Mythsogyny

"If silence seems to give approval then remaining silent is cowardly." - Eleanor Roosevelt, My Day September 1944.And now, dear listeners, C takes us on a voyage through the final years of Eleanor's life. From being a delegate at the first ever UN, to becoming the strongest champion for human right's we have ever witnessed. Eleanor took on huge challenges, built bridges, and never, ever stopped speaking out for what was right. She wrote more, politicked more, and in the end left a legacy of activism that would be a fine example for us all to follow. It only seems fitting to include one more quote from her:"Courage is more exhilarating than fear and in the long run it is easier. We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it is not as dreadful as it appeared, discovering we have the strength to stare it down." - Eleanor Roosevelt.Resources:Eleanor and Hick: the Love Affair that Shaped a First Lady by Susan Quinnhttps://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/11/22/the-first-kitchenhttps://erpapers.columbian.gwu.edu/browse-my-day-columns (for the My Day column specifically)If You Ask Me: Essential Advice from Eleanor Roosevelt, ed by Mary Jo BinkerDinner with the President by Alex Prud’HommeEleanor in the Village: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Search for Freedom and Identity in New York’sGreenwich Village. By Jan Jarboe RussellEleanor Roosevelt, vols 1-3, Blanche Wiesen CookThe Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelthttps://www2.gwu.edu/~erpapers/timeline/Ken Burns’ documentary, The Rooseveltshttps://considerthesourceny.org/document/your-hands-guide-community-actionhttps://www.fdrlibrary.org/documents/356632/390886/sears.pdf

Continuing the epic journey into the life of the finest first lady we've ever had, C takes us through Eleanor's White House years. Detailing her tumultuous relationship with Lorena "Hick" Hickok, Mrs. Nesbitt's terrible food, hot dogs with royalty, and the hard years of the depression. Throughout it all, Eleanor shined as a tireless beacon of hope for an exhausted nation that often did not know where our next meal was coming from. A steady voice helping embolden hearts as her hand helped to guide this nation right into WW2. She spoke reasonably about some of our most shameful hours. She said for the honor of our country, we must ignore racial differences and now as in her day, Eleanor's words ring true with the clarity and empathy sorely missed in leadership. It is a real honor to present part 3 of her story. Resources:Eleanor and Hick: the Love Affair that Shaped a First Lady by Susan Quinnhttps://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/11/22/the-first-kitchenhttps://erpapers.columbian.gwu.edu/browse-my-day-columns (for the My Day column specifically)If You Ask Me: Essential Advice from Eleanor Roosevelt, ed by Mary Jo BinkerDinner with the President by Alex Prud’HommeEleanor in the Village: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Search for Freedom and Identity in New York’sGreenwich Village. By Jan Jarboe RussellEleanor Roosevelt, vols 1-3, Blanche Wiesen CookThe Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelthttps://www2.gwu.edu/~erpapers/timeline/Ken Burns’ documentary, The Roosevelts

“...by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.” - Eleanor Roosevelt.In episode 2 of our Ken Burn's style odyssey about Eleanor, Chesnaye covers the roaring 20s. Flappers, teapot dome, tariffs, and of course the lesbians arrive! We got hundred year old political smackdowns coming your way along with some woodworking because what are lesbians without woodworking, right? So sit back, grab a nice hot dog, and get ready to dig into the next phase of Eleanor Roosevelt's life and find out how she helped shape yours today!Resources & Reading:Eleanor in the Village: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Search for Freedom and Identity in New York’sGreenwich Village. By Jan Jarboe RussellEleanor Roosevelt, vols 1-3, Blanche Wiesen CookThe Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelthttps://www2.gwu.edu/~erpapers/timeline/Ken Burns’ documentary, The RooseveltsThe Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert Caro (Fuck Robert Moses.)

"...the thing you think you cannot do." - Eleanor Roosevelt. This episode is part one of a series on the life and legacy of a first lady who rose so far above the office that it was never really the same. She is one of C's favorite historical figures and for good reason. Part of the Roosevelt Dynasty, Eleanor grew from oddly humble beginnings to become one of the family's brightest stars, which in a family that includes Teddy "Life of the Party and if not he'll create his own party" Roosevelt and her husband, our longest serving US president, that's really saying something. Resources:Eleanor Roosevelt, vols 1-3, Blanche Wiesen CookThe Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt, Eleanor RooseveltIt’s Up to the Women, Eleanor Roosevelthttps://erpapers.columbian.gwu.edu/The Roosevelts, documentary by Ken BurnsEleanor, David Michaelishttps://www.history.com/articles/gilded-age-end-reason

