AliakaiRecently Freyja Norling, a pagan content creator, made a video entitled "ARE YOU CULTURALLY APPROPRIATING YOUR PAGANISM?" (yeah, it's a mouthful) and claimed that culture and cultural appropriation don't exist. This is a response.
We Matter: An Indigenous Response to @FreyiaTV On Cultural AppropriationAliakai2021-04-30 | Recently Freyja Norling, a pagan content creator, made a video entitled "ARE YOU CULTURALLY APPROPRIATING YOUR PAGANISM?" (yeah, it's a mouthful) and claimed that culture and cultural appropriation don't exist. This is a response.
Special thanks to JACandQuill for the Channel Art!
twitter.com/JACandQuillRepublicans Want To Cut Your Overtime Rights (Project 2025)Aliakai2023-09-29 | The recommendations in this 920 page guide to ending democracy just keep getting worse. Cuts to health care, cuts to retirement and social security, and yes, they want to waive the right to overtime on a state by state basis, along with any other labor regulations meant to protect workers. And we're still not done.
Special thanks to JACandQuill for the Channel Emotes!
twitter.com/JACandQuillProject 2025 Is Literal (As in LITERAL) FascismAliakai2023-09-22 | A lot of folks are concerned for trans people with the project 2025 document, as they well should be. But there's a lot more terrifying stuff in there that EVERYONE should care about just as much, if not more. Let's talk Project 2025.
Special thanks to JACandQuill for the Channel Emotes!
twitter.com/JACandQuillThe Internet is Over 400 Million Years Old (No, Really)Aliakai2023-09-01 | Well before apes existed, fungus discovered that by working with trees and other plants it could guarantee its own survival while ensuring the success of its fellows. Let's talk about the woodwide web.
Special thanks to JACandQuill for the Channel Emotes!
twitter.com/JACandQuillDonald Trumps 4 Indictments ExplainedAliakai2023-08-18 | There's been a ton of news coverage on the indictments, but folks from other countries might not fully understand what Trump is facing. 2 lay folks do their best to explain what charges Trump faces and why they matter.
Special thanks to JACandQuill for the Channel Emotes!
twitter.com/JACandQuillThe Japanese Plague Youve Never Heard Of (That Changed History)Aliakai2023-08-04 | There was a plague early in Japan's history that changed the course of the nation forever, and we bet you've never even heard of it.
Special thanks to JACandQuill for the Channel Emotes!
twitter.com/JACandQuillPowerful Ancient Greek Protective Magic and Healing MagicAliakai2023-07-28 | It's a persistent myth that magic was looked on exclusively negatively in ancient Greece. Numerous amulets, phylakteries, and other magical artifacts have been found all over the Mediterranean and anywhere else Greeks settled. So let's look at ancient protective magic and ancient healing magic.
Bonner, C. (1946). Magical Amulets. The Harvard Theological Review, 39(1), 25–54. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1507999 Edmonds, R. G. (2021). Drawing down the moon: Magic in the ancient Greco-Roman World. Princeton University Press. Faraone, C. A., & Obbink, D. (1997). Magika Hiera: Ancient greek magic and religion. Oxford University Press. Luck, G. (2008). Arcana Mundi Magic and the occult in the greek and roman worlds: A collection of ancient texts. Johns Hopkins University Press.What Is Magic? Is Magic Hubris? Ft. Kaz A Greek Classics ScholarAliakai2023-07-21 | The debate in ancient times and the modern community rages on: what is magic? Did the ancients Greeks think magic was hubris? Kaz from allied server Hieros Elainoas, a Greek Classical scholar, is here to help us figure it out.
Special thanks to JACandQuill for the Channel Emotes!
twitter.com/JACandQuillDoes Social Media GLORIFY Mental Illness?Aliakai2023-07-14 | Social media has done a lot to help folks who struggle with mental health find better ways to cope, destigmatize their conditions, and gain better understanding of what they're dealing with. Some researchers think there's a dark side to these benefits, so let's take a look.
Special thanks to JACandQuill for the Channel Emotes!
twitter.com/JACandQuillHow Do We Stay Pagan Long Term? (Ft. @FeltheBlithe)Aliakai2023-06-30 | Staying pagan long term is hard, regardless of tradition, but if we don't talk about why, our movements have no future. So let's talk about it.
