𝗪𝗜𝗞𝗜𝗣𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗔 𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗬

✧ Thekla's lark ✧

Thekla's lark (Galerida theklae) is a species of bird in the lark family, Alaudidae. It was named by German zoologist Alfred Brehm in 1857 for his recently deceased sister, Thekla Brehm. It is non-migratory and breeds on the Iberian Peninsula and in northern and sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to Somalia. Its preferred habitat i...

#Alaudidae #IberianPeninsula #Africa #Somalia #Senegal #Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thekla%27s_lark

Land cover in 2024 #Iberianpeninsula
New evidence of “severed heads” among Iberian peoples expands the geographic range of an Iron Age ritual beyond the Llobregat River. Skull analysis reveals violence, defleshing, and treatment with pine resin. #IronAge #Bioarchaeology #IberianPeninsula https://www.anthropology.net/p/severed-heads-at-the-southern-border
Severed Heads at the Southern Border

New skull fragments push the boundaries of an Iron Age ritual in Iberia

Anthropology.net

Sabbatean Movement

Also known as the Sabbateans or Sabbatians. This is a group of followers, disciples, & believers in Sabbatai Zevi (1626-1676). He was proclaimed to be THE Jewish Messiah in 1666 (Because of course that’s the year!) by Nathan of Gaza. Zevi was active in the Ottoman Empire. Many Jews (in the Jewish diaspora) accepted his claims. Even though he outwardly became an apostate due to his forced conversion to Islam in 1666.

Sabbatai Zevi was born in Smyrna (modern-day Izmir, Turkey). From a young age, he was a brilliant student of the Tulmud & the Kabbalah.

He exhibited what would today be diagnosed as bi-polar disorder. He had periods of deep “estrangement” (depression) followed by “illumination” (mania). During his manic phases, Sabbatai would commit “strange acts” (ma’asim zarim), like pronouncing the forbidden Tetragrammaton (THE name of God) or deliberately breaking Jewish dietary laws.

He was a Sephardic ordained rabbi. Sephardic (Jews) are a Jewish population associated with communities of the Iberian Peninsula. He was a kabbalist of Romaniote origin. Romaniotes are a Greek-speaking ethnic Jewish community. His followers became known as Donmeh “converts” or crypto-Jews. The Donmeh are a group of Sabbatean crypto-Jews but practiced their Jewish (& Kabbalistic) beliefs in secret.

In 1665, Zevi sought out Nathan of Gaza for spiritual healing. But Nathan flipped the script on our boy, Sabbatai. Nathan declared Sabbatai was actually THE Messiah. Nathan then becomes the de facto PR/agent for Mr. Zevi & his meager movement.

He wrote letters to Jewish communities across Europe, North Africa, & the Middle East. These letters claimed that the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire would soon be disposed of. Then Sabbatai would then lead the Jews back to, take a wild guess to where, Jerusalem.

In February 1666, when getting to Constantinople, Sabbatai was imprisoned on the order of the Grand Vizier Kopruluzade Fazil Ahmed Pasha. In September 1666, after being moved from different prisons around the capital to Adrianople (the imperial court’s seat) for judgment on accusations of sedition. (This is the same charge that Jesus was charged with.)

Sabbatai was given by the Grand Vizier, in the name of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed IV. So Sabbatai was given a choice: the death penalty (by facing some kind of ordeal), or convert to Islam. Sabbatai chose conversion by putting on a turban from then on.

He was rewarded by the heads of the Ottoman state with a generous pension for his compliance with their political, & religious, plans.

Nathan argued that the Messiah had to descend into the heart of the “Other Side” (Islam) to liberate the final sparks of holiness from within. This led to the idea of faith through transgression. The idea that in the messianic age, the only way to fulfill the law was to break it.

Sabbatai’s conversion to Islam was extremely dishearting for the world’s Jewish communities. In spite of Sabbatai’s apostasy, many of his adherents still tenaciously clung to him, claiming that his conversion was a part of the Messianic scheme.

