The Emerald

Medusa and #MeToo: How Modern Narratives Miss the Heart of Myth


Listen Later

Who remembers Medusa? Hair of snakes, gaze that can turn to stone, beheaded by Perseus… that Medusa. She's in the news again, because a sculptor has re-imagined the story of Perseus and Medusa as a tribute to the #MeToo movement — and this time, Medusa's the one doing the beheading. Some have embraced this re-telling, but the founder of #MeToo has spoken out strongly against it, saying that #MeToo isn't about vengeance or simply 'turning the tables.' Lost in the current dialogue is the sacred place that Medusa actually holds in the original myth. The original myth is not about Medusa 'losing' and Perseus 'winning.' Like so many myths, the story of Medusa is about deep cycles of nature, sacrifice and regeneration, and in these myths the place of the 'slain one' — whether Medusa, or Vrtra, or Ouranos, or Ulu — is the heart of the myth. In this episode we dive into the story of Medusa and find her original power as the slain-creatrix, the primordial goddess herself, who through her unending involutions leads us to eternity. And we explore how when myths are bent to fit modern narratives about punitive justice and socio-political issues, we lose out on the beating, animate heart of myth, which, like nature itself, doesn't always fit into neat boxes. 

Support the show

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The EmeraldBy Joshua Schrei

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

804 ratings


More shows like The Emerald

View all
On Being with Krista Tippett by On Being Studios

On Being with Krista Tippett

10,059 Listeners

Sounds True: Insights at the Edge by Tami Simon

Sounds True: Insights at the Edge

1,825 Listeners

For The Wild by For The Wild

For The Wild

1,155 Listeners

Speaking of Jung: Interviews with Jungian Analysts by Laura London

Speaking of Jung: Interviews with Jungian Analysts

321 Listeners

THIRD EYE DROPS by Michael Phillip

THIRD EYE DROPS

1,237 Listeners

Psychedelics Today by Psychedelics Today

Psychedelics Today

552 Listeners

Living Myth by Michael Meade

Living Myth

914 Listeners

How to Survive the End of the World by How to Survive the End of the World

How to Survive the End of the World

2,017 Listeners

Medicine Stories by Amber M Hill

Medicine Stories

1,252 Listeners

Emergence Magazine Podcast by Emergence Magazine

Emergence Magazine Podcast

466 Listeners

This Jungian Life Podcast by Joseph Lee, Deborah Stewart, Lisa Marchiano

This Jungian Life Podcast

1,490 Listeners

Green Dreamer: Seeding change towards collective healing, sustainability, regeneration by kaméa chayne

Green Dreamer: Seeding change towards collective healing, sustainability, regeneration

604 Listeners

Accidental Gods by Accidental Gods

Accidental Gods

110 Listeners

The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens by Nate Hagens

The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens

377 Listeners

Sounds of SAND by Science and Nonduality

Sounds of SAND

112 Listeners