Episode 34: Beaivi
/This Sami Sun goddess has our back as we celebrate both the start of summer and Mental Health Awareness Month. Learn how Beaivi brings light to those in the darkness (metaphysically and literally!), how Amanda doesn’t know narwhals are real, and how butter is better when it’s got a little bit of culture.
Julia recommends this hilarious Pikachu video and Amanda recommends Your Name. Discuss Sabriel with us on Goodreads (Spirits Book Club, anyone?).
If you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, & Goodreads, and review us on iTunes to help new listeners find the show. You can support us on Patreon to unlock bonus audio content, director’s commentaries, custom recipe cards, and so much more. To read up on us, listen to us on other podcasts, or send us a note, just head on over to SpiritsPodcast.com.
Our music is "Danger Storm" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0.
Transcript
AM: Welcome to Spirits Podcast Episode 34: Beaivi.
JS: Oh, guys, I just – I'm really excited about this episode. I think we hit a lot of really interesting topics.
AM: Yes.
JS: And a lot of really important themes. So, I'm super stoked. Let's get started.
AM: It's a little bit less joke filled, but a lot more I think personal and – I don't know – honest.
JS: We're going to make you feel some things this week.
AM: You're gonna make you feel a few things, and then we're going to give you some, you know, options and resources if you felt too many things.
JS: Good.
AM: Don't worry.But we have had such an exciting two weeks.
JS: Yeah. Guys --
AM: Oh, my god.
JS: You guys showed up on Patreon. We, we just hit our most recent goal, which is a joke, but still you guys showed up and made it happen.
AM: And we're more than halfway to our actual goal of doing weekly episodes.
JS: Guys, that would be so cool. I have so much stuff I want to talk about. And you guys need to like come out and do this stuff so we can come do stuff for you.
AM: And, honestly, guys sharing the show with someone that you know will love it, helps us just as much as giving us your dollars.
JS: Yeah. We don't need your monetary, we need your talking as well.
AM: Yeah. If you subscribe and rate in iTunes, the iTunes monkeys and, and magical algorithm.
JS: We have no idea how it works.
AM: We have no idea how it works. I mean – I have some idea how it works. And I know that those things help.
JS: Okay.
AM: But , anyway – but I love seeing on Twitter when people just like tag our username. And then I look up through the, the tweet, you know, chain. And it's like someone were recommending the show their best friend and their best friend’s like, “Oh, my God, I can't believe this.” It's like it's my literal favorite thing.
JS: It is really, really cute. We love it so much. We both just did the like touching our cheeks because we're so excited face.
AM: I call this the like – they like chin and hands face --
JS: Yes.
AM: -- where like your palms are next to your cheeks.
JS: Yes. Yes.
AM: I’ll take a picture for Instagram. Don't worry. But we also just want to thank our newest patrons. There's so many of you.
JS: There are so many of you.
AM: All right. Get ready. Wooh. Andreas, Derek, VileVyx, Erika, Katie, ars PARADOXICA, Stefan, Andrea, CSwack, Ian, Maritza, Amanda, Sara, Sandra, The Afictionado, and...
JS: Gina Peak, who’s our #100 Patron on Patreon.
AM: Patron 100. We should get you like a giant film finger that says 100 on it.
JS: Killing it.
AM: You did an awesome job. And thank you so much to our Supporting Producer-level patrons: LeeAnn Davis, Shannon Alford, Phil Fresh, Catherine Addington, Kristina Rogers, MCF, Megan Peters, Sara Chestnut, Katie, and Derek.
JS: There's so many of you now, god.
AM: I know. So beautiful.
JS: But thank you, you beautiful embodiments of life-giving sunshine.
AM: And it's relevant to the episode. Don't worry.
JS: Yeah.
AM: But next week --
JS: They always are.
AM: They – oh, are they?
JS: I tried to – hey, really?
AM: No, I'm so sorry.
JS: You didn't notice that I tried to – oh, god.
AM: I also didn't realize that the people at Foot Locker wear striped shirts because they want to look like referees.
JS: I can't believe you right now.
AM: I just – it just didn't occur to me.
JS: You texted me this. I just – I shook my head at my desk. I was so mad about it.
AM: I'm so sorry.
JS: Oh, god, who are you?
AM: I don't know. I don't even know who I am anymore. But we do though want to let you know that we're going to be having next week our first patron-only live stream.
JS: Wooh.
AM: This is a new reward for $10 and $15 patrons. But, if you're one of them and you're not home or you're sleeping at that time or whatever, don't worry because it will be recorded. And you can submit questions to us in advance. We're going to email you with all the details.
JS: Yes. Look out for that email. So, we’ve also done a couple of Instagram live streams recently, which have been super fun.
AM: They really are.
JS: We love hanging out with you guys.
AM: Yeah.
JS: So, if you follow us on Instagram we're @SpiritsPodcast. And you can just come hang out with us for the next one.
AM: Yeah. It'll notify you when we're live next. We’ll also tweet about it.
JS: Yeah.