Special thanks to JACandQuill for the Channel Emotes! twitter.com/JACandQuillDionysus Is A Queer IconAliakai2023-06-16 | Dionysus: a god with the epithet androgynos, whose rites included cross dressing and broke every boundary in ancient society. Let's talk about some of the lesser known aspects of the Mad God.
Eric Csapo. (1997). Riding the Phallus for Dionysus: Iconology, Ritual, and Gender-Role De/Construction. Phoenix, 51(3/4), 253–295. doi.org/10.2307/1192539
Keuls, E. C. (1984). Male-Female Interaction in Fifth-Century Dionysiac Ritual as Shown in Attic Vase Painting. Zeitschrift Für Papyrologie Und Epigraphik, 55, 287–297. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20184042
Murgatroyd, P. (1978) Anacreon in Translation. Akroterion, 23.4, 11-22. https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/AJA03031896_318
Prauscello, L. (2007). “Dionysiac” Ambiguity: HomHymn 7.27: ὄδε δ’ αὖτ’ ἄνδρεσσι μελήσει. Materiali e Discussioni per l’analisi Dei Testi Classici, 58, 209–216. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40236354
Takács, S. A. (2000). Politics and Religion in the Bacchanalian Affair of 186 B.C.E. Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, 100, 301–310. doi.org/10.2307/3185221What is Hybris? (Its Not All In Your Head)Aliakai2023-02-24 | What is hubris? We're warned against it constantly all through the epics and plays, the Athenians were obsessed with preventing it, and it was even a crime in Greek city states. The answer is more complicated than you'd think.
Rainer Friedrich. (1991). The Hybris of Odysseus. The Journal of Hellenic Studies, 111, 16–28. doi.org/10.2307/631885
Robertson, H. G. (1967). The Hybristês in Aeschylus. Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, 98, 373–382. doi.org/10.2307/2935883
Rowe, G. O. (1993). The Many Facets of Hybris in Demosthenes’ against Meidias. The American Journal of Philology, 114(3), 397–406. doi.org/10.2307/295518Hellenic Household Gods: Zeus Ktesios, Zeus Meilichios, Agathos DaimonAliakai2023-01-26 | Snake gods were prevalent all through the Classical and Hellenistic eras in ancient Greece, and the three we'll be talking about today are two household boundary Gods, Zeus Ktesios and the Agathodaimon, and the God of blood guilt purification, Zeus. Ktesios.
Burton, D. (2010). The role of Zeus Meilichios in Argos [paper]. ASCS Conference, Perth, AU Cook, A. B. (2010). Zeus: A study in ancient religion 2 Part 2. Cambridge University Press. Ogden, D. (2013). Drakōn: Dragon myth and serpent cult in the greek and Roman Worlds. Oxford University Press. Alexander Romance Translation: http://www.attalus.org/translate/alexander1c.html Aelian Nature of Animals translation: http://www.attalus.org/translate/animals17.html Most other translations: Perseus TuftsLets Talk Hittite Revival (With Kaz from Hieros Elaionas)Aliakai2023-01-20 | Today I'll be having a conversation with Kaz from the allied server Hieros Elaionas on Hittite polytheism.
Special thanks to JACandQuill for the Channel Emotes!
twitter.com/JACandQuill18 Pitfalls Beginning Pagans Should Watch Out ForAliakai2023-01-13 | We've all made mistakes or adopted attitudes that aren't good for us at one point or another, but beginner pagans often are at the greatest risk for these struggles. Let's take a look at them.
Citations Abram, C. (2006). Hel in Early Norse Poetry. Viking and Medieval Scandinavia, 2, 1–29. http://www.jstor.org/stable/45019106 Bailey, L. R. (1986). Enigmatic Bible Passages: Gehenna: The Topography of Hell. The Biblical Archaeologist, 49(3), 187–191. doi.org/10.2307/3210000 Bosworth, J. (2014). HEL. In T. Northcote Toller, C. Sean, & O. Tichy (Eds.), An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online. Faculty of Arts, Charles University. bosworthtoller.com/18609 Bosworth, J. (2014). HEOFON. In T. Northcote Toller, C. Sean, & O. Tichy (Eds.), An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online. Faculty of Arts, Charles University. bosworthtoller.com/18712 Ehrman, B. D. (2021). Heaven and hell a history of the afterlife. Simon & Schuster Paperbacks. Gylfaginnning: sacred-texts.com/neu/pre/pre04.htm Gittlen, B. M. (2002). Sacred Time, sacred place archaeology and the religion of Israel. Eisenbrauns. Lewis, T. J. (1989). Cults of the dead in ancient Israel and Ugarit. Scholars Pr. Pentiuc, E. J. (2007). “RENEWED BY BLOOD”: SHEOL’S QUEST IN 2 BARUCH 56:6. Revue Biblique (1946-), 114(4), 535–564. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44092110Where Did Hell Come From? Part 1: From Zoroaster to PlatoAliakai2022-12-16 | The Christian Hell terrifies a lot of pagans, but what if I told you its origins came from many other traditions just sort of mashed together? And that the oldest iteration doesn't have the punishments as eternal? Let's look at hell.