Diving back into Arthuriana, C and John explore the power of sorceress supreme Morgan le Fay. She is a figure of stunning and unmatched female agency in the tales of King Arthur. Mother of Yvain, Master of the Green Knight, Guinevere's number 1 hater-in-chief, staunch admirer of Rube Goldberg, and eventually queen of Avalon. Also she should be the patron saint of sibling rivalry. So kick back, grab an apple fritter, and heal with us as we learn no one does it quite like Morgan le Fay.References“From The Lady to The Tramp: The Decline of Morgan le Fay in Medieval Romance.” Arthuriana, volume 4, issue 1, 1994, pp 1-18. Maureen Frieshttps://theconversation.com/morgan-le-fay-how-arthurian-legend-turned-a-powerful-woman-from-healer-to-villain-109928Armstrong, Dorsey. Gender and the Chivalric Community in Malory’s Morte d’Arthur. University Press of Florida, 2003.Folklore Rules: A Fun, Quick, and Useful Introduction to the Field of Academic Folklore Studies, Lynne McNeillScott, Cynthia A. "Creating Her Own Power: "Morte Darthur's" Morgan Le Fay."https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=8777&context=etdhttps://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1885&context=leg_etdLe Morte D'Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory Erec and Enid; Yvain, the Knight of the Lion; and Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart by Chrétien de TroyesThe Vulgate Cycle, AnonymousVita Merlini; Historia regum Britanniae by Geoffrey of Monmouth

Athena, goddess of wisdom, war, handicraft, strategy, and the patron of Athens. Join C and John on a journey through her complicated origins and lore. From her clouded origins, through the myths of Arachne and Medusa to helping Odysseus on his epic journey, Athena is one of the most storied and iconic goddesses. A patron to heroes and even the sort of mother to one, she guided many Greek heroes on their journeys into myth and legend but that's only one aspect of the goddess. And of course, we've gotta talk about Ovid. (Apologies for the poor sound quality this episode. There were some minor recording issues.)SourcesHesiod, TheoganyPseudo-Apollodorus, BibliothecaOvid, MetamorphosesHomer, Iliad and OdysseyMartin Nilsson, Die Geschichte der griechischen ReligionJane Ellen Harrison, Prolegomena to the Study of Greek ReligionWalter Burkert, Greek Religion

This episode for Women's History Month C takes us on a journey to Baroque era Italy and introduces us to one of the greats: Artemisia Gentileschi. A woman is more than just the stories they tell about her, more than her deeds, but Artemisia certainly lived a life with many great stories. One of the most famous artists of her era but shortly forgotten by history, her amazing tale and incredible artworks have been revived by women dedicated to bringing her epic life and artworks back into the public consciousness and now C is doing her part to present to you, dear listener, a story about a woman we all should know by now. You've seen her painting of Judith Slaying Holofernes, but there is so much to this artist than just the canvases she left behind.Sources and links to paintingsGarrard, Mary D. (1989). Artemisia Gentileschi: The Image of the Female Hero in Italian Baroque Art. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/10/05/a-fuller-picture-of-artemisia-gentileschiCropper, Elizabeth (2020). "Artemisia Gentileschi: La Pittora".https://dia.org/collection/judith-and-her-maidservant-head-holofernes-45746https://www.arthistoryproject.com/artists/artemisia-gentileschi/susanna-and-the-elders/https://www.slam.org/collection/objects/15612/https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/object/103QTAhttps://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/judith-beheading-holoferneshttps://www.caravaggio.org/judith-beheading-holofernes.jsphttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susanna_and_the_Elders_(Artemisia_Gentileschi,_Bologna)#/media/File:Artemisia_Gentileschi_-_Susanna_and_the_Elders_near_a_Balcony.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Magdalene_in_Ecstasy#/media/File:Artemisia_Gentileschi_-_Mary_Magdalene_in_Ecstasy.jpg 

This month C takes us on a deep dive into the Roman purification and fertility festival of Lupercalia! An oft misunderstood ritual with deep historical meanings, ties to many other cultures, and some truly fascinating origins. Also she tells us all about her historical crush Mark Antony and about Mark Antony's incredible thighs--thighs that saved Cesar's bacon a couple of times and were so famously nice that they're still remembered, and celebrated, to this day. Primary Sources:Livy—Ab urbe conditaOvid—Fasti, book twoPlutarch—Life of RomulusVarro—On the Latin LanguageSecondary Sources:Julius Caesar—William ShakespeareAgnes Kirsopp Michels—the calendar of the Roman RepublicHarry Thurston Peck. Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities. New York. Harper and Brothers. 1898Pat Southern—Mark Antony. Stroud: Tempus Publishinghttps://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/FRALUP/home.html

