Chthonia

This week we look at Nure-onna, a Yokai who preys on men who try to help or rescue an apparent woman and child in need. We look beyond any social explanations of the story, to explore the realities of nature and natural forces.

Website: https://chthonia.net
Patreon: https://patreon.com/chthonia
Merch: https://chthoniapodcast.creator-spring.com/
School: https://instituteforfemininemyth.org


This week we look at the "Quene of Elfame", the later popular spelling being "Queen of Elphame," or the queen of the land of fairies. But what is "Elphame"--is it a kind of pagan paradise between Heaven and Hell, an interdimensional space under the sidhe (mounds) of Ireland, or a beautiful illusion created by fairy beings--or something else? And what do we mean by the term "fairy"? We look at the appearance of the term Queen of Elphame in witch trial documents, in poetry, and its use by imaginative historians of paganism. We do take a little bit of a side turn into witchcraft history and the confusions created by Robert Graves, who is responsible for our common associations with the name.

Website: https://chthonia.net
Patreon: https://patreon.com/chthonia
Merch: https://chthoniapodcast.creator-spring.com/
School: https://instituteforfemininemyth.org

This week's episode is about Nicnevin, a Scottish witch queen whose is first named in a poetic flyting (comedic poetry battle) written by Alexander Montgomerie in 1585. She is described as a fairy queen, a witch queen, a terrifying hag,the Scottish Hecate, a goddess, and/or the name of a witch burned at the stake. We examine the stories of Nicnevin and her associations; is she an ancient witch queen, or a literary invention?

Website: https://chthonia.net
Patreon: https://patreon.com/chthonia
Merch: https://chthoniapodcast.creator-spring.com/
School: https://instituteforfemininemyth.org

The old episodes are finally coming back! The sound editing issues that plagued the first year of Chthonia (2019) are being fixed, with the help of Jesse Pollack of 1289 Productions. 

In this episode we look at Lilith, said to be the first wife of Adam who abandoned him when he insisted she be subordinate to him rather than his equal. Lilith has a reputation as a demon, a succubus, and an Infernal Queen; she has also become a symbol of female rebellion and empowerment. This is a quintessential study in the Dark Feminine that is still relevant 5 years after it was originally recorded.

Website: https://chthonia.net
Patreon: https://patreon.com/chthonia
Merch: https://chthoniapodcast.creator-spring.com/
GoFundMe for Institute for the Study of Feminine Myth: https://gofund.me/5e24b8ec 

This week we look at the Waterford (Ireland) vampire, the Dearg Due. Unlike some other folkloric vampires, this one has its origins in a story about a forced marriage, star crossed lovers, and abuse of the feminine by a father and a husband. When we look at all the elements of the story, we end up with a story about the dangers of denying female sovereignty rather than a didactic tale about women who want to marry below their social station.

Website: https://chthonia.net
Books: https://chthonia.net/publications
Merch: https://chthoniapodcast.creator-spring.com/
Patreon: https://patreon.com/chthonia


This week we look at Leviathan, the deep sea monster/demon that is characterized as feminine by Enoch, though we are told by other sources that there was a male and female Leviathan, and that the female was slain to be preserved as a feast for the righteous when the Messiah comes. What exactly is the Leviathan? I argue that comparative myths support the idea of a feminine Leviathan, and why the Christian conception of Leviathan as a devil/demon to be "cast into the abyss forever" makes no sense.

Website: https://chthonia.net
Books: https://chthonia.net/publications
Merch: https://chthoniapodcast.creator-spring.com/
Patreon: https://patreon.com/chthonia

This week we look at Jezebel, Phoenician bride of King Ahab of Israel. Jezebel is the foreign queen in Samaria who brought Baal worship back to Israel, persecuting prophets of Yahweh, and the enemy of the prophet Elijah. The name "Jezebel" has been associated with wickedness, vanity, and excessive female pride, and is connected to many "wicked queen" characters in folklore and literature. But who was Jezebel really, and does she deserve her reputation? Was she truly evil, or was she no different from many other sovereigns?

Website: https://chthonia.net
Publications: https://chthonia.net/publications
Patreon: https://patreon.com/chthonia
Merch: https://chthoniapodcast.creator-spring.com/


This week's episode looks at the Sirens, bird-monsters with female heads (later represented as mermaids) whose song leads sailors to shipwreck and starvation. They are usually considered to be children of the Muses (Terpsichore or Melpomene), and the handmaidens of Persephone, who are either given bird wings to help in Demeter's search or to punish them for neglect at her abduction. Our modern use of the term "Siren" usually indicates a woman who leads a married man astray. What do we understand about the psychology of love and seduction from the stories of the Sirens?

Website: https://chthonia.net
Publications: https://chthonia.net/publications
Merch: https://https://chthoniapodcast.creator-spring.com/
Patreon: https://patreon.com/chthonia


This week, we take a look at Goddess Durga. It is strange that I have covered almost every other major Shakti figure on this podcast, but have not done an episode on the star of the Devi Mahatmayam, Durga herself. Beholden to no one, Durga is a warrior called in when she is invited to battle the draining forces of greed and power. We look at the paradox of a goddess who represents both the causes of our violent and angry impulses and also the remedy to those same impulses.

Website: https://chthonia.net
Patreon: https://patreon.com/chthonia
Social media: chthoniapodcast (IG, X, and YouTube), Chthonia Podcast (FB)

This week's podcast looks at the Banshee, a Celtic/Gaelic female phantom fairy figure that is heard and sometimes seen weeping and wailing to portend the death of a member of an ancient Irish family. Is the Banshee an omen, a guardian spirit, or both? We look at the elements of Banshee lore and the art of keening and lamenting at funerals, comparing Irish funerary practice to that of ancient Greece.