The Three Mothers

In honor of Mother's Day, today will be a look at the Three Mothers, which inspired Italian film director Dario Argento in making a movie version of the Three Mothers. Although this is where I would normally talk about the movies, I will not do so here, as each movie should be covered individually, so as to give some fairly detailed information about each film. Instead, I will be giving some information about each of the three mothers that inspired the movies. So, without going on a further tangent, here goes:

Mater Suspiriorum is also known as the Mother of Sighs, and was part of the inspiration behind Suspiria. This mother was considered the oldest and wisest of the three and held residence in Germany. Suspiria didn't cover this one too much because at the time of the movie being made, Argento didn't have an idea that it would eventually turn into a trilogy, but the success of the movie eventually spawned two movies that covered the other Mothers.

Mater Tenebrarum is also known as the Mother of Shadows, and was covered in Inferno. This mother was the youngest and the most ill-tempered of the three and resided in New York. It was in Inferno that the Three Mothers trilogy began to take root, and it was also in that movie that a glimpse of Mater Lachrymarum hinted at a third movie.

Mater Lachrymarum is known as the Mother of Tears. She was the most beautiful and most powerful of the three and was covered in La Terza Madre. In many ways, the movie attempted to wrap up the loose ends by tying this with Suspiria. She takes residence in Rome.

For further information about the Three Mothers, here's a piece to read:

Levana and Our Ladies of Sorrow by Thomas De Quincey