Yes, you saw that right. Having been resurrected from the dead (no thanks to Boris Johnson), we are back with another episode at long last. This time, we broadened our focus from a mythological woman to an entire goddess: Persephone! We turned to the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, evaluated just how 'bad' of a person Hades is in comparison to other male gods (*cough* Zeus), Farabee had a tirade in defence of Demeter being wrongly cast as the archetypal 'over-bearing' mother, and we even talked about the doomed romance of Orpheus and Eurydice. Ranging from the musical 'Hadestown' to discussing the lens which Christianity lends to a modern audience’s perception of Hades (is he the devil incarnate?), this is a chaotic and much-anticipated episode. We hope you enjoy! 

TW: kidnapping; mass murder.

We're back! Today's episode covers 3 infamous women from Minoan Crete: the iconic Ariadne, Pasiphaë and Phaedra. In less than half an hour we talk about everything from Dionysus's teenage angst, Christopher Nolan's incredible films, and annoying background hymn singing, all whilst using an exciting new podcast set up! We hope you enjoy it!

TW: Maddie calls Theseus a prick because she couldn't help herself. Mind your delicate ears. 

In this episode, we dive into Euripides' Bacchae and take a closer look at this twisted story of revenge, insecurity, and hubris through a different lens: considering the themes of gender, justice and sympathy while also questioning who the true victim is at the end of this play. We also make a few parallels between the critically acclaimed (and generally amazing) film 'Midsommar' (2019) and The Bacchae, drawing connections between the Hårga cult and the Bacchants. We hope you enjoy it!

The original wicked witch of the West or a misunderstood woman? In this episode, we did a deep dive into the various myths regarding Circe and the disparities in their portrayal of her. We also examined the long-lasting influence of her character in the literary world and how later characters such as Morgan le Fay or Titania stemmed from her. Finally, we analysed the drawbacks of the trope of “empowering” female protagonists and the “femme fatale” in Young Adult literature today.

P.S. Maddie apologizes for butchering the pronunciation of most words in this episode.

“Blood runs thicker than water” is an adage which is taken perhaps a little too literally in Aeschylus’s trilogy revolving around Clytemnestra and her husband Agamemnon. In this episode, we discuss the consequences of a vicious cycle of murder and vengeance, and how it tears an entire family apart. We also look to Lady Macbeth to answer why a hallmark of strong female characters is a rejection of traditionally feminine traits and the generational parallels which dictate the lives of children.

Recommendations: 

‘House of Names’ — Colm Toíbin

Netflix’s 'Dark'.

Maybe it's Maybelline, maybe it's the wrath of Athena: in this episode, we look at the tale of Medusa! We decided to take up a particular focus on Ovid’s portrayal of her - villain or victim? - and discuss the myth of Medusa and Perseus in some more depth. We also discuss the ramifications of petty godly power plays and the tactics used to punish women in antiquity for their beauty, along with references to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians franchise and Uma Thurman. We hope you enjoy it!

TW: rape

In our first episode, we discuss the myth of Medea and her wide-ranging influence on both the classical and modern world: chatting about everything from defying the patriarchy to Killing Eve and the wondrous Jodie Comer, we hope you guys enjoy this episode!

References: 

John Kerrigan – ‘Medea Variations: Feminism and Revenge’, Oxford Scholarship Online

Emerald Fennell – ‘Killing Eve, Season 2, Episode 1: "Do You Know How to Dispose of a Body?" ‘

Samantha -  'Justification of Medea', Samantha's World Literature Blog