AM: So, I have really loved doing that. But, Jules, what are we drinking in this episode?
JS: We're drinking mead.
AM: We are.
JS: We always drink mead. I love mead.
AM: I like mead a lot more than I thought I would. We're going to Scandinavia, you know. So, we need a little like, inner warmth right there.
JS: Right. Yeah.
AM: Yeah. You drink yours straight up --
JS: Yeah.
AM: -- but I actually mix mine with some unsweetened iced tea, which I can hear people cringing out there. But, honestly, it was actually sort of like an adult Arnold Palmer. I called it the Arnold Palmer at the Arctic Circle Open. Get it? Get it? It's a golf joke.
JS: I’m just gonna shake my head at you.
AM: Julia, it's just not --
JS: Just a bad, bad joke.
AM: Nah. I picked it up, and I'm putting it down.
JS: Nope. Just a bad joke. Recommendation corner. Since the past two weeks, you handed me, last time we were recorded, Lirial. Is it Lirial? Lyrael?
AM: Yes. Lirael.
JS: Lirael.
AM: Julia read Sabriel by Garth Nix. Now, she’s onto Lirael.
JS: Yeah.
AM: Guys, I made a fan of her.
JS: I'm about three-quarters of the way through it, but that has consumed all of my time and energy. But that's not my recommendation for this week.
AM: What is it?
JS: One thing stood out to me in this past week that literally made me laugh so hard I cried. And it is a video that I will put in the show notes of a man in a Pikachu costume dancing to the song from Hairspray, You Can't Stop the Beat.
AM: Yep.
JS: And slowly deflating. And then getting tackled, Secret Service-style, and drag out of the performance.
AM: Yeah. It's pretty epic.
JS: It's amazing. I'm like getting teared up thinking about how good video is.
AM: You are. Your shoulders are creeping closer to your ears when you get more and more excited.
JS: It's so good.
AM: I have – my recommendation is the total tonal opposite of that --
JS: Yes.
AM: -- which is the beautiful anime film, Your Name, which is in like arthouse movie theaters and, and Indie movie theaters. I think it's actually the highest-grossing animated movie of all time now.
JS: Really?
AM: Yeah. Or, like in some long period of time.
JS: Okay
AM: And it is really, really good. It's kind of about body swapping. It's kind of about high school. It's kind of about like tradition and family.
JS: Cool.
AM: But it's also way more than the sum of those parts.
JS: Cool.
AM: So, get thyself to a movie theater ASAP.
JS: All right. I'm into it. All right. So, that's all we got folks. We will see you in the episode.
AM: Enjoy Spirits Episode 34: Beaivi.
Intro Music
JS: So, Amanda, May is Mental Health Month.
AM: Fuck, yes, it is. I’m mentally ill and proud of it.
JS: Good job. High five. Samesies. All right. So, kind of inspired by our friend of the show, Zach Valenti --
AM: Zach Valenti.
JS: -- who does an amazing daily podcast.
AM: Yep.
JS: Hopefully, he's still doing it by the time that --
AM: This will be two days after the last of the 30 days of his initial like run of the show.
JS: Hopefully, he has 100 reviews by now.
AM: On iTunes.
JS: If not,we will – we will get him there.
AM: Yeah. He’s the best. And he's just like – talks so openly about like mental health and, you know, having various like learning differences.
JS: Yeah.
AM: And, and like advocacy and activism. Oh, he's the best.
JS: Yes. So, he does Self-Care Sundays --
AM: Yes.
JS: -- which is a livestream on his YouTube channel.
AM: Zach.live.
JS: And I was lucky enough to be a guest a couple of weeks back, which is a lot of fun.
AM: You were so good.
JS: Thank you.
AM: It was hard though to watch you on something and not be able to ask you questions.
JS: You couldn't.
AM: Like watch you talking with someone else.
JS: Oh, yeah, you didn't do the live part though.
AM: No. I was – I was getting tattooed. So, I couldn't – I couldn't do that at the time. But it was – it was like, "Oh, my my babe's growing up. And she's off on another show."
JS: Oh, thank you. Well, so inspired by Zach’s Self-Care discussions and his very frank discussions on mental health.
AM: Yeah.
JS: I wanna to talk about how we view mental health in mythology, because, oof, mythology is not very good dealing with mental health.
AM: Yeah, man. Talk about like, you know, “crazy” or not.
JS: Right. Like do you know how many stories I can think of where someone goes mad and then murders all their loved ones or like maybe gets turned into a monster or --
AM: Yeah.
JS: -- just gets killed by water serpents?
AM: Those are very specific, and I bet that you can.
JS: And they're all Greek. Every single goddamn one of those stories is Greek.
AM: At the end of the day, the Greek started it all.
JS: There is one culture that seems as though they've kind of managed not to totally mess up the concept of talking about mental health in a positive way, and that is the Sami.
AM: Cool. Where are they from?
JS: So, the Sami are the indigenous people, whose historical lands made up the Polar Circle stretching down from the northern reaches of Scandinavia and into parts of Russia.
