Horus the Protector

 

Horus God of the Sky and Kingship, son of Osiris and Isis, was one of the main protector gods of the Ancient Egyptians as his mortal enemy was the deity who killed Osiris-Set the god of darkness and evil. Horus could be either be seen as a falcon or as a human with a falcon head. As Horus was worshiped from pre-dynastic Egypt to the Roman Era, his religious powers and responsibilities changed but not his falcon appearance.

This pair of ancient Horus statues are part of the Smithsonian collection in Washington D.C.

Sobek the Powerful-Crocodile God of the Nile

 

Sobek the Powerful, Egyptian Crocodile God of the Nile-Leader of Armies. One of the greatest and oldest of the Ancient Egyptian gods, Sobek was worshiped until Christianity replaced the old gods during the later Roman and early Eastern Roman Empires.

As ruler of the Nile River, he was in control of the floods that brought fertile soils to grow the crops that made Egypt powerful. His fearful nature, as a crocodile, was balanced by the protection he provided from evil, and evil magic users.

         Sobek is a large plastic piece I painted.

Goddesses of Rome

                                                             Minerva as the protector.

Juno the queen of the gods, goddess of family, fertility, marriage love-wife to Jupiter

Venus the goddess of love and beauty, unfaithful wife of Vulcan.

Minerva goddess of the tactics of war, wisdom, medicine, arts and crafts & commerce.

All these statues are currently at the stunning Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
 

Mesoamerican Jade, the Semi-Precious Stone of Choice

 

In Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, jade was the stone of choice for aristocrats, religious nobles and the wealthy.

Aztec, Maya, Toltec, Olmec and the other civilizations of Mesoamerica held jade in great respect for its beauty and artistic versatility.

                             From masks to

                                           glyphs, 

                    decorative figurines,

 

                             religious totems or

god figurines, jade was used in every aspect of life in Mesoamerica.

Pieces like this Were Jaguar Olmec mask are often over 25 centuries old.

           Some could be worn while

      others held important information.

The detail was impressive no matter the size of the object.

These artifacts give the modern world a glimpse into the art and culture

of these long-lost civilizations.

While the identity of the individual artisans that made these works will never be known, their

pieces are a haunting 21 century reminder that while civilizations may rise and fall beauty is eternal.

All these pieces were at a special exhibit at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles in late 2017.

Thailand Buddha

Buddha in the distance belies its size. 

94% of Thailand follows the Theravada school of Buddhism and it is a major aspect in the lives of the people of the nation.

The golden reclining Buddha is a huge statue and very popular among tourists.

Statues of Buddha are everywhere in the country and are beautiful works of religious art.

Gods of Olympus-and Earth

Zeus, rule of the sky, Supreme Leader of the gods. Married to his sister Hera, with her he fathered Ares, Hephaestus, Hebe (goddess of youth), and Eileithyia (goddess of childbirth/children). With other women he also fathered Athena, Persephone, Artemis, Apollo, Hermes, Dionysus (some myths mention he was also the father of Aphrodite) and numerous demi-gods (Herakles being the most powerful and famous).

Hera, older sister and jealous wife of Zeus, goddess of marriage, family, hearth and home. Known to punish the many children of Zeus by other women, especially Herakles.

Ares god of war and battle lust. He enjoyed battle but was a wimp about personal pain. The queens of the Amazons, Eros, Romulus and Remus were his greatest children.

Athena patron of Athens, goddess of wisdom, crafts and warfare. She is the protectress of agriculture, created the olive tree and invented the plow for the benefit of the Greeks.

Apollo the sun god and patron of music and poetry. Patron of the Oracle of Delphi, the most famous and important of the centers of prophecy. When angered he could bring plague upon those who faced his wrath.

Artemis the virgin huntress, goddess of the hunt, wilderness, moon and childbirth. Sister to Apollo. She was of special importance to the Spartan's who would not go to war without favorable signs from her.

Aphrodite, the most beautiful of the god's, goddess of love, beauty and desire. Wife of Hephaestus but has her son Eros with Ares.

Dionysus, the forever youthful god of Wine, Parties, Joy,Theater and Peace. One of the most popular of the gods.

Hades, older brother of Zeus, ruler of the Underworld realm of the dead. Also known as the "Lord of Riches" as he was the god of the hidden wealth of the Earth from precious metals and jewels to the fertile soil itself. His "marriage" to Persephone is why the seasons change.

Hephaestus, the smith of the gods, god of fire, metalworking, stone masonry and the art of sculpture. He is often described as being crippled by his father Zeus after an argument, Hephaestus then made artificial leg supports that allowed him to walk but with a noticeable limp. Married to Aphrodite, who is always unfaithful to him.

Hermes, messenger of the gods, god of travelers, merchants and thieves. His most famous child was Pan the half-goat, half-man god of rustic music, shepherds and flocks.

Poseidon, older brother of Zeus, God of the Seas, Rivers, Earthquakes, Floods, Droughts and Horses. His most famous offspring were Triton the merman, Pegasus the winged horse and the demi-god hero Bellerophon.

Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, bread, grain, the harvest and the cycle of life and death. Mother of Persephone, who must live with Hades for six months each year. Demeter's saddness over the loss of her daughter for this time is the reason for Fall and Winter when plants die or go dormant.

Reformation-Counter Reformation

Reformation-Counter Reformation, the Christian Church at War with itself!

