DeepSummary
This episode of 'Let's Talk About Myths, Baby!' focuses on the gender fluidity and queerness of the Greek god Dionysus and other characters in Greek mythology. Liv shares excerpts from previous episodes and conversations exploring Dionysus's gender expression, his relationship with the satyr Ampelus, and the idea of trans or non-binary characters in ancient myths.
Liv includes a clip from her conversation with Emma Pauly, a classicist and translator, discussing a non-binary reading of the play 'Bacchae' and the gender-bending portrayal of Dionysus. They analyze the tragic character Pentheus' experience of gender transformation and the violence and trauma associated with it.
The episode also features a segment from Liv's chat with Yentl Love, exploring the idea of a 'trans Aphrodite' and evidence of non-binary and transgender worship in ancient Cyprus. They discuss how some goddesses, like Ishtar and Inanna, were believed to have the power to transform people's genders.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Greek mythology contains numerous examples of gender fluidity, queerness, and non-binary identities, particularly embodied by the god Dionysus.
- Plays like 'Bacchae' and the myth of Pentheus can be interpreted through a queer lens, challenging traditional assumptions about gender and power dynamics.
- Evidence suggests ancient worship of goddesses like Aphrodite/Venus and Ishtar/Inanna in places like Cyprus incorporated non-binary and transgender elements.
- While fictional, myths involving divine gender transformations may have provided representation and validation for those struggling with gender identity in the ancient world.
- Examining gender and sexuality through the lens of mythology can offer insights into how ancient societies conceptualized and expressed non-normative identities.
- Engaging with queer readings of ancient texts challenges modern assumptions and biases about gender, sexuality, and identity.
- Liv aims to center queer voices and perspectives in her retellings and analyses of ancient myths during Pride Month.
- Intersections of gender, sexuality, religion, and power are recurring themes in many ancient mythological narratives.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “And the way that there's this automatic conflation of this otherness, of this queer. Of queerness with otherness, with sexual entrapment is wrong and bad.“ by Emma Pauly
- “Pentheus sees the bull. And it's very hard for me to view this act, this costume change, as something that is just purely deceptive and purely cruel and purely meant to be shameful and humiliating when it is accompanied by something, by some kind of divine and magical and holy glimpse of truth.“ by Emma Pauly
- “And, yeah, it's very much seen, like, this is the ability of the divine to do this. And so, yeah, that's quite an interesting connection, I think, that the divine have. Yeah, that it's seen as something that can be, I wouldn't say necessarily a gift, but it's seen as, like, the. To change gender often requires a God involved in these stories.“ by Yentl Love
Entities
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Episode Information
Let's Talk About Myths, Baby! Greek & Roman Mythology Retold
iHeartPodcasts and Liv Albert
6/18/24
Stories of Dionysus and gender identity in Greek myth. Featuring clips from my conversations with Emma Pauly and Yentl Love and episodes on Dionysus and Ampelus. Find all episodes from past Pride Months in this Spotify playlist. Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content!
CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing.
Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions.
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