Burkert, W. (1985). Greek religion. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Ehrman, B. D. (2021). Heaven and hell a history of the afterlife. Simon & Schuster Paperbacks. Garland, R. (2001). The Greek way of death. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. Nilsson, M. P. (1971). The Minoan-Mycenaean religion and its survival in Greek religion. New York: Biblo and Tannen. Peterson, J. H. (n.d.). Translated book of Arda Viraf. The book of arda viraf. Retrieved November 22, 2022, from http://www.avesta.org/mp/viraf.html Rig Veda Book 2 Translation. Rig veda: Rig-veda, book 2: Hymn XXIX. Viśvedevas. (n.d.). Retrieved November 24, 2022, from sacred-texts.com/hin/rigveda/rv02029.htm Sourvinou-Inwood, C. (2006). "Reading" Greek death: To the end of the classical period.Oxford: Clarendon Press. Turner, A. (1995). History of hell. Hale.Why Are We Afraid to be Pagan?Aliakai2022-11-18 | We call our divine experiences UPG, SPG, and VPG. We're reconstructionists, revivalists, eclectics. We define our tradition by the pantheon we worship. These are just facts in the pagan community...or are they?
Special thanks to JACandQuill for the Channel Emotes! twitter.com/JACandQuillSo You Want to Hire a NecromancerAliakai2022-10-21 | Goes, psychogogos, nekyomantis, pharmakos, there are many names for the ancient Greek magicians who founded so much of the practices now taken out of context by modern occultism in ancient times. But who were they? And what would it be like to hire one?
Dickie, M. (2003). Magic and magicians in the greco-roman world. Routledge. Holst-Warhaft, G. (1995). Dangerous voices: Women's laments and Greek literature. Routledge. Johnston, S. I. (2013). Restless dead: Encounters between the living and the dead in Ancient Greece. University of California Press. Ogden, D. (2005). Greek and roman necromancy. Princeton University Press.
Translations of Goetia definitions: sartrix.miraheze.org/wiki/Go%C3%ABtiaAncient Greek Necromancy: A Catalogue of GhostsAliakai2022-10-07 | Necromancy was a common part of Greek lives, contrary to the mysticism surrounding the topic in the modern day. But to talk about all the ways the Greeks contacted the dead in ancient times, we first need to talk about Greek ghosts.
Eidinow, E. (2015). Oracles, curses, and risk among the ancient greeks. Oxford University Press. Holst-Warhaft, G. (1995). Dangerous voices: Women's laments and Greek literature. Routledge. Jacoby, F. (1944). ΓΕΝΕΣΙΑ. A Forgotten Festival of the Dead. The Classical Quarterly, 38(3/4), 65–75. http://www.jstor.org/stable/636925 Jameson, M. H., Jordan, D. R., & Kotansky, R. D. (1993). A "Lex Sacra" from selinous. Duke University. Johnston, S. I. (2013). Restless dead: Encounters between the living and the dead in Ancient Greece. University of California Press. Ogden, D. (2005). Greek and roman necromancy. Princeton University Press. Ogden, D. (2013). Drakōn: Dragon myth and serpent cult in the greek and Roman Worlds. Oxford University Press. Roy, J. (1999). “Polis” and “Oikos” in Classical Athens. Greece & Rome, 46(1), 1–18. http://www.jstor.org/stable/643032
Primary Sources:
Tufts Perseus (majority of displayed quotes for primary sources): http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/collection?collection=Perseus:collection:Greco-Roman10k Q&A (With Einar of Midgard) Lore Olympus, Living Your Tradition, Book Suggestions, and more!Aliakai2022-09-16 | It's the 10k Q&A! Join Einar and I for a drama free chill session where we answer your question and shoot the shiz for a bit.
