Chthonia

In this last episode of 2021 we look at the Boabhan Sith, who are Scottish female vampire fairies. We look at the core legend of a late night encounter with these vampiric women, and explore their possible origins in myth and folktales.

This week we look at Black Annis, a female hag figure from fairy lore that devours children and wears their skins. Supposedly living in the Dane Hills near Leicester, we look at the different stories of her origin, and alleged sightings near the church of St. Mary De Castro.

This week we continue a look at Northern English fairy lore with the water hag, known as Peg Powler, Jenny Greenteeth, and sometimes as Nelly Longarms. These are a type of being known as a Grindylow, and they are said to pull children and sometimes the elderly into the watery depths of bogs and rivers. We may think of them as a fearsome being invented to keep children from drowning, but is this re...

In this episode, we look at the Leanan Sidhe, a type of dark fairy figure that probably isn't part of ancient folklore, but rather the invention of W.B. Yeats. That said, the Leanan Sidhe is a fictional figure that is both alluring and terrifying at the same time.

For Samhain this year, we look at ghosts--specifically the spirits of the restless female dead in Ancient Greece. Aorai was the name given to girls who died before they became mothers, thus turning them into some other kind of creature, or making them an assistant to the Furies or similar monstrous feminine figures. Beliefs about the Aorai not only touch on the fear of the devouring feminine, but...

This week's podcast is about Shivaduti, or Shivadooti, which literally means "she who has Shiva as a messenger". This terrifying form of Durga threatens the demons Shumba and Nishumba, screaming like 100 jackals. We talk about her associations and symbolism, and her role in the Devi Mahatmayam.

It is the Hindu season of Navaratri, and I've decided to cover one of the nine Navdurgas associated with Navartri. Kalaratri is worshipped on night seven of Navaratri, and is considered to be one of the fiercest forms of the Devi, and is associated with courage.

This week we look at the Nu Gui, in our last episode on the dark feminine in Japanese and Chinese folklore. The Nu Gui is a vengeful female ghost, often appearing with long black hair and a white dress. A popular figure in movies and animation, we look at different appearances of the Nu Gui and their implications in culture and psychology.

This week we look at the Chinese goddess Xiwangmu, known as the Queen Mother of the West. Originally a shamanic goddess with the ferocious attributes of a tiger, she later gains a reputation as a compassionate mother, eclipsed later by Kuan Yin in importance.

This week we look at Izanami, the central female deity of Japanese creation and death mythology. Izanami and her brother/husband Izanagi create the firmaments of the earth and all of the elements; however, at Izanami's death she becomes a demonic figure that chases after Izanagi when he betrays a promise to her.

This week we talk about the Kitsune, or fox spirits of Japanese folklore. They can shapeshift into human form, and can be helpful to humans, or destroy them. Identified by multiple tales and sometimes white fur, these often feminine spirits are the ultimate tricksters.

This week we begin a series on dark feminine figures in Japanese and Chinese folklore, starting with the Oni. "Oni" means "demon", and they can be male or female, but in this episode we will focus on female Oni. Several folktales of these vengeful demons are included in the episode.

This week we look at Babalon, who has her origins in the Biblical Whore of Babylon, but has become a kind of magical deity in her own right, specifically in Aleister Crowley's Thelema. In this slightly longer episode, we talk about 3 different "Babalons" in Biblical and esoteric tradition.

In this week's episode we look at Night goddesses, particularly the Greek goddess Nyx and her Roman counterpart Nox, and the Egyptian goddess Nut. These mysterious goddesses have the protective aspects of a mother, but are also feared for their mystery and power.

This week we return to Greece and Rome to look at the queen of the gods, Hera, and her Roman counterpart Juno. This proper matron of respectable marriage has an incredibly dark reputation for deception, madness, and attempted murder.

This week we look at Tiamat, the primordial sea goddess of the Enuma Elish. She battles Marduk and is defeated, and the firmaments of the world are created through her body. She is generally considered to be a monster or sea dragon that embodies primordial chaos. We relate her story to the myths of the Hittite Illuyanka, the Greek Python, and the Biblical Leviathan.

This week's podcast talks about Cerridwen, the Welsh enchantress associated with a magical cauldron of knowledge. A series of mishaps with the exploding cauldron lead to the birth of the bard Taliesin, which has indirectly linked her to the Grail legend, and given her goddess status.

This week we look at the Norse goddess Hel, the daughter of the trickster god Loki, and ruler of the regions under the earth, where most humans went after death. As you might imagine, her name is the root of the modern word Hell, and the connection between the female goddess and the later-named place […]

This week we look at the Egyptian goddess Isis, the wife of Osiris who brings life to his dead body, and becomes pregnant with the god Horus. As a queen of magical power and a mother figure, she is associated with protection of the dead. Like many goddesses of her time, she also has a […]

Just in time for Easter, this second podcast on Dionysus looks at the Orphic concept of the god as successor to Zeus, and as the archetype for the divine savior, later embodied in the mythology of Jesus. Source used in video: The God Who Comes: Dionysian Mysteries Revealed by Rosemarie Taylor-Perry. Algora Publishing, 2003 Music: […]

Welcome to the 50th episode of Chthonia! This week we look at the mysterious figure of Dionysus, in the first of a two part podcast. Dionysus is the god of wine, an egalitarian deity who can be directly experienced through drinking wine. In this episode we look at the Homeric Dionysus, the one portrayed in the Homeric Hymns, and we will look at his connection to the Divine Feminine.

This week we talk about Hawaii's volatile volcano goddess and her role in shaping and protecting the islands, as well as her explosive relationship with her sister and her friends. She represents the dual nature of fire, in both its creative and destructive aspects. Music: Adpated from "Secret Door" by Anastasia Vronski, [CC 4.0] URL: […]

This week's podcast is about Erzulie, a family of Voodoo loas connected to water, and to the Feminine in its various forms. We look at two of the loas in particular; Erzulie Freda, associated with love and sex, and Erzulie Dantor, a fierce protector figure often associated with the Black Madonna. Music: Intro adapted from […]

Oya is the powerful Yorùbá Orisha of the winds and tempests. She is considered either the sister of the Orisha of storms Shango, or one of His three wives, with Oshun and Oba. She is a fierce protector of women who uses her machete to clear the dead wood path and make way for the new. We […]

This week we look at Pomba Gira, sometimes a single term for a powerful female spirit, at other times the title of a group of spirits. A spirit with many avatars, most notably Maria Molambo (Maria of the Trash), Pomba Gira is a highly sexualized and sometimes dangerous female figure in the Afro-Brazilian rituals of […]