Tag Archives: mythology

Orpheus and Adi Shankara

I have always had a fascination for mythology. Greek and Indian mythology have been my favourite mostly because they have everything that makes for great story telling regardless of your intentions. Be it allegories, or moral pontifications, or spiritual preaching, or even pulp fiction and good ‘ol smut: they have it all! Very few mythologies

Mahabali, Ramayan, Aryans, and Dravidians

What if the story of Mahabali and Ramayan were narrating the same episode in ancient Indian history? Remember that the story of Mahabali shows up in Vamana Purana whereas Ramayana is one of the Itihaasas. It is not surprising that the same incident would inspire two different mythological texts during two different periods for two different purposes. However, I claim that they are referring to the same chapter in ancient Indian history, that of the victory of Indo-Aryans over Dravidians.

Beauty Ideals from the Social Ladder

The beauty ideal continues to change with time; the best evidence for it is the way people presented themselves in the movies from various eras. Of course, the beauty ideal also varies from one geographic region to another, from one culture to another. For instance, in India, fairness is a yardstick for how beautiful someone

Female Archetypes

Archetypes are an often researched area of interest; the most notable researchers being Carl Jung and Joesph Campbell. In this post, I’d like to focus on female archetypes, specifically, female archetypes in mythology and folklore. Typically, the female archetypes reflect role and perception of women in the culture and age that the myth belong to