Fencing Bear at Prayer

If the picture doesn’t say it, perhaps the title will! Calling from Athens, Michael Michailidis pressed me to explain why medieval Christians worshipped Mary as a Goddess—except, of course, they didn’t, which took even more explaining.  Along the way, we touched on the devotion to the Virgin Mary in the liturgy, eros  in the Christian Bible, the Great Mother Goddess of old Europe, face masks and their symbolism, the devil and modern technology, and Joseph Campbell’s theories of myth. Just in time for the feast of the Annunciation!  Θεοτόκε Παρθένε, χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη Μαρία , ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ. εὐλογημένη σὺ ἐν γυναιξί, καὶ εὐλογημένος ὁ καρπὸς τῆς κοιλίας σου, ὅτι Σωτήρα ἔτεκες τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν. Listen at Ancient Greece Revisited (YouTube): “ The Worship of Virgin Mary, Satan’s Lure, and Facemasks ” Listen at AGR On Tyranny Radio (Spotify): “ The Virgin in a Pandemic World ” For a complete list of my video, podcast, and radio appearances, visit Bear On Air . For my books and articles on

In which the dragons prepare themselves to set out on the sea of rhyme in a ship of octaves captained by Ulfilas, a bear of translucent fur and as yet untested faith... 1 Shall I compare thee to a winter’s day? No way! The name is Ulfie, and it’s clear this poem won’t be one that sounds—um—gay. This song will have us scribbling for a year. We won’t exhaust our wit, nor things to say. The lines we turned in love but yet we shear,  the tropes we craft with care but yet we strike  will hurt like crashing someone’s stolen bike. 2 O Ulfilas, born noble and at tea! You fill our writing team with great unease. We simply want some epic poetry. Your name (so strange!) has caused our verse to freeze. We brood with doubt and dread uncertainty. You bar our entry into verse, you tease! Let’s take a break for tea, and let our muse inspire our bears to launch their Christian cruise. 3 A zeal took Ulfilas—he glowed somehow. His fur had stored some rays of sun inside. A strange wind dug into him like

Would you recognize him without his costume? A Reader of this blog pleas for mercy for the Q Shaman. In a recent news report, “ QAnon Shaman Begs for Leniency: I Stopped Muffin Theft During Capitol Riot ,” appearing in The Daily Beast (March 4th), Jacob Chansley’s demeanor from jail bears out my revised attitude toward him as the widely recognizable Shaman. My change of heart was inspired by remarks in your blog , Fencing Bear at Prayer , which I recall in turn drew on a New Yorker account . At first, probably like many others, I had thought the Shaman a bit crazy because of his outlandish pagan costume, but your religiously sensitive account and portrayal of his gentle behavior persuaded me that mine had been a hasty reaction, and you kindly included my note acknowledging that and thanking you for your insight . I see now that in the photo accompanying the current news report Mr. Chansley appears a far less imposing figure—without his Shaman’s fur cape, and shorn of horns and hat—th