AM: Oh, cool.
JS: Actually, the Sami people are the only indigenous people in Scandinavia that are recognized and protected under International Conventions of Indigenous People --
AM: Wow.
JS: -- which is really interesting.
AM: Yeah.
JS: I don't think about European indigenous people that often.
AM: Right.
JS: And, so, this is kind of cool to learn more about this culture.
AM: For sure.
JS: They're best known for their semi-nomadic lifestyle and their herding of reindeer --
AM: Oooh.
JS: -- which is gonna play into the story in a little bit. You'll see why.
AM: Not, not gonna lie. Every time someone says the word reindeer, I have to pause to myself and say reindeer are real.
JS: Really?
AM: Narwhals are not.
JS: No narwhals are real.
AM: I fucked it up. I fucked it up, I fucked it up. I fucked it up.
JS: Reindeer are real. Narwhals are real. Is there --
AM: Unicorns are not.
JS: They're not. Correct.
AM: Dragons are not.
JS: Correct.
AM: Fucking Pegasus are not.
JS: Yes.
AM: Julia, this is on a continuum, man. I get confused sometimes.
JS: Two of those things out of the five you listed are real though.
AM: Okay. But like the – come on. Giant, giant appendages out of the head. I just assume it's not real.
JS: All right. Well, reindeer are real.
AM: They are. They are. [Inaudible 8:47] myself. Okay. Wooh.
JS: Okay. So, interestingly, reindeer husbandry, which is like the mating of reindeer in order to create more reindeer.
AM: The raising of reindeer. Right. Yeah.
JS: Yes. It's actually so ingrained in the Sami culture that, in Norway and Sweden, reindeer husbandry is legally made exclusive to the Sami people. That --
AM: Wow. Yes. It’s like a protected like craft that, you know, white people can’t infringe on. JS: It's super cool. I'm kind of into that.
AM: I love that.
JS: Yeah, So, nowadays, most Sami are either Lutheran or Russian/Greek Orthodox. But, prior to the 18th century, traditional Sami religion was a shamanistic form of polytheism.
AM: Whoa.
JS: Yeah.
AM: Tell me more.
JS: So, it has a lot of similarities to Norse mythology, which a lot of scholars link back to early trade between the groups.
AM: Yeah.
JS: One of the main focuses of Sami shamanism is animal worship. So, in particular, bears and reindeer, obviously.
AM: It makes sense. Also, it makes sense that like those are such a big like slice of the natural resources pie in an Arctic environment --
JS: Yeah
AM: -- you know, where there may not be an abundance of like grains and mosses and, you know, agriculture that you can do. But, you know, what you do have are animals to, to raise and to, you know, cultivate and things.
JS: Yeah. And I kind of wanna preface the shamanism and animal worship.
AM: And, before we go forward, can you tell me what shamanism actually means? I feel like I don't have a super good definition of it.
JS: So, I want to say that Sham – I don't really have a great definition of it either. But shamanism usually focuses on one religious leader, who leads the religious group of the tribe, or of the culture, of the society, or what have you. And then they are usually linked to the spirit world --
AM: Right.
JS: -- to the gods, or to nature itself.
AM: So, like a kind of emissary situation.
JS: Right. They act as sort of a leeway between --
AM: Yeah.
JS: -- the culture and the spirits or gods or what have you.
AM: Yeah. And, if you think about it like, as a kind of predecessor or, or existing thing, when Christianity came into, into focus, like it is a kind of predecessor to clergy. You know, it may make a certain amount of sense. Whereas Christianity has evolved to like modern kind of evangelicalism where people, you know, have a direct relationship with God versus, as Catholics, we are a little more mediated, right?
JS: Yes.
AM: Like some – you know, the, the bulk of the relationship happens through ritual and through sacraments. But there's also a little bit of like communing on your own. So, anyway, I think this is a fascinating like earlier point in that continuum.
JS: Right. So, kind of moving on, I just want to preface that a lot of this information comes from either oral traditions or from archaeological studies of Sami sites. So, very few of these traditions and stories are written down.
AM: I got it.
JS: So, this is a difficult – sort of a difficult culture to examine from an outsider's perspective, because, one, I'm not sitting down with Sami people and listening to their stories. And, two, when you're doing an archaeological study, you're learning about the culture from past to those oral traditions.
AM: Right.
JS: So --
AM: And, from there, like physical remains.
JS: Right.
AM: Not necessarily like vibrancy of the, the life. It's almost like – it's almost like the world is kind of structurally, you know, predisposed to erase native traditions.
JS: Yeah. It's not the best situation, but just – I wanted to preface that going forward. So, I don't have a lot of information on the mythology that we're talking about.
AM: Yeah.
JS: But I do have a lot to say about it. So --
AM: But, as with everything, like this is what we're here to do, from a really like genuine and eager to learn perspective, to learn about stuff that aren't our own traditions.
JS: Right
AM: And, you know, even if we can’t do 100% justice so we can get y'all interested in it and point you to good sources and, when possible, have on somebody from – you know, who has firsthand experience, like that's what we're here to do.
