For Pagan Readers

Most recent stories in For Pagan Readers

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  Diana Rajchel

  

  The Persian Empire rises again to challenge Rome

  National Geographic - Miguel Ángel Andrés-Toledo

  Inspired by their powerful ancestors, the Sassanian dynasty restored Persia to imperial glory, ruling lands that stretched from Turkey to Pakistan. Alexander the Great conquered Persia in 331 B.C. and ended the Achaemenid Empire founded by Cyrus the Great. For the next five centuries, the Iranian …

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  Diana Rajchel

  

  Why the equinox ushers in the arrival of fall

  National Geographic - Lori Cuthbert

  Every six months, the equinox splits Earth's day almost in half. Here's how it happens—and why people have celebrated it since ancient times. Every six months, once in March and again in September, an equinox splits Earth’s day almost in half, giving us about 12 hours of daylight and 12 of night. On …

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  Diana Rajchel

  

  Isis, ancient Egypt's mother goddess, was worshipped throughout the ancient world

  National Geographic - Jamie Alvar

  Egyptians adored Isis, divine protector of the dead, for two millennia before her cult spread beyond the Nile to the rest of the Roman Empire. Archaeologists working in London in 1912 might have been surprised. When they discovered a first-century A.D. Roman jug bearing the inscription “Londini ad …

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  Diana Rajchel

  

  National parks have waived fees. But think twice about visiting.

  National Geographic - Kurt Repanshek

  During the coronavirus pandemic, it’s “irresponsible” to flock to wilderness areas, experts say. Three days of rejuvenation in Canyonlands National Park seemed the perfect bridge from winter to summer. But like so many other spring break national park escapes, our plans to pitch tents in the Needles …

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  Diana Rajchel

  

  Mouse found atop a 22,000-foot volcano, breaking world record

  National Geographic - Douglas Main

  A new expedition to the Andes has found mice living at even higher elevations than thought—making them the world's highest-dwelling mammals. Last summer, scientists reported finding the world’s highest-dwelling mammal, a yellow-rumped leaf-eared mouse, which was seen scampering among the upper …

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  Diana Rajchel

  

  Olympic champions were superstars in ancient Greece

  National Geographic - Fernando García Romero

  The first Olympic winners became celebrities with social and political heft—and even the power to heal. “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part.” Like many celebrated quotes, the words themselves have become considerably more famous than the person who uttered …