Many in Sabbatai’s inner circle followed him into Islam, including his wife, Sarah & most of his closest relatives & friends. Nathan of Gaza, the closest to Sabbatai, never followed his “master” into Islam. Nathan remained a Jew, albeit excommunicated by his fellow Jews.

Inside the Ottoman Empire, those followers of Sabbatai who had converted to Islam. But secretly continued Jewish observances & Brit milah became known as the Donmeh (Turkish: donme “convert”). They remained a distinct social group well into the 20th century.

Make a one-time donation

Your contribution is appreciated.

Donate

Make a monthly donation

Your contribution is appreciated.

Donate monthly

Make a yearly donation

Your contribution is appreciated.

Donate yearly

#1665 #1666 #20thCentury #Adrianople #Apostasy #Constantinople #CryptoJews #Donmeh #Europe #February1666 #GrandVizier #GrandVizierKopruluzadeFazilAhmedPasha #Greek #IberianPeninsula #Islam #Izmir #Jerusalem #Jesus #JewishDiaspora #JewishMessiah #Judaism #Kabbalah #Kabbalist #Kabbalistic #MaAsimZarim #Messiah #MessianicAge #MiddleEast #NathanOfGaza #NorthAfrica #OtherSide #OttomanEmpire #Romaniote #SabbataiZevi #SabbateanMovement #Sabbateans #Sabbatians #Sedition #SephardicJews #September1666 #Smyrna #SultanMehmedIV #SultanOfTheOttomanEmpire #Tetragrammaton #Tulmud #Turkey

𝗪𝗜𝗞𝗜𝗣𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗔 𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗬

✧ Iberian lynx ✧

The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is one of the four extant species of lynx, wild cats in the family Felidae. The Iberian lynx is endemic to the Iberian Peninsula, in which it was once widespread, but it is now restricted to a small number of regions in Spain and Portugal, and is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Fossils sugges...

#IUCNRedList #IberianPeninsula #lynx #Felidae #Spain #Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iberian_lynx

🚨 Breaking news: The Iberian Peninsula is apparently #spinning like a drunken top ⏰, while our very own request for more info got dizzy and fell over. 🤦‍♂️ It's unclear if the Earth's crust is filing a complaint or just laughing at our browser's existential crisis. 🔒
https://phys.org/news/2025-12-iberian-peninsula-rotating-clockwise-geodynamic.html #IberianPeninsula #News #EarthCrust #BrowserCrisis #DrunkenTop #ExistentialHumor #HackerNews #ngated
Iberian peninsula is rotating clockwise, according to new geodynamic data

Asier Madarieta, a researcher in the EHU's HGI (Water Environmental Processes) group, has analyzed how the Earth's crust is being compressed and deformed in the field where Eurasia and Africa meet in the Western Mediterranean. His work contributes towards understanding this complex contact field better as well as opening the door to identifying the faults and structures that could lead to earthquakes or deformations on the peninsula.

Phys.org
Iberian peninsula is rotating clockwise, according to new geodynamic data

Asier Madarieta, a researcher in the EHU's HGI (Water Environmental Processes) group, has analyzed how the Earth's crust is being compressed and deformed in the field where Eurasia and Africa meet in the Western Mediterranean. His work contributes towards understanding this complex contact field better as well as opening the door to identifying the faults and structures that could lead to earthquakes or deformations on the peninsula.

Phys.org

Hype for the Future 49B: Artifacts of Portuguese Culture

Portuguese culture in the modern European sense covers the modern-day mainland of Portugal, as well as the associated islands and related regions, particularly Madeira and the Azores Islands. Also of note from a Portuguese context is the orthography, which often prefers “m” at the end of words and famously seems to nasalize almost everything, particularly with the suffix “-ão” common to the language. Also a common feature of the Portuguese language is the letter “ç,” as Portugal […]

https://novatopflex.wordpress.com/2025/12/19/hype-for-the-future-49b-artifacts-of-portuguese-culture/

Hype for the Future 49B: Artifacts of Portuguese Culture

Portuguese culture in the modern European sense covers the modern-day mainland of Portugal, as well as the associated islands and related regions, particularly Madeira and the Azores Islands. Also …

novaTopFlex

Tuatha De Danann

This “name” is usually translated as “folk of the goddess Danu.” They are also known by the earlier name: Tuath De (“tribe of the gods” or “divine tribe”). They’re a supernatural race in Irish mythology. Many of them are thought to represent deities of pre-Christian Gaelic Ireland.