Special thanks to JACandQuill for the Channel Emotes!
twitter.com/JACandQuillHuman Sacrifice In Greek MythologyAliakai2022-09-09 | Did the Greeks sacrifice humans to their Gods? What about the myth of Agamemnon and Iphigenia? Apparently people have gotten the mistaken impression that this was an accepted practice, so let's take a close look and see if that was the case.
0:00 Introduction 4:00 Funerals and Festivals 21:09 The Fall of the House of Atreus
Special thanks to JACandQuill for the Channel Emotes! twitter.com/JACandQuillWorship Vs Work With: Lets Talk TermsAliakai2022-08-26 | Should I call it worship? Or working with? What did the ancients think? The Work With Wars (TM) have raged on social media every few months without fail, much to the frustration of everyone involved and without any real resolution. Let's take a look at why.
0:00 Introduction 3:05 Worship, Honor, Veneration 13:38 Propitiation, Expiation, Purification 22:00 Service and Other terms 26:49 The Work With Wars
Sources:Ingvar B. Maehle. (2018). The Economy of Gratitude in Democratic Athens. Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 87(1), 55–90. doi.org/10.2972/hesperia.87.1.0055Diggle, J., Fraser, B. L., James, P., Simkin, O. B., Thompson, A. A., & Westripp, S. J. (2021). The Cambridge Greek Lexicon. Cambridge University Press.Tufts Perseus Greek Word Study Tool, links such as this and others running searches for said terms and usage: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=sebasma&la=greek#lexicon Tufts Perseus Greek and Roman translation repository, for the translated quotes used throughout.What to Offer To the Gods in HellenismAliakai2022-08-12 | I constantly get asked what offerings to give to the Gods. It's about time we took a look at this question in detail, with ancient sources and modern suggestions.
0:00 Intro 2:13 Why Animal Offerings Are a No Go 10:52 Vegetal Offerings 18:49 Votive Offerings 30:06 Devotional Offerings
Sources:Brumfield, A. (1997). Cakes in the Liknon: Votives from the Sanctuary of Demeter and Kore on Acrocorinth. Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 66(1), 147–172. doi.org/10.2307/148477Cook, A. B. (2010). Zeus: A study in ancient religion. Cambridge University Press. Dillon, M. P. J. (1997). The Ecology of the Greek Sanctuary. Zeitschrift Für Papyrologie Und Epigraphik, 118, 113–127. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20190053Ekroth, G. (2017). “Don’t Throw Any Bones in the Sanctuary!” On the Handling of Sacred Waste in Ancient Greek Cult Places. Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome. Supplementary Volumes, 13, 33–55. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44898617Gimatzidis, Stefanos. “Feasting and Offering to the Gods in Early Greek Sanctuaries: Monumentalisation and Miniaturisation in Pottery.” Pallas, no. 86, 2011, pp. 75–96. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43606686.Haland, E. J. (2004). Athena’s Peplos: Weaving as a Core Female Activity in Ancient and Modern Greece. Cosmos The Journal of the Traditional Cosmology Society, 20, 155–182. doi.org/http://www.arch.uoa.gr/fileadmin/arch.uoa.gr/uploads/images/evy_johanne_haland/e_j_haland_cosmos_20.pdf LAWTON, C. L. (2017). VOTIVE RELIEFS. The Athenian Agora, 38, iii–212. jstor.org/stable/26379853Michael Laughy. “Figurines in the Road: A Protoattic Votive Deposit from the Athenian Agora Reexamined.” Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, vol. 87, no. 4, 2018, pp. 633–679. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.2972/hesperia.87.4.0633. Muskett, Georgina. “VOTIVE OFFERINGS FROM THE SANCTUARY OF ARTEMIS ORTHIA, SPARTA, IN LIVERPOOL COLLECTIONS.” The Annual of the British School at Athens, vol. 109, 2014, pp. 159–173., www.jstor.org/stable/44082091. Naiden, F. S. (2015). Smoke signals for the gods: Ancient greek sacrifice from the archaic through roman periods. Oxford University Press.Palmer, L. R. (1941). Macte, Mago? The Classical Quarterly, 35(1/2), 52–57. http://www.jstor.org/stable/637189How To Offer in Hellenism (Expanded)Aliakai2022-07-29 | How do you give offerings in Hellenism? When and where should you give offerings to the Greek Gods? Is there a specific attitude you need? Let's explore all of this and more in this updated video on offering to the Theoi.
