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What/Which minor gods/spirits are associated with Dionysus?
I know of:
Gelos (divine personification of laughter)
Comus (god of festivities, revels, and late-night hookups) -
Agathodaemon (daemon of vinyards and grainfields).
Are there any others?
Andrew Johnson
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Is it true that Norse mythology gods are almost the same as mortals without their weapons?
Is it true that Norse mythology gods are almost the same as mortals without their weapons? I think that Thor gets his lightning from Mjölnir and his strength from his belt. If that is the case wouldn't he dwarfs who makes their weapons more…
Jb45
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How would a body be prepared for the Greek afterlife?
The only thing I know is that one must place a coin under the tongue to pay Charon, the ferry man of the Underworld.
Andrew Johnson
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How do Dionysus and Jesus relate?
I was reading Dan Brown and found out that Dionysus's birthday (I assume 2nd birth from Zeus's calf) is the same as Jesus.
What similarities do they share other than this?
Andrew Johnson
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Tales of bats as witches' familiars?
One of the superstitions in the article 13 Halloween Superstitions & Traditions Explained is about bats:
Medieval folklore also described bats as witches' familiars, and seeing a bat on Halloween was considered to be quite an ominous sign. One…
Girsan Virlee
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Why do we dress up to celebrate Halloween?
Why do people wear elaborate masks and costumes to celebrate Halloween?
Did people dress up during the pagan festivals that inspired Halloween, or is the practice a modern addition?
Girsan Virlee
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What is the significance of the kinds of wood used in sweat lodges?
In The Mountain Chant: A Navajo Ceremony, Washington Matthews describes the construction of a Navajo sweat lodge:
At dawn the old man woke them and said: "Go out, my children, and build a sweat-house, and make a fire to heat stones for the bath,…
yannis
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Why is Gilgamesh 1/3 a man, 2/3 a god?
The hero of Iliad, Achilles is half man and half god because his mother is a goddess and his father is a man. Then how come is Gilgamesh 2/3 god?
Elruz Rahimli
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Why is there silence in Heaven after the seventh seal is opened?
When the seventh seal is opened, there is half an hour of silence in Heaven (KJ21):
8:1 And when He had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in Heaven about the space of half an hour.
Why? And, is there some significance to the "space of…
Girsan Virlee
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Why is Plato singling out Hestia, Zeus and Athena in Laws?
In Book 5 of Laws, Plato is singling out Hestia, Zeus and Athena while describing the ideal city:
The next thing to be noted is, that the city should be placed as nearly as possible in the centre of the country; we should choose a place which…
yannis
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Who is the man in the Apocalypse of Abraham?
In Chapter XXIX of the Apocalypse of Abraham, a "man" appears 1:
And I [looked and] saw a man going out from the left side of the heathen; and there went out men and women and children, from the side of the heathen, many hosts, and worshipped…
Girsan Virlee
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Is there a reason for the specificity of Abraham's sacrifice?
In the Apocalypse of Abraham, Abraham receives a divine command to offer sacrifice1:
IX. Then a voice came to me speaking twice: “Abraham, Abraham!” And I said: “Here am I!” And He said: “Behold, it is I; fear not, for I am before the worlds, and a…
Girsan Virlee
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What do we know of the Willauk, the Tebwem and the Pioial?
Wikipedia lists the three creatures as originating in Tasmanian mythology, but other than a very short description it provides no details or references:
Tasmania
Willauk, giant demon that inhabited Lake Derwent
Tebwem, flesh-eating ghost of…
yannis
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Narratives in Haitian (or other) Vodou?
While there are plenty of modern and literary references to the Loas, I can't seem to find any narratives of the Loas themselves. Are there any narratives available or are the Loas best defined by their personalities and spheres of influence?
Richard Haussmann
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Why is Dante using Geryon as a symbol of fraud?
In Greek mythology, Geryon was a three-headed (or three-bodied) giant Hercules slew during one of his labors. Dante places him in the seventh circle of hell and presents him as a manifestation of fraud (Canto XVII).
I find this confusing because…
Girsan Virlee
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