In 1517, Martin Luther wrote his Ninety-Five Theses, complaints on what was wrong with the Catholic faith and leadership. The opening salvo of the Reformation had been fired. Reformer protested against the Roman Catholic Faith and soon refereed in general by the title of Protestants.  From 1517, to the end of the thirty Years War in 1648, Europe would be wracked by religious bloodshed.

Martin Luther by Lucas Cranach the Elder-1533.   A monk in Germany, Luther (1483-1546) found fault with many aspects of the Catholic faith, especially its basic theology, political and economic policies.  His Ninety-Five Theses, started a rift between those that supported the Roman Catholic faith and those that protested against the Pope and his followers-the Protestant movement to Reform the Christian Faith and Church had begun. The followers of Luther eventually formed Lutheranism which today is the Majority religion in: Denmark (Official National Religion), Estonia, Finland (Official National Religion), Greenland, Iceland (Official National Religion), Latvia, Namibia, Northern Germany, Norway (Official National Religion), and Sweden.

John Calvin by René Boyvin in 1562. Born in France, Calvin (1509-1564) became a leading theologian in the Reform movement.  His concepts formed the basis of Calvinism (aka Reformed Theology or Faith) and the Presbyterianism movements. Famous adherents of the concepts of Calvinism included the Pilgrims, Puritans, Huguenots, Scottish Presbyterians and the "Reformed Churches."

John Knox (1514-1572) from Scotland, a former Catholic priest, he was a major leader of the Reformation and was instrumental in the formalization of much of concepts of Calvinism into Presbyterianism.

King Henry VIII (1491-1547)-Church of England (Anglican). Mainly for political reasons, King Henry VIII established the Church of England (COE) in 1534, with the monarch as the head of the church with all the powers of appointment and ownership of all church properties under the ruler's control. Years of unrest during the Tutor Dynasty eventually resulted in the COE becoming the DeFacto national religion of England.

Once the seriousness of the Reformation was acknowledged in Rome, the Catholic Church began its own Counter Reformation to stem the tide of gains the Protestants were making among the Christians of Europe. A grand meeting, the Council of Trent (met from 1545-1563), to address many of the challenges and reforms were instituted. Friendly monarchs were encouraged to make war upon Protestant rulers to win lands and people back by the sword if necessary, and the dreaded Inquisition was given full authority to "root out heretics" by whatever means were necessary.

 One of the Catholics strongest forces in the Counter Reformation were the members of the Society of Jesus-Jesuits, a new order of highly educated priests. Established by Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556) to win back protestants through missionaries with educated argument guile.  Education was seen as a key to winning back converts so many schools and Universities were established under Jesuit leadership (in 2012 there were 28 Jesuit colleges and universities and more than 50 secondary schools in the USA alone). By the end of the 17th century the Roman Catholics had retained control of the following: Austria, Belgium, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Monaco (Official National Religion), Poland, Portugal, Southern Germany and Spain.

The Protestant vs Catholic Religious wars were largely over by the 1700's, but the division between the two Cristian groups would continue to grow and influence World affairs for centuries to come.

Culture of the Mexica-Aztecs

Lake Texcoco was the home of the capital city of the Aztecs-Tenochtitlan. Built on a lake with canals for streets, the Spanish called this beautiful city the "Venice of the Americas."

The Aztec dike protecting Tenochtitlan from floods is visible on the lower half of this Spanish map of the city.


















As with all cultures, food was a daily necessity. Many of the foods the Aztecs ate have become common place in our world today, corn (maize), chili, tamales, tortillas and salsa were all introduced to the Europeans through contact with the Aztec Empire.

A favorite drink of the Aztec elite was chocolate.
This scene is from the Nuttall Codex showing where a cup of foaming chocolate is exchanged at a marriage. The Aztec version of drinking chocolate was not sweet, it was spiced with hot peppers. After the conquest, the Spanish were the first to add sugar to the drink.

Aztec weapons were made of stone and wood. The Aztec Maquahuitl warclub/sword was a fearsome weapon used obsidian stone blades. The blades were razor sharp but virtually useless against the steel armor and weapons of the Spanish.

Education was mandatory for all Aztec children; great store was put into the concept that knowledge strengthened the society.











Ullamaliztli-The main Ball Game of the Aztecs. On important religious occasions the losing team was often sacrificed to the gods.

The full Ullamaliztli ball court with the hoops in opposite walls. Similar to soccer, the ball could not be touched with the hands.  The object was to have the ball go through the small stone hoop at the center of either wall. 

Human sacrifice was seen as necessary to feed the gods. The Aztecs believed that without the most precious thing on earth, human life, the gods would die and the World would end. The numbers of lives given to the gods is unknown, some sources say hundreds a year, some say thousands and others estimate tens of thousands per year. Nothing convinced the Spanish that the Aztecs were barbarian more than this aspect of the culture of the Mexica.

Jaguar brazier used to burn the hearts of sacrificial victims so to speed their way to the gods.

Temple complex of Tenochtitlan.

This pair of Aztec warrior effigy incense burners were found at the entrance of a tomb.

Aztec warriors were proud, brave men who wore elaborate colorful costumes and jewelry into battle.  The more important the warrior the fancier the outfit he wore.

Surrender of Cuauhtemoc, the last Aztec Emperor, to Cortez (note Dona Marina at the side of Cortez-her revenge is complete). In 1525 the Spanish executed Cuauhtemoc officially ending the Aztec Empire.