Chthonia

In this week's episode we look at Kalma, a Finnish folkloric figure mentioned in the Kalevala associated with corpses and graveyards. She is the daughter of the god and goddess of the underworld, and has a dog called Surma that is a cross between the Greek Kerberos and Medusa. We look at the stories surrounding Kalma, and discuss what the imagery around her tells us about death and time. 

In this episode we talk about Scathach, the mythical Irish warrior woman who would train men able to reach her island in the art of war. Her most famous pupil was the legendary Cú Chulainn, and much of her story is connected to her encounter with him. She gives Cú Chulainn a weapon that she created herself, the Gáe Bulg, but never teaches him how to use it. We look at Scathach, as well as her daughter and sister, and the drama that unfolds when Cú Chulainn arrives. We also discuss what this might say about the art of war, and the negotiation of the Anima. 

This week's episode looks at La Cigaupa, a beautiful howling woman with backward facing feet who is found in the mountains in Dominican folklore. She is often treated as a dangerous siren figure, but her origin story is surprisingly different. We explore the question--is she a colonizer's myth? 

This week we look at the daimonic goddess Styx, who is a personification of the river in Hades, but is also associated with Hatred. Her children are Victory, Force, and Rivalry, and Zeus rewarded her help in the Titanomachy by making the gods swear oaths upon her waters. Why do the qualities of a valiant warrior have their origin in a god of hatred? Is it a statement about war, or something else? The psychological possibilities may surprise you. 

This week's episode is about the Roman deity Dea Tacita, celebrated with a ritual at the Feralia to keep gossip and the results of "loose tongues" from the family and the city. However, Dea Tacita's origin story relates to a nymph called Lara (also mother of the Lares or household gods), who has her tongue cut out for warning one of Jupiter's would-be paramours of his possibly unwanted advances. This fact makes the symbolism of Dea Tacita a double edged sword--we see the virtues of silence, but is this silence also a type of oppression?