#myth and legend

[hecatesdelights]

The Black Dog, a Spectral Hound originating in English Folklore, seen in many old stories,it is mainly seen as malicious, or a harbinger of death, depending on which version you encounter

[yvain]

Jennifer's Body (2009) dir. Karyn Kusama and Undine (1872), A Mermaid (1900), and Hylas and the Nymphs (1896) by John William Waterhouse

All saw the shimmering figure that rose from the well and held out its arms to him. All saw how he vanished for a moment in those arms. He reappeared a dead man, his soul claimed by Undine, the spirit of the sea that he himself had chosen.

His feet sank deeper into the sand with every wave that broke around him, and at the shore's edge, his dog set up a howl. The mermaid laughed, tightening her hold on his neck. Droplets of water sparkled on her lashes. Now the two of them were in her element. She pulled his head down so that her mouth was at his ear. "Stay with me," she whispered. "What pleasures have you left on the shore?"

Farther along the coast, Hercules' beloved companion Hylas was seduced out of the world by a water nymph; distraught, Hercules left the company.

From Water Spirits (Time-Life Books)

[anastasiamaru]

Ukrainian Amulet Doll Motanka

An ancient part of our folk culture.

Made with a cross instead of a face because the spirit of an evil creature can fly through the eyes. Is a sacred object, symbolizing kindness and hope for a better future.She shouldn't resemble an existing person and have a name

Ukrainians makes it for protection house, people they loved, newborn, soldiers.

[mythaura-blog]

Development Update - February 2023

Hi there folks, Miyazaki here with Mythaura’s development update for the month of February!

Topics covered include:

Mythaura Age of Use Policy Update

About Page Expansion

Feature Spotlight: Elements

Beast Species Sizes

Ko-fi Q3 2023 Assets

Beast Creator Contest

More info available under the cut!

Mythaura Age of Use Policy Update

Starting today, March 1, 2023, Mythaura users must be 16 years of age in order to use the site and/or participate in the Discord community. This policy will be enforced starting immediately.

Article 8 of the EU's GDPR forbids collection of data from anyone under the age of 16. The GDPR sets a general age of consent at 16, which means a business cannot "legally process the data of a data subject 15 years-old or younger." In cases where you work with the data of children under 16, you can only process the data with permission from their parent or guardian.

About Us Page Expansion

We have updated our About Page with some more info about the game and features we have planned. There will be even more updates to this page as we continue to develop Mythaura’s core features.

Feature Spotlight: Elements

Mythaura is a world of magical creatures, each born with two elements. These cosmic elements are mysterious and powerful, imbuing the beasts of Mythaura with abilities that give them unique powers.

The first element is based on their species. For example, Griffins have the Air element, granting them incredible flight speed and agility. In addition to their species element, each beast is also given a second element that is cosmically-aligned with the time of day they were born. When both the species element and the personal element of a beast are the same, both the strengths and weaknesses of that element are compounded.

Elements are an important part of the day-to-day life of all Mythaurans. They are part of each beast’s identity, can determine what sorts of jobs they are well suited for, and can turn the tide in battle.

Read through Mythaura's elements more in-depth here!

We've also created Discord roles for each element; feel free to rep your element in the official Mythaura Discord server!

Beast Sizes

Each beast species in Mythaura has standard ranges for height and weight; a beast's size is determined at birth, influenced in part by genetics from its parents, in part by other non-hereditary factors. All beasts will always fall within this predetermined size range: as shown in the example below, the largest adult Basilisk will never be larger than the smallest adult Ryu.

All beasts will receive stat bonuses and penalties based on how they size up against the species's average size, and can use these stats to strategic advantage in battle.

Read more about the heights, weights, and elements assigned to each beast species here for more info!

Quarter 3 (2023) Rewards Reveal

Our Quarter 3 rewards have been completed and are ready for their public debut! Thank you to the Ko-fi Sponsors who voted on the different Glamour and Companion concepts, we appreciate your support and feedback.

