Mythsogyny Thu, 02 Jul 2026 11:00:01 -0400 https://www.buzzsprout.com/1855074 en-us © 2026 Mythsogyny yes 9e0c3452-90e8-5c97-a5ec-310e43612674 Mythsogyny episodic true Join story nerds C Alexandra and John Cordial in their often meandering and illuminating conversations about the stories humans tell themselves, historical, mythological, and legendary, and how no one—not even gods or heroes—can escape misogyny.

]]> Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) Mythsogyny https://storage.buzzsprout.com/57cxbey4606k50uu7oub3qcyikr7?.jpg Mythsogyny https://www.buzzsprout.com/1855074 C. Alexandra John Cherry Cordial A Truth Universal? (Jane Austen's Political Legacy) A Truth Universal? (Jane Austen's Political Legacy) It's actually a truth universal that everyone knows that quote. But what of the writer? And what of her politics? Chesnaye takes us on a proper journey through Jane Austen's subversive political undertones. Everyone knows she's one of the greats but did you ever think about how her very existence as a novelist was a political statement? A legend of the literary, her political legacy was softened, but in the pages of her novels, and with a sharpness that could cut the very paper she's printed on, Austen said more about the injustices of our world than we give her credit for.

References:

We've got all six novels of Jane Austen, plus Lady Susan from her juvenilia.

A Memoir of Jane Austen by James Edward Austen-Leigh

Jane Austen's Letters ed by Deirdre Le Faye

Jane Austen, the Secret Radical by Helena Kelly

Wild for Austen: A Rebellious, Subversive, and Untamed Jane by Devoney Looser

The Life and Works of Jane Austen from The Great Courses

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV-UfN7sEB8

]]> It's actually a truth universal that everyone knows that quote. But what of the writer? And what of her politics? Chesnaye takes us on a proper journey through Jane Austen's subversive political undertones. Everyone knows she's one of the greats but did you ever think about how her very existence as a novelist was a political statement? A legend of the literary, her political legacy was softened, but in the pages of her novels, and with a sharpness that could cut the very paper she's printed on, Austen said more about the injustices of our world than we give her credit for.

References:

We've got all six novels of Jane Austen, plus Lady Susan from her juvenilia.

A Memoir of Jane Austen by James Edward Austen-Leigh

Jane Austen's Letters ed by Deirdre Le Faye

Jane Austen, the Secret Radical by Helena Kelly

Wild for Austen: A Rebellious, Subversive, and Untamed Jane by Devoney Looser

The Life and Works of Jane Austen from The Great Courses

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV-UfN7sEB8

]]> Buzzsprout-19434371 Thu, 02 Jul 2026 08:00:00 -0700 11948 1 19 full false Eleanor Roosevelt pt 4: "Then remaining silent is cowardly." Eleanor Roosevelt pt 4: "Then remaining silent is cowardly." "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 Quinn

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/11/22/the-first-kitchen

https://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 Binker

Dinner with the President by Alex Prud’Homme

Eleanor in the Village: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Search for Freedom and Identity in New York’s

Greenwich Village. By Jan Jarboe Russell

Eleanor Roosevelt, vols 1-3, Blanche Wiesen Cook

The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt

https://www2.gwu.edu/~erpapers/timeline/

Ken Burns’ documentary, The Roosevelts

https://considerthesourceny.org/document/your-hands-guide-community-action

https://www.fdrlibrary.org/documents/356632/390886/sears.pdf

]]> "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 Quinn

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/11/22/the-first-kitchen

https://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 Binker

Dinner with the President by Alex Prud’Homme

Eleanor in the Village: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Search for Freedom and Identity in New York’s

Greenwich Village. By Jan Jarboe Russell

Eleanor Roosevelt, vols 1-3, Blanche Wiesen Cook

The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt

https://www2.gwu.edu/~erpapers/timeline/

Ken Burns’ documentary, The Roosevelts

https://considerthesourceny.org/document/your-hands-guide-community-action

https://www.fdrlibrary.org/documents/356632/390886/sears.pdf

]]> Buzzsprout-18563674 Mon, 26 Jan 2026 09:00:00 -0800 10774 18 full true Eleanor Roosevelt pt 3: "But For The Honor Of Our Country." Eleanor Roosevelt pt 3: "But For The Honor Of Our Country." 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 Quinn

