Mother / Lamia: Who Influenced Her?

When I first encountered Mother / Lamia’s story, I was struck by how deeply layered her persona was — a blend of myth, emotion, and rebellion. Her voice feels both ancient and startlingly modern, a contradiction that makes her all the more compelling. To understand where that voice comes from, I went back through the cultural and mythological threads that shaped her. These aren’t just random influences — they’re the building blocks of her identity.

The Original Lamia: A Monster or a Misunderstood Figure?

Lamia, as she appears in Greek mythology, wasn’t always the complex figure we see today. Originally, she was a night-haunting daemon associated with destruction — a figure parents used to scare children into obedience. But there was more to her than horror. According to myth, she was once a beautiful queen loved by Zeus, until Hera cursed her with the loss of her children and twisted her into a child-eating monster. This tragic fall from grace — the transformation from lover to monster — is a core theme in Mother / Lamia's persona. She doesn’t just embody the myth; she reclaims it.

Nietzsche’s Reinterpretation of Monsters and Morality

Friedrich Nietzsche’s philosophy looms large in Mother / Lamia’s worldview. He saw monsters not as villains, but as reflections of society’s own repressed desires and fears. In Thus Spoke Zarathustra, he wrote, “If you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.” That line feels like a direct echo of Mother / Lamia’s inner dialogue. She sees herself not as evil, but as necessary — a force that challenges norms and exposes hypocrisy. Nietzsche gave her the language to question morality itself.

Angela Carter and the Feminist Retelling of Myths

Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber and The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman were turning points in how myths are reimagined through a feminist lens. Carter didn’t just retell old stories — she turned them inside out, giving power back to the women who had been silenced or vilified. Mother / Lamia shares that same impulse. She isn’t content to be the villain in someone else’s story. Through Carter’s influence, she finds a voice that’s both defiant and poetic — a woman who refuses to be reduced to a symbol of fear.

The Punk Ethos: Rebellion and Reclamation

Punk music and its DIY ethos are another key influence. Bands like The Slits and artists like Poly Styrene didn’t just make noise — they made statements. Their music was raw, unapologetic, and full of fury at a world that tried to box women in. Mother / Lamia channels that same energy. She doesn’t ask for permission — she takes up space. Whether in her music, her lyrics, or her performances, she embodies the punk spirit of breaking rules and questioning authority. It’s not just style; it’s substance.

Personal Trauma and the Reclaiming of Identity

Beyond myth and philosophy, there’s the very real influence of personal trauma. Mother / Lamia has spoken about how her own experiences with pain, loss, and alienation have shaped her art. This isn’t just performance — it’s personal. Like the original Lamia, she has suffered, and like Nietzsche’s abyss-gazer, she stares back. But she also transforms. Trauma isn’t just something she endured — it’s part of her creative fuel. That’s what makes her so powerful: she doesn’t hide the scars. She sings with them.