Q3 (2023) Glamour: Tainted Claws

Q3 (2023) Companion: Shimmer Kelp-Dancer

Q3 (2023) Solid Gold Glamour: Kirin

Beast Design Contest

We’re back with another Beast Design Contest! We’re looking forward to all the fantastic creations that this community comes up with.

Here are the parameters:

Each individual can submit one (1) Beast option for consideration

Any species fine (babies included)

Fill out Google form; provide both a picture and the preview code

We’ll pick three winners to have their Beasts featured on the front page for Quarter 4 (April 1 -June 30). Winners will also receive:

1x Beta Key

1x Quarter 3 (2023) Skin: Tainted Claws

1x Quarter 3 (2023) Companion: Shimmer Kelp-Dancer

These rewards will be applied directly to your account.

Submissions for the Beast Design Contest are due by March 15, 2023. The form will close at 11:59pm PST. Winners will be announced in the April 1, 2023 Development Update.

Miscellaneous

3 Companion sponsorship slots added to Ko-fi shop. Reminder that these are one per customer per month and first come first serve.

You can now copy the import code from offspring in our predictor by clicking on the image of the generated offspring.

The creator UI has been cleaned up, moving the settings to a better location, condensing some of the elements, and adding a species info dialog.

Code Log

Mythaura v0.12

Turn cleanup and adds s3 support for demo battler images

Modifies species endpoint to include size & element data

Renames “aura” stat to “focus”

Generates offspring code with predictions

Updates & fixes bugs in battle state management

Includes more data on the Elements endpoint

Fixes bug with updating species data in CMS

Implements support for stat changes on accuracy, critical chance, evasion, damage dealt, and damage taken

Implements support for surge abilities

Implements support for custom ability classes

Adds check & event dispatch for battle resolution

Made some mobile Optimizations

Fixed issues with ability animations in battle

Made adjustments to battle UI

Made progress on turn resolution

Thank You!

We appreciate you sticking through to the end of this month’s updates!

Check back in soon for beast descriptions, so many incredible Ko-fi sponsored items, new quarterly rewards to vote on, expanded information about elements, a deeper look into the movements of Mythaura's cosmos, and so much more.

See you around the Discord!

[sihayadunee]

Mythic Symbolism in the Mayfair Witches

a mythic and psychoanalytical thread exploring themes of: alchemy, star lovers, fairytales, greek myth, three fold goddesses, and beastly grooms within the amc series ‘anne rice’s mayfair witches’

*disclaimer*

This post will be split up into multiple parts as it is very lengthy.

The point of this post is not to discuss how the show adapts the source material, but instead how the show stands on its own, utilizing psychological and mythic motifs in its plot and character journeys.

For those who want to see the show, it is available on physical DVD and Blue-Ray as well as streaming. The entire eight episode first season is available on AMC+ which you can get a free trial for through Prime Video channels.

A second season has also already been green-lit. However the first season ends on what I would consider a very satisfying note.

Part One, Part Two

————————————————————————

THE TRIPLE GODDESS: MAIDEN, MOTHER, CRONE

Aside from Rowan’s story, there are two other Mayfair women whose lives we follow. The progenitor Suzanne in the 17th century, and Rowan’s biological mother Deirdre. While together they each represent one of the goddesses, we also see each of them move through these roles in their own journeys.

The concept of the triple goddess also has strong roots in the myth of the Greek Fates and the Norns of Norse myth. Both represent the Birth/Life/Death cycle. This archetype is also strongly associated with Persephone, Demeter and Hecate, or Artemis, Selene, and Hecate.

Each of these Mayfair women has a role directly associated with life and death. For example, Suzanne is a midwife whose work, like her aunt says, is not just curing people but also helping give them a good death.

Rowan, like Persephone as Maureen Murdock puts it, is pulled out of the innocence of everyday life into a deeper consciousness of self by Hades. Or in this case Lasher.

