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Encyclopedia of Goddesses and Heroines: 2 volumes
Drawn from a variety of sources ranging from classical literature to early ethnographies to contemporary interpretations, the Encyclopedia of Goddesses and Heroines provides a comprehensive introduction to the ways goddess figures have been viewed through the ages. This unique encyclopedia of over thousands of figures of feminine divinity describes the myths and attributes of goddesses and female spiritual powers from around the world. The two-volume set is organized by culture and religion, exploring the role of women in each culture's religious life and introducing readers to the background of each pantheon, as well as the individual figures who peopled it. Alternative names for important divinities are offered, as are lists of minor goddesses and their attributes. Interest in women's spirituality has grown significantly over the last 30 years, both among those who remain in traditional religions and those who explore spirituality outside those confines. This work speaks to them all.
728 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
Patricia Monaghan
49 books57 followersPatricia Monaghan was a poet, a writer, a spiritual activist, and an influential figure in the contemporary women's spirituality movement.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 1, 2016
When I read books like this, I always go straight to information that I already know, to see how accurate those entries are. If they're good, I can trust that most of the book is also good. This one contains sloppy research and basic errors in the section on Ancient Egypt. For example, it states that Ancient Egyptians usually ate no fish because a fish had eaten Osiris' penis. False. It says that Sekhmet tried to destroy the world on her own initiative. False: Ra asked her to kill people, and she got carried away with bloodlust. If they can't get this stuff right, then the rest of it is also highly suspect.
December 30, 2017
The Goddesses and Heroines across all continents. A great resource for me, a beginner in the studies of the divine feminine.
October 26, 2022
I did not know that this was my second time reading it, but here is my first review of it. My overall impression of this book is awe. I can only imagine how long it took the author to gather up all these myths about countless different cultures, as well as different forms, and etymologies. My favorite aspect of this book is how it lists myths that line up with each other. For example, Esther from the biblical book of Esther, and her cousin Mordecai becoming Queen and Prime Minister, lines up almost exactly with Ishtar and Marduk, and that's not just from similar spelling and etymologies. Also lining up with Judeo-Christian mythology is Lilith and Isis. One myth, not found in the bible but on a scroll, says that YHWH (God) had planned to wipe out the human race long before the Flood and before Noah had even existed. Lilith offered to help but was powerless unless she knew his secret name. When she had that, she had power over him, so instead of helping, she asked for wings and the power of witchcraft. In Egyptian mythology, Ra was sick and called for Isis, a healer goddess, who also claimed to be powerless unless she knew his secret name. Instead of helping, she asked for wings and the power of witchcraft. This whole book opens up room for thought and speculation and makes you think "all these stories are so similar yet have different beginnings and results" for example, in the biblical story of Noah, the flood started because god was angry at humans and wanted to wipe them out, this resulted in the world being born again. in the Norse myth of the flood, it happened because Odin, Vili, and Vi cut open Ymir and his fluids spilt out, this resulted in the world being born for the first time. It also makes you think if all these mythologies have seemingly all-powerful beings, but they need help sometimes, why doesn't god?? If even Adam, who was at his core, a lesser version of God, needed a helpmate, why doesn't God?? What if all these other gods and Goddesses are God's helpers??
September 1, 2019
This is an invaluable resource. I appreciate the diligence and research and care that Monaghan put into this wonderful book. I also appreciated:
>how well laid out it is
>that Monaghan included goddesses and heroines from around the world
>that she included both better- and lesser-known goddesses
>that she included both better- and lesser-known stories and information about the goddesses
>that Monaghan included the conflicting information that often comes up around goddesses
-she tells all sides of the tale, with suggestions on the roots of each part of the information
>that Monaghan was so thorough and caring in her portrayal of the goddesses of the world
I got my current copy from the library, which unfortunately wants it back. However, I have added it to my 'to buy' list because I would like to have a copy on my shelves, and I am really selective on which books I will spend the money and shelf space to own.
>how well laid out it is
>that Monaghan included goddesses and heroines from around the world
>that she included both better- and lesser-known goddesses
>that she included both better- and lesser-known stories and information about the goddesses
>that Monaghan included the conflicting information that often comes up around goddesses
-she tells all sides of the tale, with suggestions on the roots of each part of the information
>that Monaghan was so thorough and caring in her portrayal of the goddesses of the world
I got my current copy from the library, which unfortunately wants it back. However, I have added it to my 'to buy' list because I would like to have a copy on my shelves, and I am really selective on which books I will spend the money and shelf space to own.