The Tuatha De Danann are often pictured as kings, queens, druids, bards, warriors, heroes, healers, & craftsmen who have supernatural powers. They live in the Otherworld but interact with humans & the human world. They’re associated with sidhe.

Their traditional rivals are the Fomorians (Fomoire), who might represent the destructive powers of nature, & whom the Tuatha De Danann defeated in the Battle of Mag Tuired.

Prominent members include the Dagda (“the great god”), The Morrigan (“the great queen” or “phantom queen”), Lugh, Nuada, Aengus, Brigid, Manannan, Dian Cecht the healer, & Goibniu the smith, 1 of the Tri De Dana (“three gods of craft”).

They’re immune to ageing & sickness, & who have magic powers. The powers most often attributed to them are control over the weather & the elements, & the ability to shape shift themselves & other things.

They’re also said to control the fertility of the land. The tale De Gabail in t-Sida says the 1st Gaels had to establish friendship with the Tuatha De Danann before they could raise crops & herds.

They live in the Otherworld, which is described as either a parallel world or a heavenly land beyond the sea or under the earth’s surface. Many of them are associated with specific places in the landscape, especially the sidh mounds.

These are the ancient burial mounds & passage tombs which are entrances to Otherworld realms. The Tuatha De Danann can hide themselves with a feth fiada (“magic mist”) & appear to humans only when they wish to.

In euhemerized accounts, the Tuatha De Danann were descended from Nemed, leader of a previous wave of inhabitants of Ireland. In non-euhemerized accounts, they’re descended from Danu/Anu, a mother goddess. They came from 4 cities to the north of Ireland (Falias, Gorias, Murias, & Finias), where architecture, the arts, & magic.

According to Lebor Gabala Erenn, they came to Ireland “in dark clouds” & “landed on the mountains of the Conmaicne Rein in Connachta.” Otherwise Sliabh an Iarainn, “and they brought a darkness over the sun for 3 days & 3 nights.”

Sliabh an Iarainn (anglicized Slieve Anierin) is a mountain in County Leitrim, Ireland. It’s part of the Cuilcagh Mountains.

They immediately burnt the ships “so that they should not of retreating to them, & the smoke & the mist that came from the vessels filled the neighbouring land & air. Therefore it was conceived that they had arrived in clouds of mist.”

Led by King Nuada, they fought the First Battle of Magh Tuireadh on the west coast, in which they defeated & displaced the native Fir Bolg, who then inhabited Ireland. In the battle, Nuada lost an arm to their champion, Sreng.

Since Nuada was no longer “unblemished,” he couldn’t continue as king & was replaced by the half-Fomorian Bres, who turned out to be a tyrant.

The doctor Dian Cecht replaced Nuada’s arm with a working silver 1. (Think Bucky from Captain America.) He was reinstated as king. Back in those days, if a king wasn’t physically whole, then he wasn’t fit to be king.

However, Dian Cecht’s son, Miach, was dissatisfied with the replacement. So he recited the spell, “adult fri halt do and feith fri feth” (joint to joint of it & sinew to sinew), which caused flesh to grow over the silver over the course of 9 days & nights.

In a fit of jealous rage, Dian Cecht killed his own son. Because of Nuada’s restoration as king, Bres whined to his family & dad, Elatha, who sent him to look for help from King Balor of the Fomorians.

The Tuatha De Danann fought the Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh against the Fomorians. King Nuada was killed by King Balor’s poisonous eye. But KIng Balor was killed by Lugh (who was the champion of the Tuatha De Danann), who then took over as king.

A 3rd battle was fought against a wave of invaders, the Milesians, from the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula (present-day Galicia & Northern Portugal). These were descendants of Mil Espaine (who are thought to represent the Goidelic Celts).

