Cyclops and snow bunnies and wise women, oh my!

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LISTEN TO Episode 82- cyclops and snow bunnies and wise women, oh my! EPISODE HERE

It feels like weeks since I blogged. The blur of election grief I suppose. Anyway, voila here I am! On the podcast this week, Lisa and I did something different, far more light hearted. My mispronunciations of things will either make you cringe or laugh-cry. We had so much fun recording this episode. We both needed that lightness. We did both go off about a couple things but overall, it is just podcast lite.

We discussed the Winter goddesses from our respective ancestry. Mine are Scottish, German, and Scandanavian. Lisa's are Asian and Native American.


Scottish lore tells of a giantess with one eye, blue skin, and long white hair. She is called The Cailleach, the Hag of winter, and Queen Beira. The celtic explanation of the seasonswere 

through folklore and this goddess personifies Winter. The Cailleach would keep Brigid, (the goddess of Spring and fertility) hostage, locked in a tower for half of the year. When the flowers begun to grow back and the sun started to come out more the Cailleach would transform into a rock and wait till winter came again to go back into her duties. While the Cailleach was in this rock form, Brigid would make a run out of the tower and then spring would flourish again once more.



Frau Holle is a winter/Christmas goddess in Germany. She brought us spinning and weaving, and it is via weaving that she is Divine and connects to the unknown.  However...Sometime around the 10th century the men of the Catholic and Lutheran followings decided she was just too influential so they made her into a witch called "Frau Perchta" (which I cannot seem to say correctly. I'm so sorry, Germany!) who is a bit like the female Krampus. Perchta became sort of slut shamed by those who sought to bury her legend. "As early as the beginning of the 11th century she appears to have been known as the leader of women, and of female nocturnal spirits, which "in common parlance are called Hulden from Holda".

 women would leave their houses in spirit, going "out through closed doors in the silence of the night, leaving their sleeping husbands behind.  They would travel vast distances through the sky, to great feasts, or to battles amongst the clouds." 

Always fun to have the Patriarchy at the potluck. (eyeroll). 




The Scandanavians have a good looking ski bunny as their winter goddess, in the form of Skadi. She is also a giantess, has a bit of a foot fetish, and was friends with the Viking god of fuckery, Loki. Loki tied his nuts to a goat to make her laugh, so she must have been gorgeous.



The Tlingit (I also cannot say that) people have "Kóoshdah" as their winter goddess. They revere storytelling on the long winter nights, and honor the quiet time for personal reflection and connection with others.  However, there is folklore here that I can't do justice to so read it yourself...its spooky! https://www.outdoorlife.com/adventure/tlingit-legend-of-kooshdaa-kaa/

The far north people (Sámi / Indigenous Arctic people) honor Beaivi. She's associated with reindeer, and they revere and honor her as the goddess of summer so that she'll return and bring the light back.

And l certainly most recognized in America, White Buffalo Calf Woman of the Lakota Sioux. She is the ruler of sacred rites and passes down wisdom and inspiration for such rites. There is much more to her than that. She is the embodiment of wisdom in the Sioux Culture.

In Japanese culture there is Yuki-onna, who embodies the duality of winter - beauty and danger. She has rather extreme moods and can be unpredictable. Sometimes she shows kindness and other times she is ruthless. She helps us focus on accountability and morality, and navigating the unknown.

Thanks for reading, for listening, for supporting, and for being good humans. Happy Holidays to all of you. Lisa and I have one more episode to record in December and then we'll take a "wee break" (said with Scottish accent).