When describing the horrors associated with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, one of the primary concerns – especially as a writer – is the realization that words alone are wholly insufficient when trying to convey human pain and suffering on this scale. The hibakusha authors were confronted with many torments in trying to […]

PART ONE Knowledge of secret magical techniques and the search for hidden wisdom were frequent concerns for the ancient heroes in the Norse pantheon of Gods. The “Seeress’s Prophecy,” also known as the “Prophecy of the Völva,” is one of the most famous epic poems from pre-Christian Norse mythology; part of an ancient text referred […]

PART TWO According to scholars, eight of the nine known worlds consist of: the gods, the Aesir and the Vanir (Asgarth); the Wanes (Vanaheim); the elves (Alfheim); men (Mithgarth); the giants (Jotunheim); fire (Muspellsheim); the dark elves (Svartalfaheim), and finally, the dead (Niflheim). Presumably a world of dwarfs exists, although the ninth world is uncertain […]

PART THREE All known versions of the Völuspá end with a final, cryptic phrase uttered by the völva: “Now I must descend.” By this the seeress indicates that she has finally said enough, and it is time to sink back into the underworld; back to the land of the dead. These final passages in particular […]

Secrecy is the most important component of any successful military campaign. It is a fundamental rule of combat: you don’t want the enemy to know your next move. The concept goes back to ancient times and the very beginnings of civilization. Nearly a thousand years ago, the brilliant military strategist and philosopher Sun Tzu encapsulated […]

There are many problems in the world today: rampant corruption, disease, inequality, hunger, poverty. But the worst by far is war. Warfare destroys the very foundations of what makes us a civil society. Indeed, war is the negation of civil society. War demolishes the things we build, it disrupts our lives; it destroys the environment. […]