Bear Bones: stories of female initiation through the ancient cult of the Bear
Sun 07 Dec
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Bears have been amongst some of the most worshipped animals. Bear Brides, Bear caves, sons of Bears. Hear a story about how the first Bear came to be. Meet Artemis for whom the Bear was a sacred animal. Enter a Bluebeard-like Bear Cave and all the darkness that was hidden within.
Time & Location
07 Dec 2025, 19:30 – 21:00 GMT
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About the Event
Bears, revered and feared for their strength and power, have been worshipped in 'Bear Cults' over Ancient Europe and the World since Palaeolithic times. Bears bridge the worlds between spirits and humans, and they can step in and out of both worlds. Through them, we too have access to other worlds.
Bear and Woman are similar. Coming of age rituals for girls involved withdrawal from society, a transformation and the return to society, the girl now a woman - ready for marriage and motherhood. This mirrors that of the bear: hibernation, transformation as the pregnant bear retreats to her den, and the bear emerging from winter, now a mother with cubs to look after.
Photos above by Charles Fréger in Wilder Mann, depicting bear rituals across Greece, France, Romania and Spain.
In Bulgarian culture, the Bear has the power to heal, protect from illness and bring fertility. The 30th November, Metchkinden, is dedicated to the Bear, and was believed to the be the first day of winter. The myth of how the first Bear came to be are told, a wondrous story that you will get to hear.
You will also hear the tale of Artemis, the Greek Goddess of the hunt and women, and her nymph Callisto the beautiful, whose fate was was determined by the trickery and violence of one great God. We will go down a dark Bear cave, in a Bear-Bluebeard kind of a tale, where the quick wit and bravery of one woman is the only light around.
Suitable for adults and 14+
Story Cautions: These stories contain descriptions of threat, violence, cannibalism, murder, sex, rape, and death, contextualised within a paradigm of mythic narrative, archetype and metaphor.
This event is LIVE ONLY, and will not be recorded.
Main Event Artwork by lavestalu
Feedback from previous storytelling evenings:
"Scheherazade of the Scottish Highlands."
"She who word-weaves with poetic wonder through the realms."
"We need these stories, and you have the tender, yet fierce grace to honour them and bring them to us. Thank you."
Tickets
General Admission
From £9.00 to £12.00
£12.00
+£0.30 ticket service fee
£9.00
+£0.23 ticket service fee
Total
£0.00