JS: Yeah. So, one of the more interesting aspects of Sami mythology is the sieidis. And these are places that have unusual landforms different from their surrounding land. And these acted as spiritual focal points and were worship as gateways to the spirit world.
AM: Makes total sense.
JS: I love that.
AM: And you have the freakin like Tun – you know, like mountain in the middle of the Tundra – whatever.
JS: And, you know, since you made me just recently read the book Sabriel --
AM: That's right, y'all. I did it. I literally put Sabriel in Julia’s purse. Returning to Sabriel watch quarter.
JS: I read it in three days.
AM: Hey.
JS: But this very much reminds me of the charter stones --
AM: Yes.
JS: -- which act as the magical spiritual gateways in the Sabriel series.
AM: Hell yeah, they do. Spirits book club, pick it up Sabriel, Garth Nix, link in the description.
JS: So, the Sami would make sacrifices, either animals or objects, at the sieidis in order to please the gods. And this would help protect worshippers from misfortune by winning the favor of the gods.
AM: Yeah.
JS: Very, you know, classic, ancient mythology idea of sacrifice something the gods protects you. You win their favor.
AM: And, if you think about it, like building temples is just kind of a way to like erect your own, you know, big monument sticking out from the rest of the land, right?
JS: Yeah.
AM: Like a church in the middle of a field or a Greek temple in the middle of, you know, kind of rocky outcropping. Like, we know it – it's us creating places that are visually distinct.
JS: Yeah.
AM: Like raise your eye up toward the heavens.
JS: So, this is just nature's version --
AM: Exactly.
JS: -- of our churches.
AM: Yeah.
JS: Yeah. I like that. Now, because the Sami people are located so far north, the seasons are obviously an important aspect of their culture.
AM: Okay.
JS: So, our story today focuses on the Sun deity known as Beaivi. So, Beaivi is the sun goddess. And she's very important to Sami culture, because, during the winter period, that far north, the sun doesn't even reach the horizon.
AM: Yeah.
JS: So, they get those long, long evenings and very, very little days and, to some extent, no day whatsoever.
AM: Eternal night.
JS: Yeah. So, because there's no guarantee that the Sami will win the favor and bring Beaivi back after she leaves for winter, they have a ritual that's practiced.
AM: Uhmm.
JS: On the winter solstice, a white female reindeer and occasionally other animals – usually, the reindeer though because that is Beaivi's --
AM: Preferred --
JS: Yes.
AM: -- sacrifice?
JS: Also, the animal that she's associated with.
AM: Oh, cool.
JS: The sacrifice is to honor Beaivi, whose animal’s the reindeer. And her color is white. And to ensure that she would return to the world and bring an end to the long winter season. It feels very Game of Thrones to me.
AM: Very and also like dire.
JS: Yeah.
AM: If, if there's no sun, there’s nothing.
JS: She does not come back. She's not --
AM: Yeah.
JS: They're not gonna have a good time.
AM: No.
JS: They're not gonna live very long.
AM: They're not gonna have very long to not have a good time.
JS: Yeah. So, worshipers of Beaivi would sacrifice white female animals. They would thread the meat after they sacrifice the animal onto sticks, which they would then bend into rings and tie in bright ribbons.
AM: Whoa.
JS: Which, which supposed to be the--
AM: The arches.
JS: -- circle as the sun.
AM: Okay.
JS: And then the ribbons are supposed to attract Beaivi to bring her back.
AM: And I mean, whenever we talk about sacrifice, I typically imagine just like you know, cut the throat. Like lays on the stone kind of passed on style and like that's all. But the idea that, you know, you, you – there is like ritual after that ritual.
JS: Yeah.
AM: I found that really fascinating.
JS: It is really cool.
AM: Yeah.
JS: I kind of – I like the idea of making a sacrifice useful to the god, too.
AM: Totally agree. It's not just like we're ending this life because here – you know, we, we care more about you than we do about ourselves, but like this is a means to an end.
JS: Yeah.
AM: And like this is – this is the like material that we need to accomplish whatever the goal is.
JS: Right. And this sacrifice was literally made so that Beaivi would have the strength to return in the spring.
AM: Oh, wow.
JS: Yeah. So, in order to welcome Beaivi back after they make that sacrifice on the winter solstice, the Sami would smear butter over their doorsteps as a sacrifice to her, which, one, yes, cheese and butter making – you know, that's my jam. I'm always about a culture being like – being able to culture butter --
AM: Fuck yeah.
JS: -- and make things. And, two, butter during the winter months was saved up. So, this is actually a really good sacrifice.
AM: Right. It’s like a – like a valuable material.
JS: Right. Because, because of the way that the animals are being milked during winter months --
AM: Yeah.
JS: -- the butter fat content is much lower than if – when they’re eating grass.
AM: Probably, probably everyone's diets are – you kno, are more scarce and less varied.
JS: So, butter during the winter months it saved up. So, this is a really good sacrifice and a really, you know, worthwhile sacrifice that they’re making.
