Ancient Egyptian Civilization
Ancient Egyptian Civilization
Ancient Egyptian Civilization
Greek Mythology
Did ancient Egyptians practice human sacrifice? The evidence suggests that they sometimes did, but the practice was limited, early, and very different from the idea of human sacrifice as a…
What if Boudica had won the battle that ended her revolt? By 60 or 61 CE, her uprising had already destroyed Camulodunum, Londinium, and Verulamium, pushing Roman Britain into one…
In Irish mythological tradition, the Tuatha Dé Danann do not rule Ireland forever. Their conflict with the Milesians, or Sons of Míl, ends with the newcomers taking control of the…
Jerusalem’s fall to Nebuchadnezzar II in 587/586 BCE was a turning point in the history of Judah. Babylonian forces destroyed the First Temple, ended the kingdom, and carried another major…
Fenrir is one of the most feared figures in Norse mythology, a monstrous wolf whose fate is tied directly to Odin and Ragnarök. The son of Loki and the giantess…
The Children of Lir is one of Ireland’s best-known legends, but the surviving story is far richer than the familiar image of four children turned into swans. It follows Fionnghuala,…
Freyr was one of the most important Vanir gods in Norse mythology, associated with fertility, good harvests, peace, and prosperity. Snorri Sturluson describes him as a god who rules over…
Dian Cécht was the physician of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the supernatural people at the center of early Irish mythology. In Cath Maige Tuired, he is already recognized as their…
Alexander the Great did not receive all of his education at the Macedonian court. According to Plutarch, Philip II brought Aristotle to Macedonia and gave him a place near Mieza…
In the Akkadian Descent of Ishtar, the goddess’s absence affects more than the divine world. While she remains in the Underworld, sexual activity and reproduction stop among both humans and…
In the Egyptian story of Isis and Ra’s secret name, Isis does not seek the name simply to increase her power. She needs it to remove the poison from Ra’s…
The Valkyries were supernatural women in Norse mythology associated with battle, death, and Odin. Their Old Norse name, valkyrja, means “chooser of the slain,” but that role was more complex…
Oisín and Tír na nÓg is one of the best-known stories in Irish mythology. It follows Oisín, the warrior-poet son of Fionn mac Cumhaill, who leaves Ireland with the mysterious…
Heimdall is the watchman of the Norse gods, stationed near Bifröst to detect approaching enemies and warn the gods when danger comes. The Old Norse sources give him extraordinary senses….
Ogma is one of the most distinctive figures among the Tuatha Dé Danann, remembered as both a formidable warrior and a master of speech. In Cath Maige Tuired, he is…
In 71 BCE, Spartacus had already defeated several Roman forces, and the Republic had turned to Marcus Licinius Crassus to end the revolt. But what if Spartacus had defeated Crassus…
The Norns are among the most mysterious figures in Norse mythology, supernatural women associated with fate, lifespan, and the course of events. The best known are Urðr, Verðandi, and Skuld,…
The Táin Bó Cúailnge, usually translated as The Cattle Raid of Cooley, is the central epic of the Ulster Cycle and one of the most important surviving stories from medieval…
Baldr is one of the most tragic figures in Norse mythology, a son of Odin and Frigg whose death becomes one of the great turning points in the story of…
Aengus Óg is one of the best-known figures in Irish mythology, the son of the Dagda and Boann and a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann. He is closely associated…