Sources: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0057:entry=xa/ris Auffarth, C. (2005). How to Sacrifice Correctly Without a Manual. In Greek Sacrificial Ritual, Olympian and Cthonian (pp. 11-21). Uppsala, Sweden: Paul Astroms Forlagg. Naiden, F. S. (2015). Smoke signals for the gods: Ancient greek sacrifice from the archaic through roman periods. New York: Oxford University Press. Pulleyn, S. (1997). Prayer in Greek religion. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Peels-Matthey, S. (2016). Hosios: A semantic study of greek piety. Brill. Petridou, G. (2015). Divine epiphany in greek literature and culture. Oxford University Press. Petrovic, A., & Petrovic, I. (2016). Inner purity and pollution in Greek religion. Oxford University Press. nytimes.com/2019/07/05/science/frankincense-trees-collapse.htmlProgram Christianity??? #shortsAliakai2022-07-20 | Become a Patron: patreon.com/Aliakai
Special thanks to JACandQuill for the Channel Emotes! twitter.com/JACandQuillUPG SPG VPG? Epiphany!Aliakai2022-07-15 | UPG, SPG, and VPG have become the bedrock of the pagan community's approach to divine experiences. But are they actually useful as terms? Let's take a look at divine epiphanies and the system the community uses to see if upg, spg, and vpg does what we think it should.
Alcock, S. E., & Osborne, R. (2001). Placing the gods: Sanctuaries and sacred space in Ancient Greece. Clarendon Press. Naiden, F. S. (2015). Smoke signals for the gods: Ancient greek sacrifice from the archaic through roman periods. Oxford University Press. Petridou, G. (2016). Divine epiphany in greek literature and culture. Oxford University Press. Platt, V. J. (2016). Facing the gods: Epiphany and representation in Graeco-Roman art, literature and religion. Cambridge University Press. Purvis, A. (2015). Singular dedications: Founders and innovators of private cults in classical Greece. Routledge.How To Pray in Hellenism (Expanded!)Aliakai2022-06-17 | It's been a long time since I made How to Pray in Hellenism so I decided it's time to revisit the topic in greater depth. One of the first questions people have when they come to the tradition is how to pray to the theoi? I hope this video helps folks looking for answers.
Intro: 0:00 Part One: Why Pray? 3:15 Part Two: Preparation and Attitude for Prayer 12:09 Part Three: Ways to Pray 19:37
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0134%3Abook%3D1%3Acard%3D33 http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0136%3Abook%3D5%3Acard%3D408 Pulleyn, S. (1997). Prayer in Greek religion. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Petrovic, A., & Petrovic, I. (2016). Inner purity and pollution in Greek religion. Oxford: Oxford University Press. KINDT, J. (2015). PERSONAL RELIGION: A PRODUCTIVE CATEGORY FOR THE STUDY OF ANCIENT GREEK RELIGION? The Journal of Hellenic Studies, 135, 35–50. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44157346Hellenist Ritual For Ukraine (Ft. @WindintheWorldtree)Aliakai2022-06-04 | This was a group ritual done for Ukraine on the Xenia Bridge discord server. Wind in the Worldtree felt we should record it and share it so other folks at home could follow along as those who attended did, as the war doesn't seem to be going anywhere. This video was NOT charged to patrons and will be monetized but only to ensure the algorithm promotes it to folks who might want to see it.
Special thanks to JACandQuill for the Channel Emotes! twitter.com/JACandQuillWho Are the Muses? Ancient Greek Music, Education, and the Eleusinian Mysteries (Part 2/3)Aliakai2022-06-03 | The Muses were the educators of Greece, but more than that, They played a key role in the Eleusinian Mysteries and the Dionysian Mystery Cults. Music was essential to Greek life on the whole. Let's look at why.
