𝖒𝖊𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖔 𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖎

Interested in religions, myths, religious imagery, the multiple conceptions of life, death, and the underworld throughout the world.

[tree-of-hell]

[tree-of-hell]

Jesus fights the Dajjal in the islamic vision of the apocalypse.

[worldsandemanations]

Jain Cosmologoical map, 13th Century

[yan-wo]

Thousands of torches are placed in terraced fields by villagers during a local festival praying for good harvest at Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, on June 3, 2017. Stringer

[tree-of-hell]

Corán. Al-'Imran (3: 185)

[tree-of-hell]

[tree-of-hell]

The Buddha as an ascetic, starving himself in an unsuccessful attempt to achieve release.

[divinum-pacis]

Buddhist monks and Buddhists make kimchi, a staple Korean side dish, at Jogye temple in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. They will donate about eight tons of kimchi to needy neighbors in preparation for the winter season. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

[tree-of-hell]

An VIII century Ethiopian Ketab scroll with prayers for undoing spells and protect its owner. Kept in a silver case.

Ketab scrolls originated in the Aksum Empire (I-VIII centuries CE) and combine arabic and christian influences.

[tree-of-hell]

A guide to interpret the bottom of the tea leaves.

[tree-of-hell]

The earliest surviving use of the term 'Abracadabra' in a cure for malaria. (II century CE)

[along-the-silkroad]

Ascension as depicted in the luxurious 6th-century Rabbula Gospels, Byzantine Syriac. The Rabbula Gospels were completed in 586 at the Monastery of St. John of Zagba, now thought to have been located in the hinterland between Antioch and Apamea in present-day Syria. The manuscript was signed by its scribe, Rabbula, about whom nothing else is known. The surviving folios measure approximately 34 × 27 cm, though their original size is uncertain due to later trimming. Written in black or dark brown ink in two columns, the text includes red-ink footnotes and transmits the Peshitta, the standard Syriac version of the Gospels.

The manuscript is richly illuminated, with elaborate floral and architectural frames, canon tables set within arcades decorated with birds and flowers, and full-page miniatures. While the artist drew on Hellenistic conventions such as draped figures, the overall decorative style reflects Persian artistic traditions. Among the most significant images are early representations of the Crucifixion, Ascension, and Pentecost, including the earliest surviving Crucifixion scene in an illuminated manuscript. An unusual miniature depicts the Apostles selecting a replacement for Judas, an episode rarely illustrated in later art. Although the artist was competent rather than exceptional, the rarity of surviving works from this period makes the manuscript crucial for understanding sixth-century iconography.

[arsvitaest-deactivated20260111]

Horoscope of the Persian Timurid ruler Iskandar Sultan, 1411. This is the only surviving individual illuminated horoscope from medieval Islam. Al-Mizan (Libra) is at 3 o'clock in the circle of zodiac signs.

[koenji]

Folio from a Manuscript of the Qur'an. Iran, Shiraz, 1550-1575. Ink, colors and gold on paper.

[rawcunningmaster]

Syria Maaloula, Greek Orthodox Convent of Saint Thecla

[acatholicrose]

[divinum-pacis]

Families gather to keep company with their dearly departed while celebrating Day of the Dead at a cemetery in Arocutin, Michoacan state, Mexico, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)