Furthermore, Deirdre like Demeter is overcome with grief and surrenders to her sorrow, when her daughter is taken from her. However in this instance her daughter is taken away by Carlotta.

Suzanne is like Hecate as Jean Shinoda Bolen describes, a guiding companion force. When Rowan meets a crossroads in her journey at the Witching Hour, Suzanne is there to guide her as the first matriarch, as a mistress of life and death.

They each have mirroring moments in their journeys. Just like Rowan, Suzanne too was visited by a murder of crows, and the Dark Night of the Soul that Rowan is facing is likened in dialogue to the dark subconscious place Deirdre is trapped. In fact, episode two is titled The Dark Place.

Each of them share the same animus. A being known as Lasher. He is bonded to each of the “Designees”, the matriarchs of the Mayfair family. We’ll delve into him soon enough.

DREAMS AND THE SUBCONSCIOUS

When Rowan uses her powers on the crows, causing a couple of them to fall down dead, she lays them down in her jacket, and drives off to a beach. She then walks to the shore and digs into the sand until she has a hole she can bury the crows in.

After this she takes a pill to force herself to sleep, both exhausted and desperate to flee into oblivion to escape her consciousness as it begins to recognize her shadow. But now as she is laying by the ocean, she is submerged in the unconscious. 

She experiences a dream that evokes Cinderella, fairy godmothers, transformation, and spiritual death. She is wearing a shimmering blue gown, and is chasing after Ellie who is leading her somewhere. She runs after her mother, who leads her to The Mayfair House. 

Whenever we see the house, it’s presented as a piece of nature itself, overgrown, hidden among trees, and the sound of water. It is a true representation of the subconscious, the underworld.

A FALSE START AND CLEANSING FIRE

When she finally goes to New Orleans, we think she’s going to get the answers she needs and reconnect with the feminine. However forces intervene and Rowan’s first impression of her Mayfair lineage and the power she possesses is one of fear, in part thanks to Ciprien Grieve. He means well, but his actions and perspective are a literal extension of Ellie as the “too good mother”.

The organization called the Talamasca that Ciprien is part of, actually puts a spell around his building where Rowan is staying. Which acts as a wall or barrier keeping Rowan separated from her Shadow. It was made to keep Lasher out. This is when we have that cleansing flame, as Lasher sets a fire to get the alarms to go off and Rowan to leave the building. 

And the first thing she intends to do, is find the Mayfair House which as we know is her subconscious…

End of Part Two

[lavender-laney]

It began with the narcissus flower.

Narcissus, a man whose love for his own mirror image ultimately led to his demise. It is a tale oft repeated by parents to their children, warning them to remain untainted by vanity.

"It is a curse," Lysandra's mother had told her the moment she'd begun her ascension into womanhood. Her mother held onto her shoulders as they stood at the edge of the washing pool together. Lysandra remembers this as the first time she had felt shy in the public pools, hyperaware of the beginnings of breasts forming on her young chest. "Unless you wish to bring Aphrodite's ire upon you, or suffer the same fate as that foolish man, you'd best tamp down any arrogant feelings that begin to fester."

Lysandra has never thought herself vain, always the one to remain neutral during the other handmaidens' titterings about who will gain the hand of a nobleman.

She has, however, caught herself wondering if Narcissus would have suffered the same fate if his unwavering attention had been focused upon the image of another. If Narcissus had instead fallen in love with a nymph, and spent his hours gazing upon her features until he withered away to nothing.

Lysandra often wonders if this is the fate she may suffer, before bidding such childish thoughts from her mind. Afterall, children's tales do not tell of lowly handmaidens. 

The narcissus flower is one Lysandra has never been fond of, and she's unsure if this distaste began before or after her mother had clutched her young shoulders like a harpy gripping a shuddering salmon.

