Warrior Cults

Warrior Cults PDF

Author: Paul Elliott

Publisher: Sterling Publishing Company Incorporated

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 9780713727296

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Today's terrorists are not new. Terror, murder, and stealth have always flourished in close-knit, blindly obedient cults. In fact, the very word "assassin" has its origins in a medieval warrior cult of the Middle East, while the original Thugs were a secret band who terrorized India in the 19th century. Here is the whole gruesome history of groups that have used loyalty to commit murder and spread terror. Start with the mystery cults of ancient Greece and the secret Roman religion of Mithras with its bloody initiations. Follow the sinister Knights Templar, the Japanese Ninja and Triad clans, and the Chinese Boxer cult that led the famous uprising against the British. Each of these warrior cults had its own strict codes and rituals, yet its motivations may seem strange to modern minds. Today it's more urgent than ever to try to understand, as we attempt to protect ourselves against today's versions, made far more dangerous with the possession of biological, and even nuclear, weapons.

Military Saints in Byzantium and Rus, 900–1200

Military Saints in Byzantium and Rus, 900–1200 PDF

Author: Monica White

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2013-02-21

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 1107310504

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The rulers of the Byzantine Empire and its commonwealth were protected both by their own soldiers and by a heavenly army: the military saints. The transformation of Saints George, Demetrios, Theodore and others into the patrons of imperial armies was one of the defining developments of religious life under the Macedonian emperors. This book provides a comprehensive study of military sainthood and its roots in late antiquity. The emergence of the cults is situated within a broader social context, in which mortal soldiers were equated with martyrs and martyrs of the early Church recruited to protect them on the battlefield. Dr White then traces the fate of these saints in early Rus, drawing on unpublished manuscripts and other under-utilised sources to discuss their veneration within the princely clan and their influence on the first native saints of Rus, Boris and Gleb, who eventually joined the ranks of their ancient counterparts.

Otto Höfler’s Characterisation of the Germanic Peoples

Otto Höfler’s Characterisation of the Germanic Peoples PDF

Author: Courtney Marie Burrell

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2023-05-08

Total Pages: 380

ISBN-13: 3111032914

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Otto Höfler (1901–1987) was an Austrian Germanist and Scandinavist. His research on ‘Germanic culture’, in particular on Germanic Männerbünde (men’s bands), was controversial and remains a topic of academic debate. In modern discourse, Höfler’s theories are often fundamentally rejected on account of his involvement in the National Socialist movement and his contribution to the research initiatives of the SS Ahnenerbe, or they are adopted by scholars who ignore his problematic methodologies and the ideological and political elements of his work. The present study takes a comprehensive approach to Höfler’s research on ‘Germanic culture’ and analyses his characterisation of the ‘Germanic peoples’, contextualising his research in the backdrop of German philological studies of the early twentieth century and highlighting elements of his theories that are still the topic of modern academic discourse. A thorough analysis of his main research theses, focusing on his Männerbund-research, reveals that his concept of ‘Germanic culture’ is underscored by a belief in the deep-seated religiosity of the ‘Germanic peoples’ formed through sacred-daemonic forces.

Imperial Cults and the Apocalypse of John

Imperial Cults and the Apocalypse of John PDF

Author: Steven J. Friesen

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2001-10-25

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 0190285001

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After more than a century of debate about the significance of imperial cults for the interpretation of Revelation, this is the first study to examine both the archaeological evidence and the Biblical text in depth. Friesen argues that a detailed analysis of imperial cults as they were practiced in the first century CE in the region where John was active allows us to understand John's criticism of his society's dominant values. He demonstrates the importance of imperial cults for society at the time when Revelation was written, and shows the ways in which John refuted imperial cosmology through his use of vision, myth, and eschatological expectation.

A Military History of Ireland

A Military History of Ireland PDF

Author: Thomas Bartlett

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1997-10-09

Total Pages: 596

ISBN-13: 9780521629898

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This is a major, collaborative study of organised military activity and its broad impact on Ireland over the last thousand years or so, from the middle of the first millennium AD to modern times. It integrates the best recent scholarship in military history into its social and political context to provide a comprehensive treatment of the Irish military experience. The eighteen chronologically-organised chapters are written by leading scholars each of whom is an authority on the period in question. Drawing the whole work together is a wide-ranging introductory essay on the 'Irish military tradition' which explores the relationship of Irish society and politics with militarism and military affairs. The text is illustrated throughout by over 120 pictures and maps.

Warriors Into Traders

Warriors Into Traders PDF

Author: David W. Tandy

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2000-11-27

Total Pages: 315

ISBN-13: 0520226917

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A look at the shift in the economic model of ancient Greece at the brink between what we consider to be the "dark ages" and the "golden age." The newly emerged economic elite of this period introduced or reemphasized a variety of "tools of exclusion."

Light in the Darkness

Light in the Darkness PDF

Author: Richard E. Valdez

Publisher: iUniverse

Published: 2014-08-06

Total Pages: 255

ISBN-13: 149173664X

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In the year AD 1055, a peaceful people, with a culture veiled in mysticism and ritual, inhabit the San Juan Basin of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. A small boy named Honaw, groomed by his wise grandfather to be one of the spiritual leaders of their village, dreams of the day when he will rule with fairness and kindness the way his grandfather does. His world is thrown into chaos when an evil holy man murders his grandfather to gain total rule of the village. The evil one is vanquished, but the village is destroyed. Honaw grows into a man as he leads his people on a long and harrowing journey to their new home in the fabled city of White House. Forces of men and nature lead Honaw to become the supreme spiritual leader of all the people of the basin. At White House, he faces his greatest challenge when the evil holy man of his youth returns with a band of fierce warriors to exact revenge on him and his people. In this compelling historical tale, a young leader must rely on his faith and wisdom to stand against a malicious priest leading a brutal horde bent on death and destruction.

You Wouldn't Want to Be a Mayan Soothsayer!

You Wouldn't Want to Be a Mayan Soothsayer! PDF

Author: Rupert Matthews

Publisher: The Salariya Book Company

Published: 2021-02-01

Total Pages: 40

ISBN-13: 1911242458

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You are the son of a Mayan soothsayer, living near the city of Copan in about AD 710. Becoming a soothsayer yourself means you could become an important man. However, you'd rather stay in your peaceful village being a farmer - get something wrong as a soothsayer and you'll be sacrificed! This title in the best-selling children’s history series, You Wouldn't Want To…, features full-colour illustrations which combine humour and accurate technical detail and a narrative approach placing readers at the centre of the history, encouraging them to become emotionally-involved with the characters and aiding their understanding of what life would have been like as a Mayan soothsayer. Informative captions, a complete glossary and an index make this title an ideal introduction to the conventions of information books for young readers. It is an ideal text for Key Stage 2 shared and guided reading and helps achieve the goals of the Scottish Standard Curriculum 5-14.