a wise man who invented beer.” – Plato
Plato, clever man though he was, was mistaken. The inventor of beer was not a man, but a woman. Or, to be more precise, a group of women. Beer plays a prominent role in many of the Sumerian myths. Ninkasi, the daughter of the chief Sumerian god Enki, was born from “sparkling fresh water” and said to be created to satisfy desires and sate hearts. The first nearly complete text is a tablet known as The Hymn to Ninkasi (written in 1800 BC but presumed to be much older) contains both a praise to the goddess of beer and a recipe for brewing. The hymn instructs readers and listeners to handle the dough with a shovel; mix with sweet aromatics, honey, and grains; soak the malt in a jar, and filter it in the vat. The end result was said to be a beer comparable to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, bringing life and enlightenment to all those who drank it. The first brewers were female, likely to be priestesses of Ninkasi, and early on women became brewers of beer in their homes. Kaiser Wilhelm, the last king of Prussia said, “Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world.” A woman did love beer, she invented it.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/12/14/women-and-the-sacred-invention-of-beer/
For Shakespeare, although their role doesn’t go beyond that of agents and witnesses, the Three Witches represent evil, darkness, chaos, and conflict. Their mere presence (a group of women who are “different”) communicates treason and impending doom. In Shakespeare’s day, witches were seen as worse than rebels as they were not only political traitors, but spiritual traitors as well as they were not governed by husbands or politicians. In the case of his three witches, much of the confusion that springs from them comes from their ability to straddle the play’s borders between reality and the supernatural. They are so deeply entrenched in both worlds that it is unclear whether they control fate, or whether they are merely its agents. Unlike what women were “supposed” to be a the time, the three women are not being subject to the rules of the real world.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/12/07/in-defense-of-witches-why-are-we-so-afraid-of-them/
In its journey zigzagging between tradition and geography, ice cream has grown from a dessert for the powerful elite to a street food that everybody enjoys and consumes all year round. Back in Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt, ice-and snow-drinks were served to the rich and wealthy, and what we can loosely call the first ice cream cup was found in Egypt in a tomb from the Second Dynasty in 2700 BC.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/10/30/the-ancient-history-of-ice-cream/
Sex workers are rightly avoiding the term “prostitute” because of what we equate with it (dirty men, sadness, a woman selling her body, etc. Perhaps even its comparison with politicians?). It’s a word filled with a great deal of cultural baggage, and none of it good. Research after research have shown that our damaged view of the “prostitute” is far from real, but we persist in trying to define and classify this figure as such throughout history. Despite the old adage, prostitution is not “the oldest profession in the world”. Anthropologist George Peter Murdock of Yale University found that prostitution did not occur in many so-called primitive cultures, but the medicine man was universal. Mary Breckinridge, an American nurse midwife and the founder of the Frontier Nursing Service, have suggested that midwifery is the oldest profession, “The midwife’s calling is so ancient that the medical and nursing professions, in even their earliest traditions, are parvenus beside it”. I often find myself getting mildly irritated when I hear prostitution being referred to as “the world’s oldest profession”. It is not. I would actually argue that the world’s oldest profession is gardening.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/10/24/the-oldest-profession-in-the-world-gardening-or-prostitution/
Originally the early Latin goddess of vegetation, a patroness of vineyards and gardens, Venus became deliberately associated with the Greek Goddess Aphrodite and assumed many of her aspects. The name of Venus then became interchangeable with Aphrodite as most of the tales of these two goddesses are identical. However, like every Roman gods with their Greek counterparts, there were differences. Venus arguably became more popular in ancient Rome, and became more ingrained in the city life. She took on the aspect of a gracious Mother Goddess full of pure love as well as assuming the divine responsibility for domestic bliss and procreation.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2019/06/21/burning-like-a-silver-flame-the-mother-of-rome-and-the-patroness-of-ancient-wine-festivals/
Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, Plato says. But even Plato must have noticed that those beholders have strangely similar tastes relating to facial and body symmetry. He would have realized, then, that agreement on what is “beautiful” is often consistent within nationalities and ethnic groups. For example, women in Egyptian art are often depicted as slim with high waists and narrow hips, ideally with dark black hair and golden skin. In Ancient Greece, however, the ideal woman was light skinned and plump. Plato also tells us tells us the three wishes of every Greek: to be healthy, to be beautiful, and to become rich by honest means. Ancient Greek parents-to-be were so concerned about their offspring’s beauty that they placed statues of Aphrodite or Apollo, the two deities of beautiful physical appearance, in their bedrooms to help them conceive beautiful children.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2019/12/13/is-life-easier-for-beautiful-people-great-men-evil-women-and-standards-of-beauty/
According to one Hindu myth, there was once a very tall tree that grew out from the very center of the earth. It was called the “World Tree” or “Knowledge Tree”, and grew so tall that it almost reached the heavens. The tree decided that it would keep growing so that its head would be in heaven and its branches on the earth, so it could make all humankind gather under it and prevent them from ever separating. The god Brahma discovered the tree’s intentions and as punishment for it being so proud, he cut off all of the tree’s branches and scattered them all over the earth. Where each branch fell a Wata tree began to grow, and with it a new language and culture for humankind.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2019/05/23/the-more-languages-you-know-learning-languages-in-the-ancient-world/
Out of all the millions of myths around the world today, I think we can agree that Greek mythology is arguably the most famous. A significant reason for this is that the ancient Greeks were very media-savvy. The Greek myths that we know today are known primarily from representations on visual media dating from c. 900 BCE to c. 800 BCE onward as well as from written literature.