0:00 Intro 03:40 Part 3/4 Music, Dance and the Muses 18:31 Part 5: Muses as Educators 32:02 Part 6: The Muses and the Mysteries
Zhang, W. (2009). The Poet as Educator in the Works and Days. The Classical Journal, 105(1), 1–17. doi.org/10.5184/00098353.105.1.1
Mathiesen, T. J. (2018). Apollo's lyre: Greek music and music theory in antiquity and the Middle Ages. University of Nebraska Press.
Murray, P., & Wilson, P. (2009). Music and the muses: The culture of "mousikē" in the classical Athenian city. Oxford University Press.
Spentzou, E., & Fowler, D. (2002). Cultivating the muse: Struggles for power and inspiration in classical literature. Oxford University Press.
Woerther, F. (2008). Music and the Education of the Soul in Plato and Aristotle: Homoeopathy and the Formation of Character. The Classical Quarterly, 58(1), 89–103. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27564125
Hardie, A. (2005). Sappho, the Muses, and Life after Death. Zeitschrift Für Papyrologie Und Epigraphik, 154, 13–32. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20190981
Vergados, A. (2012). Corinna’s Poetic Mountains: PMG 654 col. i 1–34 and Hesiodic Reception. Classical Philology, 107(2), 101–118. doi.org/10.1086/664026
Free Translation of Aristotle’s Politics: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0058%3Abook%3D8%3Asection%3D1337a
Look through their catalogue for the other quotes I use throughout the video.Myth is Not Religion (Presentation at the 2022 Touta Galation Conference)Aliakai2022-05-15 | The wonderful folks at the Touta Galation Gaulish conference invited me to do this talk and subsequent Q&A on the obsession with myth and research that can overtake pagans, especially new ones, in revivalist movements.
Special thanks to JACandQuill for the Channel Emotes! twitter.com/JACandQuillWho Are the Muses? Arbiters of Truth, Chaos, Art, Justice (Part 1/3)Aliakai2022-05-06 | Who are the Muses? The nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne serve a grand purpose in the inspiration of art, but They are so, so much more.
Ahearne-Kroll, S. P. (2014). Mnemosyne at the Asklepieia. Classical Philology, 109(2), 99–118. doi.org/10.1086/675272
DANA LACOURSE MUNTEANU. (2011). THE TRAGIC MUSE AND THE ANTI-EPIC GLORY OF WOMEN IN EURIPIDES’ TROADES. The Classical Journal, 106(2), 129–147. doi.org/10.5184/classicalj.106.2.0129
GOSLIN, O. (2010). Hesiod’s Typhonomachy and the Ordering of Sound. Transactions of the American Philological Association (1974-), 140(2), 351–373. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40890983
William Brockliss. (2018). Olympian Sound in the Theogony and the Catalogue of Women: Sweet Music and Disorderly Noise. The Classical Journal, 113(2), 129–149. doi.org/10.5184/classicalj.113.2.0129
Minchin, E. (1995). The Poet Appeals to His Muse: Homeric Invocations in the Context of Epic Performance. The Classical Journal, 91(1), 25–33. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3297771
Mathiesen, T. J. (2018). Apollo's lyre: Greek music and music theory in antiquity and the Middle Ages. University of Nebraska Press.
Allen, A. W. (1949). Solon’s Prayer to the Muses. Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, 80, 50–65. doi.org/10.2307/283511Blessings of Madness: Prophecy and InspirationAliakai2022-04-22 | The Muses drive man mad with inspiration. Apollon possesses the prophets with divinely inspired frenzy. These many people know, but what of the nymphs and nympholepsy? Pan and Panolepsy? Can Madness truly be a blessing?
Farrington, S. T. (1986). Enthousiasmos: Essays on greek and related pottery presented to J.M. Hemelrijk. (C. W. Neeft, B. H. A. G., & A. A. Drukker, Eds.). Allard Pierson series. Talent, Craft, and Ecstasy: Poetic Forces in Horace and Plato FLOWER, M. A. (n.d.). The Seer in Ancient Greece. University of California Press. Larson, J. (2001). Greek nymphs: Myth, cult, lore. Oxford University Press. Ustinova, J. B. (2020). Divine "mania" alteration of consciousness in Ancient Greece. Routledge. Ustinova, Y. (2009). Caves and the ancient greek mind.: Descending underground in the search for Ultimate Truth. Oxford University Press.Encanto: Racial Trauma Through GenerationsAliakai2022-03-25 | When I first saw Encanto, I cried my face off until I was a mess because the themes in it touched on something raw and sensitive in me as an indigenous person. Let's talk about it.