July 15, 2024
3.5 stars
Fascinating topic and the book is a very pleasant read. Or at least it was, until I got to the one mythology and religion I am particularly knowledgeable about and was frustrated out of my mind by all the nonsense. I can only assume the other sections are equally "reliable".
I did however began doubting the book's reliability quite early on (before even starting on the individual figures) when the author presented Robert Graves's made up myth, completely unattested in ancient sources, about the dancing Eurynome who created the world as a supposedly legitimate detail of Greek mythology.
Regardless, I read it from cover to cover and for the most part had a good time doing so.
Fascinating topic and the book is a very pleasant read. Or at least it was, until I got to the one mythology and religion I am particularly knowledgeable about and was frustrated out of my mind by all the nonsense. I can only assume the other sections are equally "reliable".
I did however began doubting the book's reliability quite early on (before even starting on the individual figures) when the author presented Robert Graves's made up myth, completely unattested in ancient sources, about the dancing Eurynome who created the world as a supposedly legitimate detail of Greek mythology.
Regardless, I read it from cover to cover and for the most part had a good time doing so.
July 7, 2020
This took me awhile to get through but it’s the most comprehensive book I’ve read on goddesses and heroines from across the world. Patricia Monaghan was a brilliant writer. There’s a wealth of knowledge in here including some research on mythologies that you may not have read before. It also highlights the tragedy that so much has been lost to time and due to the eradication of entirely civilizations and their cultures and religions. Highly recommend.
March 13, 2022
The book is divided into sections according to regions and countries. It provides a brief overview of the region, including the history of beliefs and religions of its people. It then lists, in alphabetical order, the deities (goddesses and heroines) of the region, with brief descriptions of each. The book seems well-researched as the information is cited.
January 17, 2018
Interesting to see how many cultures have such similar creation tales. Also interesting how Christianized cultures usurped other belief systems in order to incorporate those cultures into Christian culture.
Read
August 6, 2023Com inúmeras referências (umas mais, outras menos conhecidas), é bom para consulta rápida, e depois aprofundar com outras fontes (que o livro também fornece). Para conhecimentos mais profundos sobre determinada deusa/heroína não é o livro adequado, falando por vezes apenas superficialmente.
January 8, 2019
Great for writers! Using it for some story ideas. Well written and well detailed from all over the world.
November 27, 2019
Book has no clear purpose or idea.
May 20, 2023
Dissapointed but not surprised. The amount of mistakes in the section about Slavic women is horrendous. But it's not like I expected that the autor will do the research.
July 16, 2014
"Who knew she had so many names?" Vicki Nobel says in her endorsement of the Encyclopedia of Goddesses & Heroines by Patricia Monaghan. She's referring to the Goddess known by different names, in various forms throughout time and the many cultures of the world. The book is a paperback version of two volumes originally published in hardcover in 2009.
I remember a university professor with whom I took an evening course on goddess spirituality in the mid-nineties saying that polytheism is so much more relevant for women than monotheism. The exact word may not have been "relevant" but what stays with me are words and terms like welcoming, multi-faceted, all-embracing, and women-affirming.
Dr. Christiane Northrup's endorsement echoes what I'm attempting to remember: "Something deep within every woman is healed and validated when she learns the rich feminine history of goddesses and heroines through history and their importance in all the world's cultures. And it's all here in this magnificent work."
The encyclopedia is divided into sections based on geographical and cultural divisions. An introduction to each section describes the role of women in that part of the world. Modern revivals of ancient goddess religions are mentioned as well as "ethical" or other concerns about such revivals.
In each section, individual entries describe important goddesses and heroines. For instance, "The Americas" includes North America, Mesoamerica and South America, and the Caribbean.
With more than 500 Native American cultures, Patricia Monaghan would have had a lot of archaeological, mythological, literary, and First Nations' research to do on that section alone. Sheer numbers wouldn't have been the only challenge. There would have been the necessity to condense mountains of information.
The Pacific Northwest, where I live, is home to many groups whose customs still flourish. They include the Haida, Tlingit, Chinook, Tsimshian, the people of Bella Coola and Bella Bella and the Kwakiutl.
