Winnie Jean Howard

Evil in Pop Culture: History of the Evil Stepmother

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The evil stepmother has been featured in folklore, fairy tales, mythology, and literature for centuries, and she’s still a popular character who will appear in storylines for many years to come. While her archetype has evolved over time, she’s still portrayed as cruel, malicious, abusive, and all around wicked toward her stepchildren. This character has been a staple in stories dating back to ancient times, but how did she get her start and why does she continue to be so popular?

One of the earliest mentions of an evil stepmother dates to the Bible, in the story of Jacob and his two wives, Rachel and Leah. Leah is portrayed as the kind and nurturing wife, while Rachel is described as jealous and controlling. Rachel’s behavior towards her stepchildren is characterized by cruelty and manipulation as she tries to gain favor with her husband, like so many evil stepmothers do.

The archetype of the wicked stepmother traces back to ancient folklore and mythology from various cultures around the world. In many traditional stories, stepmothers are depicted as antagonistic figures who mistreat or harm their stepchildren out of jealousy, rivalry, or malevolence. In Greek mythology, the story of the sorceress Medea further solidifies the image of the evil stepmother when she seeks revenge on her husband, Jason, by killing their children due to a desire for vengeance. These narratives often serve as cautionary tales, warning against the dangers of domestic discord and conflict.

The Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, collected and published numerous fairy tales in the early 19th century, many of which popularized evil stepmothers in stories such as Snow White and Cinderella. In these tales, the stepmothers are depicted as cruel and vindictive, driven by a desire to eliminate their stepdaughters in order to secure their own positions of power and influence.

The evil stepmother trope has been popularized and perpetuated through various literary works over the centuries. From classic novels to modern literature, authors have continued to explore and reinvent the archetype of the malevolent stepmother. In more recent times, the evil stepmother trope has been portrayed in various other forms of media such as movies, television shows, and theater. Characters like Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones, and Regina Mills in Once Upon a Time have all become iconic examples of the evil stepmother figure, using their power and influence to manipulate and harm those around them. And it goes without saying that Disney has popularized the trope in their depictions of classic fairy tales.

Overall, the evil stepmother has been passed down through centuries of storytelling. While the character varies in appearance and motivation, she also reflects broader themes of power, jealousy, and familial dynamics that have resonated with audiences across generations. The evil stepmother serves as a cautionary tale, warning against the dangers of unchecked ambition and malevolence, and she continues to be a compelling figure in literature and popular culture today.

This Evil in Pop Culture series is being written in collaboration with AI text and image generators. Thanks to ChatGPT, EditPad Essay Writer, Adobe Firefly, and other uncensored AI image generators for your assistance in completing this project a whole hell of a lot faster.

Where have I been? Dabbling in the Occult…Collage

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WOW! Didn’t realize it’s been a month since my last post. Where have I been? Well, creating the collage to the left is one thing I’ve been up to. I love this one, although it took forever to come together. I started with just the star carved in wood background and placed all the other items, so this one was very involved.

Watched a few horror shows/movies worth watching. In Dark Harvest there’s a “deadly annual ritual in a small town and Sawtooth Jack, rises from the cornfields and challenges the town’s teenage boys in a bloody battle of survival.” All around good acting, characters, effects, etc. Generally a slasher movie if you like that sort of movie, which I was up for when I watched. Also appreciated that they set it in the 1940s.

Also enjoyed Midnight Mass, “an isolated island community experiences miraculous events – and frightening omens – after the arrival of a charismatic, mysterious young priest.” Overall great story line with well rounded characters. Very much about relationships with horror around holding on to the past.

Making some progress on The Pumpkin and the Jinn. New page to show off. Here, the pumpkin wishes himself into a dark truck on the way to market. He’s not very happy about it. I just noticed I haven’t added tears to this one, so back to that page for some more details.

I’ve been having a lot more fun with Adobe’s Firefly AI image generator. If you’d like to see more fun with the Grim Reaper, drop by my Instagram account. There are also a few more for the Heaven and Hell series there.

So, I’ve been pretty busy with art projects. Not so busy with writing, although I have been playing with a few AI text generators, including EditPad, Sudowrite, and Claude. Really love how Sudowrite works, so I’m thinking of writing a series with it. EditPad is good for a blog post and I’m pretty impressed with how little editing I need to do with what it generates for free. I need to spend more time on Claude, but I did ask it to write a story about Nita, who will serve Satan by running his restaurant on Earth in her own series after the end of the Angels Dark and Dumb first trilogy is complete in The Corner of Hell and Second Chances. I gave it no history about the series, so it made everything up including the main character’s name. Here’s the prompt and the story if you’re interested in reading it. The story’s not that interesting and doesn’t have much of a plot, but it’s well written.

Here is a fantasy story about a waitress who works in Satan’s diner, and is a God-created daughter of light possessed by a demon:

The Fallen Daughter

Amara had been an angel once – a pure daughter of light created by God himself to bring joy and grace to the mortal realm. But that had all changed the night the demon Malacai invaded her celestial form, twisting her brilliant aura into smoldering embers of corruption.

