Dream incubation, psychoactive substances, and the Festival of Drunkenness
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A new study of an ancient Egyptian ritual vase from the 2nd century BCE uncovered a surprising recipe. Researchers found signs of plants with healing and mind-altering effects, fruit wines, honey, and traces of human fluids, suggesting unusual ritual practices.
In praise of beer, the source of civilisation
Though beer has become a purely recreational drink over the last century and a half, as changes in food production, water management, and attitudes towards alcohol have phased it out of daily life, for many of our ancestors it was essential – as sacred as fire, bread, and the other building blocks of civilised life.
The Mighty Thor and the Failure of Masculinity
There are plenty of options for pushing back on this culture of weak man-children using anger to puff themselves up. One of them is to turn to myths of mighty Thor.
Looking back at the best Heathen reads of 2024
Lyonel Perabo looks back at four works of interest to Heathens from last year, including The Fool’s Mirror from Troll Cat Press; The Elder Futhark from Hyldyr; the first volume of the International Journal for Heathen Research; and Sif Brookes’s Valkyrjur, Servant or Master?.