Chthonia

Website: https://chthonia.net
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This week we look at the architectural grotesque figure known as the Sheela Na Gig. No one really knows why they were placed on churches, castles, and other secular buildings, but academics have many theories. They seem to originate on the European continent, with later appearances in Ireland and the UK. The lewd image recalls Greek portrayals of Baubo, and the key to understanding these figures might lie in the power of anasyrma (skirt-lifting) to avert evil. But no one really knows!

In this week's episode we discuss the Harpies, creatures with the head of a woman and the body of a monstrous bird that represent storm winds. This episode was created in the wake of a huge storm that knocked my power out for 2 days, so there's discussion of the impact of storms, unpredictability, and sudden change. The name refers to "snatching", and in the myths this refers to the snatching of food, of children--and of souls. 

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This week we look at the Mexican folkloric figure of La Llorona, the wailing woman eternally searching for her dead children. She is generally seen as a dangerous figure who is alternately a child stealer, someone seducing men to their deaths, or an omen of death. While the image of La Llorona may have its roots in Aztec myth, her story is very much a variant of the European "White Lady" narrative. We explore similarities to myths about the Sirens, the Banshee, the Lamia, and even Macha of Ulster. We also look at keening or wailing as a funerary art. Ultimately the various stories of La Llorona represent a betrayal or misuse of primal Feminine power. 

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This week's topic is a loaded one! Agdistis is a Phrygian hermaphroditic daimon that is so powerful the gods fear them, and Agdistis is castrated and becomes female only, with the discarded member becoming either an almond or pomegranate tree. This myth and it's related ones (Myrrha/Adonis/Aphrodite, Gaia/Ouranos/Kronos) give us a lot of insight into why the uniting of Masculine and Feminine is considered so threatening, our culture feels the need to enforce the separation of the sexes biologically and psychologically. We also look at Agdistis' connection to Kybele, the origin of the term "hermaphrodite," and the theme of Masculine and Feminine merging as Sky and Earth.

In this week's episode we look at Queen Medb of Connacht in Ireland, who was legendary for her seductive power, her warlike nature, and her political power among the High Kings. Notorious for having several lovers in addition to whoever was her current husband, Medb was a kingmaker and a heromaker. Her desire to have wealth equal to her husband drove her to the destructive Cattle Raid of Cúailnge (Cooley), and she is frequently portrayed as as manipulative and promiscuous in medieval literature. We take a particular look at the question of whether Medb was a sovereignty goddess or a real legendary queen, her hatred of her first husband Conchobar mac Nessa, ancient Irish rites of sovereignty, and her connection to the trio of goddesses called Morrigan.

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Website: https://chthonia.net
Patreon: https://patreon.com/chthonia
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As March closes out, we look at the idea of Fate. In mythology Fate is often represented as three women who spin the thread of life, measure it, and then cut it at the time of death. This podcast is an overview of the subject, looking at the relationship between fate and free will, the function of time and reason with regard to fate, and specific mythologies of Fate including the Greek Moirai, the Keres (Spirits of Doom and Violent Death) and the Nordic Norns.

Check out the Divine Feminine App! Click at the link below to view and register for free, or download the app on your phone. 

https://thedfapp.com/v2/dashboard#a_aid=Chthonia

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

This week we look at the final entry for now in the Female Christian Mystics series, the medieval anchorite Julian of Norwich. We don't know if her actual name was Julian, or very much else about her personal life. Some scholars believe that she wasn't even a nun, but a widowed mother who lost her family during the Great Plague and subsequently took anchorite vows. What we have is her book of Sixteen Divine Revelations, in which she describes sixteen visions of Christ that she had over two days. In this book and a subsequent interpretation, she lays out a mystical theology of Christ as Mother, and a theology of divine Love in the Via Negativa tradition of mysticism that challenges the theology of a broken creation that needs fixing. 

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This week we continue the series on Female Christian Mystics with the polymath saint Hildegard of Bingen. Hildegard began having spiritual visions at age 3, and was in a convent by age 8, where she was taught to read and write in Latin. She was an acclaimed mystic, philosopher, botanist, natural healer, and musician. She invented her own language and alphabet called Lingua Ignota. Hildegard's mystical revelations included the idea that nature was not imperfect, but a manifestation of God as Divine Feminine in our world. She was urged to write down her visions, though she also conveyed her experience through music, believing that celestial song existed "before Eden". We look at the traits of this remarkable medieval woman, her fierce independence with respect to Church authorities, and what her experiences say about female mystical experiences.

Links:

Music (chant with Lingua Ignota)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua4C2mzWfNQ

Lingua Ignota:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingua_ignota

In honor of Valentine's Day this past week, this podcast takes a look at 4 goddesses of love and desire: Aphrodite, Ishtar, Freya, and Rati. Love goddesses are often war goddesses as well, or at least have strong connections to war--why is that the case? We look at different ideas about love, marriage, and relationship, and examine how the rati-yuddha (love battle) is just as much a part of romantic relationships as the more pleasant associations.

In this week's podcast we look at my namesake, the goddess Brigid, as we have just passed Imbolc (also known as Brigid's Day). This episode focuses on the goddess rather than the saint, though there are obvious crossovers between the two. Brigid is portrayed as a triple goddess of poetry, smithcraft and healing,and is seen as a fire goddess. In the medieval Irish literature she is portrayed as the wife of the half-Fomorian Bres, and brings the art of keening to Ireland while mourning her son at the second battle of Maige Tuired (Moytura). Brigid is a goddess of Spring, but also has strong connections to warfare, and has a lot in common with her sister (or mother?) goddess, the Morrigan.