Customer Reviews

Cassell's Encyclopedia of Queer Myth, Symbol and Spirit: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Lore (Cassell Sexual Politics Series)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is much more than an exhaustive reference relating to the personalities, events, processes and movements within lgbt spirituality, it is a pure pleasure to read (or in my case, browse through). It tells a far different story than the exclusively heterosexual roster of saints, sages, demons, demigods and deities that we've all had to memorize - and this pantheon is far more fascinating. Just read the entries on the "World Homosexual Movement," the "Order of Chaerona," and the "Han Temple" and you'll realize quickly that we've barely begun to scratch the surface of our old queer race's involvement with the world of the spirit.

A Treasure Trove of Queer Esoterica!

This book is much more than an exhaustive reference relating to the personalities, events, processes and movements within the realm of gay and lesbian spirituality, it is a pure pleasure to read. The product of meticulous research, this encyclopedia offers detailed yet concise, cross-referenced entries and an index of attributes and traditions as an encouragement to both quick reference and casual browsing. Beyond its obvious usefulness to scholars, this work aims to inspire, entertain and empower, and it is hugely successful in that effort.

It tells a far different story than the exclusively heterosexual roster of saints, sages, demons, demigods and deities that we've all had to live with - and this pantheon is far more fascinating.

The 1,500-odd alphabetic entries ranging from "Aakulujjuusi" to "Zeus" reveal our history, deeply encoded in sacred texts and all-but-forgotten traditions. Just read the entries on the "World Homosexual Movement," the "Order of Chaerona," and the "Han Temple" and you'll realize quickly that we've barely begun to scratch the surface of our old queer race's involvement with the world of the spirit.

A very praiseworthy work!

I was thrilled to get this book, with its big-picture approach and refreshingly pro-gay look at religion across cultures. But the more I use it, the less I get out of it. None of the articles have in-line citations which allow me to look into them further, and many of the assertions in the articles I've been unable to find anywhere else. There are lots of sentences which say things like, "It is conceivable that, due to Astarte's transgendered aspect, that she was also served by gender variant or Amazonian women." Conceivable, yes, but lots of things in science fiction are also conceivable- the authors don't provide any further reference to why one might believe that beyond the fact that it could be a hypothetical possibility. The authors also frequently give equal weight to original practitioners of centuries-old religions and to 20th-century, First World re-interpreters of those religions with specific personal or political agendas.

These problems leave me wondering if the authors just randomly put their opinions into articles as facts or made up original ideas and then inserted them into centuries-old mythologies. I don't know for a fact that they did this, but without any citations to back up what they say, and with lots of ideas presented that can't be backed up anywhere else, it seems a reasonable concern. For the queer person wanting personal spiritual inspiration I think this is probably a great book. In that case, the fact or fiction of the ideas presented is irrelevant compared to the emotional response to the ideas presented. This is one of few books which can make a queer person feel tied to a larger world-wide mythic or religious whole. But for the student of history, mythology, or religion I think sorting through the unsourced mystical assumptions all over the place to find the the few ideas and people that can be definitively grounded will be frustrating.

Cassell's Encyclopedia of Queer Myth, Symbol and Spirit, etc. is a wonderful resource for seeing what often gets ignored by scholars. I never knew that there were three gods that were worshipped in the gynasia and palaestra of Greeks and Romans that loved other men. These were Eros, Hermes, and Herakles. It was a profound discovery and this book has many others that might give an understanding of the world that has been ignored deliberately by the heterocentric scholars.

This is literally an encyclopedia of LBGT stuff! If you ever wanted to know anything about Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, or Transgender subjects, this is the only book you might ever need!

Very helpful as resource material though a bit stretched in it's assumptions of certain myths. All together a good read.