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Naming the Gods, Again

A reply to Edward Butler

Antonio Vargas's avatar
Antonio Vargas
Jul 02, 2025
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A radiant, cosmic animal formed of intertwined fire, light, and shadow, suspended in a luminous void. Its body contains shifting faces and forms of gods—solar, lunar, and chthonic—emerging and dissolving in its fur and limbs. The creature emanates waves of emotion: awe, terror, joy, longing. At its heart glows a miniature sun, not spherical but faceted like a gem. The background is a swirling maelstrom of number-like symbols, mythic beasts, and glowing runes, hinting at structure without reducing it to order. The style is a fusion of Byzantine iconography, late Renaissance allegory, and cosmic surrealism.



Edward Butler has recently continued our conversation on shared divine domains, accepting my label of a “many-worlds” solution to the issue. Some of the points he raises may reflect a lack of clarity on my part; others mark genuine differences in argument. Given how untrodden the metaphysics of polytheism remains in contemporary philosophy, I find intri…

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