The Oracle of Delphi was one of the most important religious and cultural sites in the ancient world. Located on the slopes of Mount Parnassus in central Greece, Delphi was home to a temple dedicated to Apollo, the god of music, poetry, and prophecy. The oracle at Delphi was consulted by kings, queens, and commoners …
The Freedomites, also known as the Sons of Freedom, were a radical sect of the Doukhobors, a community of Spiritual Christians who began a mass migration from Russia to Canada in 1898. The Freedomite movement first appeared in 1902 in Saskatchewan, and later in the Kootenay and Boundary Districts of British Columbia. The Freedomites were …
The Knights Templar were a Catholic military order founded in 1119 to protect Christian pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land. The order grew rapidly in membership and power, and its members became known for their military prowess and their strict religious vows. However, the Templars also became the subject of much controversy, and …
The Apostolic United Brethren (AUB) is a Mormon fundamentalist group that practices polygamy. The AUB was founded in 1929 by Lorin C. Woolley, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Woolley was a high-ranking official in the LDS Church and a close associate of LDS Church President Joseph F. …
The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Thirty people were found guilty, 19 of whom were executed by hanging (14 women and five men). One other man, Giles Corey, was pressed …
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was an occult order that was founded in London in 1887. The order was based on the principles of Hermeticism, which is a system of thought that emphasizes the unity of all things and the potential for humans to achieve spiritual enlightenment. The Golden Dawn’s teachings were based …
Thuggee (UK: /θʌˈɡiː/, US: /ˈθʌɡi/) are actions and crimes carried out by Thugs, historically, organised gangs of professional robbers and murderers in India. The English word thug traces its roots to the Hindi ठग (ṭhag), which means ‘swindler’ or ‘deceiver’. Related words are the verb thugna (‘to deceive’), from the Sanskrit स्थग (sthaga ‘cunning, sly, fraudulent‘) and स्थगति (sthagati, ‘he conceals’).[2] This term, describing the murder and robbery of travellers, was popular …