Legends 89: Mother Dearest

Lore

This episode of Lore Legends explores various global mythologies centered on powerful and often terrifying female figures. The narrative trav

Key takeaways

• Maria Batchkareva led Russia's first all-female infantry unit known as the Battalion of Death.
• Aisha Kandisha is a Moroccan djinn legend characterized by her camel hooves and predatory nature toward men.

Main topics

• Russian military history
• Moroccan folklore

Notable quotes

She was a survivor, even though she didn't want to be.

Conclusion

The episode demonstrates how folklore serves to provide human faces an

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:11) She was only 19, and she was going to die. It wasn't like she had a lot to live for, though. Up to this point, Maria had not been blessed with a happy life. Her childhood home had been so abusive that at a mere 15 years old, she had married a stranger just to escape her father's temper. But her gamble didn't pay off, and she found herself stuck under the thumb of a violent husband. Four years after they said their vows, Maria finally saved up enough money to buy a one-way ticket out of her tiny corner of hell. But before her ship could even pull out of the harbor, her husband found her. And judging by the speed at which he was running down the wharf, he would reach the boat well before it would set sail. Maria had limited options. She couldn't run, and she couldn't fight him off. And so she did the only thing that she could think of. She jumped into the sea. Now, this was Russia. The water was cold, cold enough to kill a fully grown woman within a matter of minutes. But Maria didn't care. She had quickly made her peace with death. When the other option was returning home with her husband, the choice was obvious. Within a few seconds, she lost consciousness before waking up alive in the hospital. She was a survivor, even though she didn't want to be. But her tenacity would be the very thing that would end up saving her and the lives of so many others. It would take Maria many more years to escape the cycle of abuse. But when she finally did, she would become a legend. Maria Batchkareva, the leader of Russia's first ever all-female infantry unit, the Battalion of Death. And Maria. who had known more pain at the hands of her family than any bullet could ever inflict, showed all of Russia exactly what women could do. I'm Aaron Manke, and this is Lore Legends. Speaker 2 (2:20) The men could not escape the village. They were completely trapped. But not by an army or a rock slide. No, they were trapped by a woman. And before you imagine an army of gals all kitted out for battle, think again. They were trapped by just one woman, standing against dozens of men. She didn't have any weapons either, just her body. But that was all she needed. The men weren't at risk of dying, at least not immediately. First, they would be seduced. One by one, they would give in to the beautiful temptress, allowing her to take them into her arms. Only when she was fully satisfied would she release them into the afterlife. But as safe as that first part might sound, the end of that relationship wasn't something that any of them would have wanted to stick around for. Death wouldn't come quickly for any of them. No, it would be long and bloody. None of them knew that, though. What they saw was the most beautiful woman in the world, and for some odd reason, she wanted them. How could they pass up such a golden opportunity? And so, completely taken in, they shuffled towards the seductress as if they were in a trance. But then she shifted, and her skirts lifted just a few inches to reveal her feet. Feet that weren't human. They were camel hooves. And with that, the spell was broken. instantly they knew what she was and what she had come to do. Even so, her influence was too powerful. At any moment, they could be pulled back under. And so they did the only thing they could think of to jumpstart their fear. They set their turbines on fire. The men in this little Moroccan village had just barely survived an encounter with a djinn. In fact, she's one of the only djinns in history that has been given a name. They call her Aisha Kandisha, and she is, quite literally, a man-eater. In more modern versions of this legend, it's said that she grabs her victim's attention by posing as a hitchhiker. In older stories, though, she usually starts the hunt by waiting for men beside a body of water. Traditionally, that's her closest association. In fact, some scholars believe that she may have actually evolved from folklore about the Berber water spirits. More often than not, when she's trying to capture a man, she looks like a beautiful young woman. Sometimes she even has the voice and face of her victim's lover. No matter what, though, she always wears a long robe, that conceals her hooves. You see, only her top half resembles that of a human woman. From the waist down, she has the legs of a camel or sometimes a donkey. And despite the fact that she's a shapeshifter who can switch between a wide array of identities, from an ogre to a wasp, she never seems to become fully human. Usually, though, men don't see her animal half until it's too late. In some versions of her legend, she kills them as soon as they get within reach, wrapping her long body around them like a boa constrictor. In others, she tortures them first. Her interactions with men almost always result in their death. Some say that she drains them of their blood until they're dried out like a corn husk. Others claim that she takes it one step further and devours their souls. Death isn't always her intended outcome, though. Sometimes she possesses their bodies or even breaks their minds. If they're lucky, she might decide to add them to her harem, demanding their obedience and unwavering devotion. They'll eventually displease her, though, and she'll go right back to snacking on souls. They say that the best way to keep Aisha Kandisha away is to use steel. Djinn are afraid of that cold, hard metal, so they won't go near it. If you suspect the woman approaching you is an evil seductress, they say that your best option is to plunge a steel knife into the ground to ward her off. Or, in a pinch, you could follow in the footsteps of those villagers and set your hat on fire. Whichever method you prefer, though, you'll be free, and your soul will stay intact. Speaker 2 (6:47) Pregnancy is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it's the closest thing we have to actual magic. One human body grows another, quite literally creating life. On the other hand, though, both pregnancy and the postpartum phase are the single most vulnerable times in a woman's life. The woman's and the baby's health are both suspended on a tightrope, one tiny move in the wrong direction, and the results could be catastrophic. There are a lot of real physical and mental pitfalls along the path of motherhood. But for those who are curious, ancient folklore provides one of the most frightening risks of all. Because according to one legend, both mother and child could be attacked by