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/11/22/the-first-kitchen

https://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 Binker

Dinner with the President by Alex Prud’Homme

Eleanor in the Village: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Search for Freedom and Identity in New York’s

Greenwich Village. By Jan Jarboe Russell

Eleanor Roosevelt, vols 1-3, Blanche Wiesen Cook

The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt

https://www2.gwu.edu/~erpapers/timeline/

Ken Burns’ documentary, The Roosevelts

]]> 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 Quinn

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/11/22/the-first-kitchen

https://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 Binker

Dinner with the President by Alex Prud’Homme

Eleanor in the Village: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Search for Freedom and Identity in New York’s

Greenwich Village. By Jan Jarboe Russell

Eleanor Roosevelt, vols 1-3, Blanche Wiesen Cook

The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt

https://www2.gwu.edu/~erpapers/timeline/

Ken Burns’ documentary, The Roosevelts

]]> Buzzsprout-18047514 Tue, 21 Oct 2025 07:00:00 -0700 9958 17 full false Eleanor Roosevelt pt. 2: "You Gain Strength, Courage, and Confidence..." Eleanor Roosevelt pt. 2: "You Gain Strength, Courage, and Confidence..." “...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’s

Greenwich Village. By Jan Jarboe Russell

Eleanor Roosevelt, vols 1-3, Blanche Wiesen Cook

The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt

https://www2.gwu.edu/~erpapers/timeline/

Ken Burns’ documentary, The Roosevelts

The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert Caro (Fuck Robert Moses.)

]]> “...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’s

Greenwich Village. By Jan Jarboe Russell

Eleanor Roosevelt, vols 1-3, Blanche Wiesen Cook

The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt

https://www2.gwu.edu/~erpapers/timeline/

Ken Burns’ documentary, The Roosevelts

The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert Caro (Fuck Robert Moses.)

]]> Buzzsprout-17762140 Sun, 31 Aug 2025 09:00:00 -0700 10594 1 16 full true Eleanor Roosevelt pt. 1: "You Must Do..." Eleanor Roosevelt pt. 1: "You Must Do..." "...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 Cook

The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt

It’s Up to the Women, Eleanor Roosevelt

https://erpapers.columbian.gwu.edu/

The Roosevelts, documentary by Ken Burns

Eleanor, David Michaelis

https://www.history.com/articles/gilded-age-end-reason

]]> "...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 Cook

The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt

It’s Up to the Women, Eleanor Roosevelt

https://erpapers.columbian.gwu.edu/

The Roosevelts, documentary by Ken Burns

Eleanor, David Michaelis

https://www.history.com/articles/gilded-age-end-reason

]]> Buzzsprout-17575771 Mon, 28 Jul 2025 09:00:00 -0700 8497 1 15 full false The Power of Morgan le Fay The Power of Morgan le Fay 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 Fries

https://theconversation.com/morgan-le-fay-how-arthurian-legend-turned-a-powerful-woman-from-healer-to-villain-109928

Armstrong, 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 McNeill

Scott, Cynthia A. "Creating Her Own Power: "Morte Darthur's" Morgan Le Fay."

https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=8777&context=etd

https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1885&context=leg_etd

Le 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 Troyes

The Vulgate Cycle, Anonymous

Vita Merlini; Historia regum Britanniae by Geoffrey of Monmouth

]]> 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 Fries

https://theconversation.com/morgan-le-fay-how-arthurian-legend-turned-a-powerful-woman-from-healer-to-villain-109928

Armstrong, 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 McNeill

Scott, Cynthia A. "Creating Her Own Power: "Morte Darthur's" Morgan Le Fay."

https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=8777&context=etd

https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1885&context=leg_etd

Le 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 Troyes

The Vulgate Cycle, Anonymous

Vita Merlini; Historia regum Britanniae by Geoffrey of Monmouth

]]> Buzzsprout-17228066 Tue, 27 May 2025 04:00:00 -0700 7373 1 14 full false No Sex In The City: The Goddess Athena No Sex In The City: The Goddess Athena 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.)


