3 January: Festival of Pax

Today is a Festival of Pax, the Roman goddess of Peace. Here are some things you might not know about her:

1. She is the daughter of Jupiter and Justice. Her Greek equivalent, Irene, was the daughter of Zeus and Themis.
2. Pax is the Latin word for peace.
3. She is often depicted holding an Olive branch, which has become a universal symbol of peace. It was an olive branch that the dove brought back to the ark after the flood; and offering someone an olive branch means “Lets make peace.”
4. Pax may also be pictured holding a cornucopia, a symbol for abundance and plenty.
5. Sometimes she is shown burning a pile of weapons or leaning on a column.
6. She is also the goddess of security. As such, she may be pictured holding a caduceus and grain stalk, or holding a scepter over a tripod.
7. Most of the pictures we have of her from Roman times are on coins. Mostly, the first Roman coins struck with the depiction of Pax were minted in 44 BC, but there is a coin with her image on it dating back to 128 BC.
8. We don't know much about how she was honoured or worshipped, but it is likely her cult began with the emperor Augustus, who established a period of peace during his reign.
9. She had a temple on the Campus Martius called Ara Pacis.
10. Sources vary as to when her festival was. Many say January 3, some say January 30. It's also likely there was a festival to her in the spring, as she is associated with that season.

Golden Thread

Terry Kennedy is inexplicably and inexorably drawn to the small town of Fiveswood as a place to live and work after university. He is sure he has never visited the town before, but when he arrives there, it seems oddly familiar.

Fiveswood has a rich and intriguing history. Local legends speak of giants, angels, wolves, a local Robin Hood, but most of all, a knight in golden armour. Fiveswood's history also has a dark side - mysterious deaths blamed on the plague, a ghostly black panther, and a landslide which buried the smugglers' caves.

Terry buys an apartment in The Heights, a house which has been empty for decades, since the previous owner disappeared. Now he has finally been declared dead, developers have moved in and turned it into six flats. Terry has the odd feeling he has lived in this enigmatic house before. But that is not all. Since childhood, Terry has had recurring, disturbing dreams which have been increasing in frequency so that now, he has them almost every night. To his dismay, the people from his nightmares are his new neighbours.

Except, that is, for Eleanor Millbrook. She is refreshingly unfamiliar. After Terry saves her from a mysterious attacker, they become close. However, Terry's nightmares encroach more and more on his waking life, until they lead him to a devastating discovery about who he really is.

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Goodreads Review for Golden Thread:

This is a standalone book rather than one of the "super" series. Excellent characterization, a "keeps you guessing" plot, and some fairly deep philosophical issues ! Would recommend this to anyone, but especially recommended if you would like to see a completely new "take" on the people with powers / alternate futures / general oddness type story lines. Somebody make the film !