Diaries of Dionysus Volume 3

Here is the 3rd and final volume of Diaries of Dionysus. In this volume, the pantheons of the Incans, Aztecs, Mayans, Native Americans, Polynesians, Hindus, Chinese, Japanese, and Africans are looked at and compared to other European pantheons. Enjoy!




by Rita Jean Moran (www.thelibrarykids.com)

Diaries of Dionysus Volume 2

Here is the 2nd video in the series, Diaries of Dionysus.  In this volume, the pantheons of the Sumerians, Nordics, and Celtics are looked at and compared to the Mythological Unification Theory.






by Rita Jean Moran (www.thelibrarykids.com)

Diaries of Dionysus Volume 1

I present my first movie, Diaries of Dionysus Volume 1:





by Rita Jean Moran  (www.thelibrarykids.com)

Strange Skulls

I've been reading a lot about the strange, elongated, and large skulls that are being found all around the world.  The work being done by Brian Foerster in Peru is spectacular.  I've taken some anthropology classes in the past and have noted that the brain capacity of the Neanderthal skull is greater than modern day humans.  The Neanderthal skull is in fact larger than a modern human and has something called an Occipital bun.  So, I decided to go to a local college near me (thank you CLC) and take a look at the skull models and compare them to see if I could get an idea of what the differences were between some recent human specimens, ancient human specimens, and chimpanzee specimens.   The Neanderthal and Peruvian elongated skulls were the largest followed by modern skulls.  Here are my pictures for comparisons:

 

From the left the skulls are: Homo Erectus, Heildelbergensis, Neanderthal, Peruvian elongated skull, and 3 modern human skulls.

 

 

 

From the left the skulls are: Chimpanzee, Neanderthal, Peruvian elongated skull, and 3 modern human skulls.

 

 

 

From the back:  Heidelbergensis, Homo Erectus, Neanderthal, Peruvian Elongated skull, and 3 modern human skulls

 

 

 

From the left:  Peruvian elongated skull and Cradle board skull

 

 

I find it interesting that there were humans with larger brain capacities than modern humans.  Perhaps these skulls were modified with skull binding at birth.  But these skulls seem to show up globally from Egypt, to Europe, to Georgia, to Peru.  Again, it appears something was very different in the past than we know.

 

 

by Rita Jean Moran (www.thelibrarykids.com)

 

 

Links:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occipital_bun

 



 



 

Diaries of Dionysus

 

I have just completed a new e-book that is more geared towards adults  This book examines the hidden past through looking at global mythologies and the writings of ancient Greek, Egyptian, and Roman scholars.  The last great god is revealed.  Here is an excerpt from the book:

The sacred animals of this god were the lion or any large cat, the serpent, the phoenix, the goat or any goat like animal such as the ibex, the ram, and the bull.

The pinecone topped thyrsus, the djed, and the staff were his weapon of conquest and his signature symbol of rulership.

He had priests and priestesses known as the bacchants, bacchantes, maenids, and satyrs.

He was the god of the orphans since he was orphaned and raised by his grandmother and at the mercy of his angry step-mother Hera.  His mother Semele died apparently after childbirth.

He was a dual natured god.  He preferred peace but would give war and death to those that deserved it.  He was masculine and feminine.  He loved purple robes and ivy wreaths and the drink of wine and beer.  He could be ecstatic and frenzied or focused and controlled.  He was cunning and could play the role of trickster and he could be truthful and sincere.  He was the baphomet.

He took pity on the helpless and downtrodden.  He made mistakes.  In the end he was remembered and forgotten at the same time.

His gifts were those of civilization, agriculture, wine and beer making, love, and ecstasy.  His campaign was to end the savagery of cannibalism and butchery of humans.  The crook was used for shepherding and the flail was used for grains.  The X or hooked X represents the crook and flail.  So does the letter M.  A reversed M is W and it represents Set, his supposed destroyer which represented the end of the planting and harvesting season.  His mysteries are everywhere.  His mysteries include those of the great mother goddess because she taught him everything she knew....