Nonetheless, she can understand why Persephone had kneeled in the soft, dew-speckled grass to admire the flower. The way the warm morning light reflected its amber glow? The petals reaching towards the sun, appearing as though they had only just unfurled, fated for Persephone's admiring gaze? If Lysandra thought him capable of such artistry, she might believe Hades created this flower himself to entice the maiden.

Regardless, Lysandra feels nothing but contempt for narcissus – the flower, and the senseless man.

(Unwillingly, she feels the very same contempt for herself – for allowing her mother to so strongly sway her feelings for a measly flower, and for believing herself different than a man who simply felt love too strongly.)

Just a little something I'm working on! I was reading about the myths of Greek sirens and Persephone's handmaidens and got some ideas...

[theresattrpgforthat]

Hello! I’m looking for a game where you play as dying gods in a world that has mostly forgotten them. Do you know of such a thing?

Thank you!

THEME: Dying Gods

Friend, I am holding your hands lovingly. How did you manage to ask about a very specific game that I designed? 

(Don’t worry, it won’t just be shameless self-promotion).

Forgotten Gods, by quinnntastic.

you are gods.infinite, all encompassing,Forgotten.

Forgotten gods, trapped,adrift in the cosmos,left behind by a societythat no longer wanted you.

but you weren't Forgotten alone.

~*~

FORGOTTEN GODS is a game about otherness and clutching each other tightly in the face of the uncaring.

write letters to each other. remember who you were, who you are, who you will become. 

This is a single-page, slightly abstract, epistolary game. It gives your characters a beginning set-up: that you are gods, forgotten by your people, who have only each-other to talk to. A game that works very well for two players, it’s a great start for pairs of friends who may find it difficult to keep in touch across time zones. There is very little in terms of game structure; however, if all you need is a premise by which the two of you can write little pieces of fiction for each-other, this might be a neat little place to start.

If you bought the TTRPGs for Trans Rights in Texas, or the TTRPGs for Trans Rights in Florida bundle, you already own this game!

Mischief by Moonlight, by Mint-Rabbit (me!).

You are small gods, stolen away by colonizers inside the everyday items of those whom you loved. Your artifacts have been repainted, refurbished, and reconstructed until you hardly resemble your former selves, and you have found yourselves among other relics, closed up in glass cases,  temperature-controlled archives, or stuffed on top of a collector's shelf. 

However, some small remnant of your old magic remains. It is not grand or powerful, and it doesn't last nearly as long as it used to, but it's enough to do something about your current situation - whether that be haunting the museum, aiding other small spirits, or moving your artifacts to a different location. 

Mischief by Moonlight is an ode to all of the artifacts sitting in places like the British Museum that have no right to be there. You play as small deities, separated from the peoples who venerated them, bound to everyday objects that a museum has put on display. You’ve been separated from nearly everything and everyone that gave you power - but you haven’t diminished into nothingness. 

This game uses the VRBS system, by David Garrett, which consists of assigning action words to your characters, along with three tally-boxes per word. Failure will propel your character forward in that each failed roll allows you to either add a tally to a verb of your choice, or to add a new verb to the list of things your character can do. Your small gods will navigate different rooms of the museum, in an effort to help out other deities, haunt the staff, or whatever else your heart desires. 

If you like random roll tables, easy-to-learn rules, or if you just like the idea of poking fun at the British Museum, this game might be for you!

The Dying of the Light, by Keith D Edinburgh.

You are a God. 

For millennia, you have been worshipped faithfully, your powers striking awe into the hearts and minds of your followers. 

But something is changing. Your Followers have heard of a new way. The Age of Reason is dawning. Can you keep the flame of your divinity alive in the face of this unknowable threat?

The Dying of the Light is a one page roleplaying game for 2 or more players.

This game is only one page, and carries a simple collection of rules. It uses d4’s, d6’s and d8’s, and tracks the popularity of gods over a century. There’s not a lot of flavour for this game, so I think it might be a good companion to a larger game, especially if the game decides to check in on the world (and the effect the Gods have on it) over large periods of time. Otherwise, your group might have to work a bit to add a larger story - describing each act of the gods, inserting events that cause followers to fall away, etc.

