Her Crowning Glory

Or, The Vengeance of Anat

Author’s Note: A shrine to Anat-Yahu alongside that of Yahweh, as his consort, is attested in the records of a Jewish community on Elephantine island in Egypt, during the Babylonian exile. Anat is an ancient Caananite goddess associated with vengeance and war. Joseph’s Egyptian wife, Asenath’s name means “sacred to Anat.” Shamgar, in the book of Judges, is said to be a “Son of Anat.” Extra-biblical sources indicate that this title belonged to warriors who are said to be under the special protection of Anat. Considering that his single sentence in the book of Judges involves his exceptional prowess in battle, this attestation is most likely accurate. For more information, check out this article on the site, Jewish Women’s Archive.

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I, the Mother of All, who lives in darkness and secrecy, see and know all things which happen upon the Earth, my body. I am the seed of murder in the heart of every new mother, whether beast or woman. Know my power then, by this little tale, and remember me in your prayers.

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Jodie Cantrell’s new family was a little weird, but an improvement on the strange parade of addicts and drug dealers who existed as the backdrop of her existence so far, in her relatively short life. Her mother was more than sufficiently protective, and was as attentive as an addict could manage. Once, a dealer came over and was very friendly to Jodie. She couldn’t remember much about the man, but she never forgot what her mother looked like. She shot up, having quickly revealed a knife from a hidden place which Jodie could not detect. She was not a tall woman, but her fury loomed menacingly over the hapless pervert who dared to incite her fury. First, her lips retracted in a grim rictus. Then, her face morphed into something that reminded Jodie of the angry, barking, snarling dogs which terrified her every morning when she walked to the school’s bus stop, and every afternoon on her way home. They would run and smash themselves against the chain link fence, shaking it severely. The ground around the posts of the fence had nearly completely worn away. Jodie always feared that one day, those dogs would conquer that fence and finally consume the treat which they really desired.

                 Her mother looked just like that, except the sound which escaped her mouth was, rather than a simple bark, something unearthly. A high-pitched screech of imprecations, words that Jodie had never heard until that night. The acid of her speech was eloquent in its fury, and her face convulsed with such exaggerated emotion that her tongue could be seen working the back of her teeth. Jodie wondered if her mother’s jaw might unhinge as she swallowed the man whole. She took a single step toward him, and he scampered off like a frightened rat. When he’d finally gone, she rounded back upon Jodie, and her face transformed once again. It was full of love and concern. She drew her daughter close and implored her.

                 “Don’t you ever trust a nice motherfucker, Jodie! If any of these fucking snakes try to act nice, you rip open that motherfuckers guts!”

                 After that, she wasn’t afraid of the snarling dogs behind the fence anymore. They reminded Jodie of her mother.