AM: Something that they're gonna miss.
JS: Right.
AM: Yeah.
JS: And especially because, if you know anything about cheesemaking, or animal milking, or what have you --
AM: I don't, Julia, but you do.
JS: I know I do. During the winter months, the diet of these animals is usually silo. So, it's not as high a butterfat content. But, during the summer months when the butter is being made --
AM: Everything's green. Everyone’s eating ice cream.
JS: Everything's green. Everything's grass fed. And that increases the butterfat content.
AM: Wow. What's your favorite butter, Julia?
JS: Actually, I use the cultured butter from Trader Joe's and that shit rocks.
AM: Nice.
JS: Bone appetit did a article where they compared French-cultured butter --
AM: Yeah.
JS: -- like farmhouse butter to the Trader Joe's one. And people didn't know the difference. It was great.
AM: I use Kerrygold’s, because, one, you know, in difference to my Irish forebears, but also, too, it is super yellow --
JS: Yeah.
AM: -- and just taste freakin delicious.
JS: No. But the, the nice part about the cultured butter too is it adds a lot more flavor.
AM: Yeah.
JS: Cultured butter is normally much cheesier than regular butter. So, it's got that salty funkiness, which I like. And, when Jake and I moved in together, the first time we went grocery shopping I was – I told him I want the Trader Joe's cultured butter. And he was confused asking me what is cultured butter, what's cultured and I --
AM: Like a normal person would.
JS: I explained to him it's just they add cheese cultures to the butter and it adds a little bit more flavor. And we've used it ever since. And he told me the other day, “I'm so glad we switched over to the Trader Joe's butter. It's so good.”
AM: Adorable.
JS: So, the butter actually was chosen too, because it melts in sunshine. Thus, signalling Beaivi’s return.
AM: Hey.
JS: Isn’t that amazing?
AM: Doing double duty.
JS: It’s so cool. I love that.
AM: It makes so much sense.
JS: So, this sacrifice is what helps the goddess gain her strength as she returns. Growing stronger and arching higher into the sky as the season progresses.
AM: So, what is she doing before she's back? Just like dormant? Like is there a journey type situation? Do we know?
JS: I honestly don't know. I picture it as a journey situation, where she has to go combat evil forces maybe or just rest for a while, and then come back shining and strong again.
AM: Yeah. I was picturing it almost as like we're all together suffering because nature is bringing us winter. And, so, maybe she is as well. That like there's some kind of like natural waning to the year, where her – you know, energy or whatever wane's as well.
JS: Sort of the Persephone in the – in the underworld --
AM: A little bit.
JS: -- situation.
AM: Right. And then – and then it's the intervention of the people that's needed to bring her back almost the opposite of Ma’at from our Egyptian Underworld episode --
JS: Yes.
AM: -- where instead of human beings vying to just like keeps stasis. Like the, the universe is naturally disordered. And it's naturally tilted toward, you know, Beaivi like suffering or, or, you know, staying away from the Earth, and people have to like claw her back.
JS: On the summer solstice, people make sun rings out of leaves. And then pin them to their doors and homes. And then, on the solstice, butter is eaten as a sacred meal.
AM: Yum.
JS: It's like the – it’s the bread and wine of the Sami.
AM: I love that. And, and I love the idea of the leaf rings as well, because like, A, leaves don’t exist in the winter.
JS: Yes.
AM: Like it's a specific thing to summer, but also it's, it's not as dear to them. Would that make --
JS: Right.
AM: It was a reindeer pun. I'm so sorry
JS: It should be. It was excellent. Mike Schubert just high five you through the internet.
AM: Oh, right. I just felt – I just felt that little wind across my face. But, yeah. But, in the winter, you need something eye catching like fucking reindeer meat and ribbons to bring her attention. Whereas in the summer, it's like – like this is her. She is here. And, so, even the gesture of a circle is gonna like draw her attention.
JS: Right. So, Beaivi, whose name is the literal name for the sun in Sami.
AM: Yeah.
JS: So, sort of like how the Greeks used Helios.
AM: Yep.
JS: And that was the literal sun name.
AM: Yep.
JS: So, she is often in stories accompanied by her daughter, Beaivi-nieida. And she's known as the sun maiden --
AM: Nice.
JS: -- which is cute. I love that name.
AM: Adorable.
JS: Really cute. In some portrayals, they are often enclosed in a circle of reindeer antlers, which I love that imagery.
AM: Whoa.
JS: And, even in other art, Beaivi is shown to have reindeer horns herself.
AM: I love that.
JS: Her antlers not horns. Her antlers.
AM: I love that. Right. My brain made those two words mean the same thing.
JS: That’s okay. And I knew what I was saying.
AM: But doesn't, doesn't sun names strike you is like a great name for like eyeshadow palette.
JS: Yeah. Oh, like a beachy-themed eyeshadow palette.
AM: Yeah. Yeah.
JS: Two face to get at us.
AM: Exactly. Yeah. Naked, you know, we are available for sponsorships.