The ancient Greeks also started what we roughly know now as “product placement.” In this case, the “product” was myths and legends. Mythical narration plays an important role in nearly every genre of ancient Greek literature. They covered their bases so thoroughly and entwined the gods into the mortals’ narratives so well that, although we have of course lost many ancient Greek writings and visual representations, we are still familiar with the gods and heroes as if they were members of our own extended family.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2019/05/10/the-men-behind-the-gods-and-the-power-of-the-ancient-media/
Clown-like characters have been around for thousands of years. Jesters date back at least as far as ancient Egypt. Tracing back the figure of the Jester leads us to the mythological trickster. Tricksters are archetypal characters who appear in the myths of many different cultures. They cross and often break both physical and societal rules, violating principles of social and natural order, playfully disrupting normal life and then re-establishing it on a new basis. They openly question and mock authority and usually fond of breaking rules and playing tricks on both humans and gods. Hermes plays this role in some Greek myths. He is the messenger of the gods, patron of thieves and the inventor of lying, a gift he passed on to his son Autolycus. The trickster is also unconstrained by form or gender. In Norse mythology, the trickster Loki is also a shape shifter who could move freely between genders. At one point, he even becomes a mare who later gives birth to Odin’s eight-legged horse .
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2019/04/26/the-trickter-the-jester-the-clown-the-brief-mythology-and-ancient-history-of-the-harbingers-of-laughter-and-fear/
At the dark of the moon, an ancient goddess walked through the roads of ancient Greece, accompanied by sacred dogs and bearing a blazing torch. Occasionally she stopped to gather offerings left by her devotees where three roads crossed, because she was honored in places where one could look three ways at once. The goddess herself could look three ways because she herself had three heads: head of a snake, a horse and a dog.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2019/04/12/the-horse-the-snake-and-the-dog-the-three-heads-of-the-real-queen-of-the-night/
The deer’s antlers are possibly the most visible characteristics that have made it the figure of a spiritual superiority Like a crown, the antlers grow beyond its body, bringing it closer to the sky. In many cultures, the deer is a symbol of spiritual authority. During a deer’s life the antlers fall off and grow again and the animal is also a symbol of regeneration.
The deer’s fleetness of foot and its longevity are also often commemorated in different cultures. Out of the shin-bone of the fawn, flutes (tibiae) were made which seem to have given forth feeble sounds — whereas Sardinians used to make good ones out of the leg-bones of flamingoes; Pindar’s lyre is described as outringing all the others, even as the Etruscan trumpet outblares this flute. The skins of deer were worn at Bacchic festivals, and one of the five performers holds the body of a stag aloft. In one of the Jataka tale, Buddha has reincarnated into the form of a deer. The story originated in India around the 4th century BCE, hailing the merits of compassion, empathy and Karma.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2019/02/08/reflecting-on-the-ancient-wisdom-of-the-deer/
In Rome, the she-wolf that nursed Romulus and Remus is commemorated in the last of the Cyzicene epigrams, and Ion mentions the wolf-hounds which were traditionally, responsible for the death of Euripides. Strato, on a certain disreputable occasion, compares himself to a wolf that finds a lamb standing at the door and waiting for him. As to its voracity, Diphilus, an early comic poet, calls the inhabitants of Argos wolves; Lucilius accuses one Gamus of having the appetite of five wolves.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2019/02/01/reflecting-on-the-ancient-power-of-the-wolf/
The religion of the ancient Mexicans was a polytheism or worship of a pantheon of deities, the general aspect of which presented similarities to the systems of Greece and Egypt. As a matter of fact, the Nahua displayed a theological advancement quite on a level with that expressed by the Egyptians and Assyrians which were rather more nuanced and complicated.
