Laufey: Loki’s Mother Who Barely Survives the Eddas
Laufey was Loki's mother in Norse mythology. The Eddas, her second name Nál, and a later Icelandic tale reveal what the sources actually say.
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Latest from Spoken Past
The Morrígan: Irish War Goddess, Shapeshifter, or Triad?
The Morrígan confronts Cú Chulainn as an eel, wolf and heifer. Irish manuscripts also make her a battle prophet, a crow and one of several war goddesses.
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Peltasts: How Javelin Troops Defeated Spartan Hoplites
In 390 BCE, Iphicrates’ peltasts killed about 250 Spartan soldiers near Lechaeum. Xenophon explains how mobile javelin troops defeated unsupported hoplites.
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What Is Egyptian Faience? The Blue Ceramic Made Without Clay
Egyptian faience was made from crushed quartz, salts and copper. Learn how its blue glaze formed, why it mattered and where it was made.
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