Rowan & Pine: A Feminist Folklore & Mythology Podcast - October 25, 2024


Pine Cones： Grim Reaper ｜ Rowan & Pine Shorts

Episode Thirty-Nine： Zombies & Revenants- zombussy [with Ewan] Episode Forty： HALLOWEEN Psychopomps - Hermes and his dorky lil' sandals

Episode Stats


Length

15 minutes

Words per minute

126.41

Word count

1,997

Sentence count

76

Harmful content

Misogyny

5

sentences flagged

Toxicity

3

sentences flagged


Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Misogyny classifications generated with MilaNLProc/bert-base-uncased-ear-misogyny .
Toxicity classifications generated with s-nlp/roberta_toxicity_classifier .
00:00:00.000 welcome back to another october episode of pinecones these are spooky shorts by ronan
00:00:12.980 pine we continue our october celebrations and venture into the depths of history folklore
00:00:19.000 and art to unearth the iconic figure that has haunted the minds of humanity for centuries
00:00:25.200 the grim reaper
00:00:26.440 for thousands of years different cultures have personified death in various ways but few figures
00:00:40.660 are as enduring or as unsettling as the grim reaper cloaked literally in darkness skeletal
00:00:48.780 and cold he's the one who comes for us all scythe in hand to reap our souls when our time has come
00:00:56.220 But how did this eerie image come to be?
00:01:03.900 The Grim Reaper made his first chilling appearance in Europe during the 14th century,
00:01:09.500 a time when death was on pretty much everyone's mind. The Black Death, a plague of catastrophic
00:01:16.140 proportions, swept through the continent, wiping out nearly a third of Europe's population.
00:01:21.260 In the wake of such devastation, it's no wonder that the survivors sought a face for the fear that lurked in every shadow.
00:01:31.380 As the plague ravaged town after town, death became an all too familiar companion.
00:01:37.980 And so, the Grim Reaper was born, an enduring symbol of the inevitable end that awaited all.
00:01:43.960 the skeletal form of the reaper was not merely a gruesome detail but a reflection of what we
00:01:52.300 all become in death his scythe a tool once used for just harvesting crops was now used to harvest
00:01:59.740 souls a chilling metaphor that would have resonated deeply with the agricultural societies of medieval
00:02:05.880 europe in european fairy tales death is often personified in a less direct way but in some of
00:02:18.520 the darker stories the grim reaper appears confronting characters and by extension
00:02:23.880 readers with their own mortality when christians saw death as a punishment for sin the reapers
00:02:31.160 in different gaze was a stark reminder that death comes for everybody regardless of virtue or vice
00:02:38.440 the grim skeletal figure we're familiar with today started to solidify an artwork at the
00:02:43.480 end of the 15th century artists often depicted death as a gaunt skeleton holding weapons
00:02:50.520 first it was darts or a crossbow and then later on the scythe these images spread
00:02:56.040 through paintings and woodcuts carving the reaper into the collective consciousness
00:03:05.560 but it wasn't just artists and storytellers who shaped our understanding of death
00:03:11.000 legends from britain and ireland tell of a plague that took on a human form harbinger of death
00:03:16.920 traveling the seas to bring doom to unsuspecting shores in one eerie tale the plague boards a ship
00:03:23.720 in england kills its entire crew and then drifts to norway where it begins its dark work anew
00:03:32.040 the russians serbs and poles as well as slovaks and lithuanians
00:03:37.240 perceived the plague in the form of a maiden in serbia and slovenia this maiden is named kuga
00:03:45.960 polish tale of this horrifying entity reads
00:03:48.840 because the evil plague was still rampant all the villages were desolate the roosters had lost
00:03:55.880 their voices not one of them could crow the watchdogs could no longer bark as before but
00:04:02.520 they could smell the ghost and see it from afar then they would growl and attempt to attack it
00:04:08.020 the plague maiden teased them with truly malicious joy a lad was asleep atop a tall haystack and
00:04:15.620 next to him stood a ladder. The moon shone brightly that night and all was still. Suddenly
