As the Egyptian sun god Ra rose out of the waters of Nun, Ma’at, goddess of truth and justice, was born. Ma’at is essential to the equilibrium of the universe and how it is maintained. When the world formed, Ma’at harnessed the shifting stars, seasons, and actions of mortals, pulling them tightly into their places, setting their times, and making sense of the universe. From chaos she created order. Ma’at went on to establish a set of forty-two rules that Egyptians were expected to live by. The principles covered family life, the wider community, the nation as a whole, the environment, and pantheon of the gods. They are thought to be the inspiration behind the Judeo-Christian Ten Commandments.

This structure paved the way to reach the afterlife. Egyptians believed that after death they were judged. And so, their dead were embalmed, leaving the heart in the body to be weighed on scales of judgement against Ma’at’s feather––a symbolic manifestation of the goddess’ forty-two laws. Those whose heart was light with a good life went on to live in paradise in The Field of Reeds. If your heart weighed more than Ma’at’s feather, Amnut, devourer of the dead, made a meal of it.

Acryla Gouache 2023

Deep in the woods of Washington state lives a figure feared in Salish folklore. Slapu, formerly. the enigmatic woman of the wood, was banished to the sea, transforming her into a “monster woman.” The ocean water has paled her skin and, over the years, her body has become encrusted with barnacles. She lures naughty children to the water and then traps them in her cedar basket. There are different versions of what Slapu does with the children once she has them. Some say she eats them or feeds them to her animal companions; others say she keeps them so she’s not alone. However, she always lets one child go to warn others of what she has done.

Slapu’s story is one that is still being written and explored. The members of the Klallam nation are reclaiming their identity and culture. As their people relearn their language, document their history, and record their stories, their work is reflected into the story of Slapu. Is she really the bogeywoman of the Washington woods or was she forcibly banished, lonely, and needing a friend? Do we fear indigenous cultures or do we simply neglect to understand them?

Emerging from the depths of West, Central, and Southern Africa, as well as in the African Diaspora across the Americas and the Caribbean, Mami Wata originally represented a pantheon of water deities. Mami Wata is depicted as a mermaid like figure or half woman, half snake with thick hair who carries extravagant items like mirrors or combs. Many traditions speak of Mami Wata abducting her followers or travelers and taking them to her watery realm. Her abductees are said to return to their homes with new spiritual understanding. Other tales depict travelers discovering Mami Wata unawares on a river, only for her to flee and leave her possessions behind. If an interloper took them, Mami Wata haunted their dreams and demanded the return of her belongings. However, if they swore to be her faithful lover, she rewarded them with material goods and good fortune. But if they refused, she cursed them.

The legend of Mami Wata has evolved and changed as she traveled across the sea with people stolen from their homes and forced into slavery during the transatlantic slave trade. As early as the 1700s, many enslaved people worshipped Mami Wata, or Mother Water, in secret. Plantation owners went to great lengths to suppress worship of her and other non-Christian deities, often retaliating in dire punishments for disobedience. Many enslaved people persisted in worshipping Mami Wata as an act of resistance. Her influences continue to be felt to this day.

Seen as the bogeywoman of Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga is the epitome of the chaotic neutral force. She is seen flying around the countryside on a giant mortar and pestle accompanied by her hut that stands on sentient chicken legs. In her legends, Baba Yaga is a trickster, only helping those who serve her greater interests. Will she help you discover your greater self or cook you in her oven? Well, that all depends on your intentions. In some stories, Baba Yaga asks the hero or heroine to perform a series of complex tasks. If the protagonist fails, Baba Yaga is all too happy to eat them. But, should they succeed, she helps them achieve their goals. Influences of Baba Yaga can be seen today in popular media: comics like Hellboy, Fables, the tabletop game Dungeons and Dragons, and the action film franchise John Wick.

One of the original witch figures in Western folklore, Circe is an icon in Greek mythology. She is mostly known for her role in The Odyssey, but is a more nuanced character than one would assume. Circe made her home on the island of Aeaea living off of the land with her lions and wolves while teaching herself magic. As Odysseus and his men make their way home from the Trojan War, they eventually arrive on her shores, interrupting Circe’s solitude. She turns Odysseus’s men into pigs until she is eventually convinced by Odysseus to turn them back and let them continue their journey home. Other stories depict her falling in love with the sea-god Glaucus, who is infatuated with the beautiful naiad Scylla. As revenge for her unrequited love, Circe poisons Scylla, turning her into a dreadful sea monster.

