Be assured, savants of the world, it is not in disdaining the sacred books of nations that you show your knowledge, it is in explaining them. One cannot write a history without monuments and that of the world is no exception. These books are the veritable archives wherein tits deeds … Continue reading
Category Archives: History
Players and Pugilists
It is of considerable significance that the profession considered most sinful in classical, medieval, and even early modern European society was the actor, that theater was consistently denounced by both civil and religious authorities, and that actors were not considered citizens in France until the great turning point of 1789. … Continue reading
Metaphysics of Dueling
In De Monarchia, Dante’s goal is to demonstrate that, in general, the power of the Emperor derives from God, and, more specifically, the Roman Empire was such by right. It is instructive to follow Dante’s reasoning, as it challenges both the modern way of thinking, such as it is, as … Continue reading
De Te Fabula Narratur
The citizen had no freedom of religion; either he participated in the religion of the city or he was banished. The hierarchy of family, tribe and city introduced the idea of a wider and wider influence of the gods, but the knowledge of the one god had been lost. Philosophers … Continue reading
Aztecs and Human Sacrifice
On the supposition that Greenland was larger and connected the Eastern and Western hemispheres, these Hyperboreans, related to the Cro-Magnon man, would have wandered as far as Meso-America. As evidence of a connection, he points to the Aztec claim to be from Atzlan (the land of light) and the Toltecs … Continue reading
What is a Nation
The existence of a nation is a daily plebiscite. ~ Ernest Renan In 1882, the one-time seminarian turned positivist historian, Ernest Renan, delivered his influential lecture “What is a nation”. That the question even arises is a sign of modernity and Renan’s ultimate answer seems far from the answer of … Continue reading
Bonfire of the Vanities
Savonarola and Machiavelli in Florence. Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried. ~ Gilbert Chesterton Chesterton must have failed to consider Girolamo Savonarola when he penned that line. First of all, there is no merit in a religion that is not … Continue reading
The Mind of the Ancient City
The Primordial State of Mind It is necessary to recognize that the citizens of the Ancient City were not academics or philosophers, they were not converts to the religion of the city, nor were they immigrants. The only way to be part of the city was to be born in … Continue reading
Rape of the Sabine Women
At the founding of Rome, Romulus was favoured by the gods, though his city was impoverished and heirless. There are three qualities that correspond to the three functions or castes: Quality Meaning God Caste Di The favor of the gods Jupiter Brahman Virtus Courage or manly energy Mars Kshatriya Opes … Continue reading
Priest and King in Rome
Although we have written about caste in Caste and Social Order, it will be helpful to address it more broadly. Georges Dumezil , whose research into the social order of Indo-European peoples came too late to have any influence on either Guenon or Evola, extends our understanding through common historical, … Continue reading