 

 

by Rita Jean Moran (www.thelibrarykids.com)

 

 

Springfield

Illinois is the Land of Lincoln and the city of Springfield, Illinois has a lot of museums, historic landmarks, memorials, and other historic sites dedicated to the 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, and the people that lived through the American Civil War fought from 1861 to 1865.  Four years of terrible fighting that often tore apart families who disagreed on the subject of slavery claimed the lives of over one million people on the battle field and afterwards.  In the end, slavery was ended and the Union was kept together.  Abraham Lincoln was the last casuality when he was assassinated.  According to wikipedia:

Hostilities began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces fired upon Fort Sumter, a key fort held by Union troops in South Carolina. Lincoln called for each state to provide troops to retake the fort; consequently, four more slave states joined the Confederacy, bringing their total to eleven.

For 4 years the United States had seperated into two countries, the Union and the Confederacy.  My own relative (great-great-grandfather) fought in the Civil War on the Union side.  He was from Wisconsin.

Historian John Huddleston estimates the death toll at ten percent of all Northern males 20–45 years old, and 30 percent of all Southern white males aged 18–40.
 

Today we have many revisionists trying to rewrite the cause of this war and claim that slavery was not an issue.  They call it  by other names such as the War of Northern Aggression or the War between Brothers.  In the end, the war per my research was over slavery. 

The war produced about 1,030,000 casualties (3% of the population), including about 620,000 soldier deaths—two-thirds by disease, and 50,000 civilians.^[210] Binghamton University historian J. David Hacker believes the number of soldier deaths was approximately 750,000, 20% higher than traditionally estimated, and possibly as high as 850,000.^[211][212] The war accounted for roughly as many American deaths as all American deaths in other U.S. wars combined.^[213]

The causes of the war, the reasons for its outcome, and even the name of the war itself are subjects of lingering contention today. Based on 1860 census figures, 8% of all white males aged 13 to 43 died in the war, including 6% in the North and 18% in the South.^[214][215] About 56,000 soldiers died in prisons during the Civil War.^[216] An estimated 60,000 men lost limbs in the war.^[217]

One reason for the high number of battle deaths during the war was the use of Napoleonic tactics, such as charging. With the advent of more accurate rifled barrels, Minié balls and (near the end of the war for the Union army) repeating firearms such as the Spencer Repeating Rifle and the Henry Repeating Rifle, soldiers were mowed down when standing in lines in the open. This led to the adoption of trench warfare, a style of fighting that defined the better part of World War I.

The wealth amassed in slaves and slavery for the Confederacy's 3.5 million blacks effectively ended when Union armies arrived; they were nearly all freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. Slaves in the border states and those located in some former Confederate territory occupied prior to the Emancipation Proclamation were freed by state action or (on December 18, 1865) by the Thirteenth Amendment.

The war destroyed much of the wealth that had existed in the South. All accumulated investment in Confederate bonds was forfeit. Income per person in the South dropped to less than 40% than that of the North, a condition which lasted until well into the 20th century. Southern influence in the US federal government, previously considerable, was greatly diminished until the latter half of the 20th century.^[218] The full restoration of the Union was the work of a highly contentious postwar era known as Reconstruction.
 

Per some of my own research that is still ongoing, the number of slave owners was small compared to the population of the Confederacy.  This research is still ongoing.  What is interesting to me, is that there are those that are trying to hide this history just as they did the white slave history in the Colonies.  Because of this, I will continue to research this subject and present data as it is found.  For now, please enjoy the pictures from Springfield, Illinois:

 

Lincoln's Springfield Home

 

 

Lincoln Museum

 

 

Wax Replicas of the Lincolns and a guest

 

 

 

Inside the Lincoln Library

 

 

 

Lincoln's Tomb in Springfield

 

 

 

Lincoln's Tomb in Springfield

 

 

 

 

Camp Butler including over 1600 Civil War Dead (some were unknown soldiers)

 

 

Camp Butler including over 1600 Civil War Dead (some were unknown soldiers)

