Long-form essays and reflections from the Domina Tempora archive.
Ecstasy and Empire: Rumi, Sufism, and a Civilization of Knowledge
In this modern age, the poems of the 13th century Persian poet Muhammad Jalal ad-Din Rumi have sold millions of copies, making him one of the most popular poets in the world. Considered a provocative figure, Rumi continued the long tradition of ecstatic seers in the style of ancient Greek’s Sappho. His poems have also been compared to Shakespeare’s for their resonance. Meanwhile, for political theorists and historians, Rumi’s writings on tolerance have further value in offering a glimpse of the beliefs and tradition in which Rumi experienced in his lifetime.
Loud men are shouting over Helen of Troy’s casting in Nolan’s Odyssey — Musk meltdowns, Matt Damon as Odysseus, Lupita Nyong’o controversy. A feminine guide to ignoring the spectacle and returning to Homer’s sensual, subversive myths instead.
No other Greek goddess was sculpted emphasizing her physical beauty as frequently as Aphrodite. Statues of Aphrodite from Cyrene and the Esquiline, both from the first century BCE, were even named Aphrodite Kallipygos, which means “Aphrodite with a beautiful derriere”.
Sixteenth century Theologian Martin Luther has referred to Melusine unfavorably several times as a succubus and nineteenth century composer Felix Mendelssohn wrote a concert overture titled “The Fair Melusina”. These days, perhaps without knowing her by name, we still recognize her image today as the logo for Starbucks Coffee.
The sirenas in the Philippine mythology is a mythological aquatic creature with the head and torso of human female and the tail of a fish. Unlike the ancient Greek’s sirens, sirenas are actually portrayed as mermaid-like creatures who live under the sea.
Before the first moon landing in 1969, the Chinese moon goddess Chang’e was mentioned in the Apollo 11 Air-to-Ground Voice Transcription between the Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas and the Apollo 11 crew. The center said, “Among the large headlines concerning Apollo this morning, there’s one asking that you watch for a lovely girl with […]
There is an unusual rock formation in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia, on the north escarpment of the Jamison Valley. The three rocks stand close to the town of Katoomba and are one of the Blue Mountains’ best known sites, each towering above 900 meter (nearly 3000 foot) -heights. These three rocks, known […]
Mai Kahiki ka wahine, o Pele, Mai ka aina i Pola-pola, Mai ka punohu ula a Kane, Mai ke ao lalapa i ka lani, 5 Mai ka opua lapa i Kahiki. (From Kahiki came the woman, Pele, From the land of Pola-pola, From the red cloud of Kane, Cloud blazing in the heavens, 5 Fiery […]
In his Argonautica, ancient Greek author Apollonius of Rhodes gives us a rather romantic introduction of Medea as a young woman desperately in love. Unfortunately, this introduction quickly takes on a sinister turn and casts Medea as one of the most famous and controversial figures in Greek mythology. To understand how this happened, it is […]
The fox plays a wide range of roles in 42 out of the 358 of Aesop’s fables. It is generally described as a quick, intelligent and adaptable animal which no doubt led to its importance as a symbol of cleverness in most cultures. In mythology, the fox usually has a positive connotation. In early Mesopotamian […]