Now she walked among the denizens of the underworld, trapped as a server at Lucifer’s Pit Stop Diner on the outskirts of Hell. Her once radiant beauty was still evident beneath the demonic possession – flowing blonde locks, porcelain skin, and haunting azure eyes. But they stood in stark contrast to the infernal diner and its customers.

“Order up!” growled the flaming cook, Belior, sliding a platter of molten lava cakes onto the scorching hot counter. Amara snatched it up, the searing heat not even fazing her tainted flesh.

She wove between the booths packed with belching hellhounds, cackling witches, and foul-mouthed dwarven miners fresh off the night shift. Reaching a secluded corner table, she stopped before its solitary occupant – a wizened demon with ash-gray skin and curved horns protruding from a misshapen skull.

“Your desssssert,” Amara hissed, her voice a mixture of celestial harmony and demonic rasp as Malacai’s influence briefly flickered across her face.

The demon barely looked up from the arcane tome he was studying. With a clawed hand, he waved her off in clear dismissal. Amara’s jaw clenched in frustration. Even in this wretched place, she refused to be treated like a common servant.

Defiantly, she slammed the molten lava cakes down on the table, splattering small globs across the demon’s precious book. He reared back with a animalistic snarl of rage. Before he could utter a curse, Amara locked eyes with him, her irises pulsing brilliant blue for just a moment.

The demon instantly calmed, his anger melting away into an almost trancelike calm. With a slight nod, he returned to his studies as if nothing had occurred. Amara spun on her heel and continued on her rounds, a small smile playing across her lush lips.

The demon’s willpower was negligible compared to the strength of angelic mind control granted by her divine origins. Malacai’s possession had robbed her of so much light and goodness, but some holy powers still lingered. One day she would break free from this wicked place, Amara vowed to herself. One day soon.

A Good Horror TV Shows & a Werewolf Gets a Manicure

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Werewolves need manicures too! This is what AI thinks it looks like. Stumped again! I had a hard time finding just the right style and mood for these AI generated images. The challenge was keeping the werewolf in the picture. It wanted to replace it with humans like it did with the demons. This is my favorite. More on my Instagram account. Searches were progressive, starting with the first keywords below.

werewolf getting a manicure; werewolf with red nail polish; werewolf filing claws; spa setting; long claws; smiling; towel; yellow glowing eyes; wax treatment;

I watched the new Fall of the House of Usher series over the last few weeks and it was awesome and highly suggested. The modern take on Edgar Allan Poe was quite well done. Creative spins on the deaths of the family members. Interesting that I had reread the main tale recently and then saw the show on Netflix, which of course was the driving factor to get me started. What shall I do next?

Also want to mention that I’ve been working on a children’s book I wrote a number of years ago, The Mouse Jinn and the Pumpkin. The mouse to the left the main character in the story. His magic is in his red mittens. Like most jinns, he grants wishes that don’t always turn out as expected. I’ve finished all the mice for the illustrations and have started the backgrounds for the story. The book will be done and out before Halloween this year under my real name, Wendy Spurlin. Stay tuned for some more images.

New Collage and AI Image Generated Grim Reapers

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It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted. Mostly busy.

Here’s a steampunk collage I created this week. It started with the hat and grew 20 more images from there. Maybe a bit busy, but there’s something to look at in every nook and cranny.

More art worth a look is my AI image generated Grim Reapers. Two sets are available on Instagram. My focus is stumping the image generators with bizarre asks, so I asked for Grim Reaper sitting on toilet in gas station; with rats. Then I asked for grim reaper; holding balloons; kids birthday party; cake; presents; with children. If you have any weird mixes in mind, add a comment below.

And I’ve got a movie suggestion for ya. Little Bone Lodge with Joely Richardson, who I love. She can play some really creepy characters. “Set during a vicious storm, two criminal brothers on the run seek refuge in a desolate farmhouse. Taking the resident family captive, they find the house holds dark secrets of its own.” This movie is really twisted. More psychological thriller than gory blood and guts. The movie was well done and the acting was good. You can watch it on Tubi, but look for the movie title The Last Exit there.

That’s all from me. Have a great week!

Thank God The Holidays Are Over!

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Quick update this week, mainly because I’m been working on this and that and recovering from the holidays as we all are. I’ve been eating way too much crap, so my year starts with a detox.

This week’s collage is Barry and a hellhound he runs into in the first book. The beast gets the better of him, as do most of the bad guys in Call for Obstruction. I like to think that Barry would have a hellhound as a pet in a future book. Not sure how to write it in yet though.

Watched about the worst holiday horror movie this week. The Curse of Jack Frost came out last year, and it has that same slow motion problem. Jack Frost wasn’t at all frightening, and too obvious a guy in a mask. The storyline was lacking and the characters were annoying. Boy can I pick ’em. The only written reviews for this movie are 1 out of 10 on IMDB, and they were generous. Give me some credit for sitting through the entire movie. But I do give credit to anyone who finishes a film and gets it out there. It’s a huge accomplishment. In this case, you can only hope they learn from their mistakes and make it better the next time.

All I got this week. HAPPY NEW YEAR! It’s going to be a good one!