Sources

Hesiod, Theogany

Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca

Ovid, Metamorphoses

Homer, Iliad and Odyssey

Martin Nilsson, Die Geschichte der griechischen Religion

Jane Ellen Harrison, Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion

Walter Burkert, Greek Religion

]]> 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.)


Sources

Hesiod, Theogany

Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca

Ovid, Metamorphoses

Homer, Iliad and Odyssey

Martin Nilsson, Die Geschichte der griechischen Religion

Jane Ellen Harrison, Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion

Walter Burkert, Greek Religion

]]> Buzzsprout-17074214 Wed, 30 Apr 2025 14:00:00 -0700 8842 1 13 full false What A Woman Can Do: The Illustrious Artemisia Gentileschi What A Woman Can Do: The Illustrious Artemisia Gentileschi 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 paintings

Garrard, 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-gentileschi

Cropper, Elizabeth (2020). "Artemisia Gentileschi: La Pittora".

https://dia.org/collection/judith-and-her-maidservant-head-holofernes-45746

https://www.arthistoryproject.com/artists/artemisia-gentileschi/susanna-and-the-elders/

https://www.slam.org/collection/objects/15612/

https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/object/103QTA

https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/judith-beheading-holofernes

https://www.caravaggio.org/judith-beheading-holofernes.jsp

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susanna_and_the_Elders_(Artemisia_Gentileschi,_Bologna)#/media/File:Artemisia_Gentileschi_-_Susanna_and_the_Elders_near_a_Balcony.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Magdalene_in_Ecstasy#/media/File:Artemisia_Gentileschi_-_Mary_Magdalene_in_Ecstasy.jpg 

]]> 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 paintings

Garrard, 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-gentileschi

Cropper, Elizabeth (2020). "Artemisia Gentileschi: La Pittora".

https://dia.org/collection/judith-and-her-maidservant-head-holofernes-45746

https://www.arthistoryproject.com/artists/artemisia-gentileschi/susanna-and-the-elders/

https://www.slam.org/collection/objects/15612/

https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/object/103QTA

https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/judith-beheading-holofernes

https://www.caravaggio.org/judith-beheading-holofernes.jsp

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susanna_and_the_Elders_(Artemisia_Gentileschi,_Bologna)#/media/File:Artemisia_Gentileschi_-_Susanna_and_the_Elders_near_a_Balcony.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Magdalene_in_Ecstasy#/media/File:Artemisia_Gentileschi_-_Mary_Magdalene_in_Ecstasy.jpg 

]]> Mythsogyny Buzzsprout-16890166 Mon, 31 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0700 9244 1 12 full true Keep the Lup in Lupercalia (Plus Mark Antony's Sexy, Sexy Thighs) Keep the Lup in Lupercalia (Plus Mark Antony's Sexy, Sexy Thighs) 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 condita

Ovid—Fasti, book two

Plutarch—Life of Romulus

Varro—On the Latin Language



Secondary Sources:

Julius Caesar—William Shakespeare

Agnes Kirsopp Michels—the calendar of the Roman Republic

Harry Thurston Peck. Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities. New York. Harper and Brothers. 1898

Pat Southern—Mark Antony. Stroud: Tempus Publishing

https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/FRALUP/home.html

]]> 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 condita

Ovid—Fasti, book two

Plutarch—Life of Romulus

Varro—On the Latin Language



Secondary Sources:

Julius Caesar—William Shakespeare

Agnes Kirsopp Michels—the calendar of the Roman Republic

Harry Thurston Peck. Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities. New York. Harper and Brothers. 1898