Indigenous movement dissertation: https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4800&context=edissertationsResponding to PragerU, Aussie Flooding, Q&A: Its the Ukraine Charity Stream!Aliakai2022-03-15 | Nervardia joins me for a special charity stream event for the Xenia Bridge! Let's raise some money for United Help Ukraine, Voices of Children, and Global Giving's Ukraine Crisis Relief fund. Super chats during the stream will go to Voices of Children minus the 1/3 YT takes.
Donation screencaps submitted as tickets during the stream to the server will be read as best we can as they come in.
Special thanks to JACandQuill for the Channel Emotes!
twitter.com/JACandQuillAres: Violence PersonifiedAliakai2022-03-11 | CW: depictions of military exercises, simulated war, footage from Ukraine in 2014
A lot of modern Hellenists have found themselves with positive experiences with Ares, who was much maligned in Homer for His gruesome nature. Is that all there is to this God? Or was He also a guardian of civil order and an ally to just rebellion?
0:00 Intro and Explanation 2:46 Devourer of Men 17:34 Violence As Justice 28:15 The Warrior Returned 35:02 Conclusions and Considerations
Bakewell, G. (2007). Agamemnon 437: Chrysamoibos Ares, Athens and Empire. The Journal of Hellenic Studies, 127, 123–132. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30033505
Daneš, J. (2020). Epithets and Metaphors of War in Ancient Greek Poetry until the End of the Fifth Century. Wiener Studien, 133, 21–47. jstor.org/stable/27041913
Millington, F. M. (2013). War and the Warrior: Functions of Ares in Myth and Cult [Unpublished degree type thesis or dissertation]. University College London.What is a Soul? (In Hellenism)Aliakai2022-02-25 | When I decided to take on a history of the soul in ancient Greece, I knew it would be big...but I didn't realize how big. Plato's soul, Homer's soul, Aristotle's soul...the topic is essential to Hellenism and not covered near enough. Let's take a look at the soul in Greece.
0:00 Intro 3:00 Homer's Souls 18:37 Plato's Tripartite Soul 28:39 Aristotle's On the Soul
Tufts Perseus library and search engine for Iliad and Odyssey Bremmer, J. N. (1993). The early Greek concept of the soul. Princeton University Press. Padel, R. (1995). In and out of the mind: Greek images of the tragic self. Princeton University Press. Damasio, A., Carvalho, G. The nature of feelings: evolutionary and neurobiological origins. Nat Rev Neurosci 14, 143–152 (2013). doi.org/10.1038/nrn3403 Padel, R. (1996). Whom gods destroy: Elements of greek and tragic madness. Princeton University Press. McGibbon, D. D. (1964). The Fall of the Soul in Plato’s Phaedrus. The Classical Quarterly, 14(1), 56–63. http://www.jstor.org/stable/637629 Aristotle, Aristotle, Aristotle. On the soul: On breath; Parva Naturalia. Loeb Classics Library. McGibbon, D. D. (1964). The Fall of the Soul in Plato’s Phaedrus. The Classical Quarterly, 14(1), 56–63. http://www.jstor.org/stable/637629Dont Look Up and Science Communication (Ft @Nervardia)Aliakai2022-02-22 | The Xenia Bridge is back! Originally Nervardia and I were going to do a Film Crusade collab, but alas, her camera is having issues, so we're going to talk live about how Don't Look Up handles allyship and gets the existential crisis that is science communication disturbingly right.
Special thanks to JACandQuill for the Channel Emotes!
twitter.com/JACandQuillDivination Ethics 101: Lets Start A ConversationAliakai2022-02-11 | Ethics in tarot, as well as divination generally, are a hot topic in the community that isn't discussed near as often in the level of depth I'd like to see for such a complex issue. So here is my offering to the occult/witchcraft/pagan/recon/revivalist community: let's start a conversation about divination and ethics.
0:00 Intro 3:20 Querent/Questioner 13:41 Diviners 24:01 Solo Divination
Special thanks to JACandQuill for the Channel Emotes! twitter.com/JACandQuillBook Banning, Fining Teachers for Science, and Other W T F In 2022 (ft @Nervardia)Aliakai2022-02-08 | Texas banned over 850 books, Oklahoma wants to fine teachers 10,000 for disagreeing with students' religious beliefs, and tbh 2022 in politics ain't looking so great for the left so far. Fortunately, Nervardia is here to help us sort it all out from the continent that doesn't exist.
