Before getting into the origin(s) and function(s) of Batara Kala, the Javanese/Balinese God of the Underworld, a little back story is necessary. Hinduism enjoyed a brief but… Read more “Shiva’s Other Child: Batara Kala, Lord of the Underworld”
Tag: Underworld
Womb and Tomb: the Undiscovered Country
Imagine this: you are walking with your tribe across the plains of the Savannah. Predation is a fact of life; you are surrounded by carnivores, and you… Read more “Womb and Tomb: the Undiscovered Country”
Guidebook to the Underworld: Egyptian Funerary Texts
The texts from which we gather knowledge of the Egyptian Underworld (Duat) include the various funerary texts which also served as guides to the underworld.
Charon: Old Man and the River
Charon, the ferryman of the Greco-Roman underworld, was born from a union of the primordial embodiments of night (Nyx) and darkness (Erebus). Charon’s many siblings included Aether… Read more “Charon: Old Man and the River”
Got Pandemics? We’ve Got Panaceas! Mithridate, Pt. 1
First, a few etymologies: Pandemic comes from pandēmos (Greek) = pan ‘all’) + dēmos ‘people’; therefore “all people”, as opposed to epidemic (epi=upon, hence “upon people”). Panacea… Read more “Got Pandemics? We’ve Got Panaceas! Mithridate, Pt. 1”
An Account of Ancient Matters: A Shinto Creation Story
Izanagi (He Who Invites) and Izanami (She Who Invites) were the eighth pair of primeval Kami (deities) and were tasked with creating the world. They were given… Read more “An Account of Ancient Matters: A Shinto Creation Story”
I Will Raise the Dead to Feed on the Living: Inanna/Ishtar in the Underworld, Pt. 2
We left Inanna/Ishtar banging on the gates of the Underworld, where the Goddess made an undeniable, zombie-apocalypse threat: Gatekeeper, Lo! open thy gate! Open thy gate that… Read more “I Will Raise the Dead to Feed on the Living: Inanna/Ishtar in the Underworld, Pt. 2”
Hades and the Helm of Darkness
The Helm of Darkness…sounds awesome right? Also known by the less impressive title of The Cap of Invisibility, this powerful object rendered anyone who wore it completely… Read more “Hades and the Helm of Darkness”
I Will Raise the Dead to Feed on the Living: Inanna/Ishtar in the Underworld, Pt. 1
There are as many reasons to descend into the Underworld as there are Underworlds: some go to recover love, others to find guidance, while others still are… Read more “I Will Raise the Dead to Feed on the Living: Inanna/Ishtar in the Underworld, Pt. 1”
Guidebook to the Underworld: Xibalba
Thank you, Friar Ximénez. * When the Spanish Conquistadors washed up on what we now call South America, they initiated one of the more thorough and widespread acts… Read more “Guidebook to the Underworld: Xibalba”
Myth Crafts 