neanderthal paganism
@milbel.bsky.social
440 followers 200 following 300 posts
Writing about the origins of religious thought, prehistoric ritualism, mythology, and pre/perinatal psychology. milbel.substack.com
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milbel.bsky.social
HAPPY OCTOBER 🎃🎃⚡️

new article in bio

#pagansky #writersky #samhain #paganism #halloween #spookyseason #booksky
milbel.bsky.social
“The ethnic religion of the Finns never truly died out but continued to live and take on new forms; even during the thousand years of official Christianity.”

—Anssi Alhonen, Notes on the Finnish Tradition #pagansky
milbel.bsky.social
Was Samhain the "Celtic New Year" ??

Compare this Japanese idea: "We thought in terms of evening to morning, not morning to evening....The boundary being set by the sinking sun."

#FolkyFriday #pagansky
milbel.bsky.social
“Neanderthals are not really extinct at all, they are in us."
milbel.bsky.social
The oldest undisputed figurines known to man (~40,000 years old)

*Venus of Hohle Fels
*Lion-Man of Hohlenstein-Stadel
*Animal figurines of Vogelherd Cave

All discovered in the caves of southern Germany.
#LegendaryWednesday
Reposted by neanderthal paganism
milbel.bsky.social
The cave is to sacred space what the skull is to the jack-o’-lantern.
milbel.bsky.social
Nothing is annihilated only transformed
milbel.bsky.social
Bears withdraw into caves for hibernation, only to emerge with newborn cubs.

A living parable of death and rebirth.
milbel.bsky.social
Erich Neumann describes the mysteries of rebirth as an initiation into union with the Great Nocturnal Mother.

"You become a star in the night—a luminous infant glittering in her dark belly, a point of light sparkling on her nocturnal cloak."
milbel.bsky.social
The best English-language compilations of Irish mythology I've found. What am I missing? 📚

#MythologyMonday
Reposted by neanderthal paganism
cathhodsman.bsky.social
Did u know? Moths are significant pollinators in our gardens. As they're often nocturnal, they've evolved clever ways of evading predators during the day. The Plume moth hides by folding its wings up like a concertina, so that it looks like a teeny twig, rather than a tasty bird meal. 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🪲🦋
milbel.bsky.social
In Finland, the new year began at the 'Kekri' feast at the end of October.

"Kekri was a harvest feast and a memorial celebration for the family's ancestors, who were thought to visit the living on that occasion." 🎃👻
Reposted by neanderthal paganism
Reposted by neanderthal paganism
milbel.bsky.social
HAPPY OCTOBER 🎃🎃⚡️

new article in bio

#pagansky #writersky #samhain #paganism #halloween #spookyseason #booksky
milbel.bsky.social
new article tomorrow 🎃

#writersky #pagansky #psychsky #halloween #samhain
milbel.bsky.social
"Once upon a time there were three Bears, who lived together in a house of their own, in a wood."

Did you know Goldilocks was originally an old woman? 👵
milbel.bsky.social
For centuries, people believed cave bear skulls had belonged to dragons.

Could legends of dragons have emerged from them?
milbel.bsky.social
Towards the end of the war, folklorist Kunio Yanagita wrote About our Ancestors, fearing the traditional Japanese way faced extinction.

He carried the manuscript in a briefcase through bombings and published it in 1945.

It is now out of print. #MythologyMonday
milbel.bsky.social
The cave was the first cathedral.
milbel.bsky.social
In the West, dragons are greedy hoarders of gold. In the East, they are honorable guardians of cosmic treasures.

Could their shared origin have embodied both traits?

#BookologyThursday
milbel.bsky.social
The labyrinth is a symbol of the soul’s journey through darkness to rebirth.
milbel.bsky.social
"What drives a story is the will of the characters. You don’t depict fate, you depict will. Even if fate exists."

–Hayao Miyazaki #WyrdWednesday