The Shape of Death

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of childbirth and loss.Welcome back, we’re so glad you’re here for Season 3 of The Myth & Fiction Podcast! This episode focuses on two female figures standing on the threshold of death. Grief is given shape in both stories, posing questions as to how we process the tragedy of mortality. Featuring‘The Wyrd Sister’ by D.L. Stille (05.40), read by Amanda Benzecry. A story from our brand new Myths, Gods & Immortals book, The Valkyries, this one follows Skuld as she confronts the limits of her power and learns what it means to guide someone through an ending. ‘Death and the Woman’ by Gertrude Atherton (28.30), read by Bea. From our Footsteps in the Dark short story collection, this is a claustrophobic and deeply Gothic story - all about the unbearable act of waiting beside someone you love as death slowly approaches.BiographiesD.L. Stille writes speculative, thriller, and horror fiction. Having grown up both in the New Jersey Highlands and the foothills of the Appalachians, she has a special love for mountains, forests, and autumn. D.L. Stille has been previously published in Maudlin House, the Flame Tree Fiction Newsletter, 4LPH4NUM3R1C, Tales to Terrify, and Cosmic Daffodil Journal. To find out more and to stay updated on forthcoming projects, visit her website: dlstille.comGertrude Atherton (1857–1948), who also wrote under the pseudonyms ‘Frank Lin’ and ‘Asmodeus’, was born in California. She wrote her first novel while living with her husband in the Atherton Mansion in San Francisco. Her family disapproved of her writing, which often featured independent, driven women. After her husband died at sea she moved to New York, and travelled in Europe. Her novel Black Oxen (1923) was made into a silent film, and her other supernatural tales include ‘The Striding Place’, ‘The Foghorn’ and ‘The Bell in the Fog’.Amanda Benzecry (voice actor) regularly narrates books for Audible, is on the panel for the RNIB and is a frequent contributor (both as a narrator and a writer) to TNF Soundings, providing audio material for the visually impaired.This episode was hosted by Olivia.‘The Wyrd Sister’ is ©2026 D.L. Stille and appeared in The Valkyries (Flame Tree Publishing, 2026).‘Death and the Woman’ was originally published in Vanity Fair (1892), but more recently appeared in Footsteps in the Dark (Flame Tree Publishing, 2019)......................................................................................................................................Music is an extract of Sunbeams by Allen Stroud, from his Fractal Series album, licensed courtesy of fpl-digital 2025.This podcast is hosted and sometimes narrated by Beatrix Ambery (also audio editor), Olivia Jackson (also podcast coordinator), Shilpa Varma and Nick Wells (also producer). Chosen from hundreds of wonderful tales, short stories such as these are selected by our short window open submission process, giving opportunities to writers of all levels of experience, culture and location. Look out for our submission announcements, and see the full list here:  flametreepublishing.com/gothic-fantasy-book-series-list.htmlOur full range of thematic short stories, epic tales, mythology and folklore titles are available at all good bookstores, online and in retail, and at flametreepublishing.com Flame Tree Publishing, Best Indie Press 2024 & 2025 (British Fantasy Society). Beautiful Books, Timeless Storytelling, Fresh Perspectives.The Flame Tree Myth and Fiction podcast is created and © copyright 2025 Flame Tree Publishing Ltd.