Hel (being) In the Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, and Heimskringla, Hel is referred to as a daughter of Loki and Angrboða, and to "go to Hel" is to die. In the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning, Hel is described as having been appointed by the god Odin as ruler of a realm of the same name, located in Niflheim. In the same source, her appearance is described as half black and half white flesh-coloured and further as having a gloomy, downcast appearance. The Prose Edda details that Hel rules over vast mansions with many servants in her underworld realm and plays a key role in the attempted resurrection of the god Baldr. Scholarly theories have been proposed about Hel's potential connections to figures appearing in the 11th century Old English Gospel of Nicodemus and Old Norse Bartholomeus saga postola, potential Indo-European parallels to Bhavani, Kali, and Mahakali, and her origins. The Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, features various poems that mention Hel.
Seti I Menmaatre Seti I (or Sethos I as in Greek) was a pharaoh of the New Kingdom Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt, the son of Ramesses I and Queen Sitre, and the father of Ramesses II. As with all dates in Ancient Egypt, the actual dates of his reign are unclear, and various historians claim different dates, with 1294 BC to 1279 BC[4] and 1290 BC to 1279 BC[5] being the most commonly used by scholars today. Reign[edit] Hieroglyphs from the tomb of Seti I After the enormous social upheavals generated by Akhenaten's religious reform, Horemheb, Ramesses I and Seti I's main priority was to re-establish order in the kingdom and to reaffirm Egypt's sovereignty over Canaan and Syria, which had been compromised by the increasing external pressures from the Hittite state. Duration of reign[edit] Seti I's reign length was either 11 or 15 full years. Temple of Seti I at Abydos Seti's military campaigns[edit] Seti I fought a series of wars in western Asia, Libya and Nubia in the first decade of his reign.
Freyja In Norse mythology, Freyja (Old Norse the "Lady") is a goddess associated with love, sexuality, beauty, fertility, gold, seiðr, war, and death. Freyja is the owner of the necklace Brísingamen, rides a chariot pulled by two cats, owns the boar Hildisvíni, possesses a cloak of falcon feathers, and, by her husband Óðr, is the mother of two daughters, Hnoss and Gersemi. Along with her brother Freyr (Old Norse the "Lord"), her father Njörðr, and her mother (Njörðr's sister, unnamed in sources), she is a member of the Vanir. Freyja rules over her heavenly afterlife field Fólkvangr and there receives half of those that die in battle, whereas the other half go to the god Odin's hall, Valhalla. Etymology[edit] Attestations[edit] Poetic Edda[edit] In the Poetic Edda, Freyja is mentioned or appears in the poems Völuspá Grímnismál, Lokasenna, Þrymskviða, Oddrúnargrátr, and Hyndluljóð. Freyja and Loki flyt in an illustration (1895) by Lorenz Frølich The two go to see the beautiful Freyja.
Loch Ness Monster The Loch Ness Monster is a cryptid , reputedly a large unknown animal that is said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands . It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next. Popular interest and belief in the animal's existence has varied since it was first brought to the world's attention in 1933. The most common speculation among believers is that the creature represents a line of long-surviving plesiosaurs . [ 3 ] The scientific community regards the Loch Ness Monster as a modern-day myth, and explains sightings as including misidentifications of more mundane objects, outright hoaxes , and wishful thinking . [ 4 ] Despite this, it remains one of the most famous examples of cryptozoology . Origins [ edit ] Loch Ness History [ edit ] Saint Columba (6th century) [ edit ] The earliest report of a monster associated with the vicinity of Loch Ness appears in the Life of St. Spicers (1933) [ edit ] C.