[catnipster69]

fic: Myth and Legend

Myth and Legend Published: 2023-11-12 Words: 9,309 Chapters:1/1 by catnipster

Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Category: M/M Fandom: Supernatural (TV 2005) Relationship: Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester Characters: God | Chuck Shurley Additional Tags: Witches, Tentacle Monsters, No Tentacle Sex, Season/Series 12, Discord: The Winchester Gospels: A Wincest Writing Discord (Supernatural), Love Potion/Spell, Fuck Or Die, Bottom Dean Winchester/Top Sam Winchester, Frottage, Blow Jobs, Anal Sex, First Time Language: English

Summary:

Dean found one of the Supernatural books written by Carver Edlund in a used bookstore, but unlike the rest of the texts he was familiar with, this one seemed like pure fiction. Fast-forward seven years, and this case involving a tentacle porn message board, witches, sex spells, and yes, saving the world with the power of gay love, started to seem a little familiar. You know, like déjà vu. Or like a crazy book supposedly written about your lives.

[thingsifoundongeoguessr]

Billy Mays?? Paul Bunyan???

[bbgirl-aesthetic20]

[hecatesdelights]

Valkyries were the sacred Shield Maidens and Psychopomps of Mighty Odin

[flexingtyger99]

Dragonheart

[raewritestales]

The Forest Guardians

TW for body horror and light gore. please enjoy. Continue reading Untitled

[monetsjournal]

Okay, since I'm half middle eastern myself, I'm obsessed with the idea of having more superheroes from countries like Egypt, and Persia(Iran). Because the middle eastern’s cultures and histories are full of magnificent stories and myths that can be a fantastic plot!

I imagine a hero who is a descendant of Rostam (a hero in Persian poetry) or an avatar for SiMorgh ( a mythical creature similar to Phoenix).

I also have the idea to even write about it!

I like to know what you think of this idea.🌟

[mythaura-blog]

Development Update - September 2022

Hi all! Miyazaki here, wishing you a happy first day of October and bringing you a recap of what the team accomplished during the month of September 2022. 

Key points covered:

Beast Design Contest Winners

Quarter 2 (2022) Concepts & Voting

Q1 Companion & Glamours in Ko-fi Shop

Early Access Companion: 10/31 Deadline

Reward Lookup System

New NPC

Solid Gold Glamours: Griffin, Unicorn, Dragon

Patreon Supporter Discord Flair

Staff Beast Design Contest

More info available under the cut!

Beast Creator Contest Winners

What an incredible turnout we had for our second Beast Creator Contest, thank you for all your submissions! These entries were so much fun to look through and it was really difficult to only pick three designs, but we’re happy to announce the winners of our September 2022 Beast Creator Contest: DeepSea Dragon, Swiddy_Swooty, and Pandalion!

Our three winners will each have the rewards automatically applied to their accounts, and these three beasts will be featured on the homepage for Quarter 2 (October through December). 

Keep an eye out for our next Beast Creator Contest–we’ll be gathering entries in December to display on our site for Quarter 3 (January through March).

Quarter 2 (2022) Concepts & Voting

It’s the first day of a new Quarter, folks, which means we’ve got new Quarterly Rewards for Sponsors to vote on our Ko-fi page!

Quarter 2 is shaping up to be spooky and ethereal–which concepts would you like to see made into official site items? Sponsors of Bronze level or higher have a vote in deciding. Please check out the Companion post and the Glamour post on Ko-fi to cast your vote for the winning concepts! 

Votes must be posted by October 31, 2022 at 11:59pm PDT in order to be considered.

Ko-fi Shop: Q1 Companion and Glamours Available

All Quarter 1 (2022) Rewards are now listed in our Ko-fi Shop for individual purchase for all Sponsor levels at $5 USD flat rate per unit. As a reminder, please remember that no more than 3 units of any given item can be purchased. If you purchase more than 3 units of any given item, your entire purchase will be refunded and you will need to place your order again, this time with no more than 3 units of any given item. 

