MW Queen Idia - A Queendom Not Yet Assured

In this episode, Risa tells a story about an ancient Queen Mother of the sixteenth-century Kingdom of Benin, in what’s now southern Nigeria. A story about her power and the power of all Mothers in all senses of the word: all progenitors of the future. The story migrates through the lore of Idia, her two-world seeing, her medicines, her power as counsel and ancestor, to the colonial theft of the masks, to the women's uprising in Nigeria of the 70s, to the Combahee River Collective, to the more-than-human beings who haunt the mask, calling for our care, calling our liberation further, calling every body home. Missing Witches is a feminist history of magic podcast exploring the meeting place of spirituality, activism, and art practice. Join us for deeply researched, scripted histories and meditations on historical figures, uncovering what their stories teach us about modern witchcraft today. We feature interviews with real practitioners across diverse magical, pagan, occult, and spiritual traditions—digging into tarot, astrology, divination, herbalism, and our relationships with plant medicine and the more-than-human world. Whether you are a science-loving feminist witch or someone longing for the re-enchantment of the world, you’ve found your people. • Join our International Online Coven: Connect with an intentional community of modern witches at missingwitches.com. • Subscribe & Support: Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help other seekers find us! The Missing Witches coven is trans-inclusive, anti-racist, feminist, pro-science, anti-ableist, and full of AWE and LOVE.