The Milesians encountered 3 Tuatha De Danann goddesses, Eriu, Banba, & Fodla, who asked that the island be named after them. Eriu is the origin of the modern name Eire (which is the Irish language name for Ireland), & Banba & Fodla are still sometimes used as poetic names for Ireland.

Their 2 husbands (Mac Cuill, Mac Cecht, & Mac Greine) were kings of the Tuatha De Danann and created a magical storm in an attempt to drive them away. The Milesian poet calmed the sea with his verse, then his people landed & defeated the Tuatha De Danann at Tailtiu.

When Amergin was called upon to divide the land between the Tuatha De Danann & his own people, he cleverly allotted the portion above ground to the Milesians & the portion underground to the Tuatha De Danann.

The Tuatha De Danann were led underground into the Sidhe mounds by Manannan mac Lir & Tir na nOg onto a flowery plain/plain of honey attested to in the Voyage of Bran.

The Tuatha De Danann brought 4 magical treasure with them to Ireland, 1 a piece from their 4 cities: Dagda’s Cauldron, The Spear of Lugh, Lia Fail (The Stone of Fal), & Claiomh Solais (The Sword of Light).

One-Time Monthly Yearly

Make a one-time donation

Make a monthly donation

Make a yearly donation

Choose an amount

$1.00 $5.00 $10.00 $1.00 $5.00 $10.00 $5.00 $10.00 $15.00

Or enter a custom amount

$

Your contribution is appreciated.

Your contribution is appreciated.

Your contribution is appreciated.

DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearly

#aengus #amergin #anu #banba #battleOfMagTuired #bres #brigid #captainAmerica #celts #christian #claiomhSolais #conmaicneRein #connachta #countyLeitrim #cuilcaghMountains #dagda #dagdasCauldron #danu #deGabailInTSida #dianCecht #elatha #eriu #fethFiada #finais #firBolg #firstBattleOfMaghTuireadh #fodla #fomoire #fomorians #gaelic #gaels #galicia #goibniu #goidelic #gorias #iberianPeninsula #ireland #irish #irishMythology #kingBalor #kingNuada #leborGabalaErenn #liaFail #lugh #macCecht #macCuill #macGreine #manannan #manannanMacLir #miach #milEspaine #milesians #nemed #northernPortugal #otherworld #sidh #sidhe #sliabhAnIarainn #slieveAnierin #sreng #tailtiu #theMorrigan #theSpearOfLugh #theStoneOfFal #theSwordOfLight #tirNaNog #triDeDana #tuathDe #tuathaDeDanann2 #voyageOfBran

(Irish) Milesians

The Milesians represent the Irish people. They’re Gaels who sailed from Iberia (Hispania) after spending hundreds of years travelling the Earth. When they landed in Ireland, they contend with the Tuatha De Danann, who represent the Irish pantheon of gods.

The 2 groups agree to divide Ireland between them: the Milesians took the world above, while the Tuatha De Danann took the world (the Otherworld).

The 9th century Latin work Historia Brittonum (History of the Britons) says that Ireland was settled by 3 groups of people from the Iberian Peninsula. The 1st are the people of Partholon, who all died of plague.

The 2nd are the people of Nemed, who eventually return to Iberia. The last group is led by 3 sons of a warrior or soldier from Hispania (miles Hispaniae), who sail to Ireland with 30 ships, each carrying 30 wives.

They see a glass tower in the middle of the sea with men on top of it. But the men don’t answer their calls. They set out to take the tower, but when they reach it, all but 1 of their ships are sunk by a great wave.

Only 1 ship is saved, & its passengers are the ancestors of all the Irish. In later Irish texts, it’s the people of Nemed who are drowned while trying to capture a tower by the sea.

The Labor Gabala Erenn (The Book of the Taking of Ireland), an Irish work which was 1st compiled in the 11th century AD by an anonymous writer, purports to be a history of Ireland & the Irish (the Gaels).