 

 

 

 

Old State Capitol

 

 

Inside Old State Capitol

 

 

Inside Old State Capitol

 

 

 

Inside Old State Capitol

 

 

 

Abraham Lincoln's Law Office

 

 

Post Office inside Abraham Lincoln's Law Office

 

 

 

 

by Rita Jean Moran (www.thelibrarykids.com)

 

  

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War

http://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/campbutler.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Butler_National_Cemetery

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln

Cahokia

I finally made it to Cahokia.  Cahokia is located in Collinsville, Illinois about an hour from Springfield, Illinois.  Cahokia is the largest prehistoric (before writing) site north of Mexico that had at least 120 mounds.  The state of Illinois takes care of Cahokia which includes 2200 acres of what remains, including 70 of the 80 remaining mounds.  The first settlements of Cahokia were around 700 AD.  From 800-1300 AD, the Mississippian culture created an advanced ranked society in Cahokia that included an estimated 20,000 people.  The city was ruled over by a chief who resided on Monk's mound.  A woodhenge was used to track the seasons nearby Monk's Mound. 

Monk's Mound is the largest prehistoric earthern construction in the Americas and its base covers more than 14 acres and its height reacheas 100 feet.  At the top of Monk's Mound, you can see the city of St. Louis, Missouri.

 

 

 

 

Cahokia was part of the Mississippian peoples' civiliation and was connected to Aztalan as I mentioned in previous articles.  The Mississippian culture seemed to take off around 800 AD and end around 1300 AD.  There are no known survivors of the people that lived in Cahokia just as in Aztalan.

 

Another important mound was Mound 72.  An important man was buried with shell beads underneath him placed in the shape of a falcon.  Dozens of sacrificed individuals were burried with him and the mound was positioned to track equinoxes and solstices.

 

 

 

  

 

The Birdman Cult was very important at Cahokia.  A tablet with a man having a large bird nose and a snake skin pattern on the back of it was found inside Monk's Mound.  It is known as the Birdman Tablet:

 

 

The falcon was a sacred bird and representative of Horus from Egypt.  The feathered serpent god was popular all through out MesoAmerica and South America.  There were other artifacts on display in the museum next to the site.  Some of the pottery had the same spiral design as was found in Aztalan (see my earlier articles on Aztalan).

 

 

 

Copper, granite, sandstone, and chert were used to make items and tools at Cahokia.

 

 

 

 

Markings using body paint were used to indicate status.  The man above is a model of an ancient Cahokian who has a celtic cross on his arm with crosses also on his arm and kilt.  I do not know for sure if this depiction is accurate and I will do more research to find out how the museum determined skin and hair color for their models.

 

 

 

 

I was so glad to be able to visit Cahokia.  It was a one of my goals for a long time.  I have noticed the similarity in mound and mud pyramid styles with all Mississippian peoples' sites.  They all had the same societal structure and had a mound or woodhenge to track the seasons of the planet.  Many of these ancient cities had wooden stockade fences built around their cities to protect themselves from outsiders who were not of high status or were warring enemies.  Many of them had a water source near or behind the largest pyramid/mound as well.  For any large city to work, they must have a steady supply of water, food, and fuel.  In those days, trees were cut down and burnt for cooking or heat.  Once the area was depleated of wood, the group had to move on.  It seems to me that the Mississippian culture lasted about 500 years.  They were all connected through the Mississippi River and trade and travel were done all along it from upper Wisconsin all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.  I have to wonder if the Mississippian culture was connected to the Mayans or Incans.  Perhaps we shall know for sure one day and perhaps we will connect them with Egypt as well.

 

When I was walking through the Twin Mounds on my way to Mound 72, I saw a tree that had a strange face made of bark on it (looks like one of the old inhabitants of Cahokia).  It caught my eye right away.  See if you can see it, in the picture below:

 

 

 

 

I will be looking at the the ancient southwestern people in future studies.  I hope you have enjoyed what I have presented in the blog for now.  Please read The Library Kids for more information and a journey back in time.

