This week we look at the Slavic death goddess known as Marzanna, or Morana. Her mythology is seasonal, associating her with winter hags, though the myth associated with her is one of betrayal. In Poland and some other parts of Eastern Europe, the ritual of drowning or burning a Marzana effigy at the Spring Equinox is still observed. We discuss some possible meanings and connections of her stories and festivals with the mysteries of the Dark Feminine and the underworld. For a more personal view o...
Sep 04, 2022•42 min
This week by request we look at the Egyptian cat goddess Bast (or Bastet). Bast is a daughter of Ra and sister of Sekhmet, originally a ferocious lioness goddess who killed the serpent Apep on Ra's night journey through the underworld. Later Sekhmet retained the ferocious aspects while Bast became associated with domestic cats, and with a gentler disposition. She also has a relationship to Mau, a feline aspect of Ra, and Madjet, the first feline Egyptian goddess of justice. We look at the relati...
Aug 21, 2022•50 min
This month I chat with David Beth of Theion Publishing, who is also the founder of the Kosmic Gnosis esoteric current. David and I discuss the ancient gods, the proto-human worldview, the stumbling blocks of modern occulture, and a topic near and dear to both of us, the problem with championing spirit over soul (and celestial over chthonic). What would life look like if we didn’t rationalize and analyze every experience? David breaks down everything in a way that is easy to understand, and expla...
Aug 15, 2022•2 hr 8 min
This week we look at Corra, the serpent goddess of the Celts. Corra was a new discovery for me when I visited Western Ireland; she is alternately described as a dragon, demon, “devil mother” or just otherwise monstrous, and her tale involves a battle with St. Patrick in which she swallows him and he has to cut his way out of her. She is then confined to Lough Na Corra, a lake at the bottom of the mountain now called Croagh Patrick. She is usually seen as representing the triumph of Christianity ...
Aug 07, 2022•58 min
Summer requests begin with Rhiannon, the Welsh Otherworldly figure, perhaps a goddess, from the Mabinogion. She is associated with horses, and is similar to Celtic figures like Morrigan and Medb with her connection to sovereignty. We look at the significance of her story from the first and third branches of the Mabinogi, with a discussion of horses as chthonic symbols, and the idea of initiation with respect to the Otherworld.
Jul 24, 2022•1 hr 2 min
This month's Chthonia Conversation is with Jessica Grote of Theion Publishing. Jessica and I talk about the concept of hetaera, often understood as "courtesanship", originally a female intellectual companion in Greece who was often an erotic companion as well. We talk about the modern concept of erotic companionship, including an exploration of the term "erotic" and some of the social and cultural blocks to finding one's "erotic core". Jessica will be teaching a Modern Hetaera course in Septembe...
Jul 15, 2022•57 min
This week we look at fairies, and Welsh fairies in particular. The Bendith Y Mamau ("Mother's Blessing") were known for stealing children and leaving changelings in their place. Their connection to child stealing has often identified them as "feminine" whether they are or not, and they bear some similarities to other child stealing monsters. However, such stories are often used to demonize children who are considered different.
Jul 10, 2022•43 min
Gefjon is the Norse goddess associated with the plough; her main myth deals with the creation of the Danish island of Zealand. As a goddess of fertility and abundance, she has a curious connection to girls who die as virgins, and the plough motif is echoed in myths and folktales of sovereignty.
Jun 26, 2022•37 min
This month's conversation is with Dr. Kate Kingsbury (M.Phil and Ph.D., Oxford), where we talk about the Mexican Santa Muerte and the misconceptions and misinformation about her and her devotees. Kate also shares some of her firsthand experiences with Santa Muerte and the Santa Muerte shrine in Oaxaca. She has a book on Santa Muerte coming out in August, stay tuned to social media for details. Kate has also started a gofundme for the Oaxaca victims of Hurricane Agatha; if you would like to donat...
Jun 15, 2022•1 hr 16 min
This week's podcast looks at Mictecacíhuatl, the Aztec Queen of the Underworld. There are few direct myths about her; yet, we can learn a lot from the Aztec view of life, death, and the cosmos, and in particular the contrast between the soul's underworld journey in Aztec culture and European (plus some Near Eastern) cultures.
Jun 12, 2022•1 hr 4 min
This week we look at the Aztec goddess Coatlicue, whose name refers to the skirt of rattlesnakes that she wears. She is the mother of the 400 gods of the southern stars, and the war god Huitzilopochtli via a virgin birth, an event that prompted some of her other enraged children to attack and kill (or try to kill) her. The podcast focuses on her various attributes, and the way in which the celestial and chthonic are viewed differently in Aztec mythology.