Tezcatlipoca (“Fiery Mirror”) is a sort of equivalent of Jupiter of the Nahua pantheon. He carried a mirror in which he was supposed to see reflected the actions and deeds of mankind. Originally the personification of the air, the source both of the breath of life and of the tempest, Tezcatlipoca had all the attributes of a god who presided over these phenomena. He was the tribal god of the Tezcucans who had led them into the Land of Promise, and had been instrumental in the defeat of both the gods and men of the previous people they dispossessed.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2018/11/09/how-to-destroy-an-empire-the-rise-of-tezcatlipoca-and-the-destruction-of-tollan/
The evil powers that came out at Samhain lived the rest of the time in the cave of Cruachan in Connaught. This cave was called the “hell-gate of Ireland,” and was unlocked on November Eve to let out spirits and copper-colored birds which killed the farm animals. They also stole babies, leaving in their place changelings, goblins who were already old while still in the cradle, possessing superhuman cunning and skill in music. One way of getting rid of these demon children was to ill-treat them so badly that their people would come for them bringing the right children back. Another alternative was to boil egg-shells in the sight of the changeling, who would declare his demon nature by saying that in his centuries of life he had never seen such a thing before.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2018/10/31/ancient-halloween-stories-of-love-and-lost/
he Norse god Balder, the good and beautiful god, the son of the great god Odin, and himself the wisest, mildest and best beloved of all the immortals. Balder dreamed something which seemed to forebode his death. He told the other gods about this and, because he was so beloved, the gods held a council and resolved to secure him from any danger. So the goddess Frigg took an oath from fire and water, iron and all metals, stones and earth, trees, sicknesses and poisons, and from all four-footed beasts, birds and creepy things that they would not hurt Balder.
It was Loki who was responsible for the death of the sun-god. He gave a twig of mistletoe to Balder’s blind twin brother, Hoder – mistletoe being the only thing in the world which had not sworn not to harm Balder. Hoder cast it at Balder and unwittingly slew him. Vali, a younger brother of Balder, avenged him by killing Hoder. Hoder represents darkness and Balder light. The light falls a victim to blind darkness, who reigns until a younger brother, the sun of the next day, rises to slay him in turn. Balder’s death was already prophesied. The Norse Sibyl sees and describes it, “I behold, fate looming for Balder, Woden’s son, the bloody victim. There stands the Mistletoe slender and delicate, blooming high above the ground. Out of this shoot, so slender to look on, there shall grow a harmful fateful shaft. Hod shall shoot it, but Frigga in Fen-hall shall weep over the woe of Wal-hall.”
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2018/10/26/the-ancient-beginnings-of-witches-the-tragedy-of-those-who-stood-between-the-mundane-and-spiritual-worlds/
THE great power which the Druids exercised over their people interfered with the Roman rule of Britain. Converts were being made at Rome when emperor Augustus forbade Romans to become initiated, Tiberius banished the priestly clan and their adherents from Gaul, and Claudius utterly stamped out the belief there and put to death a Roman knight for wearing the serpent’s-egg badge to win a lawsuit – a serpent’s-egg badge was an item of identification for an ancient Gaelic order of priests and sorcerers. Forbidden to practice their rites in Britain, the Druids fled to the isle of Mona, near the coast of Wales.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2018/10/12/a-voice-of-weeping-heard-and-loud-lament-re-branding-ancient-celebrations-and-celebrating-death/
Samhain is a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter or the “darker half” of the year. Traditionally, it is celebrated from 31 October to 1 November, as the day began and ended at sunset. It was one of the four seasonal festivals of the year, and the 10th-century tale Tochmarc Emire(“The Wooing of Emer”) lists Samhain as the first of these four “quarter days”. The tales say it was marked by great gatherings where they held meetings, feasted, drank and held contests.