JS: Beaivi is said to return bringing spring with her, obviously.
AM: Nice. Nice.
JS: Plants grow. Reindeer flourish and reproduce, which leads to wealth and prosperity for humans.
AM: Yeah.
JS: So, she is in very many stories sort of associated with or, in anthropological studies, is associated with mother goddess. She's not specifically a nature goddess. But --
AM: Right.
JS: -- she is definitely the mother to people. She brings them wealth. She brings them good fortune. She brings them plants growing and their livelihoods sustained.
AM: And all that stuff goes together, right? Like life and nature and food and prosperity and sunshine. You know, it's all really drawn up together.
JS: Yeah. And that's going to actually play a very important role when we talk about why we're talking about her today, in May, during Mental Health Month.
AM: Hell yeah.
JS: What does Beaivi have to do with mental health? So, the Sami, during the winter months, they would send Beaivi prayers that, as she returned to bring spring, she would help the people who are mentally ill.
AM: Wow.
JS: Because the Sami were a bit ahead of their time, they understood that there was a correlation between psychosis and depression and a lack of sunshine and light during the dark season.
AM: Seasonal fucking Affective Disorder.
JS: I mean that, that is a very important thing because that’s – I mean winter depression --
AM: It’s real.
JS: -- seasonal, sad. It's – for people who don't know what that is, that is a mood disorder subset in which people who normally don't show depressive symptoms will in fact exhibit depressive symptoms during winter months.
AM: Yeah. Like exacerbates or triggers a kind of underlying like susceptibility.
JS: Yes. Dementia patients, interestingly, will often suffer from sundowning syndrome, which is basically they'll exhibit behavioral issues and the extent of their dementia will increase in times where the sun is setting or in the evening time.
AM: Wow.
JS: Yeah. So, basically, the, the Sami were able to correlate these two things like, “Oh, Hans is – seems very upset during the winter months.”
AM: Right.
JS: He, you know, won't come out of his cabin, et cetera, et cetera.
AM: Yeah.
JS: We're gonna pray to Beaivi so that, when she brings the sunshine, she can help cure his ailments.
AM: And it's, it's so much – like I'm getting a little bit of shivers right now because it's, it's not only like metaphorically resonant, right, where like, you know, we go and we go into a dormant state. And then the sun comes out, I’ll rejuvenate. Beaivi will give more life into us. But like, it is like literally and chemically and biologically true.
JS: Yeah.
AM: And the more – every time this happens, we're like, the more science learns, the more we realize how much wisdom was in, what we had just considered to be stories or something --
JS: Right.
AM: -- or tradition or like whatever what grandma says. Like who cares? You know, that, that is like – it just – it just gets me right in the like human being in the cosmos heart.
JS: So, let me finish up a little bit with Beaivi. And then we can talk about sort of the ramifications of dealing with mental health in mythology.
AM: Yes.
JS: So, Beaivi is called upon to restore the mental health of those who are affected by her absence and the long winters without any sun. I totally wish I had more information on Beaivi. And, if any of our listeners sort of have more information on her, have stories about Beaivi, anything like that, I would love to hear them.
AM: Yeah.
JS: You can shoot us an email at spiritspodcast@gmail.com or there's the contact form on our website spiritspodcast.com. Whatever you want to do. But let's talk about a goddess who is worshipped to restore mental health, who is the goddess of spring, of sunshine, of fertility, et cetera.
AM: Yes.
JS: Okay.
AM: Well, A, I love that May is mental health month.
JS: Yes.
AM: Because it really is – like this finally is the month where like it is light outside.
JS: This is the month where Beaivi would be coming back basically.
AM: It really is. Especially this year April was just a frickin shit show of like rain and terribleness. And, and it really does feel like hopeful. And I don't know if it's just me, but I always feel like, every winter, I forget how bad winter is, you know.
JS: Yes.
AM: Or like every, every time the, the spring happens, I forget how nice it is for it to be like light in the evening and not bitingly cold and awful every time I step outside.
JS: Hell yeah.
AM: And May truly is a time where I'm like, “Oh, right, the world can be actually hospitable.” And, and it really is – like it’s a bit of an overblown metaphor, but, at least for me. So, I've dealt with depression my whole life. And, every, every time that I've come out of a kind of protracted depressive, you know, period, it really does feel like I had forgotten how good things could be.
JS: Yeah.
AM: And, and that, to me, is – when I'm trying to explain to people who haven't experienced depression or mental illness, what it actually feels like, people are, “Oh, it is just – it's just sad for everyone. Like, “No. You know, there's the nuance to it.” But, for me, the defining feature is really forgetting that you can be happy.
JS: Yes.
AM: Forgetting that you can be optimistic or forgetting that life isn't always as overwhelming as it feels in the moment.
JS: So, that's very much like being in the throes of a panic attack. It's --
AM: Yeah.