Hades Names and epithets As with almost every name for the gods, the origin of Hades's name is obscure. The name as it came to be known in classical times was Ἅιδης, Hāidēs. Later the iota became silent.[3] Originally it was *Awides which has been claimed to mean "unseen".[4] This changed into Ἀΐδης, Aïdēs (and afterwards Āïdēs), with the dropping of the digamma. This Ionic and epic form of the name is the one used in epic poetry.[5] Poetic variants of the name include Ἀϊδωνεύς, Aïdōneus, and *Ἄϊς, Aïs (a nominative by conjecture), from which the derived forms Ἄϊδος, Āïdos, Ἄϊδι, Āïdi, and Ἄϊδα, Āïda, (gen., dat. and acc., respectively) are words commonly seen in poetry.[7] Epithets of Hades include Agesander (Άγήσανδρος) and Agesilaos (Άγεσίλαος),[10] both from agein (ἆγειν, "fetch" or "carry") and anēr (ἀνήρ, "man") or laos (λαός, "men" or "people"), describing Hades as the god who carries away all.[11][12][13][14] Nicander uses the form Hegesilaus (Ἡγεσίλαος).[15] God of the underworld Cult
Black magic Black magic has traditionally referred to the use of supernatural powers for evil and selfish purposes. [ 1 ] In modern times, some find that the definition of "black magic" has been convoluted by people who define practices that they disapprove of as "black magic". [ 2 ] Black magic practices [ edit ] Within common mainstream religion, such as Christianity, there are certain taboos surrounding forms of magic. Although culture may place certain forms in one side or another of this spectrum, there are in fact some cultural universals about free will. True name spells - the theory that knowing a person's true name allows control over that person, making this wrong for the same reason. This can also be used as a connection to the other person, or to free them from another's compulsion, so it is in the grey area. Black magic as part of religion [ edit ] White magic would be the original rituals, which embody the tenets of the religion in question. In chaos magic [ edit ] In fiction [ edit ]
Hecate Ancient Greek goddess of magic and crossroads Hecate was one of the main deities worshiped in Athenian households as a protective goddess and one who bestowed prosperity and daily blessings on the family.[5] In the post-Christian writings of the Chaldean Oracles (2nd–3rd century CE) she was regarded with (some) rulership over earth, sea, and sky, as well as a more universal role as Savior (Soteira), Mother of Angels and the Cosmic World Soul.[6][7] Regarding the nature of her cult, it has been remarked, "she is more at home on the fringes than in the center of Greek polytheism. Intrinsically ambivalent and polymorphous, she straddles conventional boundaries and eludes definition."[8] Name and origin[edit] The origin of the name Hecate (Ἑκάτη, Hekátē) and the original country of her worship are both unknown, though several theories have been proposed. Greek origin[edit] R. Egyptian origin[edit] Anatolian origin[edit] Later development[edit] Iconography[edit] Sacred animals[edit] Functions[edit]
Bloody Mary (folklore) Divination rituals such as the one depicted on this early 20th century Halloweengreeting card, where a woman stares into a mirror in a darkened room to catch a glimpse of the face of her future husband, while a witch lurks in the shadows, may be one origin of the Bloody Mary legend. Bloody Mary is a folklore legend consisting of a ghost or spirit conjured to reveal the future. She is said to appear in a mirror when her name is called multiple times. The Bloody Mary apparition may be benign or malevolent, depending on historic variations of the legend. The Bloody Mary appearances are mostly "witnessed" in group participation games. In the ritual of today, Bloody Mary allegedly appears to individuals or groups (usually teenagers) who ritualistically invoke her name, usually by repeatedly chanting her name in a mirror placed in a dimly lit room. Staring into a mirror in a dimly-lit room may eventually cause one to hallucinate. Optical Illusions: Troxler's Fading
Osiris Osiris (/oʊˈsaɪərɨs/; also Usiris), is an Egyptian god, usually identified as the god of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead. He was classically depicted as a green-skinned man with a pharaoh's beard, partially mummy-wrapped at the legs, wearing a distinctive crown with two large ostrich feathers at either side, and holding a symbolic crook and flail. Osiris is first attested in the middle of the Fifth dynasty of Egypt, although it is likely that he was worshipped much earlier;[4] the term Khenti-Amentiu dates to at least the first dynasty, also as a pharaonic title. Most information available on the myths of Osiris is derived from allusions contained in the Pyramid Texts at the end of the Fifth Dynasty, later New Kingdom source documents such as the Shabaka Stone and the Contending of Horus and Seth, and much later, in narrative style from the writings of Greek authors including Plutarch[5] and Diodorus Siculus.[6] Etymology of the name[edit] Appearance[edit] Early mythology[edit]
Ghoul "Amine Discovered with the Goule", from the story of Sidi Nouman, of the Arabian Nights . A ghoul is a (folkloric) monster associated with graveyards and consuming human flesh, often classified as undead . The oldest surviving literature that mention ghouls is likely One Thousand and One Nights . [ 1 ] The term was first used in English literature in 1786, in William Beckford 's Orientalist novel Vathek , [ 2 ] which describes the ghūl of Arabian folklore. By extension, the word ghoul is also used in a derogatory sense to refer to a person who delights in the macabre , or whose profession is linked directly to death, such as a gravedigger . Early etymology [ edit ] Ghoul is from the Arabic الغول ghul , from ghala "to seize". [ 3 ] Marc Cramer and others believe the term to be etymologically related to Gallu , a Mesopotamian demon. [ 4 ] [ 5 ] In Arabian folklore [ edit ] A ghul is also a desert-dwelling, shapeshifting, evil demon that can assume the guise of an animal, especially a hyena .
Persephone Persephone as a vegetation goddess and her mother Demeter were the central figures of the Eleusinian mysteries that predated the Olympian pantheon and promised the initiated a more enjoyable prospect after death. Persephone is further said to have become by Zeus the mother of Dionysus, Iacchus, or Zagreus, usually in orphic tradition. The origins of her cult are uncertain, but it was based on very old agrarian cults of agricultural communities. Name[edit] Etymology[edit] Persephone or "the deceased woman" holding a pomegranate. Persephatta (Περσεφάττα) is considered to mean "female thresher of corn," going by "perso-" relating to Sanskrit "parsa", "sheaf of corn" and the second constituent of the name originating in Proto-Indo European *-gʷʰn-t-ih, from the root *gʷʰen "to strike".[8] An alternative etymology is from φέρειν φόνον, pherein phonon, "to bring (or cause) death".[9] John Chadwick speculatively relates the name of Persephone with the name of Perse, daughter of Oceanus.[12] Italy.