Pat Southern—Mark Antony. Stroud: Tempus Publishing

https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/FRALUP/home.html

]]> Buzzsprout-16706342 Fri, 28 Feb 2025 08:00:00 -0800 9985 1 11 full false Killing The Angel (Women's Invisible Labor) Killing The Angel (Women's Invisible Labor) 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 extras

https://medium.com/swlh/speaking-up-the-double-bind-of-womens-voices-in-business-592b0b56732c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5pAKtsiyxw

https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-women-s-room-marilyn-french/11718465

https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/judith-beheading-holofernes

https://mermaidsofearth.com/mermaid-statues-mermaid-sculptures/public/mikladalur-mermaid-kopakonan/

https://bookshop.org/p/books/women-and-writing-virginia-woolf/6675111

https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Concise_Encyclopedia_of_Sociology/Dz4wU64f_JYC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA156&printsec

]]> 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 extras

https://medium.com/swlh/speaking-up-the-double-bind-of-womens-voices-in-business-592b0b56732c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5pAKtsiyxw

https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-women-s-room-marilyn-french/11718465

https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/judith-beheading-holofernes

https://mermaidsofearth.com/mermaid-statues-mermaid-sculptures/public/mikladalur-mermaid-kopakonan/

https://bookshop.org/p/books/women-and-writing-virginia-woolf/6675111

https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Concise_Encyclopedia_of_Sociology/Dz4wU64f_JYC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA156&printsec

]]> Mythsogyny Buzzsprout-16541153 Fri, 31 Jan 2025 13:00:00 -0800 6919 1 10 full false At An Exorbitant Price At An Exorbitant Price 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 Stuart

La Voisin:
The Affair of the Poisons by Anne Somerset

Medea:
Medea by Euripides
Theogony of Hesiod
Herodotus histories

]]> 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 Stuart

La Voisin:
The Affair of the Poisons by Anne Somerset

Medea:
Medea by Euripides
Theogony of Hesiod
Herodotus histories

]]> Buzzsprout-16346077 Mon, 30 Dec 2024 10:00:00 -0800 7147 1 9 full true Having an Elaga-BALL-us Having an Elaga-BALL-us 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 History

Heriodan — History of the Roman Empire

Historia Augusta


More reading:

Adrian Goldsworthy — How Rome Fell: Death of a Superpower

Martijn Icks — The Crimes of Elagabalus: The Life and Legacy of Rome's Decadent Boy Emperor


And some fun books on Ancient Roman:

Emma Southon — A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum; A Rome of One's Own; Agrippina

Mary Beard — SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome

Suetonius — The Twelve Caesars

The History of Rome Podcast

]]> 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 History

Heriodan — History of the Roman Empire

Historia Augusta


More reading:

Adrian Goldsworthy — How Rome Fell: Death of a Superpower

Martijn Icks — The Crimes of Elagabalus: The Life and Legacy of Rome's Decadent Boy Emperor


And some fun books on Ancient Roman:

Emma Southon — A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum; A Rome of One's Own; Agrippina

Mary Beard — SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome

Suetonius — The Twelve Caesars

The History of Rome Podcast

]]> Buzzsprout-16185412 Wed, 27 Nov 2024 12:00:00 -0800 9666 1 8 full false Shell(ey) Shocked Shell(ey) Shocked 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 References

A 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/#PolPhil

Franklin, Caroline. Mary Wollstonecraft: A Literary Life. Springer, 2004. - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/61

Valperga by Mary Shelley - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63337

]]> 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 References

A 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/#PolPhil

Franklin, Caroline. Mary Wollstonecraft: A Literary Life. Springer, 2004. - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/61

Valperga by Mary Shelley - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63337

]]> Buzzsprout-15911331 Mon, 14 Oct 2024 02:00:00 -0700 9203 1 7 full true Holding Out For a Her(a) Holding Out For a Her(a) 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. 

]]> 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. 

]]> Buzzsprout-15764452 Tue, 17 Sep 2024 17:00:00 -0700 7606 1 6 full true Resistance Queen: The Story of Virginia Hall Resistance Queen: The Story of Virginia Hall 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.

References

]]> 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.

