Round the Herne

Sad news about some friends' dog dying last night, which has brought back memories of various dogs I have lost over the years as well. Sacred animals are a common site in Hindu temples around the world – not only the obligatory cow, but also monkeys, rats, crows and so forth. Nepalese Hindus have an annual five-day festival called Tihar. It is part of their lunar calendar, so the exact date varies from year to year. In 2015 it was the second week of November. The second day of this festivity is called Kukur Tihat and is dedicated to the reverencing of dogs. Canines are regarded as messengers of the god of the dead, Yamaraj. As well as their mythical function, dogs are generally thanked on this holy day for their service to humanity – as guard dogs, helpers for the blind and disabled, rescue dogs, helpers to the police, companions for people of all ages, and so forth. Naturally dogs attend the actual ceremony itself, and are garlanded with flowers and anointed with oils a...

This is the version of the Great Royal Myth of Egypt recorded for my Religious Studies students (one of their essay questions is about it). I've used the Egyptian transliterations of the divine names rather than the Greek. The classes are three hours long, but I wish we had more time to discuss what the myths mean and how they can be interpreted. Setekh gets a bad reputation in this story, but he is a fascinating presence and there is a great deal more to him than some pantomime villain.

Fame and fortune (well, no fortune) being interviewed by Robert Lummis for his Universal Energies show on the Felixstowe internet TV channel. It was an interesting experience, and totally unscripted. Clearly I am in dire need of a make-over to stop looking like a hobbit, but that aside hopefully you'll find the topics discussed of interest.