JS: -- there is nothing that can solve this thing at the moment. Because you are just so in it, and your brain is not functioning the way it's supposed to because – so, you don't understand. Oh, you know, this is solvable. This is okay. It's just like this one moment of thing. And I just I – I like the idea of someone who can come and who is worshipped as a person who can bring you out of that darkness and back into the light.
AM: And that is a societal effort as well.
JS: Yes.
AM: So, something else about mental health problems is it is so isolating. You know, either it's like I – you know, I didn't get treatment as early as I should have because I was just ashamed that I felt that way and felt like it was a kind of moral or a personal failing, you know, to be just, you know, so pessimistic and so morose and so, you know, devoid energy.
JS: Yeah.
AM: And, so, the idea that like the whole society, the whole village, you know, my whole city would be kind of rooting for me and people like me.
JS: Yeah.
AM: And also have – to have the kind of like, perspective and trust to say like, “This isn't defining who this person is.” Like, you know, whoever it is that’s going through a bad time right now or they, you know, need a little bit extra support. And like, one day, you know, they will, with, you know, Beaivi's grace like, you know, be, be restored to their, their, you know, greatest possible self. And, so, just that like inherent optimism and inherent support of people going through a rough time, I so don't take for granted.
JS: Yeah. That totally just brings this image to mind, where you have a community and maybe, you know, you notice someone doesn't have the butter outside of their door.
AM: Yeah.
JS: And, as part of the community, as someone who is looking out for their fellow man or woman or what have you, maybe they go over there and they put the butter on the door for that person.
AM: Right.
JS: Because they care about the people around them. And they care about helping people and being, being that light as much as Beaivi is that light. And I just love that idea of being able to come together as community in order to help other people even if you don't exactly know what they're going through.
AM: Yeah. And like, when nature or when fate deprives us of something, or don't help us the way that we hope, we are the only thing that we have.
JS: Yes.
AM: You know, like, like one another. Together, we can approximate the strength of the gods. Like that, that is amazing to me.
JS: Right.
AM: Like a community acting together could bring back a goddess from her, you know, long and maybe inevitable sleep. Or, you know, in the absence of the sun through the next few months of winter, you know, we can do our best to like give a little bit more care, attention, forgiveness, patience, you know, to the people who need it.
JS: Yeah. Just, again, that idea of community acting as each other's light, in the lack of light. So, the community coming together to look out for their own until Beaivi comes back.
AM: Yeah.
JS: I love that. I love that idea of prayer being used in a positive way, but in a constructive way. And understanding we can't make Beaivi come back any quicker. So, we have to look out for our own. You like that one, huh?
AM: I do. And the season metaphor is great too, because especially, when I am in darker moments, I always say to myself, "I know it doesn't feel this way, but I trust that things will be different."
JS: Right.
AM: Or, that this is a season in my life. Actually, it's from the HGTV show, Fixer Uppers, which is fucking adorable couple in Texas.
JS: Amanda's favorite and also mine. If I'm gonna watch any HGTV show, it's gonna be Fixer Uppers.
AM: Listen, it makes me believe in love, y'all.
JS: They're adorable.
AM: Like, honestly, like did you read her book?
JS: I didn't.
AM: It's worth it.
JS: The – I can and can't believe that you read this book.
AM: It's the rare celebrity memoir that I am moved to, A, pickup, B, finished, and, C, buy for my mom and grandmother, but I did --
JS: Seriously.
AM: -- all those things. Oh, my God.
JS: Yes.
AM: And they loved it. Anyway. But they talk about like, oh, you know, in this season of life, we are whatever. And, so, in the memory of talking about like when they were newly married and broke and, you know, getting on college or whatever, they're like, “Well, you know, in that season blah, blah, blah. And it's a little bit corny. Like I find myself kind of wrinkling my nose when I say it, but it's a synonym for phase or kind of whatever this period of life.
JS: Right.
AM: But I, I love season, in particular, because the definition of season is that it's limited.
JS: Yes.
AM: And that it's finite. And that, you know, it will go away and then come back again. And, so, thinking about, you know, prosperity, or misfortune, or happiness, or distress as seasons. We’re like this is my time to be this.It's gonna end. It may happen again. But there's going to be different stuff in the meantime. And I think that's just such a like healthy and well-adjusted way to look at life. And, so, point being, even when I am, you know, not believing necessarily that things will get better or my kind of catastrophic depressive mindset is thinking, you know, oh, you know, this, this fucked up at work today means that I am gonna get fired and that I'm never gonna be able to, you know, et cetera, et cetera.
JS: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
AM: And, and the, the anxiety and the depressive mind kind of spirals out of control. Just being able to say, or to think of it in terms of seasons and to say like, “This is my time to feel this. Again, it'll stop one day. It may come back again, but like that's a way that life goes,” is so much better than I think the, the sort of anxiety scarcity mindset of saying like this is my only time that I can enjoy this or this is what it's only going to be forever. And, so, it's a – it's a just device that I try at least for myself to – you know, to make things feel a little more manageable.
JS: Yeah. Bringing up the concept of seasons too. I also – I like the idea of seasons not being finite. But also you want – think of Game of Thrones. You don't know how long the summer is gonna be.