In the same state as those who are dead, are those who have never lived, dwelling right in the world, but mostly invisible to most mortals.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2018/10/05/had-but-your-sight-a-spirits-power-ye-would-be-looking-eye-to-eye-at-a-terrific-company-the-beautiful-elements-of-halloween/
Although the role of lions in ancient culture were later mostly confined to being slain with lances and spears, the lioness has been an important symbol to humans for tens of thousands of years and appear as a theme in cultures across Europe, Asia and Africa. The earliest historical records in Egypt present an established religious pantheon that included a lioness as one of the most powerful cultural figures, protecting the people as well as their rulers.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2018/09/28/reflecting-on-the-ancient-beauty-of-the-lioness/
There was more to classical womanhood than Pericles’s silent matrons. Aspasia, for example, Pericles’ own long-term girlfriend was famously clever and sophisticated. She was certainly talked about and said to have influenced him a great deal. Still, although it was concluded for a long time that there is no female counterpart to the hero, archaeological evidence shows that heroines are included in some of the earliest manifestations of hero cult. The shrines of Pelops and Hippodameia at Olympia may be of great antiquity, early hero-reliefs show hero and heroine pairs, and a dedication to Helen is perhaps the earliest known Laconian inscription, dating from the second quarter of the seventh century.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2018/09/14/when-the-world-despairs-humanity-turns-to-their-women-the-wisdom-of-ancient-heroines/
In 2003 an internet search found more than 2600 sites or pages, in more than six languages, referencing Ratu Kidul. This is more than some popular celebrities have, and the number continues to increase, with more sites being added every month. However, one would usually find very little historical information beyond the oral tradition which has been passed down through generations and gets less informative over time.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2017/07/29/she-survived-and-still-very-much-the-queen-javas-ratu-kidul-and-the-tradition-of-ocean-goddesses/
Matriarchy lasted for more than 30,000 years, declined over a period of five thousand years and became extinct about a thousand years ago. Chinese writings refer to the existence of a matriarchal empire in Tibet in the sixth and seventh centuries of the Common Era, during the rise of the Tang Dynasty in China.
As early as the Eleventh Dynasty of Egypt, royal succession became fixed in the female line. The child of a royal princess could reign as pharaoh by right of descent even if her husband was a commoner. The children of a prince with a commoner were excluded from the succession completely. Diodorus states that queens in Egypt were shown greater respect and possessed more power than kings, and in all of the monuments and paintings, only queens wear the triple crown, signifying ecclesiastical, judicial and sovereign power.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2017/07/01/a-balanced-partitioning-gender-roles-and-a-society-where-sexism-doesnt-exist/
At the beginning of this cycle of time, the Great Spirit divided the people of the world into five groups, giving each of them a different color. To each he gave specific teachings, and to each he gave a specific task. He then sent four of the groups out in four different directions in the world. Cautioning them that one group can never exist alone, the Great Spirit instructed that, when they came back together again, the five groups were to share their teachings and what they had learned in carrying out their tasks.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2017/06/04/the-lost-legend-of-the-human-races-the-people-who-havent-found-their-way-back-to-each-other/
The ambivalence of tickling, a delight that can quickly become excruciating, would seem particularly well suited to describe the concept of pleasure-in-pain that so fascinated thinkers from Plato, Nietzsche, Freud etc. They agree that tickling serves as an alternate way of thinking about pleasure, as titillation and excitation. Nietzsche put it, “What is the best life? To be tickled to death.”
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2017/04/23/titillatio-a-brief-mythology-ancient-history-and-philosophy-of-tickling/
We often hear that something being dismissed as “just a myth”, which means that it is not true. In fact, myth and truth are often seen as opposites. If it is not analysed, written down in reports and be seen or heard, then it is a myth. For many, mythology is the study of old, meaningless and untrue stories. Some people, repelled by the myths’ more preposterous elements and contradictions, see them as mere fabrications to be discarded in our “enlightened” age. But mythology’s enduring worth is never in its possible historical or scientific accuracy. Some things can be dealt with adequately only in poetry or mythology when recitals of data and observable facts miss the point completely. Love, hate, empathy, aversion, hunger, greed, altruism and all the other positive and negative aspects of being human are also facts. To ignore them by putting everything into numbers is to treat people as insensate objects and their lives as mechanical conditioned responses. This is the statistical perspective and it is as much a distortion of reality as any other limited point of view.
In this podcast, I argue on the need to learn Mythology and its role in our modern society.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2018/09/21/in-defense-of-mythology-some-things-cannot-be-explained-by-science/