Domina Tempora

Passionate women were among Jesus’ earliest followers and have been important members of Christian church from the very beginning. Apart from learning from and speaking to women both in public and private, Jesus himself also taught and had meals with men as well as women. Mark 7:24-30 and Matthew 15:21-28 tell us that it was an unnamed woman who taught Jesus that the ministry of God is belongs to all who have faith and not limited to any particular groups or persons.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2020/12/21/the-passion-of-independent-women-in-early-christianity/

In the Gospel of Matthew (14:6–9), “… on Herod’s birthday, the daughter of Herodias (Salome) danced before them: and pleased Herod. Whereupon he promised with an oath, to give her whatsoever she would ask of him. But she being instructed before by her mother, said: Give me here in a dish the head of John the Baptist. And the king was struck sad: yet because of his oath, and for them that sat with him at table, he commanded it to be given. And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.”

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2019/03/29/charm-of-the-ancient-enchantress-the-evolution-of-the-dangerous-woman/

The thing about Aphrodite is that she is passionate. Ancient mythology gives us numerous instances where Aphrodite punished those who neglected her worship or resented her power, as well as others in which she favoured and protected those who did homage to her and recognized her sway. As Aphrodite is the goddess of love, we take it for granted that her “passion” will not stray far from her brand. We imagine her passing her passions along her many lovers. Without a lover, she became "jealous" and her passion is used as a reason for her anger and punishments to those who disrespected her. Aphrodite knows what she wants and she expects recognition.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2019/03/22/charm-of-the-ancient-enchantress-aphrodite-and-the-mystery-of-passion/

The thing that I like about Circe is how self-sufficient she is. She has her own house which she manages to her liking, she is surrounded by her books and potions and she turns rude guests into animals. She manages this while still letting Odysseus believe that he was the one who dumps her and that she is the one who is not good enough to win his heart - thus keeping his heroic ego intact.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2019/03/15/charm-of-the-ancient-enchantress-circe-and-the-glamour-of-independence/

Odysseus' ship was destroyed by the whirlpool of Charybdis and he escaped on floating wreckage. Odysseus drifted for nine days until the gods led him to the island of Ogygja where Calypso lives. Odysseus describes her as “the goddess of braided hair and of strange powers and of human speech; she welcomed me and tended me."

While Odysseus was being mended, the gods assembled in divine council, and Athena began to recount to them the many distresses of Odysseus that again had come before her mind, “He is pent up in an island now,” she says, “overwhelmed with misery; he is in the domains of the Nymph Calypso, who is keeping him with her there perforce and thwarting return to his own country.” Thus to escape from a lone woman, the hero needs the gods to step in.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2019/03/08/charm-of-the-ancient-enchantress-calypso-and-the-magic-of-good-housekeeping/

We often hear that femme fatales such as Cleopatra, who managed to entrance not one but two Roman generals, was not beautiful. In fact, she was apparently quite homely in her appearance. However, she was powerful, intelligent and well-read - well-positioned to seduce a thinking man such as a scholar, a senator or an emperor.

The sirens in ancient Greek mythology were no supermodels either. In early Greek art, they were represented as birds with large women's heads, bird feathers and scaly feet. Later, they were represented as female figures with the legs of birds, with or without wings, playing a variety of musical instruments. The tenth-century Byzantine encyclopedia Suda says that from their chests up, the sirens were little birds with women's faces.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2019/03/01/charm-of-the-ancient-enchantress-sirens-and-the-art-of-romance/

A Maori legend tells us about Niwareka, daughter of a tohunga ta moko (tatooist) as well as the princess of the underworld. Niwareka wanted to explore the world above and while she was there she met Mataoroa. Niwareka fell in love with Mataoroa and married him. As knowledge of ta moko did not exist in the world above, Mataoroa simply wore designs painted on his body, rather than being chiselled as a real ta moko supposed to be. Ta moko is different from tattoo in that the skin is carved by uhi (chisels) instead of being punctured with needles. This leaves the skin with textured grooves, rather than the smooth surface of a normal tattoo.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2019/06/07/you-think-getting-a-tattoo-is-painful-the-myth-rituals-and-symbolism-of-maoris-ta-moko/

A Maori legend tells us about Niwareka, daughter of a tohunga ta moko (tatooist) as well as the princess of the underworld. Niwareka wanted to explore the world above and while she was there she met Mataoroa. Niwareka fell in love with Mataoroa and married him. As knowledge of ta moko did not exist in the world above, Mataoroa simply wore designs painted on his body, rather than being chiselled as a real ta moko supposed to be. Ta moko is different from tattoo in that the skin is carved by uhi (chisels) instead of being punctured with needles. This leaves the skin with textured grooves, rather than the smooth surface of a normal tattoo.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2019/06/07/you-think-getting-a-tattoo-is-painful-the-myth-rituals-and-symbolism-of-maoris-ta-moko/

Hollywood saw the emergence of many blonde actresses from 1930’s to the 1950’s. Epitheths such as “screen siren” or “cinematic goddess” were attached to the most popular blonde actresses of the day, By the magic of cinematic lighting, pale skin and blonde hair were made to look like the closest approximation of what the viewers’ imagine ancient goddesses would look like.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/05/10/ancient-blondes/

Hollywood saw the emergence of many blonde actresses from 1930’s to the 1950’s. Epitheths such as “screen siren” or “cinematic goddess” were attached to the most popular blonde actresses of the day, By the magic of cinematic lighting, pale skin and blonde hair were made to look like the closest approximation of what the viewers’ imagine ancient goddesses would look like.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/05/10/ancient-blondes/