NOTE: During the stream I accidentally said "church of satan" when I meant "satanic temple" the two are VERY DIFFERENT organizations and the Church of Satan is NOT the one that fights for atheist rights.
Snakes have fascinating the human imagination longer than just ancient Greece, but the creatures of ancient myth still fascinate us to this day. So let's take a deep dive into some well known and lesser known anguiforms in Greek mythology.
Special thanks to JACandQuill for the Channel Emotes!
twitter.com/JACandQuillDivination: Communication with the DivineAliakai2022-01-14 | How to start divination? What is divination? How was divination done in ancient Greece? How did the oracle at delphi work? Come join me on my first ever deep dive into divination.
1:45 Part 1: What is Divination? 6:39 Part 2: Why Does Divination Work (or not?) 13:58 Part 3: Where Was Divination Done...and By Who? 24:31 Part 4: How to Do Modern Divination 36:09 Part 5: When to Use Divination
Dignas, B., & Trampedach, K. (2008). Practitioners of the divine: Greek priests and religious officials from homer to heliodorus. Center for Hellenic Studies, Trustees for Harvard University. Eidinow, E. (2015). Oracles, curses, and risk among the ancient greeks. Oxford University Press. Johnston, S. I. (2008). Ancient greek divination. Wiley-Blackwell. Johnston, S. I. (2015). Mantikê: Studies in ancient divination. Brill. Parker, R. (2009). Polytheism and society at Athens. Oxford Univ. PressPagan Neurodivergence: Ft. @FeltheBlitheAliakai2022-01-11 | It's no secret that a good chunk of the pagan community is not neurotypical, but the ways that intersects with the traditions we love are almost never talked about. So Fel the Blithe is here to have an in depth chat about this essential issue!
Special thanks to JACandQuill for the Channel Emotes!
twitter.com/JACandQuillLatent Christianity and Identity: How Stories Shape LivesAliakai2021-12-31 | What is Latent Christianity? It depends on if you're a fan of CS Lewis or part of the pagan or atheist community, and how far back in time you asked the question. Let's explore how to look for latent Christianity, and why latent Christianity matters.
0:00 Introduction and methodology 2:38 Part 1: Definitions Through History 6:14 Part 2: Story and Identity 14:31 Part 3: Introspection and Community
Raggatt, P. T. F. (2007). Identity and story: Creating self in narrative. (D. P. McAdams, R. Josselson, & A. Lieblich, Eds.)Kindle Edition. American Psychological Association. Lewis, C. S. (1972). God in the dock. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.Reciprocity is the Point: Pagan Relationships with the GodsAliakai2021-12-24 | In revived and reconstructed traditions, it's easy to forget that we came to these traditions to find out how to build relationships with the Gods in the first place. Let's talk about why these relationships need to become the center of our communities.
Special thanks to JACandQuill for the Channel Emotes! twitter.com/JACandQuillAristotle on Ethics: Wtf Is Good?Aliakai2021-12-21 | People have been asking for a review of Nicomachean Ethics and how we can apply its teachings to our lives. Welcome to Book 1, which covers what "the good" is, what eudaimonia is, and what we can do as individuals to figure this out.
Special thanks to JACandQuill for the Channel Emotes!
twitter.com/JACandQuill4 Indigenous Activists Youve Never Heard OfAliakai2021-12-17 | When I think Thanksgiving, I think of an indigenous day of mourning. Let's instead celebrate native american activists who fought for rights or improved the lives of their fellow tribesmen and women (in December, because FML).
Special thanks to JACandQuill for the Channel Emotes! twitter.com/JACandQuillMessenger Gods, Infighting, and More (Community Q&A)Aliakai2021-12-12 | I promised a second q&a, got sick, and drama happened. I'm back and ready with some incredible starter questions and some from the comments last time. We're stronger together.
Special thanks to JACandQuill for the Channel Emotes!
twitter.com/JACandQuillLand Spirits, Percy Jackson, Research Library and More! (Community Q&A)Aliakai2021-12-07 | It's been a rough couple weeks. Let's come together and just talk as a community.