Until the nineteenth century, the favourite ancient pagan gods in Western culture were those related to human qualities and activities. During that century, especially in Britain, attention switched to a horned divinity associated with the countryside and wild nature, usually personified as the Greek Pan. This lecture explores how and why this happened, and the impact on British culture, when the full subversive potential of this deity as a force for personal liberation became realised. It also shows how the image subsequently evolved from a classical god into an archetype.

This lecture was recorded by Ronald Hutton on 19th February 2025 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London.

Ronald is the Gresham Professor of Divinity.

He is also Professor of History at the University of Bristol and a Fellow of the British Academy, the Royal Historical Society, the Society of Antiquaries and the Learned Society of Wales.

A look at Life, Death and Sacrifice in stories and lore.

Channel: Curious Archive

Many religious fundamentalists read the Bible literally, insisting that its stories occurred historically as written. While some take this to the logical extreme forcing them to reject science in favor of alternative theories like young Earth creationism others look for naturalistic explanations to preserve a literalistic historicist reading of the text. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place looks at the modern development of these interpretative lenses and will consider how such readings radically distort the original stories and rob them of any meaning.

The Pandora papers are the latest in a long line on P Papers that have supposedly unmasked the shady dealings of the global elite’s worldwide network of money laundering, tax evasion and corruption.

You have no doubt seen the headlines, and if you are following the story closely you are likely thinking that nothing will really come of this.

It’s been five eight years since the Panama Papers were released the world and since then they have been followed up by the paradise papers, as well as a series of smaller leaks ultimately confirming what everybody suspected was going on anyway.

Now to an outside observer it is easy to be a bit disheartened by all of this news and simply resign yourself to the fact that these schemes will just happen forever and nothing will really be done to punish the perpetrators. This narrative would certainly be supported by the outlets publishing these stories too, because to be honest… outrage sells.

But it’s not necessarily the case, an

"-The Tale of the Pocketcat. Chapter I -

It was a rainy day in the countryside just north from the forest of Merwood."

"Willem, the wildest child known in the town, would stare at the rain drops behind the window screen."

"His mother would warn him of going outside. During rain decent boys would help their parents with various indoors tasks. Rain brings forth all kinds of dangers not otherwise known to little boys."

"Disregarding the warnings and without a worry in the world, Willem dashed through the bushes and ran deep in to the Merwood forest."

"In the heart of the forest, all wet from the rain, Willem heard slight panting noises from an overgrown grotto nearby..."

"Cautiously Willem peeked through the leaves..."

"He would not believe his eyes when he saw a finely dressed cat standing on two feet, twice as tall as Willem's father would be."

"The cat's back was facing Willem. Its hand was moving swiftly inside its pocket while the two big yellow eyes glee'd

There is a shadow lurking across cultures. An eternal struggle to depict ultimate evil. How can we, with our limited means of comprehension and storytelling, portray true darkness, make fear physical?

What is the face of the most terrifying monster we can fathom?

YouTube channel:
https://m.youtube.com/@CuriousArchive/videos

The Miracle's actions in Blasphemous 2 are a direct result of the destruction of the High Wills in the Wounds of the Eventide. Befeft and left without guidance, the Miracle sought a new being through which it could direct its power. In this video we explore the relationship between the Miracle, The High Wills and The Twisted One.

YouTube channel:
https://m.youtube.com/@SmoughTown/videos

Baal conjures to mind a great demonic enemy of the Israelite Yahweh. But, what do we know about Baal from the sources that venerated him as a warrior god of storms and agricultural fertility? Let's explore the history of Baal, his combat with Sea and Death, the great confrontation with Yahweh and how a mighty deity became a demon in the western magical tradition.

YouTube channel: https://m.youtube.com/@TheEsotericaChannel

This video contains all of the fear and hunger lore I have uploaded in the year of 2024.

YouTube channel: https://m.youtube.com/@Pugsr

This is looong, five hours. But the creation myth and lore of these games is pretty amazing.

Warning: There are very adult themes discussed. Fear and Hunger is not for children or the faint of heart. I cannot stress that enough.

I recommend skipping to the 11 minute mark. Up until that point is just a character description dump that won't mean anything until later. Unfortunately I don't know how to timestamp on mobile, my apologies.

A universe that continually expands has long been the dominant cosmological framework. But a universe that undergoes cycles of expansion and contraction, perhaps for all time, has recently been analyzed mathematically, and its proponents claim that it provides a more convincing cosmological paradigm. Join leaders of this renegade approach as they make the case for a new kind of cosmology that reimagines time.

The Big Ideas Series is supported in part by the John Templeton Foundation.