Throughout the years, Circe has been depicted in all forms of media as an object of both fear and desire, an archetype of the predatory female. In recent years, however, Circe has come to be viewed under a new lens –– one of independence personified. Circe is self-sufficient, taking care of and protecting herself and her home all while learning the art of witchcraft. Madeline Miller’s bestselling novel Circe explores the goddess’s life, telling it from Circe’s own perspective and her path to coming to terms with herself.

In Norse mythology, Hel rules over the realm of Helheim. She is half woman, half corpse or semi-skeleton and takes the souls of those who do not die in battle. The journey to her halls is a long one, navigating the rocky road called Helveg, passing a battling giant, and her bloody Helhound. Her appearance also makes her a gold mine for pop culture. The television series Game of Thrones used aspects of her story, she played a major arc in Marvel’s Thor:Ragnarok as ‘Hela’ and is often used as an icon for Scandinavian metal bands. The lyrics of Amon Amarth’s ‘Hel’ are largely based on Icelandic scholar Snorri Sturluson’s brutal description of her. More recently, Hel’s portrayal as a villain has been disputed, suggesting that Sturluson’s account may have been an attempt to merge the old religion with Christianity. Norse mythology is more ambivalent about her nature and kingdom regarding it not as a place where souls suffered, but rather as a continuation of life’s cycle.

Hel represents the crone of the maiden/mother/crone archetype. She signifies the end of life’s cycle, the dark before the dawn and much like many themes in Norse mythology, the time before the cycle restarts. For there to be growth, there must also be death and decay. Hel is a shepherdess of death for those that did not die in a noble way and is more than a one note representation of evil. She is a representation of the finite nature of mortal life.

Hecate is the original triple goddess, representing the maiden, the mother, and the crone. She was initially seen as a generous spirit and female centric goddess, the patron of midwives and fertility. It was around the 5th century BCE that her reputation darkened and she became associated with the Underworld. Sophocles and Euripides connected her with death, sorcery, and necromancy. These writers, wary of her powerful reputation among women, demonized Hecate and turned her into something to be feared rather than worshipped. It is a classic tale of men being afraid of powerful women.

Because of her association with the Underworld, Hecate came to represent the three-way crossroads and places ‘between worlds’ where spirits lurk and souls linger. She was seen as a triumvirate who could simultaneously divine the past, present, and future as well as commune with the dead and shrines were placed within doorways in order to protect from restless spirits. Yet, her dark reputation endured for years, narrowing into a one-dimensional portrayal as the wicked goddess of witchcraft. Shakespeare even goes on to write in Macbeth: “Witchcraft celebrates pale Hecate’s offerings.” In modern times, Hecate is seen in an entirely new light. Her open attitude towards life’s transitions -birth and death- make her a companion for our most joyous and most painful times. She is there to hold our hands through the dark as we go into labor, nurse our children, and meet our final days. Hecate has been helping us face our final journeys for centuries and so she will still be there to hold a torch and light the way.

The “Weeping Woman” known as La Llorona is a major figure in Mexican folklore. In life, La Llorona committed one of society’s ultimate sins: infanticide. Now, trapped as a vengeful spirit and cloaked in a white dress and veil, she stalks the banks of rivers and bodies of water crying out for her drowned children. Her origin varies depending on source and time period, but elements of her story are always consistent. La Llorona is depicted as a young woman in love with a playboy nobleman, who she marries and has two sons with. While she is a devoted mother, the nobleman reverts to his roguish ways. When La Llorona discovers her husband’s infidelity, she drowns her sons in the river before, in a fit of rage and regret, drowning herself. Trapped in purgatory, her spirit is condemned for all eternity to search for the souls of her children.

La Llorona’s presence is used as a cautionary tale for young children but is also a metaphor associated with the dynamic between the Spanish conquistadores and indigenous women during the colonial era. However, more recently, La Llorona has been viewed as a feminist icon. She makes corporeal the worries of many women struggling with motherhood. The paranoia of losing your former identity and the postnatal emotion that can be as easily suffocatingly dark as joyous. In her own twisted way, La Llorona has come to represent women’s voice and agency –– one that refuses to be forced into subservience.