Poseidon is the ancient Greek god of the sea, earthquakes, horses, and powerful natural forces. He is a brother of Zeus and Hades in the dominant literary genealogy, and his worship was spread across the Greek world. Poseidon in the surviving tradition Homer calls Poseidon the earth-shaker. In the Iliad he supports the Greeks at […]
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Reliquaries connected with Saint John the Baptist are found in several Christian traditions and locations. They contain remains or contact objects attributed to the saint, but there is no single universally accepted reliquary whose contents can be independently identified as John’s. Why there are several claims Christian scripture describes John’s execution by beheading, and later
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The True Cross is the name given in Christian tradition to the cross on which Jesus was crucified. Numerous churches and reliquaries preserve pieces identified as fragments of that cross, but their individual authenticity cannot normally be established by modern historical or scientific methods. Tradition of discovery Later fourth-century Christian writers connect discovery of the
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The Narmer Palette is a ceremonial stone object from the beginning of Egypt’s dynastic period, usually dated to about 3100 BCE. Its carved scenes are central to discussions of early kingship, royal imagery, and the political formation of ancient Egypt. What the palette shows Both faces name King Narmer in a serekh, an early royal
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Tengu are Japanese mountain beings shaped by Buddhist, ascetic, literary, and local traditions. They were once strongly associated with arrogance, deception, and obstacles to Buddhist practice, but later stories also make them guardians and teachers of martial skill. Tengu in the surviving tradition Early tengu imagery drew on the birdlike Chinese tiangou and often showed
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Thoth is an ancient Egyptian god associated with writing, reckoning, learned knowledge, the moon, ritual speech, and the maintenance of order. He appears as an ibis-headed man, a full ibis, or a baboon. Thoth in the surviving tradition Egyptian texts credit Thoth with recording decisions, counting time, composing sacred words, and mediating divine disputes. In
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The windigo belongs to several Algonquian-speaking Indigenous traditions in North America. Spellings and accounts differ among Cree, Ojibwe, and related peoples. The figure is tied to cannibalism, destructive hunger, winter danger, and the breakdown of human obligations. The windigo in the surviving tradition Some accounts describe a person transformed through cannibalism or extreme greed; others
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Amaterasu is the sun kami who governs Takamanohara in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki. Her stories connect light, ritual, food production, weaving, political genealogy, and the authority of Ise. Amaterasu’s central stories in the surviving tradition The rock-cave episode follows Susanoo’s destructive behavior in the heavenly fields and weaving hall. Amaterasu withdraws, and darkness spreads.
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Jinn are beings recognized in the Quran and in later Islamic theology, literature, and folklore. They are not simply Arabic ghosts or wish-granting genies. Islamic sources describe them as morally responsible beings created from fire. Jinn in the surviving tradition The Quran states that jinn were created from a smokeless flame and addresses a community
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Heracles is the Greek hero called Hercules in Roman tradition. He is famous for extraordinary strength, the Twelve Labors, repeated suffering, and eventual admission among the gods. Calling him the strongest hero is a modern ranking, not an ancient official title. Heracles in the surviving tradition Heracles is a son of Zeus and the mortal
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