“The Woods behind the Water Tower” is based on the myth of Lamia, in which Lamia, a mistress of Zeus, is forced to bear witness to the death of her children at the hands of a jealous and vengeful Hera. She is then prevented by the Goddess from closing her eyes and sleeping, denying her respite from her tortured mind. Her only escape is provided by a sympathetic Zeus who allows her to remove her eyes from their sockets. The psychological trauma caused by the death of her children leaves lamia broken, eventually turning her into a monster. She terrorizes towns by using an alluring whistle to lead the children of the townsfolk into the depths of forests, never to be seen again. In this interpretation, Lamia takes on a hermaphroditic sexuality, as she does in Aristophanes’ “Peace.” This quality is heightened by the prominent use of whistling, the only form of tonal human communication free from gender bias.

Source: 2009