References

]]> Buzzsprout-15496149 Tue, 30 Jul 2024 19:00:00 -0700 8182 1 5 full false It's Not Easy Being Green (Sir Gawain and The Green Knight) It's Not Easy Being Green (Sir Gawain and The Green Knight) 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 Tolkien



A Study of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by George Lyman Kittredge

King Arthur: History and Legend, lecture series by Dr. Dorsey Armstrong via Great Courses Plus

BOYD, 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/27869340

ASHTON, G. (2005). The Perverse Dynamics of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Arthuriana, 15(3), 51–74. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27870701

]]> 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 Tolkien



A Study of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by George Lyman Kittredge

King Arthur: History and Legend, lecture series by Dr. Dorsey Armstrong via Great Courses Plus

BOYD, 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/27869340

ASHTON, G. (2005). The Perverse Dynamics of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Arthuriana, 15(3), 51–74. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27870701

]]> Buzzsprout-15336407 Sun, 30 Jun 2024 11:00:00 -0700 8433 1 4 full true You Spin Me Right 'Round, Baba Yaga, Right 'Round You Spin Me Right 'Round, Baba Yaga, Right 'Round 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.

References
https://www.thecambridgelanguagecollective.com/europe/baba-yaga

https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-europe/baba-yaga-confounding-crone-slavic-folklore-002836

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20221118-baba-yaga-the-greatest-wicked-witch-of-all

https://www.worldhistory.org/Baba_Yaga/

Baba Yaga: The Ambiguous Mother and Witch of the Russian Folktale by Andreas Johns


Recommended Reading:

Trickster Makes This World by Lewis Hyde

Baba Yaga: The Wild Witch of the East in Russian Fairy Tales by Sibelan Forrester

]]> 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.

References
https://www.thecambridgelanguagecollective.com/europe/baba-yaga

https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-europe/baba-yaga-confounding-crone-slavic-folklore-002836

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20221118-baba-yaga-the-greatest-wicked-witch-of-all

https://www.worldhistory.org/Baba_Yaga/

Baba Yaga: The Ambiguous Mother and Witch of the Russian Folktale by Andreas Johns


Recommended Reading:

Trickster Makes This World by Lewis Hyde

Baba Yaga: The Wild Witch of the East in Russian Fairy Tales by Sibelan Forrester

]]> Buzzsprout-15171152 Fri, 31 May 2024 10:00:00 -0700 7210 1 3 full true Truth, Justice, and The Egyptian Way: Hatshepsut and Ma'at Truth, Justice, and The Egyptian Way: Hatshepsut and Ma'at 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.
 
References

When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt by Kara Cooney
The Woman who Would Be King by Kara Cooney
Hatchepsut by Joyce Tyldesley
The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt by Toby Wilkinson

The 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, Harvard
University, Conference on Women and Property
The Mammoth Book of Eyewitness Ancient Egypt by Lewis, J. E.
 Hatshepsut by Margaux Baum and Susanna Thomas

https://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/saoc69.pdf
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-queen-who-would-be-king-130328511/
https://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15324coll10/id/82622

]]> 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.
 
References

When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt by Kara Cooney
The Woman who Would Be King by Kara Cooney
Hatchepsut by Joyce Tyldesley
The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt by Toby Wilkinson

The 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, Harvard
University, Conference on Women and Property
The Mammoth Book of Eyewitness Ancient Egypt by Lewis, J. E.
 Hatshepsut by Margaux Baum and Susanna Thomas

https://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/saoc69.pdf
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-queen-who-would-be-king-130328511/
https://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15324coll10/id/82622

]]> Buzzsprout-14979242 Mon, 29 Apr 2024 21:00:00 -0700 7352 1 2 full false What's In The Box? Misogyny What's In The Box? Misogyny 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, Johns

Hopkins Press—used paraphrasing of his commentary

Boys-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_Animals

Elinor 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: Routledge

Amanda 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.



]]> 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, Johns

Hopkins Press—used paraphrasing of his commentary

Boys-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_Animals

Elinor 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: Routledge

Amanda 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.



]]> Mythsogyny Buzzsprout-14748121 Fri, 22 Mar 2024 17:00:00 -0700 3822 1 1 full true Introducing Mythsogyny Introducing Mythsogyny An introductory jaunt into the world of mythsogyny that introduces our earnest hosts, C. Alexandra and John Cherry Cordial.

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

]]> Mythsogyny Buzzsprout-14666244 Mon, 11 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0700 171 0 trailer false