Search Results: Shadow puppetry

The Etruscan bronze figure sculpture of a young boy known as the Ombre della Sera or 'Evening Shadow'. 3rd century BCE. Height: 57 cm. (Museo Etrusco Guarnacci, Volterra, Italy)

The Castillo or Pyramid of Kukulcan at the Maya (and possibly later Toltec) centre of Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico. The pyramid was built prior to 1050 CE as a temple to honour the Maya feathered-serpent god Kukulkan. The steps create a...

Ningyo Joruri is a combination of ningyo (puppets) and Joruri (narrative music) which combines voice and shamisen. It is now known as “Bunraku” since that is now the main troupe that represents this art form. It is a comprehensive performance...

The Cheyenne afterlife is envisioned as a continuation of life on earth. The spirit leaves the body and travels the long road of the Milky Way to arrive at a village very like what one has always known and is greeted by those who have gone...

The Alexandrians loved a good quarrel, according to Tom Holland, historian and author of ‘Dynasty’ and ‘In the Shadow of the Sword’. According to Philo of Alexandria, Alexandrian women would grab the testicles of any man they disagreed with...

At the beginning of time, the god Atum stood on the primordial mound in the midst of the waters of chaos and created the world. The power which enabled this act was heka (magic) personified in the god Heka, the invisible force behind the...

Baba Yaga (Baba Jaga) is a witch or ogress from Slavic folklore who lives in a magical hut in the forest and either helps, imprisons, or eats people (usually children). She is among the most famous figures from Slavic folklore as guardian...

Ancient Egyptian culture flourished between c. 6000 BCE with the rise of technology (as evidenced in the glasswork of faience) and 30 BCE with the death of Cleopatra VII, the last Ptolemaic ruler of Egypt. It is famous today for the great...

The Abbasids were an Arabic dynasty that initially ruled over most of the Islamic empire (save some western parts) after assuming the caliphate in 750 CE, later on, their empire fragmented, however, they retained spiritual supremacy as caliphs...

Crazy Horse (Tasunke Witko, l. c. 1840-1877) was an Oglala Lakota Sioux warrior and warband leader considered among the greatest defenders of Sioux lands against the forces of the US government in the 19th century. He is one of the most famous...