Tag Archives: Balladeer’s Blog

TOP ELEVEN DEITIES IN AZTEC MYTHS

The underappreciated mythological pantheon I’ll be looking at this time will be the Aztec pantheon. It seems all anybody ever wants to talk about with the Aztecs is human sacrifice, blood, hearts being pulled out, etc. There are many more intriguing elements to their forms of worship than just blood and guts, however. Here is a list of some of their major deities. For other pantheons I’ve addressed see these links:

KOREAN MYTH – https://glitternight.com/2011/03/24/the-top-11-deities-in-korean-mythology/ 

SHINTO MYTH – https://glitternight.com/shinto-myth/

HAWAIIAN MYTH – https://glitternight.com/2011/02/20/the-top-eleven-deities-in-hawaiian-mythology/

HAWAIIAN MYTH PART 2 – https://glitternight.com/2011/03/02/eleven-more-deities-from-hawaiian-mythology-2/

NORSE MYTHS – https://glitternight.com/2011/04/10/the-eleven-most-neglected-deities-in-teutono-norse-mythology/

INUIT MYTHS –  – https://glitternight.com/2011/06/06/the-top-12-deities-from-inuit-mythology-2/

Plus see my pages on Navajo, Vietnamese and Bunyoro myth.

11. OMETEOTL – The primordial and hermaphroditic deity who embodied all duality and from whom all existence sprang. Ometeotl did not just personify male and female but also space and time, light and dark, order and chaos, etc. As both male and female Ometeotl conceived and gave birth to the god Tonacatecuhtli and the goddess Tonacacihuatl, who mated and went on to produce most of the rest of the deities in the Aztec pantheon, sort of like Izanagi and Izanami in Shinto myths.

Ometeotl was considered distant and aloof and took no more active role in myths after setting the ball of creation rolling, although he/she was considered to be present in every aspect of ritual. This god sat enthroned in the thirteenth and highest heaven, Omeyocan, often considered the Mt Olympus/ Asgard/ Hunamoku/ Takamagahara of Aztec myths.      Continue reading →

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COLLEGE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS ROLL ALONG

RED RIVER ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

LSU-Alexandria GeneralsCHAMPIONSHIP GAME – This title tilt pitted the top seeds – the LSU-ALEXANDRIA GENERALS – against the 3rd seeded LANGSTON UNIVERSITY LIONS.

The Generals were in danger come Halftime, trailing the Lions by a score of 46-42. Following the break LSU-Alexandria came storming from behind and won the game 90-87. Jordin Williams put up 19 points to lead the Generals while his teammate Brandon Moss recorded a Double Double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. * THE GENERALS ARE CHAMPIONS OF THE RRAC TOURNAMENT *   Continue reading →

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CENTAUR COMICS SUPERHERO PANTHEON

With superheroes continuing to flood movies, television and streaming media, Balladeer’s Blog takes another look at a neglected pantheon of heroes.

Air ManAIR MAN

Secret Identity: Drake Stevens

Origin: Drake Stevens’ father, Ornithology Professor Claude Stevens, was murdered and when the police were getting nowhere Drake donned a costume equipped with various technical gimmicks and set out to bring the killers to justice.

As always happens in comic books Drake decided to continue fighting crime under his new nom de guerre Air Man.

First Appearance: Keen Detective Funnies #23 (August 1940). His final Golden Age appearance came in 1941.

Powers: Air Man’s costume boasted feathers filled with an experimental anti-gravity gas as well as a jet-pack. In addition to that he sported guns plus a Chemical Belt loaded with egg-shaped explosives. On top of that Air Man was highly skilled at unarmed combat and had Olympic-level gymnastic abilities. 

Comment: Air Man was one of those Golden Age superheroes who didn’t hesitate to kill off his adversaries when the situation called for it.  

Blue LadyBLUE LADY

Secret Identity: Lucille Martin, novelist

Origin: Returning from a trip to China on board a luxury liner, Lucille Martin was given a priceless statue by a Chinese woman named Lotus. She was told to guard the statue from some men who were pursuing Lotus and by way of payment the Chinese woman also gave her a blue ring.

When the men pursuing Lotus killed her, Ms Martin accidentally discovered that the ring gave her super-powers. She donned a costume, called herself the Blue Lady and brought Lotus’ murderers to justice as the start of a crime-fighting career.  

First Appearance: Amazing-Man Comics #24 (October, 1941). Her final Golden Age appearance came in 1942.

Powers: Accidentally breaking the blue-bird shaped gem on the Oriental ring released a gas which bestowed upon the Blue Lady the strength of ten men, invulnerability and the ability to teleport via blue mists. She could also generate those blue mists to hide in and to disorient her opponents. In turn, other gasses were the Blue Lady’s weakness.  Continue reading →

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COLLEGE BASKETBALL POSTSEASON CONTINUES

GULF COAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Dillard U Bleu DevilsCHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The two teams battling it out for the GCAC crown were the top seeded DILLARD UNIVERSITY BLEU (sic) DEVILS and the 2 seeds – the PHILANDER SMITH COLLEGE PANTHERS.