Hopefully in the future Ko-fi will offer the functionality to limit purchases per user, but for the time being we will be reviewing orders manually and reaching out to those who disregard these instructions.

★ Gold Imp ★ Glamour: Solid Gold Quetzal ★ Glamour: Motherboard

Early Access Companion: 10/31 Deadline

Mythaura’s Early Access Ko-fi Companion, the Pearlescent Shellsnake, will only be available to Gold, Silver, or Bronze Sponsors who have or had a Sponsorship active on or before 11:59pm PDT on Monday, October 31, 2022! 

As a reminder, the Pearlescent Shellsnake will NOT be available for individual purchase in the Ko-fi Shop later on, so if you are interested in receiving 3 copies of this endangered critter please check out our Ko-fi Sponsor Levels to see what other rewards you can receive for your patronage.

Reward Lookup System

Now that we have both Patreon and Ko-fi rewards for our supporters, we wanted to put together a system for you all to look up all that you’ve accumulated so far. You can find the reward lookup tool at the bottom of our homepage. All Ko-fi Sponsors, Patreon Sponsors, and giveaway/contest winners should have their rewards reflected.

We did our best to populate Patreon data thoroughly, but there were incomplete sections in what we have, especially in regard to sponsored items. Please reach out if you rewards look incorrect or the items you sponsored do not look correct.

Introducing: Jaq!

This enterprising Basilisk runs Mythaura’s largest consignment shop, where he will assist with item sales between players. Jaq has learned quite a bit about the wares and goods in Mythaura while overseeing infinitely large volumes of items move through his shop. This means that he will readily and enthusiastically explain the history and significance of anything you may find on one of his shelves. 

Though he is a widely beloved figure in the community, there are those who would question the legitimacy of a business where people can drop off items without needing to prove their authenticity. To that Jaq says: The burden of success is a heavy one to bear, and not one all are fit to carry! After all, it’s not just anyone who can run a business that props up the businesses of hardworking Mythaurans everywhere. Stop by the shop and see for yourself!

Solid Gold Glamours: Unicorn, Griffin, Dragon

We shared in a previous update that Gold Sponsors would receive not just the Solid Gold Dragon Glamour, but also a Solid Gold Unicorn and a Solid Gold Griffin. Here’s the full lineup for these Gold Sponsor-exclusive Glamours! These are rewarded to Gold Sponsors each month that they have an active Gold Sponsorship. Thank you for supporting Mythaura!

Patreon Supporter Discord Flair

Mythaura’s Patreon Supporters have been around since the very beginning, and we wanted you to be able to show off your early contributions to the site with some special Patreon-exclusive Discord flair. Mythic, Artisan, Scholar, and Archivist roles now all have their own unique flair. We recognize your contributions and thank you for believing in Mythaura from the very beginning!

If you were a Patreon supporter and do not have your correct role assigned on the Discord, please reach out to Koa and she will look into it for you.

Miscellaneous bug fixes/updates

Renamed “Skins” to “Glamours”

Fixed tooltip hover overflow

Fixed button text getting cut off in some spots

Improved the responsiveness of import code fields to make them easier to use on mobile

Added the ability to lock color independent of special

Corrected spelling of color “Cedar”

Staff Beast Creator Contest

You know what, we were so inspired by how much fun your Beast Creator Contest entries were that we decided to have a little inter-staff competition–but this time you vote for which of our designs you like best. It only seemed fair, after getting to be the ones voting on the designs you submitted to us.

What rewards might the winning staff member win, you might ask? Only bragging rights and the knowledge that we created the design that was best loved by our fine userbase here. Maybe getting to pick the movie we watch during our next dev team watch party. A little healthy competition between colleagues keeps things lively.

We’ll keep the votes open until October 31, 2022.

