Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Viva.
Anthology of Ancient Heroines
Who was she? With the relatively recent discovery of oracle bones, we know quite a bit about Fu Hao’s life. So what are oracle bones? Royalty would pose a question to the ancestors and deities during a divination ceremony. A high priestess, such as Fu Hao, or the king would inscribe the question on a tortoise shell. Then the bone would be baked in a fire until it cracked. The high priestess would interpret the cracks as a way to answer the question. Three thousand years later, 19th century farmers would find many of these bones buried together and the people referred to them as dragon’s bones. They were thought to have healing powers. So much so, that people would grind them into powder and consume them as a remedy for malaria. It wasn’t until around the Boxer Rebellion in 1899 when a famous scholar, Wang Yirang, had been prescribed dragon’s bone and recognized the inscriptions on the bones. Suffice to say, many questions posed by royalty of the Shang Dynasty to their ancestors and deities were unfortunately later consumed and lost forever. To date, Around 5000 unique characters have been discovered on the bones that still remain, but only one third have been deciphered. These bones offer a rare glimpse into the day to day tasks, concerns, and beliefs of royalty at the time of the Shang Dynasty.
By Jennifer Thomas4 years ago in Viva
Real Life Tips For Women In A World That Doesn’t Do Enough To Protect Us
In my youth, the word “rape” just wasn’t something you heard of very much in the small towns of the sleepy South. I can still remember when we would go to sleep or go into town and leave our doors unlocked. We didn’t worry about someone coming into our home and doing unspeakable things.
By Kassondra O'Hara4 years ago in Viva
We Need to Teach Our Daughters They Are Enough. Top Story - August 2021.
When I was five, my grandfather tried to convince me that men were superior to women. I don’t remember this, being so young at the time, but my mother has since recounted the story to me. I was standing there, looking up at my beloved grandpa with wide eyes, nodding along when she walked in and heard what he was saying.
By Samantha Blake4 years ago in Viva
Why I reported a lewd text to the police
Today I went to the police to report an incident of sexual harassment. I wasn’t going to at first. I was going to accept his apology that the lewd text he sent me was an error of judgement during a moment of intoxication. But then I thought about it. This wasn’t going to go away. It might be forgiven and forgotten but there would be another incident.
By Skye Bothma4 years ago in Viva
Magnesium – Role in Reducing Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) In Teenage Girls & Young Adults
What Is PMS? PMS refers to Premenstrual Syndrome, ie a conglomeration of symptoms that may occur in a female, few days prior to starting her periods. Almost 4 in every 5 women experience PMS symptoms, but for most of them, it is usually mild. About 3-8% of women of childbearing age experience severe PMS symptoms, and these symptoms may interfere with the ability to perform daily activities.
By Aparna Sharma4 years ago in Viva
It's All About My Stiff, Painful and Rapidly Ageing Body
I am pretending today that I have not spent nearly a year being relatively silent on my blogs. Instead, I will charge right in with some random, scattered thoughts about my current state of being. By current, I should clarify: everything having to do with today and the last year and a half of mad-fuckery days, Covid-days, the violent news cycle days and the days that I sat on the sofa staring, terror-stricken, at a stone wall. All the while, no monsters appeared (in my quiet corner of the world) — only a stone wall.
By Elizabeth O'Nuanain4 years ago in Viva
