The cosmological meaning of the laughter of the gods: on the myth of BaubΓ² and its surroundings

Emerging from every corner of the globe, the mythology of divine laughter hides an ancestral and terrible secret. Why should we make the worried gods laugh? From Demeter to Amaterasu, the answer points once again to time and cosmic palingenesis.

The Sheela-na-Gig and the cult of generative powers in Celtic Christianity

The cult of generative powers that permeated the ancient Celtic (and pre-Celtic) religion remained in vogue in Ireland even after the advent of Christianity, to the point that some scholars speak of a "Celtic Christianity" which, under the veil of the new cult, would have kept the ancient sacred doctrines intact: one of the most meaningful clues in this sense is the representation of the Sheela-na-Gig first in megalithic sites and sacred wells and, later, in Christian churches themselves.