It tells us that all mankind is descended from Adam through the sons of Noah, & that a Scythian king named Fenius Farsaid (descendant of Noah’s son, Japheth) is the forebearer of the Gaels. Fenius, a prince of Scythia, is described as 1 of 72 chieftains who built the Tower of Babel. His son, Nel, Weds Scota (daughter of an Egyptian pharaoh). They have a son named Goidel Glas.

Goidel crafts the Goidelic (Gaelic) language from the original 72 languages that arose after the confusion of tongues. Goidel’s offspring, the Goidels (Gaels), leave Egypt at the same time as the Exodus of the Israelites & settle in Scythia.

After some time, they leave Scythia & spend 440 years wandering the Earth, undergoing a series of trials & tribulations similar to those of the Israelites, who were said to have spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness.

In some versions of the Lebor Gabala, there was a succession dispute between Refloir & Mil (also called Galam) over the kingship of Scythia. Mil kills Refloir, & is exiled for this kin-slaying. Eventually, Mil & his followers reach Iberia/Hispania by sea & conquer it.

There, Goidel’s descendant Breogan founds a city called Brigantia, & builds a tower from the top of which his son, Ith, glimpses Ireland. Brigantia refers to Corunna (then known as Brigantium) in modern-day Galicia in Spain, & Breogan’s tower is likely to have been based on the Tower of Hercules, which was built at Corunna by the Romans.

Ith sails to the island with a group of men. He’s welcomed by its 3 kings: Mac Cuill, Mac Cecht, & Mac Greine. These 3 are members of the Tuatha De Danann, which ruled Ireland at the time. With is then killed by unnamed attackers Ith’s brother, Mil (also called Mil Espaine, “of Hispania”), lead an invasion force to avenge his death & take Ireland.

After they land, they fight against the Tuatha De Danann & make for Tara, the royal capital. The hill of Tara is a hill & ancient ceremonial & burial site near Skryne in County Meath, Ireland. Tradition identifies the hill as the inauguration place & seat of the High-Kings of Ireland.

On the way, they are met on 3 mountains by Banba, Fodla, & Eriu, the wives of Ireland’s 3 kings. They’re believed to have been a trio of land goddesses. Each woman says that the Gaels will have good fortune if they name the land after her. One of the Gaels, Amergin, promises that it shall be so.

At Tara, they meet the 3 kings, who defend their claim to the joint kingship of the land. They ask that there be a 3-day truce. During which the Gaels must stay a distance of 9 waves from land. The Gaels agree. But once their ships are 9 waves from Ireland, the Tuatha De Danann conjure up a great wind that prevents them sailing back to land.

However, Amergin calms the wind by reciting a verse. The surviving ships return to land & the 2 groups agree to divide Ireland between them. The Gaels take the world above, while the Tuatha De Danann take the world below (the Otherworld) & enter the sidhe, the ancient burial mounds the dot the Irish landscape.

Amergin divides the kingship between Eremon, who rules the northern 1/2 of Ireland, & Eber Finn, who rules the southern 1/2. The Lebor Gabala then traces Ireland’s dynasties back to Milesian Gaels such as Eremon & Eber.

One-Time Monthly Yearly

Make a one-time donation

Make a monthly donation

Make a yearly donation

Choose an amount

$1.00 $5.00 $10.00 $1.00 $5.00 $10.00 $5.00 $10.00 $15.00

Or enter a custom amount

$

Your contribution is appreciated.

Your contribution is appreciated.

Your contribution is appreciated.

DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearly

#11thCentury #9thCentury #amergin #banba #breogan #brigantia #brigantium #christian #corunna #countyMeathIreland #earth #eberFinn #egypt #eremon #eriu #exodus #fenius #gaelic #gaels #galam #goidelGlas #goidelicLanguage #highKings #hillOfTara #hispania #historiaBrittonum #historyOfTheBritons #iberia #iberianPeninsula #ireland #irish #israelites #ith #japheth #latin #leborGabalaErenn #macCecht #macCuill #macGreine #medieval #mil #milEspaine #milesians #nel #nemed #noah #otherworld #partholon #refloir #romans #scota #scythian #skryne #tara #theBookOfTheTakingOfIreland #towerOfBabel #towerOfHercules #tuathaDeDanann2