"Many of the cultures were exterminated or suppressed by warfare intended to take their lands," Monaghan points out. Researchers in the past often failed to record names of goddesses and female figures were given "status names" like "Old Mother" or "Young Girl."
The names are alphabetical so one has to search for one's region. Nono'osqua is the Bella Coola "mother of flowers" who "lives in the House of Myths, from which she brings forth all the plants every spring, when two old women call forth her power in ritual." (Bella Coola is on the coast of British Columbia.)
Tacoma is the earth goddess of the Salish, Nisqualli, Puyallup, and Yakima embodied in the snowy peak of Mount Rainier in Washington State.
The Greek pantheon includes goddesses familiar to many: Ariadne, Artemis and Athena. The Amazons are described as well. They were "warriors bearing ivy-shaped shields and double-bladed axes as they marched under their war queen."
There's so much rich material and fascinating stories to dip into here. Monaghan's research went on for most of her life as she began publishing books on women's spirituality more than thirty years ago. You can have a look at your own part of the world, and have a look at the part of the world your ancestors came from, as well as find many resources for further reading in the extensive bibliography. The encyclopedia is an ideal resource for women of all ages and a definite antidote to the portrayals of women in advertising and the media in our contemporary lives.
by Mary Ann Moore
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
I remember a university professor with whom I took an evening course on goddess spirituality in the mid-nineties saying that polytheism is so much more relevant for women than monotheism. The exact word may not have been "relevant" but what stays with me are words and terms like welcoming, multi-faceted, all-embracing, and women-affirming.
Dr. Christiane Northrup's endorsement echoes what I'm attempting to remember: "Something deep within every woman is healed and validated when she learns the rich feminine history of goddesses and heroines through history and their importance in all the world's cultures. And it's all here in this magnificent work."
The encyclopedia is divided into sections based on geographical and cultural divisions. An introduction to each section describes the role of women in that part of the world. Modern revivals of ancient goddess religions are mentioned as well as "ethical" or other concerns about such revivals.
In each section, individual entries describe important goddesses and heroines. For instance, "The Americas" includes North America, Mesoamerica and South America, and the Caribbean.
With more than 500 Native American cultures, Patricia Monaghan would have had a lot of archaeological, mythological, literary, and First Nations' research to do on that section alone. Sheer numbers wouldn't have been the only challenge. There would have been the necessity to condense mountains of information.
The Pacific Northwest, where I live, is home to many groups whose customs still flourish. They include the Haida, Tlingit, Chinook, Tsimshian, the people of Bella Coola and Bella Bella and the Kwakiutl.
"Many of the cultures were exterminated or suppressed by warfare intended to take their lands," Monaghan points out. Researchers in the past often failed to record names of goddesses and female figures were given "status names" like "Old Mother" or "Young Girl."
The names are alphabetical so one has to search for one's region. Nono'osqua is the Bella Coola "mother of flowers" who "lives in the House of Myths, from which she brings forth all the plants every spring, when two old women call forth her power in ritual." (Bella Coola is on the coast of British Columbia.)
Tacoma is the earth goddess of the Salish, Nisqualli, Puyallup, and Yakima embodied in the snowy peak of Mount Rainier in Washington State.
The Greek pantheon includes goddesses familiar to many: Ariadne, Artemis and Athena. The Amazons are described as well. They were "warriors bearing ivy-shaped shields and double-bladed axes as they marched under their war queen."
There's so much rich material and fascinating stories to dip into here. Monaghan's research went on for most of her life as she began publishing books on women's spirituality more than thirty years ago. You can have a look at your own part of the world, and have a look at the part of the world your ancestors came from, as well as find many resources for further reading in the extensive bibliography. The encyclopedia is an ideal resource for women of all ages and a definite antidote to the portrayals of women in advertising and the media in our contemporary lives.
by Mary Ann Moore
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
December 25, 2016
I picked up a bunch of encyclopedias to skim in the hopes of finding ones with entries that will spark some writing ideas. This encyclopedia certainly fit the bill. Featuring goddesses and heroines from all over the world, this encyclopedia is a great resource to leaning about the mythological women that most books on the subject neglect to mention.
July 14, 2015
Yes. This is a reference book. Yes. I read it cover to cover. I recommend at least skimming the geographical sections all at once to spot the patterns.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews