The Battle of Salamis

They were hopelessly outnumbered, but even then the Greeks knew it would be the battle that could change history.

The Asian invaders, had entered the Aegean. The "comeliest of boys" had been castrated; the throats of the "goodliest" soldiers ripped out.

Mounted on his marble throne Xerxes, Persia's formidable warrior king looked over the bay of Salamis, confident that he was about to enslave Europe. But instead of victory came defeat. As the Greeks' triremes trapped the Asian fleet, smashing it with their bronze rams, Xerxes watched incredulously. His soldiers, he said, were fighting like women.

That was 480 BC. Nearly 2,500 years later, a scientific team is searching for the lost fleets of the campaign in the northern Aegean.


Taipei Times

Lion Goddess to the Rescue

In Ethiopa a 12-year-old girl was abducted , kept captive for a week and beaten repeatedly by seven men trying to force her into a marriage with one of them. This is a common occurrence in Ethiopa, where gitls of even younger ages are kidnapped, beaten, raped and then forced into marriage with the rapist, all part of the marriage customs !!

The United Nations estimates that more than 70 percent of marriages in Ethiopia are by abduction, rape and force.

Three lions, hearing the noise of her beatings, appeared and chased off her captors. They stayed next to her as she lay semi conscious throughout the day until she was found by police and relatives on the outskirts of Bita Genet, 350 miles southwest of Addis Ababa.

"If the lions had not come to her rescue, then it could have been much worse." said Tilahun Kassa, a local government official. "They stood guard until we found her and then they just left her like a gift and went back into the forest. A young girl whimpering could be mistaken for the mewing sound from a lion cub, which is why they didn't eat her".

I say ir was Sekhmet !!!!

Don't mention the war !!

Around the 9th century AD the Norsemen were all kitted out by master sword makers from the Rhine. in fact German arms dealers have been blamed for the Viking invasion of Britain .

Archaeologists working with the Russian Museum of Ethnography found the swords that the boyos used were made in Germany, swords of the highest quality which didn't break even during the fiercest fighting.

Fridays are NOT fraught with peril

We may make jokes about Friday the 13th and only kiddingly instruct loved ones to exercise greater care on that day, but those who suffer from a fear of the number thirteen (triskaidekaphobia) or a fear of Friday the 13th (paraskevidekatriaphobia) may genuinely feel limited by the rumored potential for ill luck connected with the date.

The reasons why Friday came to be regarded as a day of bad luck have been obscured by the mists of time — some of the more common theories link it to a significant event in Christian tradition said to have taken place on Friday, such as the Crucifixion, Eve's offering the apple to Adam in the Garden of Eden, the beginning of the Great Flood, or the confusion at the Tower of Babel.

Chaucer alluded to Friday as a day on which bad things seemed to happen in the Canterbury Tales as far back as the late 14th century ("And on a Friday fell all this mischance"), but references to Friday as a day connected with ill luck generally start to show up in Western literature around the mid-17th century:

"Now Friday came, you old wives say, Of all the week's the unluckiest day." (1656)

But it's not ! Friday is a day dedicated to Freya , the Wild Woman of the North. Perfume your house with rose petals for the Lady

The Anger of Pele

Can a souvenir casually pocketed on a Hawaiian beach bring misfortune? Though the more skeptical will scoffingly dismiss the notion as pure hooey, thousands have come to believe that yes, volcanic rocks taken from Hawaii fetch with them a curse of impressive proportions. And the only way to undo the jinx is to return the purloined items whence they came.

Legend has it that Pele, goddess of fire and volcanoes, is so angered when the rocks (which she sees as her children) are taken from her that she exacts a terrible revenge on the thief. She is especially protective of volcanic rock and sand, two items tourists almost unthinkingly pocket as mementos of their vacations. After all, who would miss a rock?

Pele will.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and far too many hotels to name receive a never-ending stream of packages containing sand, shells, and rocks from guilty-minded vacationers who are intent upon reversing their sudden downpours of bad luck. Many of these returns are accompanied by notes begging forgiveness of the goddess or detailing litanies of calamities that have befallen these casual purloiners:

Please take this sand and put it back somewhere on your island. I have had very bad luck since it came into my life and I am very sorry I took it. Please forgive me and I pray that once I send it back where it comes from, my bad luck will go away.

Please return to soil. I have been having bad luck.

Ever since we have taken items, we have had nothing but back luck and medical problems. We apologize for taking items, so we are returning same to Hawaii.

We placed the rock last fall on a cast iron chair in our garden, this spring the chair's leg had fallen off. This is the least of the problems we have had since we have taken the rock.

Pele's curse is not a mild-mannered one. Those afflicted by it don't misplace their car keys or develop runs in their stockings — their bad luck is of the grievous variety. Pets die. Jobs are lost. Houses burn down. Sudden and devastating illness strikes loved ones. Marriages break apart.

The Los Angeles Times reported on the sad case of Timothy Murray, a 32-year-old who scooped some of the unusual black sand from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park into a bottle and brought it back with him to Florida. Everything in his life immediately went into a nosedive: his pet died, his five-year relationship with a gal he was to marry ended, and the FBI arrested him in a computer copyright infringement case.

The native Hawaiian view of taking such souvenirs is that it's tantamount to stealing from Pele while visiting her home. Only the return of the stolen items appeases her wrath.

Another God for the Modern World

Beiwe brings greenery to the Arctic.

As a Spring and Sun goddess, she has a special association with the fertility of plants and animals. Reindeer are her favoured creatures and she travels with her daughter Beiwe-Neida through the sky in a cart made of their antlers.

The Saami apparently called on Beiwe for help with the insane. A handy deity to be friends with in the 21st century.

Nicaraguan Celebrations

Nicaraguan legend and folklore offers a parallel recount of the official history narrated on paper by chroniclers of the extensive and complex interaction there was between the indigenous cultures of Nicaragua and their conquerors—These tales have passed down from generation to generation through our oral history, awakening the imagination of a popular memory of transcendental events marked by tragedy, forsaken love, frustration, and horror

Nicaraguan Celebrations

Ancient City uncovered

Archaeologists have begun underwater excavations of what is believed to be an ancient city and parts of a temple uncovered by the tsunami off the coast of the centuries-old pilgrimage town of Mahabalipuram,

As the waves receded, the force of the water removed sand deposits that had covered the structures, which appear to belong to a port city built in the seventh century, said T. Satyamurthy, a senior archaeologist with the Archaeological Survey of India.

Mahabalipuram is already well known for its ancient, intricately carved shore temples that have been declared a World Heritage site and are visited each year by thousands of Hindu pilgrims and tourists. According to descriptions by early British travel writers, the area was also home to seven pagodas, six of which were submerged by the sea.

You need a Dragon in your underpants !

If your horoscope is looking a bit worrying for the coming Lunar New Year, a Hong Kong company has just the thing to put it right: feng shui underpants.

The lucky smalls have been designed by Yeung Tin Ming, a master of the ancient Chinese craft of spirit manipulation, or feng shui, and will ward off evil spirits and bring harmony, claims Life Enhance, a company that seeks to bring the wisdom of ancient China to the mass market.

"Our feng shui master says that having something lucky in contact with your skin would bring spiritual balance, so we thought lucky underpants would be ideal -- they are as intimate as you get," said Amy Law, a spokeswoman for the company. Feng shui advocates believe good fortune can be generated by arranging everyday objects in a way that guides invisible energies and "spirits" that emanate from all things.

It is a key part of the ritualism surrounding the Lunar New Year, as each 12-month cycle ushers a different set of spiritual forces and believers will spend time re-arranging furniture and schedules to optimise spirit flows. On Wednesday millions of Chinese around the world will welcome the new year of the rooster, the next in a recurring 12-year horological cycle each of which is represented by a different animal of the zodiac.

Ancient belief has it that each year reflects the character of its associated beast and as roosters are considered unpredictable the coming 12 months are expected to volatile.

The underpants, which come in red, grey and white and in boxers for men and briefs for women, depict a dragon on the front in accordance with Chinese belief that the mythical creatures balance out the erratic nature of roosters.

If you have a dragon on your underpants you will be protected !

God of Javascript

Originally I thought Thoth would be the God of Javascript. He is, after all, the god of writing. But Ogma is really much better suited.

In France, Ogma is shown as an old bald man, greatly wrinkled and browned by the sun. In Ireland we find him as a muscular young chap shouldering his sheilalagh.

Ogma is the god of communication and writing and he invented the script named after him -- the Ogham Alphabet. The Druids could read it, but no one else. And it's still indecipherable to 99% of the population. Sound like javascript to you ?

Gods for the Modern World

A colleague of mine was wrestling with a bit of javascript recently and complained that " ... the Javascript Gods were having a little fun with me". He wondered if he should try sacrificing a mouse before writing another script to keep them happy.

That's what we're missing in modern society, gods to assist us through the everyday trials and tribulations of the 21st century. Like javascript for example, or traffic gridlocks. Who would you entreat ?

If only there were deities I could sacrifice chicken livers to, and so stock up on goodwill for when I need to ask a favour. Like a god for power blackouts, for clogged vacuum cleaners, for keeping the cat in at night and, last but certainly not least, a god for giving up smoking

How to help after the tsunami

As we welcome in the first month of the New Year, my heart is heavy with sadness on the worst natural disaster of our times.

To help with the aid work after the sea rose up to claim so many lives, I urge you to support the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation or UNICEF

Amazon and paypal are also taking donations, if you regularly use these services, a one-click system is put in place.

New Year Customs - Did you do them ?

Stocking Up: The new year must not be seen in with bare cupboards, lest that be the way of things for the year. Larders must be topped up and plenty of money must be placed in every wallet in the home to guarantee prosperity.

Paying Off Bills: The new year should not be begun with the household in debt, so checks should be written and mailed off prior to January 1st. Likewise, personal debts should be settled before the New Year arrives.

New Year Customs - First Footing

The first person to enter your home after the stroke of midnight will influence the year you're about to have. Ideally, he should be dark-haired, tall, and good-looking, and it would be even better if he came bearing certain small gifts such as a lump of coal, a silver coin, a bit of bread, a sprig of evergreen, and some salt. Blonde and redhead first footers bring bad luck, and female first footers should be shooed away before they bring disaster down on the household.

