Chthonia Brigid Burke

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

This week's podcast looks at the Banshee, a Celtic/Gaelic female phantom fairy figure that is heard and sometimes seen weeping and wailing to portend the death of a member of an ancient Irish family. Is the Banshee an omen, a guardian spirit, or both? We look at the elements of Banshee lore and the art of keening and lamenting at funerals, comparing Irish funerary practice to that of ancient Greece. 

Website: https://chthonia.net
Buy Project Lethe and other books at https://chthonia.net/publications
Patreon: https://patreon.com/chthonia
Social media: chthoniapodcast (IG, YouTube, X), Chthonia Podcast (FB)

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. 

Website: https://chthonia.net
Patreon: https://patreon.com/chthonia
Merch: https://chthoniapodcast.creator-spring.com/
Social media: chthoniapodcast

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. 

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

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.