When Kali Trampled Shiva
A Parable For Men About Challenging Women
There’s a famous depiction in Hindu mythology where the demon goddess Kali stands atop Shiva, the destroyer of evil. There are many versions of the stories of these two deities, and many interpretations of what it means. It’s most prominently an instruction manual for men on how to handle fiery women. Or on a meta-level how the collective masculine archetype handles the collective feminine.
Kali is the goddess most associated with death and destruction. She represents the chaotic element of femininity. Feminists often like this representation because she validates the wild emotions of women, often judged by society as “irrational.”
Shiva represents many things in Hinduism, but in general, he’s the fucking Man. He represents all the virtues of masculinity: the father nature (similar to Zeus), warrior ethos, higher consciousness and transcendence of materialism.
So why the image of Kali killing Shiva? Is Hindu mythology foreshadowing the destruction of masculinity by the new waves of feminism?¹
It may seem that way, but actually the opposite is true.
Because Shiva doesn’t actually die.
And masculinity doesn’t die just because women let their rage out. It gets stronger.