May 29, 2022•40 min
Dzunukwa is cannibalistic bigfoot-like ogress in Kwakwaka'wakw folklore, who is feared as a stealer of children, but who is also said to bring wealth. This week's podcast looks at some of the dark feminine associations of this ancestral spirit of the Pacific Northwest tribes.
May 08, 2022•34 min
Sedna is the Inuit goddess of the sea and the ruler of the underworld, Adlivun. Her stories vary, but all carry the theme of the goddess angering her creator father, who throws her over the edge of the boat, chopping off her fingers, which then become seals, whales, and walruses. She is considered vengeful, and fishermen must appease her if they want sea animals released for the hunt. We examine the different stories connected to Sedna, and the attributes of the Inuit mythological worldview conn...
Apr 24, 2022•49 min
This month's entry in the Conversations series is with Jake Stratton Kent, who is well known for his writings on ancient goetia, particularly their relationship to the grimoire traditions. Jake's work is an invaluable exploration into pre-Platonic beliefs and magical practices. In this episode Jake and I talk about the different "versions" of Hecate in ancient times, questioning the idea that she wasn't always a chthonic deity. This includes a discussion of goetia, Hecate's association with Apol...
Apr 15, 2022•53 min
This week we talk about the Greek and Roman daimon called Mania, or sometimes Maniae when treated as a group of spirits. Between the Etruscans, the Greeks, and the Romans, Mania has a variety of associations with madness, rage, and frenzy; she is also associated with the dead and with the Furies. The connection between gods, daimons, and human psychology is especially interesting here.
Apr 03, 2022•1 hr 5 min
Happy Spring Equinox! Our subject for this week is Nephthys, the Egyptian goddess who is the sister of Isis and the wife of Seth. The psychopomp Anubis is said to be her son from Osiris, and she is connected with lamentation, healing, and guiding the dead.
Mar 20, 2022•49 min
In this month's episode of Chthonia Conversations, I chat with Dan Hanley about the Gnostic Feminine, and 4 main figures--Barbelo, the "4 Sophias", Mary Magdalene, and Noraia. We also discuss misunderstandings about Gnostic currents in early Christianity, and the ways in which it is both anti-chthonic and chthonic.
Mar 14, 2022•1 hr 14 min
This week we look at Medea, the niece of the witch Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god, known for being the actual "hero" in the Argonautica who enables Jason to fulfill the necessary tasks to acquire the golden fleece. Eventually he abandons her for another wife, and she takes her revenge by setting the wife on fire with a poisoned dress and murdering their children. Like many myths, the deeper meaning about the nature of the chthonic Feminine is more important than the social implicatio...
Mar 06, 2022•39 min
Finally fixed! Here is what was meant to be the previous episode, on the sea monsters Skylla and Charybdis, the daimonic spirits of the dangers of the sea associated with the phrase "between a rock and a hard place". There are various stories about their origins, including some surprising links to chthonic deities such as Hekate.
Feb 20, 2022•57 min
In this first video of the Chthonia Conversations series, Brigid talks with Lana Popovic of Psychosomatic Alchemy about the Tantric Buddhist practice of Chöd, and the connected psychological practice called "Feeding Your Demons." You can learn more about Psychosomatic Alchemy and Lana's upcoming Shadow Integration course at https://www.psalchemy.com/ Chöd practice should only be performed under the guidance of a qualified teacher; for those interested in learning the practice, here are some reso...
Feb 15, 2022•1 hr 13 min
This week we look at Lethe, the daimon of forgetfulness, the female personification of the river that the dead drink from to forget their previous lives. As we will see, the idea of "lethe" may go beyond just forgetting.
Feb 07, 2022•49 min
This week's podcast looks at Morgan Le Fay, enchantress and sister of King Arthur who ultimately brings about his downfall. We look at the main legends surrounding her, and reflect on the challenges she presents to the chivalric etiquette of Arthur's knights and court.
Jan 23, 2022•46 min
Happy 2022! This first episode of the year focuses on the "loathly lady" of Arthurian legend, Dame Ragnelle. Ragnelle is married to Sir Gawain in exchange for the answer to the question, "what is it that women want the most?" The answer--perhaps a surprising one for medieval Europe--still rings true in modern times, and shows us another angle on the importance of the dark Feminine.
Jan 09, 2022•42 min
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.
Dec 26, 2021•36 min
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.
Dec 12, 2021•49 min
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 really the case?
Nov 28, 2021•32 min
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.
Nov 14, 2021•46 min
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 reveal ingrained attitudes about women who are "independent".
Oct 31, 2021•54 min
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.
Oct 17, 2021•50 min
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.
Oct 04, 2021•47 min