AM: Yeah.
JS: You don't know how long the winter is going to be, but you know that eventually one will transition into the other.
AM: Yeah. And, even though we know on the calendar, obviously, that each season takes theoretically three months.
JS: Right.
AM: Like there's a day, where it's your last day wearing your winter coat. You know exactly which one it’s going to be. You know, like, like there isn’t going to be that late rainstorm or that early, you know, summer feeling day in February. But like, at some point,it is gonna be the last one.
JS: Yeah. There isn't that specific cutoff date. We have the equinoxes. We have the solstices, but we don't know, okay, once we hit --
AM: Experientially.
JS: -- the equinox.
AM: Yeah.
JS: -- you know --
AM: Yeah.
JS: -- that's when the weather changes. And we can start wearing spring clothes.
AM: Connors birthday is on the Fall Equinox most of the time plus or minus a day or two.
JS: Right.
AM: And during the equinox. And, every time that we like have a nice fall, and then it's like a beautiful day in October. Like nice job, Connor. Like you fucking fucked up this equinox.
JS: You’re so mean to him.
AM: No. No.
JS: No. No. So, yeah, I think I just – what I love about the imagery of Beaivi is I, I like to think of her as this inner light --
AM: Yeah.
JS: -- that can lead ourselves out of this depression. And that inner light can focus as your friends helping you, your medication, your coping mechanisms, whatever works for you. That's what I picture a modern Beaivi is as just this guiding light out of the darkness into the summer. And I think it's kind of this beautiful image. And I think, as long as you understand what your Beaivi light is, you'll, you'll do just fine.
AM: What is yours?
JS: Oh, man.
AM: What are yours?
JS: I don't know, man. I mean I know what my coping mechanisms are. I know – you know, I know that, if I need something, Jake is there as a rock for me. He can help me out, even if it's just, I had a bad day. Can you sit with me and watch wrestling? You know, it's, it's – it is what works for you. It is what it is.
AM: Yeah.
JS: It's my mantra the past couple of months. It’s just it is what it is. Make use of it and move on with it.
AM: Yeah. And mine is therapy, is medication, is knowing that I need, you know, a certain amount of sleep to really feel – to really feel human, a certain amount of alone time. And, you know, good food and exercise. I hate, I hate saying the things. It sounds so, so dumb.
JS: Yeah
AM: Bt like keeping, keeping as much under my control as I can, helps me feel more in control when, when unexpected things happen.
JS: Yeah
AM: You know, calling, calling my family regularly. And, and it's – you know, we all have to kind of construct for ourselves the, the things to get us through when, you know, our – when our light disappears --
JS: Yes.
AM: -- even if it's not correlated necessarily to the seasons.
JS: And, at, at the very least, you have friends around you --
AM: Yes.
JS: -- who can lend you some of their light.
AM: Definitely. And, and, listeners, if you feel like you need an extra injection, some extra help.
JS: A little Beaivi.
AM: Some community support. A little Beaivi. There is a great website called goodtherapy.org, which can help you find – you know, find therapy resources, people you can talked to, at least in the US. There are support groups. I've been to support groups myself for queer stuff, for depression stuff, for anxiety stuff. And it is so nice to just like sit in a room with people who are going through the same stuff as you. Whether it's substance abuse or family members who are dealing with things, grief. You know, whatever it may be it. You know, even though it may sound cheesy or at least to me. I was like,”I don't know. I'm not the kind of person.” Like, yes, I am the kind of person who needs that. And, if you are feeling at all like you just need someone to talk to, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 800-273-8255.
JS: And, honestly, there is someone out there.No matter how alone you feel, there is someone out there that will help you whether it's on a hotline, if it's a therapist, if it's your friend, it's family, whatever. There's always someone who's going to be there for you no matter how alone you feel. So, listeners go out. Enjoy your mental health month. Be aware of people around you and --
AM: It is safe to talk about stuff.
JS: Yeah.
AM: You know, it really means – it makes such a difference to know that people around you have dealt with similar things or that are feeling in a similar way. It's just, you know, the more that we can shine light into each other's lives I think, the stronger we’ll all be.
JS: Yeah. So, shine your light. Let your light shine into others. And, as always, stay creepy.
AM: Stay cool.
Outro Music
AM: Spirits was created by Julia Schifini and me, Amanda McLoughlin. It's edited by Eric Schneider with music by Kevin MacLeod and visual design by Allyson Wakeman.
JS: Subscribe to Spirits on your preferred podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode. You can find us on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr @SpiritsPodcast.
AM: On our Patreon page, patreon.com/spiritspodcast, you can sign up for exclusive content like behind the scenes photos, audio extras, director's commentary, blooper reels, and beautiful recipe cards with custom drink and snack pairings.
JS: If you like the show, please share with your friends and leave us a review on iTunes. It really does help.
AM: Thank you so much for listening, ‘til next time.
Transcriptionist: Rachelle Rose Bacharo
Editor: Krizia Casil