This month, C. and John tackle myths related to women's labor. From crane wives to Victorians to even the humble potato chip, women's labor has been mythologized and largely erased. Rendered invisible by the people who benefit from it being that way. So let's drag that labor into the light.References and extrashttps://medium.com/swlh/speaking-up-the-double-bind-of-womens-voices-in-business-592b0b56732chttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5pAKtsiyxwhttps://bookshop.org/p/books/the-women-s-room-marilyn-french/11718465https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/judith-beheading-holoferneshttps://mermaidsofearth.com/mermaid-statues-mermaid-sculptures/public/mikladalur-mermaid-kopakonan/https://bookshop.org/p/books/women-and-writing-virginia-woolf/6675111https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Concise_Encyclopedia_of_Sociology/Dz4wU64f_JYC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA156&printsec

Not all men, some are dead. This month we'll be joining our hosts C. Alexandra and John as they explore stories across mythology, history, and folklore about killing dudes. From the husbands murdered by Aqua Tofana, to the men drowned by the Rusalka and on to Medea (with a couple others thrown in between.) We are going to excise some anger today and talk about what happens when people feel the best option they have is to end their oppression through any means necessary. References and other reading - Aqua Tofana:Dangerous Garden by David C StuartLa Voisin:The Affair of the Poisons by Anne SomersetMedea:Medea by EuripidesTheogony of HesiodHerodotus histories

Rome had many, many, MANY controversial leaders. From Cesar himself all the way to little Caligula in his wee boots, Rome is no stranger to odd people at the helm. So when even Romans themselves considered someone the worst, most shocking emperor that should tell you how bad, and ultimately very weird, things are gonna get. This month our heroes C. Alexandra and John Cordial tackle Rome's most controversial emperor and first official twink. Maybe even the first historical twink, that's debatable, but he sounds delightful and horrible and we'd love you to join us for a little history of Elagabalus.Sources:Cassius Dio — Roman HistoryHeriodan — History of the Roman EmpireHistoria AugustaMore reading:Adrian Goldsworthy — How Rome Fell: Death of a SuperpowerMartijn Icks — The Crimes of Elagabalus: The Life and Legacy of Rome's Decadent Boy EmperorAnd some fun books on Ancient Roman:Emma Southon — A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum; A Rome of One's Own; AgrippinaMary Beard — SPQR: A History of Ancient RomeSuetonius — The Twelve CaesarsThe History of Rome Podcast

Join C and John on an electrifying Halloween biographical tour of the Mother of Science Fiction, Mary Shelley! From her parents to her rocky and ultimately tragic love life and then right past all that and into who she was and what she wrote. Mary Shelley was more than Frankenstein, so much more than just the inventor of a genre and definitely a lot more than the teenager who lost her virginity in a graveyard. So grab a snack and settle in for a journey through Mary Shelley's life, her art, and ultimately who she was. Resources and ReferencesA Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3420 To William Godwin - https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1058&context=tor#:Mellor, Anne K. Mary Shelley: Her Life, her Fiction, Her Monsters. London: Routledge, 1990 - https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/godwin/#PolPhilFranklin, Caroline. Mary Wollstonecraft: A Literary Life. Springer, 2004. - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/61Valperga by Mary Shelley - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63337

In this month's episode C and John go Greek and tackle the myths surrounding Hera and her trashbag of a husband (and king of the gods) Zeus. Because Hera doesn't have a lot of myths outside of Zeus and of course there's a reason for that and the reason is because she's a woman. Even the mythical queen of the gods can't escape misogyny. But, in her origins, we see just how important she used to be before marriage to Zeus clipped her wings. 

Hall. Virginia Hall. To celebrate disability awareness month, we pay homage to top spy of WW2, hero to the Vichy Resistance, master of linguistics, espionage aficionado, and all around badass, Virginia Hall. She kicked more Nazi ass than any other spy and with only one leg. Learn about the woman who would give James Bond a run for his money. Her story takes us through the whole of WW2, so buckle in, get your snack, and get ready to learn about the woman who helped create spycraft as we know it, and could apparently make a decent cheese too?! She got all the talents, just all of them. Due to technical issues this episode may have some minor sound problems and be a little rougher than usual. Our sincerest apologies.ReferencesA Woman of No Importance The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia PurnellWolves at the Door: The True Story Of America's Greatest Female Spy by Judith Pearsonhttps://web.archive.org/web/20210225140037/http://www.801492.org/Air%20Crew/Ewart/Saint-Heckler%20Reports.pdfhttps://archive.org/details/heroinesofsoefse0000esco/page/34/mode/2up