The Bleu Devils made a statement early with a 13-2 run to start the game and by Halftime they had parlayed that into a 43-31 advantage. After the break the Panthers fell further and further behind Dillard University as the latter went on to an 86-65 victory. Demetric Austin’s Double Double of 17 points and 13 rebounds led Dillard. * THE BLEU DEVILS ARE GCAC TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS * Continue reading →

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FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE SPACE MONSTER (1965)

Frankenstein Meets the Space MonsterFRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE SPACE MONSTER (1965) –Category: A neglected bad movie classic that deserves a Plan 9-sized cult following      

The original title of this incredibly fun bad movie was Mars Invades Puerto Rico. You see, there is no Frankenstein Monster in this flick, just a NASA robot called Frank who gets damaged and then looks like Freddy Krueger with a Mohawk from one angle.

The actual premise of this movie is that Frank battles Martians intent on replenishing their nuclear war-ravaged planet by kidnapping beachgoers in Puerto Rico to use as breeding stock. Sounds like a comedy … stings like a bee! Continue reading →

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THREE COLLEGE BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONS CROWNED

*** USCAA DIVISION ONE ***

Concordia (AL) LogoNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The 2nd seeded CONCORDIA (AL) COLLEGE HORNETS and the 4 seeds – the ILLINOIS TECH SCARLET HAWKS – battled for the title in Division One of the USCAA (United States Collegiate Athletic Association).

The Scarlet Hawks ended the 1st Half on top of the Hornets 33-27 but Concordia College made with one of their patented comebacks. In the end the Hornets took the crown by a final score of 61-51. Dennis Miles led Concordia with a Double Double of 16 points and 13 rebounds. * THE HORNETS ARE CHAMPIONS OF USCAA DIVISION ONE *   Continue reading →

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SONGS OF MALDOROR: CANTO FIVE GUIDE

Back to Balladeer’s Blog’s chapter guide to my examination of Isidore Ducasse’s 1868 work of surreal horror The Songs of Maldoror.

FIFTH CANTO

Maldoror 5 7 tarantulaFifth Canto, Stanza 1: BETWEEN YOUR LITERATURE AND MINE – Maldoror goes meta, addressing the reader directly for daring to condemn him while still continuing to read about his nightmarish activities. He recommends a recipe for preparing the flesh of one’s mother after killing her, and otherwise seems to presage many modern-day serial killers. CLICK HERE 

Fifth Canto, Stanza 2: FOUR SOULS ERASED FROM THE BOOK OF LIFE – Our vile main character interacts with a sorceress, the two brothers she seduced then transformed into monsters and the hybrid children she had with those brothers. CLICK HERE  Continue reading →

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COLLEGE BASKETBALL CONFERENCE TOURNEYS STRIKE AGAIN

GOLDEN STATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE 

Westmont College WarriorsOPENING ROUND, GAME ONE – In this game the 4 seeds – the WESTMONT COLLEGE WARRIORS (Should be the Guardians) – took the court against the 5th seeded WILLIAM JESSUP UNIVERSITY WARRIORS.

A very hard-fought 1st Half ended with Westmont College on top by a score of 34-26. After the break the Guardians Warriors left William Jessup University further and further behind as they went on to win the contest by a Century Club-level tally of 102-86. Sean Harman led the victors with 18 points while his teammate Sean McDonnell registered a Double Double of 15 points and 10 rebounds. Continue reading →

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BILL PAXTON: GAME OVER FOR THE STAR OF TAKING TIGER MOUNTAIN

taking-tiger-mountainTAKING TIGER MOUNTAIN (1983) – The very memorable actor Bill Paxton passed away recently. I’ve been trying to decide which Paxton film appearance would fit in most with Balladeer’s Blog’s world of weirdness.

I considered the horror movie Mortuary (1983) in which Paxton portrayed a bizarre young mortician and slasher. The scene where he hops and skips among the graves is weird, but not quite WTF enough. I considered Brain Dead (1990) but Bill doesn’t have a big enough role. I almost went with The Dark Backward (1991), but that has (rightfully) become too well known over the years.  

Finally, I decided on Taking Tiger Mountain. Not just because of how flat-out deranged that movie is but because of the novelty factor: Bill Paxton’s BODY stars in the film, but his dialogue was all overdubbed by a British man. That odd circumstance always made me want to see Paxton’s infamous “Game over, man … we’re dead, man” whine from Aliens overdubbed by that same British guy saying “I say, something of a sticky wicket we’re in now, eh, lads?”

bill-paxtonPutting all that aside, Taking Tiger Mountain is an artsy black & white post-apocalypse movie which is more Born of Fire or A Boy and His Dog than Mad Max. In the aftermath of a nuclear war the world is in chaos with diseases running rampant, food riots breaking out regularly and the poles knocked off-kilter.   

Mutant rats are on the loose, as are the expected roving gangs of marauders. The makeshift governmental forces are playing a “spinning plates” game of maintaining order through distribution of pleasure-inducing drugs and an “anything goes” prostitution-based economy. Men can be women and women can be men. It’s a mixed-up world, it’s a shook-up world except for Paxton. Will-eye-am “Bill” Paaxxx-ton. Continue reading →

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COLLEGE BASKETBALL CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS KEEP ROLLING ALONG

SOONER ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

USAO Drover newQUARTERFINAL GAME ONE – This was the game of the night in the SAC Tournament and featured the 4 seeds – the UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND ARTS OF OKLAHOMA DROVERS – taking on the 5th seeded WAYLAND BAPTIST UNIVERSITY PIONEERS (Should be the Flying W’s).

The Drovers and the Pioneers were knotted up at 41-41 by Halftime, then went on to end Regulation in an 87-87 tie. In the Overtime session the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma went on to win a 100-99 nailbiter. Taran Buie notched 26 points to lead the Drovers.  Continue reading →

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