00:04:21.520 a mighty roar was heard from the distance as though carried by the wind. At the same time
00:04:27.600 one recognised the angry growling and howling of the dogs. The lad stood up and to his fear
00:04:34.200 he saw a tall white figure dressed in white with flowing hair rushing toward him. A long
00:04:41.460 high fence was in the way but the tall figure jumped over it with one leap and then climbed
00:04:46.640 the ladder. Now safe from the dogs she pointed a foot at them and teasing the angry pack 1.00
00:04:53.200 she called out again and again. Look out, look out the foot. Look out, look out the foot. 0.96
00:05:02.980 The lad recognised the terrible maiden at once. He carefully approached the top rung and with all
00:05:09.680 his might pushed against the ladder. The tall female figure fell down and the dogs attacked 0.98
00:05:15.340 her. She threatened revenge and then disappeared. The lad did not die however for the rest of his 0.97
00:05:22.360 life he would stick one foot out and repeat the maiden's words. Look out, look out the foot.
00:05:39.680 Other seminal works from that time have solidified our modern view of the reaper,
00:05:44.900 such as the Dance Macabre or Dance of Death, a type of play that emerged in the wake of the Black Death.
00:05:52.400 The purpose of these plays was to prepare churchgoers for the inevitability that faced them.
00:05:58.560 The play usually took place in a cemetery or a churchyard,
00:06:02.800 and dramatised a victim's meeting with death, personified as a skeleton.
00:06:06.320 The victim provides several arguments why his life should be spared, but these are found insufficient and death, accompanied by an entourage of other skeletal figures, finally leads him away.
00:06:20.320 The imagery is an unmistakable precursor to the reaper we know today, reaping lives without the indifference of the reaper, but with the same methodical precision.
00:06:32.320 why a skeleton why a scythe why the dark flowing robe the answers lie in the fear and uncertainty
00:06:41.740 that death has always inspired skeletons are the ultimate symbol of death a foreboding reminder of
00:06:49.420 what remains when life has fled the robe a nod to the funerary garb worn by religious figures
00:06:55.580 a connection to the ritual surrounding death and the scythe it's an image straight from the fields
00:07:02.640 where harvesters cut down ripe crops a fitting metaphor for the way death cuts us down when our
00:07:08.460 time has come the reaper's cloak also plays on our deepest fears that fear of the unknown
00:07:19.160 shrouded in darkness he is the embodiment of what we cannot see cannot know until it's too late
00:07:26.820 it's no accident that charles dickens ghost of christmas yet to come bears such a striking
00:07:32.760 resemblance to the grim reaper in a christmas carol the specter's silent present forces
00:07:38.100 scrooge to confront the inevitable and ask the question we all fear when death comes for me
00:07:44.000 what kind of life will i leave behind
00:07:46.220 the grim part of the title reflects this association with severity and harshness
00:08:00.060 and grim reaper became a fitting name for a figure seen as unyielding and unavoidable
00:08:05.720 the term itself grim to describe a supernatural guardian of graveyards particularly in the form
00:08:13.440 of a spectral black dog wasn't widely recognized until the mid-1800s. According to Merriam-Webster,
00:08:20.740 the first recorded use of this term dates back to 1846. It gained more attention after its
00:08:26.900 appearance in the 1847 publication, The Circle of Human Life, which helped cement the Grimm
00:08:33.060 as a folkloric figure in English tradition.
00:08:42.060 A church grim, or simply grim,
00:08:45.080 is a figure rooted in European, especially British folklore.
00:08:49.460 It was believed that when a new churchyard was consecrated,
00:08:52.320 the first burial there would condemn the soul
00:08:54.700 to serve as the graveyard's eternal guardian.
00:08:58.180 To avoid this grim fate, pun intended,
00:09:00.620 a large black dog, or sometimes another animal, was often buried alive in the churchyard to become its spectral protector.
00:09:08.900 The creature was then thought to serve as a watchful spirit,
00:09:12.680 guarding the churchyard from robbers, vandals and evil spirits, as well as protecting the souls of the dead.