Thank you!

Thanks for sticking through to the end of the recap for our very busy month of September! We wish you a wonderful start to Spooky Season and hope that you are blessed with all your favorite Halloween candies and plenty of time for scary movies.

We’ll see you November 1st with the recap of what we accomplish in September. Hopefully we'll see you around the Mythaura Discord in the meantime!

[sihayadunee]

Mythic Symbolism in the Mayfair Witches

a mythic and psychoanalytical thread exploring themes of: alchemy, star lovers, fairytales, greek myth, three fold goddesses, and beastly grooms within the amc series ‘anne rice’s mayfair witches’

*disclaimer*

This post will be split up into multiple parts as it is very lengthy.

The point of this post is not to discuss how the show adapts the source material, but instead how the show stands on its own, utilizing psychological and mythic motifs in its plot and character journeys.

For those who want to see the show, it is available on physical DVD and Blue-Ray as well as streaming. The entire eight episode first season is available on AMC+ which you can get a free trial for through Prime Video channels.

A second season has also already been green-lit. However the first season ends on what I would consider a very satisfying note.

Part One, Part Two,

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

SEPARATION OF THE FEMININE AND THE ILLUSION OF SUCCESS

Our heroine Rowan was adopted, and we do come to learn the way she was separated from her birth mother. But from the start, despite having a loving adoptive mother, Rowan expresses nonetheless that she is searching for “home”.

This becomes more apparent later, as we see Rowan admit she wants to understand her genetics, where she comes from. Who she really is. Something that has been one way or another discouraged by her archetypal “too good” mother Ellie.

Rowan has compensated for this void and lack of control in her life, through success in her career. This is where we see how she has identified with the masculine and begun to traverse the male dominated medical field. She is confident in her ability to play the game until she comes out on top.

The dragon among her trials, is when Rowan learns that her mother Ellie’s cancer has returned. Her boss Dr. Keck appears seemingly as an ogre guarding her bridge toward finding a solution. Which leads her ultimately toward experiencing the illusory boon of success.

She goes to see Daniel Lemle about the position at his company. He is enthusiastic about the aspects of Rowan Dr. Keck was critical of, and to have her on his team and her mother submitted to the trial. This is that male validation she has been yearning for. However as she gets to know him and his style further, her enthusiasm wavers.

Once again she is encouraged to “run with the boys” to be a “killer”. And if she does this, she will succeed in retrieving the healing elixir for Ellie. However this means replacing an existing candidate in the trial with her mother.

This is something that morally she can not do. Fed up and in grief, this moment shatters her composure so thoroughly that the power inside of her which she has all along been struggling with (and that her ordinary world was not capable of addressing) lashes out at Lemle to his demise.

SPIRITUAL ARIDITY AND THE BLACKENING

Earlier when she is having a tryst with Max the bartender, we see how her intomacy is intentionally distant. She yearns for home, for companionship, but also doesn’t want to deal with the vulnerability that comes with it.

She compares the true love Max seeks, to something she experienced as a child with her literal and metaphorical shadow. She says it knew her thoughts and her secrets and had always loved her. But in the current state she is now, she looks back on this and dismisses it though the thought of it makes her wistful.

Rowan has ignored her shadow since she was young. Following her guilt and the passing of her mother, that’s now becoming impossible to keep doing. After Rowan flees her counselling session, dishonest with and in fear of herself, she is faced with a murder of crows perched by her car.

In alchemy, the crow is associated with the stage of Nigredo, calcination, or the Blackening. This is a stage of cleansing through the burning of ingredients into ash, often associated with death. To Jung this is the Dark Night of the Soul. Robert Bly also ties crows to the Shadow and the need to face it. We see crows and smoke heavily featured in promotional material for the show.

The bulk of the season then goes on to follow Rowan as she begins her descent to the goddess and encounters the literal personification of her shadow, of her animus. Progressively fulfilling stages in the alchemical process…

End of Part One