Tag: Hades
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Ceres, Roman goddess
In ancient Roman religion, Ceres was a goddess of agriculture, grain crops, fertility and motherly relationships. She was originally the central deity in Rome’s so-called plebeian or Aventine Triad, then was paired with her daughter Proserpina in what Romans described as “the Greek rites of Ceres”. Her seven-day April festival of Cerealia included the popular Ludi Ceriales (Ceres’ games). She was also honoured in the May lustration (lustratio) of the fields at the Ambarvalia festival: at…
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The rich man and Lazarus aka the parable of Dives and Lazarus
The rich man and Lazarus (also called the parable of Dives and Lazarus) is a parable of Jesus from the 16th chapter of the Gospel of Luke. Speaking to his disciples and some Pharisees, Jesus tells of an unnamed rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. When both die, the rich man goes to Hell and implores Abraham to send Lazarus from his side in Heaven to warn the rich…
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Chthonic is a word related to all things underworld
The word chthonic, or chthonian, is derived from the Ancient Greek word χθών, “khthon”, meaning earth or soil. It translates more directly from χθόνιος or “in, under, or beneath the earth” which can be differentiated from Γῆ, or “ge”, which speaks to the living surface of land on the earth. In Greek, chthonic is a descriptive word for things relating to…
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Charonium at Aornum
Aornum was an oracle in Ancient Greece, located in Thesprotia in a cave called Charonium (Χαρώνειον ἄντρον or χάσμα) which gave forth poisonous vapours. The name of the cave, “Charon‘s Cave”, reflects the belief that it was an entrance for Hades, the Greek underworld. The Greek Myths (Volume 1) by Robert Graves, 1990),page 112: “… He used the passage which opens at Aornum in…