Participants:
Peter Galison
Anna Ijjas
Paul Steinhardt

Moderator:
Brian Greene

YouTube channel:
World Science Festival

The story chronicles Melkor's fall from grace as one of the first and most powerful Ainur created by Ilúvatar. Initially blessed with tremendous creative power, Melkor begins to desire independence from Ilúvatar's grand design during the Great Music that creates Arda (the world). His discord in the Music becomes the seed of evil in creation.

This one's a little different. It's the creation myth of the Lord of the Rings (which is a really interesting mythos), but it's told in first person via the perspective of Melkor, the creator of evil. It's pretty long, the full video is basically the full history of that world from start to finish. I personally really enjoy the first section which recounts the creation of the spirits and thier learning how to use music to create reality.

From there it goes into how he became the evil in that world, and so on through history. I think the transition from curious to outright evil is pretty smooth. If you like a good creation myth, fun writing,

In the Hebrew Bible, Baal is portrayed as the great rival of Yahweh. In the Book of Kings, the prophet Elijah famously challenges the prophets of Baal to a sacrificial offerings contest that ultimately leads to their doom. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will put these Biblical narratives in the context of what is known about Canaanite and Ancient Semitic religion, and the gods worshiped with the honorific title “Ba’al” (which means “Lord”).

YouTube channel: Centre Place

How did a warrior-storm god become Yahweh, the god of world Abrahamic monotheism? By tracing the earliest history of Yahweh ("The One Exists") to his origins in the area around Mt Seir to his immigration during the Bronze Age Collapse to the Judea Highlands around Shiloh, this episode explores the early history of the Israelite God. How did Yahweh and his Yahwism transform in theater of Canaanite religion - dominated by El, Ba'al, Asherah, Anat and other myth figures? What aspects of local religion did the Yahwists assimilate, reject and contend over in that process? This episode explore the early history of Yahweh and the rise of Yahweh henotheism/monolatry and primitive monotheism.

YouTube channel: Esoterica

Ancient Jewish Merkavah Mysticism sought to ascend into the palaces of the divine realm, bypass fearsome angels of destruction to gain a vision of the very Chariot-Throne of God. By beholding the divine glory (kavod) one could gain magical powers and even be transformed into an eternal Angel. And it was this form of esoteric mysticism that it appears profoundly transformed none-less than St Paul. From his ascent into the Third Heaven to even his 'mission to the gentiles,' historical evidence now strongly indicates that Paul was a secret practitioner of this form of mystical ascent. And, recent studies are now revealing that his very Theology, Christology and Theory of Salvation likely drew upon this ancient esoteric Jewish ascent mysticism.

YouTube channel: Esoterica

In the first of a three part series, we cover the earliest origins of agriculture in settlements throughout the Near East, and the great monuments their peoples erected.

YouTube Channel: The Histocrat

Dive into the fascinating world of Zoroastrianism, its ancient hsitory and ethical teachings, from its origins with the prophet Zarathushtra through the Achaemenid, Parthian and Sasanian empires and all the way until today. Discover how Zoroastrianism might be one of the most important religions in history, influencing some of the most famous and popular religons and philosophies in the world.

YouTube channel: Let's Talk Religion

In the second episode of our three part series, we examine the agricultural developments of the 9th millennium BC, and how they led to the rise and fall of the mega sites of the later Pre-Pottery Neolithic.

YouTube Channel: The Histocrat

Early Christianity included a wide diversity of beliefs on ideas as central as who Christ is and what is Jesus’ relationship with the Father to whom he prayed. Gnostic Christians focused their attention on personal spiritual knowledge (gnosis) which they developed through elaborate philosophical mythologies. By the end of the Second Christian Century, bishops of the proto-orthodox establishment increasingly identified Gnosticism as a deadly “heresy,” which they sought to purge from Christianity. One of the figures leading the fight was Irenaeus, bishop of Lyon from 177 until his death in 202, who wrote a book entitled “Against Heresies” that was largely focused on combating Gnosticism.

In a presentation given from Lyon, France, John Hamer will look at the history and beliefs of the ancient Gnostics and consider why attacks by leaders like Irenaeus proved so effective.

Preserved in Eusebius of Caesarea's Praeparatio Evangelica (c. 313 AD), the Theology of the Phoenicians by Sanchuniathon presents a euhemerist account of the creation of the world and the birth of the gods from among the ranks of primordial man.

Filmed at The Vienna Academy of Visionary Art on March 4th 2019, this lecture was given by Academy Director Laurence Caruana, author of several books with Gnostic themes. It is illustrated with works by Visionary artists, both classical (Blake, Michelangelo) and contemporary (Fuchs, Venosa, Alex Grey etc).