Camelot! King Arthur! Guinevere! Morgan Le Faye! This episode C and John tackle Arthuriana and take on the tale of Sir Gawain and The Green Knight! What it means, the mystery behind the author, the connections to nature, and, most of all, the queer undercurrents of the classic poem. Yep, it’s a special Pride episode where we also talk about lgbtia+ history along with feminism! We’re all sorts of social justice warrior this time. Or social justice knights, really. Is that a thing? References:Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo by JRR TolkienA Study of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by George Lyman Kittredgehttps://archive.org/details/medievalenglishp000573mbp/mode/2upKing Arthur: History and Legend, lecture series by Dr. Dorsey Armstrong via Great Courses PlusBOYD, D. L. (1998). Sodomy, Misogyny, and Displacement: Occluding Queer Desire in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Arthuriana, 8(2), 77–113. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27869340ASHTON, G. (2005). The Perverse Dynamics of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Arthuriana, 15(3), 51–74. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27870701

Baba Yaga! The old witch of the woods, but she wasn't always that way. Her stories are shaped by those who told them and now Mythsogyny is taking a crack at those tales. Examine Baba Yaga's name, lifestyle, her infamous chicken legged hut, and of course her dark appetites. Referenceshttps://www.thecambridgelanguagecollective.com/europe/baba-yagahttps://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-europe/baba-yaga-confounding-crone-slavic-folklore-002836https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20221118-baba-yaga-the-greatest-wicked-witch-of-allhttps://www.worldhistory.org/Baba_Yaga/Baba Yaga: The Ambiguous Mother and Witch of the Russian Folktale by Andreas JohnsRecommended Reading:Trickster Makes This World by Lewis HydeBaba Yaga: The Wild Witch of the East in Russian Fairy Tales by Sibelan Forrester

Hatshepsut is a controversial pharaoh and it's purely because she was a pharaoh and one of the greatest by most accounts (and in our opinion). Join us as we examine her life, legacy, and the misogyny that tainted both and led to her nearly being erased from history. *Note: Senenmut actually died before Hatshepsut, but he still faced the brunt of the erasure immediately after her death. ReferencesWhen Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt by Kara CooneyThe Woman who Would Be King by Kara CooneyHatchepsut by Joyce TyldesleyThe Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt by Toby WilkinsonThe 18th Dynasty before the Amarna Period in The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt by Betsy M. Bryan. Property and the God's Wives of Amun Center for Hellenic Studies, HarvardUniversity, Conference on Women and PropertyThe Mammoth Book of Eyewitness Ancient Egypt by Lewis, J. E. Hatshepsut by Margaux Baum and Susanna Thomashttps://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/saoc69.pdfhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-queen-who-would-be-king-130328511/https://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15324coll10/id/82622

Pandora! The first woman and the first woman that men hated. Funny how that works out. Join C and John as they explore the Ancient Greek myth of the first woman, rom her humble origins as a punishment to all men to inspiring other myths about women ruining everything.Theme is Ancient Wind from Harumachi via Pixabay Recipe available on Tiktok @Mythsogyny Patreon: Mythsogyny References:Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days, translated here: https://www.theoi.com/Library.html with a secondary reference to the translation of Works and Days found at the Harvard Center for Hellenistic Studies.Apostolos Athanassakis’s translation of Hesiod: Hesiod: Theogony, Works and Days, Shield, 2004, JohnsHopkins Press—used paraphrasing of his commentaryBoys-Stones et al. The Oxford Handbook of Hellenic Studies. Oxford University Press, 2009.Aristotle, On the Generation of Animals: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/On_the_Generation_of_AnimalsElinor Cleghorn. Unwell Women: A Journey Through Medicine and Myth in a Man-Made World. 2021. Dutton.ARISTOTLE AND THE POLITICAL ROLE OF WOMEN Richard Mulgan, History of Political Thought, Vol. 15, no. 2 (Summer 1994), pp. 179-202 (24 pages)King, H. 1998. ‘Hippocrates Woman’: Reading the Female Body in Ancient Greece. London: RoutledgeAmanda Foreman, The Ascent of Woman (documentary, episode one)Katie Brown. Eve, Pandora and Plato: How Greek Myth Shaped the First Christian Woman.https://www.thecollector.com/pandora-plato-first-woman/Ed by Dominic J O’Meara, Neoplatonism and Christian Thought. 1981. SUNY Press.Plato and Christianity: A Philosophical Comparison, John Wild, Journal of Bible and Religion, Vol. 17, No. 1 (Jan., 1949), pp. 3-16 (14 pages) (U of Oxford Press)Single women live longer study: Jia H, Lubetkin EI. Life expectancy and active life expectancy by marital status among older U.S. adults: Results from the U.S. Medicare Health Outcome Survey (HOS). SSM Popul Health. 2020 Aug 15;12:100642. doi: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2020.100642. PMID: 32875051; PMCID: PMC7452000.

An introductory jaunt into the world of mythsogyny that introduces our earnest hosts, C. Alexandra and John Cherry Cordial.