00:09:18.340 While the Grimm, or Church Grimm, may have had earlier unrecorded origins in local superstitions,
00:09:36.940 its first recognised use in literature during the 19th century helped formalise and spread the idea.
00:09:42.860 It was during this period that the Grimm evolved from local legend into a more widespread concept
00:09:49.040 in Gothic and Victorian literature, becoming a menacing figure associated with death,
00:09:55.500 burial grounds and omens of doom. The Grimm would later influence popular culture,
00:10:00.820 including various appearances in novels, folklore collections and even modern fantasy literature.
00:10:06.640 From folklore and religious texts, to more modern cultural depictions in films and literature,
00:10:16.700 the Grim Reaper has endured as one of the most iconic representations of death.
00:10:22.780 Across the globe, different cultures have their own personifications of death, yet the
00:10:26.680 Grim Reaper remains uniquely Western.
00:10:30.160 In Mexico, for example, Santa Muerte or Saint Death is a skeletal figure, much like the
00:10:35.820 Grim Reaper, but she is venerated by many as a protector and granter of favours. She
00:10:41.680 wears a similar robe, but is often depicted with a scythe, an hourglass or other symbols 0.93
00:10:46.640 of mortality. In Hinduism, Yama, the god of death, is often shown riding a buffalo and
00:10:52.040 carrying a noose to capture the souls of the departed.
00:10:57.300 While these figures share common elements with the Grim Reaper, they serve different
00:11:01.400 roles within their cultural contexts.
00:11:10.540 In more recent times, the Grim Reaper has evolved into a stock character in popular
00:11:15.020 culture. Sometimes a silent menacing figure, sometimes a darkly humorous one. He has appeared
00:11:21.180 in everything from television and comic books to anti-drunk driving campaigns, reminding
00:11:26.520 us all of the fine line between life and death. For instance, in Terry Pratchett's Discworld
00:11:32.460 series, the Grim Reaper, known simply as Death, takes on a more complex role, sometimes even
00:11:38.180 showing a dry sense of humour as he goes about his work. In Neil Gaiman's Sandman, Death
00:11:44.800 is reimagined as a goth woman who is both kind and compassionate, a sharp contrast to
00:11:49.780 the traditional grim figure.
00:11:58.460 One classic tale tells of a man who tries to cheat the reaper by stealing his weapon,
00:12:03.460 a sword in this case. The man hides, hoping to escape his fate, but in the end death comes
00:12:09.200 calling as it always does. It's stories like these, whether from centuries past or in the
00:12:15.280 present day that keep the Reaper firmly rooted in our collective imagination.
00:12:24.860 The Reaper's reach even extends into the world of gaming, where his image is often
00:12:29.120 used to symbolise an inevitable challenge or final boss. In the Castlevania series,
00:12:35.160 death is a recurring antagonist, wielding his scythe with deadly precision. And in the
00:12:40.160 persona series, the Grim Reaper is a powerful and nearly unstoppable enemy that represents
00:12:45.660 the ever-present threat of mortality.
00:12:53.880 This exploration of the Grim Reaper serves as a companion to our upcoming Halloween episode
00:12:59.320 on our main feed, an episode that dives into the world of psychopomps, those mysterious
00:13:04.640 beings that guide souls into the afterlife.
00:13:07.400 the Greek Hermes and the Egyptian Anubis to more modern interpretations, we'll explore how
00:13:13.280 different cultures envision this crucial moment of transition from life to death. So as you settle
00:13:19.120 in tonight, remember the Grim Reaper is more than just a figure of folklore and fear. He is a reminder
00:13:24.680 of our mortality, a symbol that has evolved with us, changing shape but never actually leaving
00:13:31.240 our side. He waits, patient and silent, for the moment when we must answer his call.
00:13:41.120 Until next time, you never know when the shadows might come alive.
00:13:45.460 This has been Pinecones, spooky shorts from Ronan Pine. I have been Niamh.
00:13:52.140 Sleep well, if you can. 1.00
00:13:55.320 Thanks for listening, and fuck yeah fuck. 1.00
00:14:01.240 Thank you. 1.00
00:14:31.240 We'll see you next time.
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