The first footer (sometimes called the "Lucky Bird") should knock and be let in rather than unceremoniously use a key, even if he is one of the householders. After greeting those in the house and dropping off whatever small tokens of luck he has brought with him, he should make his way through the house and leave by a different door than the one through which he entered. No one should leave the premises before the first footer arrives — the first traffic across the threshold must be headed in rather than striking out.

First footers must not be cross-eyed or have flat feet or eyebrows that meet in the middle.

Nothing prevents the cagey householder from stationing a dark-haired man outside the home just before midnight to ensure the speedy arrival of a suitable first footer as soon as the chimes sound. If one of the partygoers is recruited for this purpose, impress upon him the need to slip out quietly just prior to the witching hour.

Nectar of the Gods loses popularity

In Mexico, the "nectar of the gods" is in danger of extinction.

The popularity of the pre-Hispanic alcoholic drink, pulque, is fading in favour of more conventional beverages. Legend has it that pulque was being drunk in Mexico 10 centuries ago. It was certainly the preferred tipple of the Aztec elite and, being of divine origin, was used by priests in rituals. Commoners only stole a sip on pain of death!

Pulque is the sap of the maguey cactus, which grows in dry desert plains. It's extracted by workers who put a fat wooden tube in to the heart of the plant, and suck the liquid out. One litre of the milky liquid costs less than half a dollar.

But the so-called "nectar of the gods" is in danger of dying out as beer, rum and the ubiquitious tequila are taken up by young people.

Santa Free Zone ?

A group of Germans are fighting to get rid of Santa saying he has become a symbol of the commercialisation of Christmas.

Thousands of stickers have been printed declaring whole areas in Germany and Austria "Santa Free Zones" and pamphlets have been handed out on street corners reminding people that the traditional bringer of presents is St Nicholas and not the red-suited, white-bearded immigrant from the Americas.

Bettina Schade from the Frankfurter Nicholas Initiative said: "We object to the material things, the hectic rush to buy gifts, and the ubiquity of the bearded man in the red suit that are taking away from the core meaning of Christmas."

Santa Claus is not a typical Christmas tradition in Germany or Austria - the overweight red-suited man only turning up in the last decade or so.

Winter Solstice Concepts -- Beli Mawr

The Celtic commemoration of the rebirth of the sun is the Birth of the Divine Child, He who is known as Beli Mawr, The Shining One, Great Lord of Divine Fire.

On the longest night of the year, the Goddess gives birth to the Sun Child and hope for new light is reborn. The Birth is celebrated with games, merry-making and feasting which usually includes pork, the flesh of the sacred sow, and apples, the fruit of the tree of Avalon, the Blessed Isle of Death and Rebirth.

Christmas Spider

A charming old German story tells us that a long time ago, a mother was busily cleaning for Christmas. The spiders in the house fled upstairs to the attic to escape the broom. When the house became quiet again, the little spiders sneaked out and slowly crept downstairs for a peek. Oh! What a beautiful tree!

In their excitement, they scurried up the trunk and out among the branches. They were filled with happiness and glee as they climbed amonst the glittering beauty that surrounded them. But alas! By the time they were through with their explorations, the tree was completely shrouded in their dusty grey spider webs.

When Santa came with the gifts for the children and noticed the tree covered with spider webs, he smiled to see how happy the spiders were. But he also knew how heartbroken the mother would be if she saw her tree all dusty and grey. And so he magically transformed the webs to silver and gold thread. The tree now sparkled and shimmered and was even more beautiful than before.

And now that's why we have tinsel on our trees and also why every tree should have a Christmas spider hiding happily in its branches.

Goddess Brighid still going strong

Brighid is the goddess who survived the onslaught of Christianity. So greatly was she loved by the Irish people that they would have none of Christianity if they couldn't keep Brighid.

In relatively recent times her fame spread to Africa and Haiti in the hearts of slaves and deported Irish and Scottish indentured servants.

However she went through a radical transformation, and her aspect of Maman Brigitte is seen more as a Goddess of Vengeance.

The Haitian Voudou lwa -immortal spirit- "Maman Brigitte", is the wife of Baron Samedi, recognised worldwide as the jovial skeleton who wears a top hat, sunglasses, and smokes cigarettes or cigars.

Like the original Brighid, Maman Brigitte is revered for her ability to heal. Vodouisants approach her to request healing from life-threatening circumstances for she has the power to bring people back from the brink of death.

Sleep Spell

Color of the day: Lavender
Incense of the day: Maple

Everyone has a hard time falling asleep occasionally. Here's a spell for restful sleep. Begin by playing quiet music for a few minutes, and then go to bed. Imagine yourself as a beach of pristine sand, and sleep as the tide comes in to cover you. Say this rhyme:

Soft as sea on sand,
soft as mother’s love,
soft as moonlight above,
soft as the loving hand.
Sleep, gentle healer of flesh and mind,
come and restore what the day has drained.
Fill the long night till the Moon wanes,
then flee with dawn, leaving peace behind.

By: Elizabeth Barrette