 

 

by Rita Jean Moran (www.thelibrarykids.com)

 

 

 

Mystery Theater Radio

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Regency_TR-1.jpg

 

When I was a kid, I used to listen to a radio show called Mystery Theater Radio on a transistor radio at night.  It was a show that had weekly episodes about mysteries, hauntings, and other macab subjects.  There is now a site that lists the over 1300 radio shows that were made for Mystery Theater Radio.  Some of them can be scary, so kids ask your parents before you give them a listen.  Here is the link:

http://www.cbsrmt.com/

I've thought about creating a radio show for The Library Kids and more.  If you think this might be a good idea and you'd like to listen to something like that, please leave a comment.

Thanks,

Rita Jean Moran (www.thelibrarykids.com)



Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBS_Radio_Mystery_Theater

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transistor_radio

Annie Oakley

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Annie_Oakley_-_Full_length_photograph_circa_1899.jpg

Annie Oakley was a famous American sharpshooter and exhibition sharpshooter.  Her real birthname was Phoebe Ann Moses.   She learned her shooting skills as a child from having to learn how to hunt to feed herself and her family.  As an adult, she had a starring role in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show.  Guns are an old and consistant part of American culture and always will be.  To those that want to ban guns, get over it.   Respect for guns should be universally taught, as well as proper punishment for criminals who commit heinous crimes.  Guns are a tool, just like anything else.  Good morals should be taught to all Americans and the usage of guns to murder people should not be glorified in movies or music.

Annie began trapping at a young age, and shooting and hunting by age eight to support her siblings and her widowed mother. She sold the hunted game for money to locals in Greenville, as well as restaurants and hotels in southern Ohio. Her skill eventually paid off the mortgage on her mother's farm when Annie was 15.

Oakley's perhaps most famous trick is being able to repeatedly split a playing card, edge-on, and put several more holes in it before it could touch the ground, while using a .22 caliber rifle, at 90 feet.
 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Miss-Annie-Oakley-peerless-wing-shot.jpg

  

Oakley continued to set records into her sixties, and she also engaged in extensive, albeit quiet, philanthropy for women's rights and other causes, including the support of specific young women that she knew. She embarked on a comeback and intended to star in a feature-length silent movie. In a 1922 shooting contest in Pinehurst, North Carolina, sixty-two-year-old Oakley hit 100 clay targets in a row from 16 yards (15 m).

In late 1922, Oakley and Butler suffered a debilitating automobile accident that forced her to wear a steel brace on her right leg. Yet after a year and a half of recovery, she again performed and set records in 1924.

by Rita Jean Moran (www.thelibrarykids.com)


Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Oakley

Real Blue Dragons

There is a real blue dragon, but it is small.  It is a sea slug called Glaucus atlanticus.  According to wikipedia:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Glaucus_atlanticus_1_cropped.jpg

Glaucus atlanticus (common names sea swallow, blue glaucus, blue dragon, blue sea slug and blue ocean slug)sea slug, a pelagic aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Glaucidae. This is the only species in the genus Glaucus,^[1] but is closely related to Glaucilla marginata, which sometimes is included in Glaucus.^[2

The normal size of this species is up to about 3 cm, depending on the animal's age.^[3] Iis silvery grey on its dorsal side and dark and pale blue ventrally. It has dark blue stripes on its face. It has a tapering body which is flattened and has six appendages which branch out into rayed cerata.^[4] Its radula bears serrated teeth on their blades.^[5]

Glaucus atlanticus and its close relative, Glaucilla marginata, live in close association with what Sir Alistair Hardy described many years ago as "The Blue Fleet" - the siphonophores such as Physalia physalis, Velella velella, Porpita porpita and the other associated animals including the "violet snails" of the genus Janthina. All these animals float on the surface of the ocean being carried by the currents and the winds. Most of us are only aware of their existence when days of onshore winds blow great fleets of them on to the beaches, causing pain and angst for swimmers.

 

 

 

 

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glaucus_atlanticus