|
|
Home List
of Contents
Links
Contact
The Goddess.
It is good to have a book on the goddess in this series. It is filled with information, though much of it will already be known to our readers, and the illustrations make it especially valuable. There are a fair number of errors, not fatal in a popular book, but worrying. The reference to a "temple of Artemis in Despoina" may be due to a misprint — Despoina is a title, not a place — and she writes of the Amazons as if they were clearly real women, with a name meaning 'breastless', although both these views are very much disputed. She has a background as a psychotherapist, and often sees the therapeutic interpretation of myths as the primary one, though she does not insist that it is the only one. It may also be this background which leads her to emphasise the 'virgin, mother, crone' triplicity, despite the many objections that have been raised to this classification. But unlike many other writers with this view, she also sees the independent sexual life of the goddess, and not just her fertility role. What I particularly like about this book are her general comments. She points out very clearly that the goddess is both one and many. And it is really refreshing to find her writing "In modern Goddess worship the construction of a glorious female past, however historically inaccurate, is seen as a legitimate exercise in fantasy and myth-making for the purpose of self-empowerment — a role that myth and the power of the imagination have played since the dawn of human consciousness." Other authors would benefit by such insights as these, which are frequent in her book. Overall, the information, illustrations, and insights, combined with a comparatively low price, make this a welcome addition to the many goddess books now available. Wood and
Water 62, Spring 1998
Home List
of Contents
Links
Contact
|
