34 Circe Salon -- Make Matriarchy Great Again -- Disrupting History

Have you heard the tale of Gallus Mag and Sadie the Goat?  These two very colorful characters lived in the 19th Century in New York City, and despite their rocky beginning, eventually found peace with one another.  Enjoy their rollicking tale! Written by:  Sara Ataiiyan Directed by:  Lisa Nicole Lennox Narrator:  Rachanee Lumayno Gallus Mag:  Sandy Borglum Sadie the Goat:  Maggie Robertson Sound D...

Join us as Vicki Noble guides us through the story of how the religious rites of The Goddess were turned into the wedding rituals of the patriarch. Long ago, the wheeled-wagon invaders overran the matriarchies and coopted and subverted the matriarchal lineage of female spiritual and temporal power. Today we see that barely recognize that lineage in its transformed state as contemporary wedding rit...

Join us as we take a fun dive into the history of the British suffrage movement and the untold story of the women who became martial arts experts and protectors of the movement.  Tony Wolf, author of the graphic novel "Suffrajitsu: Mrs. Pankhurst's Amazons," talks to us about his novel and the marvelous and colorful history of these Suffrajitsu women. 

A special crossover episode of the Broads You Should Know podcast. (https://broadsyoushouldknow.com/) Today it's our own Dawn "Sam" Alden joining the Broads You Should Know gang to talk about the dashing South American swordswomen, The Valiant Ladies of Potosi!

Catalina de Erauso, who in 1599 escaped from a Basque convent dressed as a man and went on to a life of adventure and violence throughout South America posing as a man. 

Join Dawn "Sam" Alden as she talks with Vicki Noble about her experience working with Jeannine Davis-Kimball and their journey into the land of ancient women warriors.  Sean Marlon Newcombe discusses meeting Dr. Davis-Kimball and her influence on his research.  Dr. Kimball was a pioneering archaeologist whose work helped uncover the truth that warrior women were not a myth, but existed all through...

We start the new year with "In Praise of the Goddess"!  This time it's Sekhmet and Bastet. Join us as we explore these powerful divine females and set 2022 ablaze with the spirit of matriarchy!

Join us as we discuss the roles of women in Ancient China with Prof. Ping Yao of  Cal State Los Angeles.  What were gender relations like in Chine before and during the first dynasties (2700 BC - 221 BC)? What kind of roles did they have in governance, education, warfare and marriage?  Sean Marlon Newcombe and Dawn "Sam" Alden co-host. 

Celebrating the centennial of Marija Gimbtutas' birth, the Association for the Study of Women & Mythology held a symposium on her life and works.  "Make Matriarchy Great Again" inspiration and charter member, Vicki Noble, chaired one of the discussions and joins us to talk about the symposium and the celebration of the life of Marija Gimbutas.

They dragged themselves through the streets at dawn and staggered across tenement roofs illuminated just like the men-- but very few of us know the names of these gifted writers.  They were the women of the "Beat" literary movement, The Beat Generation, and their contributions to this period of American writing was vast but unheralded.  Now it's time to say their names and share their work.  Join...

We continue our discussion of Naomi Alderman's haunting sci-fi novel, "The Power."  The story of a dystopian future where women rule, in part two we discuss the dark slide into brutality that the women take once their power spreads.

Deliberately erased from history, the story of the women of the Mongol Empire was one of tremendous achievement.  Genghis Khan encouraged equality of the genders and his daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law took advantage of that to great success.  Prof. Jack Weatherford is one of the foremost scholars of Mongol history and a New York Times Best Seller author.  He has recovered the stories...

Professor Walter Penrose returns to discuss the life and work of one of the most famous literary women in history-- Sappho. 

One of the most original works of the last few decades, Naomi Alderman's "The Power," is a sci-fi dystopian masterpiece.  What sets it apart is that in this dystopia, it is the women who seize control and the men who are in fear.  There is so much to unpack in this wonderful book, that we are going to stretch the discussion over multiple episodes.  Joins Dawn "Sam" Alden and Sean Marlon Newcombe a...

Controlling female sexual behavior is one of the foundations of patriarchy.  In cooly efficient Ancient Rome, it was through law, of course, that the restriction of women's sexuality was achieved.  Join us as we explore the history and nature of what have been called "The Julian Laws," a series of legislation in the 1st century BC that were meant to promote "family values" by controlling women's b...

Join Sean Marlon Newcombe and Dawn "Sam" Alden as they talk with two women in the world of sports: Jill Morely, a former professional boxer and Emily Halpern, a former professional basketball player (and current jiu-jitsu black belt).  What are the challenges that sportswomen face today?  Are distorted notions of femininity still affecting how we perceive women who devote their focus to athletic p...

Oh, this was a spirited one!  Join Dawn "Sam" Alden and Sean Marlon Newcombe as they discuss a modern romance novel and what it says about gender in entertainment today.  A passionate and fun discussion reveals many insights into gender relations in culture and the entertainment that reflects it. 

What to Expect When You're Expecting doesn't tell you everything to expect! Two very recent 1st time Moms share stories of the things that happened that they didn't expect.  Don't worry, though, they both have happy endings! 

The sine qua non of this podcast: Matriarchy.  What is it and why is it desirable.  Dawn "Sam" Alden and Sean Marlon Newcombe have an open and frank discussion on the topic of "matriarchy."  This is sure to be a defining episode for this series. 

A fascinating exploration of the wonderful ancient sagas of the peoples of the Black Sea region and the powerful women that their stories extol. Join us as we talk with John Colarusso, linguistic professor and translator of the Nart Sagas.  The "Nart Sagas" are a collection of heroic tales from the Caucasus which are notable for their stories of warrior women and mystical matriarchs.  In the Class...

Conditions that affect hundreds of thousands of women, and yet they are misdiagnosed, mistreated and misunderstood.  Hear first hand accounts of our guests' journeys with these conditions. 

Join Vicki Noble as she chats with us about the legacy of her friend, Marija Gimbutas, a woman whose theories on the role of women in the neolithic period and in the creation of civilization are starting to be confirmed by modern DNA and archaeological research.  Marija would've been 100 years old this year. Join Sean Marlon Newcombe and Dawn "Sam" Alden as they chat with Vicki Noble about the sco...

Just a quick pause to let you know about some updates and upcoming events this weekend.   We have a new account for donations for the podcast.  If you like what you've been hearing, please support the cause.  https://www.patreon.com/34Circe   Thanks!  Also, Vicki Noble tells us about some events that she thinks you all might find interesting.  Check out the listings here as well: https://womenandm...

A new series exploring the often overlooked, elided or trivialized misogyny of the founders of Western patriarchy.  In the first episode, we set the tone for future discussion by introducing Aristotle's writings on women.   Let's just say... he wasn't a feminist. Aristotle was, in many ways, the father of Western science and logic.  He shaped the approach to serious inquiry of our world and its wo...

“Was this the face that launch'd a thousand ships, And burnt the topless towers of Ilium-- Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss.--" So wrote Christopher Marlowe of one of the most famous names in history: Helen of Troy.  But who was Helen and what was life like for women of that era?"   Join us as we talk to again with Max Dashu, noted scholar of women in history, about Helen of Troy and wome...