Chthonia

Dive into the intriguing layers of the Virgin Mary's mythology, exploring her 'dark Feminine' aspects. Discover her connection to the dying and resurrecting vegetation god and parallels with Semele, mother of Dionysus. Unpack the archetype of the divine child and how it challenges male authority. Examine Mary's multifaceted narratives across different traditions. Delve into the symbolism of the Black Madonna and the duality of her representation, reflecting both submission and power.

In this episode we look at Mary Magdalene, the favorite female disciple of Jesus. The gospels suggest that Mary became a follower of Jesus after he expelled seven demons from her. Pope Gregory promoted the narrative that she was a "repentent prostitute". The various Gnostic gospels suggest that Mary knew and understood secrets that the other Apostles could not understand, and she was frequently dismissed and challenged by Simon Peter, acknowledged as the first Pope of the church. We look at the stories about Mary Magdalene, both the history and the tradition, and ultimately ask the question--did Mary have the secret to escaping the cycle of time, hinted at by the Gnostic gospels?

This week's podcast looks at the Nordic deity Ran, a wrathful sea goddess that causes shipwrecks and drags fishermen down to the watery depths with her net. With her husband Aegir and her nine children of the waves, she represents the terrors of the sea--both physically and psychologically. We look at the attributes of Ran, water mythology, and flood mythology.

In honor of Lughnasadh (August 1), this week's podcast is about the Irish god Lugh. Lugh very likely originates from the Celtic deity Lugus, who Julius Caesar equated with the Roman Mercury. He is noted for his many talents, and his ability to play many roles won him entrance to the court of the Tuatha De Danann. He led the group in battle against the oppressive Fomorians at the second battle of Maige Tuired (Moytura), after slaying his grandfather Balor. We talk about Lugh's story as a heroic succession myth, his connection to the Morrigan and sovereignty, and how Lugh differs from the traditional idea of the god-king.

This week's podcast looks at Hermes, the messenger of the Greek gods, known as Mercury in Roman myth. We mainly focus on the story of Hermes' birth in the Homeric Hymn to Hermes, in which he manages to astonish and anger the god Apollo. Hermes is a liminal figure often connected with the Puer (Boy) archetype, representing youthful energy and enthusiasm. We discuss this archetype in a bit of detail, and its contrast with the Senex (Wise Old Man) archetype, as well as a bit about the alchemical Mercurius.

Join us at the Institute for the Study of Feminine Myth--$10 "Thinker's Tavern" sessions on Thursdays in July!https://instituteforfemininemyth.org/thinkers-tavern This week's podcast is about Libitina, Roman goddess of funerals, corpses, and burials. We discuss the debated etymology of her name--is she connected to Venus and to voluptuous pleasure, or is that an error? Varro connects Libitina to "libido", and we also need to consider the ancient Etruscan goddess Alpanu, who is said to be Libitina's forerunner. What we may find is a different attitude toward the connection between life and death.

Join us for Thinker's Tavern on Thursdays 6:30 EST; details at  https://instituteforfemininemyth.org/thinkers-tavernThis week's episode looks at Semiramis, the legendary Queen of the Assyrian Empire who is said to have taken over as regent when her husband died, and until her son came of age. Semiramis is the Greek name of the queen Shammuramat, and her history is controversial. Roman historians and geographers credit her with many architectural achievements, conquest of the Armenians, and stabilizing a crumbling empire after a civil war. Not surprisingly, other stories portray her as a lustful, power-hungry seductress. We look at what is written about Semiramis, and discuss the "threat" of the powerful, competent woman in patriarchal narratives.

This is a re-edit and re-upload of the Chthonia episode on Circe, or Kirke, from 2019. Circe is best known for her encounter with Odysseus and his men in the Odyssey, where she turns the men into pigs, and Odysseus defeats her magic with the moly plant. While Circe is a central Anima figure in this story, she also appears in others as Medea's aunt and the daughter of the sun god Helios.

Join us for the new Thinker's Tavern series at the ISFM: https://www.instituteforfemininemyth.org/thinkers-tavernThis week's episode looks at La Loba, the Wolf Woman, sometimes also called the Bone Woman. She gathers the bones of animals, usually wolves, and when she has a complete skeleton she chooses the song to sing to bring the animal back to life. This story becomes a framework for discussing the psychological and mythological meaning of "bones", as well as the forces represented by the wolf.

* Check out the new Thinker's Tavern discussion series athttps://www.instituteforfemininemyth.org/thinkers-tavern  *This week's podcast looks at the figure of Hermaphroditus, son of Hermes (Mercury) and Aphrodite (Venus), and his encounter with the aggressive nymph Salmacis, her prayer turning them into a single being that is both male and female and neither at the same time. While Salmacis is often viewed as an aggressive woman attacking an innocent boy, an inscription at Salmacis' pool in Halicarnassus suggests a very different view of the myth. We explore the idea of the Hermaphrodite as representing the bonds of marriage and ideas about marriage, as well as its connection to Plato's myth of the proto-human in the Symposium. The articles referenced in the podcast were:Kelly, Peter. "Intersex and Intertext: Ovid's Hermaphroditus and the Early Universe," Exploring Gender Diversity in the Ancient World, Allison Surtees and Jennifer Dyer, eds. Edinburgh University Press, 2020. Romano, Allen T. "The Invention of Marriage: Hermaphroditus and Salmacis at Halicarnassus and in Ovid," The Classical Quarterly, Vol. 59, No. 2 (Dec. 2009), pp. 543-561.