New Article: The Tragic Life Of The Roman Emperor, Julian The Apostate

When Constantine the Great became the ruler of the entire Roman Empire in 324 CE, most of his relatives probably thought they would be set for life in positions of power and luxury. Actually, when Constantine died in 337, only a few people in the royal family benefited. The large empire was divided between Constantine’s legitimate sons, Constantine II, Canstans I and Canstantius II. These three brothers each adopted the title of emperor and ruled their own domains. Unfortunately for all of the other relatives and cousins who were not direct, legitimate heirs of Constantine the Great, their fate was very different. Instead of being seen as allies and kin, the three new emperors saw most of their family as rivals and enemies.

Continue reading about how Emperor Julian arose to power out of the bloody reign of Constantius II, HERE.

(New Article) Virgil's Underworld: A Land Of Death...And Reincarnation

  (Dante and Virgil in Hell, by Crescenzio Onofri  (–1714) and Livio Mehus  (1630–1691), [Public Domain] via Creative Commons)

In The Aeneid, an epic poem written by the Roman poet, Virgil (70-19 BCE), the main character of the story (Aeneas) traveled into the underworld to meet his father. The scenes that Virgil painted about the realm of the dead in book six of his masterpiece are likely some of the most vivid and elaborate illustrations of the ancient Greco-Roman underworld.

Virgil’s description of the underworld was so compelling that it undoubtedly served as an inspiration for Dante Alighieri’s conception of Hell in his famous work, The Divine Comedy. Despite Virgil’s disquieting portrayal of the gloomy, depressing and gruesome side of the underworld, he also described a highly interesting system of reincarnation that occurred in the Fields of Elysium. Although Virgil was not the only person from ancient Greece and Rome to envision reincarnation—Pythagoras and his followers also believed in rebirth—it is, nonetheless very interesting to read about souls in Greco-Roman mythology participating in a system of reincarnation similar to what can be found in Buddhism and Hinduism. 

Journeying to the Underworld

  (Aeneas and the Cumaean Sibyl, by François Perrier  (1594–1649), [Public Domain] via Creative Commons)

Aeneas’ adventure to the underworld began when he decided to break into the realm of the dead to speak with his father. He sought out a renowned Sibyl in Cumae to teach him how a living man could enter the realm of the dead. She directed him to a Stygian marsh, where he needed to obtain a golden bough that would be vital to them during their journey into the depths of the underworld.

Continue reading about Aeneas' journey into the land of the dead, where souls were being reborn into the world, HERE.

New Article: Mythology Madness - Magna Mater Cybele

Most of the cults of Roman antiquity were much more tame than we may originally assume. The cult of the Cybele, the Magna Mater (Great Mother), however, was not an ordinary Mystery Religion. Prepare for blood and body mutilation in the worship of Cybele.

Read more about the cult of Cybele in our article on our official website, here (or click the above picture).

Mythology Madness: Dionysus (Exclusive)

 

Dionysus was much, much more than a partying god of wine. In his mythology, he could create in his followers great ecstasy, or great rage. He had dominion over the earth, and over the creatures that lived off of the earth. He could summon water, milk and honey from soil and rock, and could even transform man into aquatic animals. For the most part, however, Dionysus was an easy-going, benevolent, god of wine and ecstasy with good intentions for the human race. 

Read more about Dionysus in our article, here, or click the above picture..

The Ancient Mystery Religion Cults of Rome - Part Two (Exclusive)

 

The similarities between early Christianity and the cult of Mithras are astounding. December birthdays, religious meals of bread and drink, a deity of light and even the Emperor Constantine. 

Find out which religion Sunday is actually dedicated to, here, in our article.

The Ancient Mystery Religion Cults of Rome

The cults of Mithra, Isis and Cybele are more familiar and complex than we may think. Read about what the ancient cults believed in and how the adherents of the cults acted. Also, learn about how the early Christian Church used some of the organization and tactics of the Roman cults to survive two harrowing centuries before being accepted by Emperor Constantine.

Read our article about these Mystery Religions here (or click the above picture).