The Crone: Woman of Age, Wisdom, and Power [Paperback]

Barbara G. Walker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 24, 1988

A probing account of the honored place of older women in ancient matriarchal societies restores to contemporary women an energizing symbol of self-value, power, and respect.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Readers familiar with Walker's The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets ( LJ 2/1/84) will recognize much of the material in this new book and will appreciate its more coherent presenta tion. Walker uses the material to illus trate her theory that patriarchy has de stroyed the revered roles filled by women in prehistoric matriarchal soci eties. Likewise, she is convinced that the Christian church destroyed the women's religion that existed in these societies. Only by recovering societal roles embodying positive power for women can males be called into judg ment for their abuses of the earth and its peoples. Walker's attacks on men and on organized religion will be offen sive to some readers, but the book has many good points to make. Recom mended for larger public and academic libraries. Lucy Patrick, Florida State Univ. Lib., Tallahassee
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Barbara G. Walker, author of The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets, The Woman's Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects, and many other books, is a member of the Morris Museum Mineralogical Society and the Trailside Mineral Club of the New Jersey Earth Science Association.

Product Details

• Paperback: 191 pages
• Publisher: Harper & Row; First Edition edition (February 24, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062509349
• ISBN-13: 978-0062509345
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #378,578 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Barbara G. Walker, author of The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets, The Woman's Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects, and many other books, is a member of the Morris Museum Mineralogical Society and the Trailside Mineral Club of the New Jersey Earth Science Association.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent, insightful book which spans the ages of woman, September 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Crone: Woman of Age, Wisdom, and Power (Paperback)

Don't let the title dissuade you. This wonderful book is not only about older women who have reached the age of wisdom, it is about all women, across all generational boundaries. Many books of the feminist / spiritual genre provide an adequate context for the Goddess, but Walker's book truly gave me an entirely new way to look at my mothers, my friends, and myself. But most wonderfully, Walker provided me with a context for understanding the incomprehensible -- namely the senseless malice projected by so many men, onto the women they purportedly love. This book gave me comfort, nourishment, and relit the fire in my belly. I cannot recommend it too highly.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It cleared my channels, December 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Crone: Woman of Age, Wisdom, and Power (Paperback)

I read this book into the wee hours of the morning because it was connecting the dots in so many ways. All the mythological names I had studied in high school and at the university were re-visited in her text and explained. She makes a very convincing case for how many female goddesses and especially, the trinities, were co-opted by the Christian theology. She takes a stab at Buddhism as well for being a religion of solipsism. The screed at the beginning, while accurate in my mind, may turn off some readers. I know it made me feel depressed and that there would be nothing new told here. But if you keep going you will be rewarded many times over. Walker's scholarship and analysis of myths and their re-working to non-pagan beliefs is excellent. Anyone reading this can approach it as a work of scholarship.

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars deep research/deep insight, October 17, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Durham, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Crone: Woman of Age, Wisdom, and Power (Paperback)

Barbara G. Walker has brought her incredible fund of scholarship to our astounded attention once more. Exploring ancient writings, making connections, illuminating our ancient past and current woes, the author has created a masterful work that explains so many, many things. This is a must read for everyone, and a work that will be cherished by thinking women over 40, yet men probably need to read this book more than women do... The linguistic revelations are especially striking.

It all comes together in The Crone. But be warned, don't read this book unless you're willing to be intellectually challenged vis a vis religion, language, anthropology, and feminism.