10 Weird Traditions From The Ancient Olympic Games. Here are some of the most bizarre taboo rituals of Africa. If you want to make your penis look especially big, soak the root of a specific but unidentifiable plant in good wine for three days and, when needed, tie it to your thigh. The priest would recite songs in honor of the god being worshiped then pass the bowl around a flame three times while reciting magic words. The Norimitsu Odachi is a huge sword from Japan. Naked youths and magistrates ran through the streets, striking (the often willing) women who lined up for the rite regardless of their current state: those who were barren hoped the blows would render them fertile, those already pregnant hoped for an easy and safe delivery. Then I called to my comrades and bade them flay and burn the sheep that lay there slain with the pitiless bronze, and to make prayers to the gods, to mighty Hades and dread Persephone. Whoever the man was—whether King or Shepherd, young or old, she would be obligated to have sex with him. Ching Shih (or Zheng Shi) was a Chinese prostitute who became a powerful female pirate, controlling the infamous Red Flag Fleet. Categories with related articles in this website: Ancient Greek and Roman Religion and Myths (35 articles) factsanddetails.com;
77-81], “And the seer touched Jason as he lay wrapped in soft sheepskins and woke him at once, and thus spake: ‘'Son of Aeson, thou must climb to this temple on rugged Dindymum and propitiate the mother (i.e., Rhea) of all the blessed gods on her fair throne, and the stormy blasts shall cease. Yet still he strives to gain his point by means of entrails and rich cakes. The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization pbs.org/empires/thegreeks ;
Later Ancient Roman History (33 articles) factsanddetails.com;
): “And they did sacrifice each man to one of the everlasting gods, praying for escape from death and the tumult of battle. I was much amazed at something which is not generally known, and so I will describe the circumstances. In fact, families in the Middle Ages were so concerned with carrying on the bloodline that (in a seemingly modern twist) they encouraged cohabitation during the engagement period to ensure the lady was able to conceive. And with many prayers did Aeson's son beseech the goddess to turn aside the stormy blasts as he poured libations on the blazing sacrifice; and at the same time by command of Orpheus the youths trod a measure dancing in full armour, and dashed with their swords on their shields, so that the ill-omened cry might be lost in the air-the wail which the people were still sending up in grief for their king. The Adonia honored Aphrodite's lover Adonis. You are said to be “matiasmenos” (hexed with the evil eye) if you are dizzy or if you have a headache and yawn a lot. And while some people may seem content with the story as it stands, our view is that there exists countless mysteries, scientific anomalies and surprising artifacts that have yet to be discovered and explained. Dent & Sons, Ltd., 1910). If someone compliments the bride’s dress they must spit out “ftoo” three times to ward off any negative forces that might be at work. Its native flora is so rare and unique that the island looks like something out of a science-fiction movie. During this time, they participated in animal sacrifices and offerings, created myths to explain the beginning of the human race and gave reverence to their gods by building temples which controlled the, In Robert Garland’s book, Ancient Greece: Everyday Life in the Birthplace of Civilization, he illustrates what life was like for men, women, children, and slaves living in ancient Greece and the impact it had on modern civilization. Two of the most powerful empires in the ancient world were Greece and Rome. But if it were I who were law-making over this transcription of our code, I should take it to be open to Nichomachos to make such a statement about me. About the olive they have nothing to say except that it was testimony the goddess produced when she contended for their land. "” [Source: Plutarch, “Plutarch’s Lives,” translated by John Dryden, (London: J.M. The word first appeared in the Middle East, where harems were composed of sultans, mother, sister, wives, children, and concubines. I (New York, 1919), PP. Nowadays, Greeks still practice the ancient belief that spitting on someone is a way of diminishing any form of evil energy or presence. 387-9], Sacrifice to Rhea: the Phrygian Mother-Goddess, On “A Sacrifice to Rhea, The Phrygian Mother-Goddess, Apollonius Rhodius wrote in “Argonautica,” I, 1078-1150: “After this, fierce tempests arose for twelve days and nights together and kept them there from sailing. See also; 10 Weird and Astonishing Baby Birth Rituals. “Now our ancestors, by sacrificing in accordance with the tablets, have handed down to us a city superior in greatness and prosperity to any other in Hellas; so that it behooves us to perform the same sacrifices as they did, if for no other reason than that of the success which has resulted from those rites. And then, sir, if you feel these to be hard words, surely you must attribute grievous guilt to those citizens who used to sacrifice solely in accordance with the tablets. British Museum ancientgreece.co.uk;
Execution by elephant was a form of capital punishment and a weapon of war for certain societies of the past. This involved the use of chalk powder, crocodile dung, and white lead to whiten their entire face. However, the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia taking place on February 15th (which survived until the 5th century B.C., and to this day, variants remain alive and kicking in the former Czechoslovakia) involved a different kind of celebration of love and fertility. Unlike the Greeks and Egyptians, the Romans used makeup to preserve the natural beauty of a woman and not to embellish the facial canvas into a cacophony of colors. Grant me cattle, and increase to my flocks!" These Panhellenic festivals were attended by people from all over the Greek-speaking world. Rough Draft Maasai Moran. For by her power the winds and the sea and all the earth below and the snowy seat of Olympus are complete; and to her, when from the mountains she ascends the mighty heaven, Zeus himself, the son of Cronos, gives place. During this period, both men and women wore a kind of footwear known as pattens. But of course, gentlemen of the jury, we are not to be instructed in piety by Nichomachos, but are rather to be guided by the ways of the past.