Customer Reviews

Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses

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"The same mysteries have puzzled people on every continent, the same fears have beset them and they have all attempted to explain the mysteries and allay the fears in the same way-through the worship of gods." - From the book

The Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses is a 402-page paperback dedicated to gods and goddesses, featuring over 2,500 entries and spanning ancient and contemporary cultures. The author provides a chart of the chronology of the principle religions and cultures covered in the book, which include:

* Sumerian
* Egyptian
* Australian Aboriginal
* Akkadian-Babylonian
* Hindu
* Hittite-Hurrian
* Greek
* Hebrew
* Mayan
* Celtic
* Buddhist
* Roman
* African Yoruba
* Polynesian
* Nordic-Icelandic
* Christian
* Inca
* Aztec
* Maori
* Islamic

The author gives only brief treatments of minor gods and goddesses, but affords the major deities with a bit more coverage in the book, including original cultural source, the role of the deity, genealogy, symbols, attributes, art references, literary sources, and so on.

The Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses does not include demigods, demons, or mythological heroes. According to the author, a demigod is "a personality who was once mortal but has been elevated to the celestial ranks". However, significant ancestral personalities who have been clearly deified and treated entirely as gods and goddesses (e.g. the Sumerian god Dumuzi or the Norse god Balder) are included, even though they're technically demigods.

Yet, while the demigod Guatama Buddha has been included, Jesus Christ has not. This makes no sense, especially since most Christians consider Jesus to be 100% god in human form; after his ascension, he is worshipped as "one with the father" (Jehovah/YHWH) and supplicants pray to him as such even today. Why the author chooses to include some demigods, especially tribal ones, and not Jesus (one of the most influential modern deities) is a mystery.

The Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses is a comprehensive source for gods and goddesses; in fact, the author claims that it represents the most comprehensive worldwide listing of deities available in a single volume. However, he admits that it makes no claim to be exhaustive. This is quite true. For example, if you look up Abundantia, the entry reads:

"Minor fertility goddess. Roman. The personification of abundance. She continued in French mythology after the Roman occupation, as a lady who enters houses in the night, bringing prosperity."

The author doesn't even mention that the French called her "Lady Hobunde". This would be valuable information should an individual want more information on HOW Abundantia continued in French mythology. Or, if you look up Athena, you'll find that she offered the olive to humankind, but there is no mention of the context, which is Athena's contention with Poseidon. By humans accepting her gift over Poseidon's, Athena gained control of Athens. In addition, there is no mention of her being a virgin/maiden goddess, nor that Zeus entrusted her with a shield bearing the Medusa and his principle weapon, the thunderbolt. Therefore, if you want in-depth information on the mythos of particular deities, you'll have to acquire an encyclopedia or book dedicated to a specific culture, or one that focuses squarely on mythology.

The Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses is a fine introduction to deities spanning world cultures. It would be especially good for students or general readers wanting quick references to gods and goddesses. Nevertheless, if you want to delve deeply into various deities, especially the mythos, you'll have to look elsewhere.

This book is the same as the hardcover Encyclopedia of Gods and Goddesses. The entries are the same word for word, so getting this book would depend of whether a person wants a hardcover or paperback version of the book. I should of paid closer attention when ordering these books. It is good to have more than one reference book of this subject, and I keep the hardcover for my personal use and put this one in the main room for everyone.

Just like my previous review, this book gives nice articles on each God and Goddess. There is an extensive amount, and plenty of information for those researching this subject. Some of the smaller deities get very short one or two sentence articles, which is my main complaint with this otherwise good collection.

Overall great book! Lists a lot of gods and goddess' and gives detailed info on each one. Only a short paragraph tho, so if you're looking for info on a specific god or goddess, you may want to look at some other books as well as this one. If you are interested in learning more about the gods and goddess', this is the book to get!

Abonsam

Malevolent spirit. West Africa. Recognized by tribes in the Gold Coast, etc. Traditionally driven away in an annual expulsion ritual by firing guns and shouting loudly, emptying houses of furniture and beating the interiors with sticks. The abonsant was finally driven into the sea. The ritual was preceded by four weeks of total silence in the area. Michael Jordans Gods and Goddesses.

The purpose of any deity is to focus large groups of people toward specific actions. We need to understand the ancient deities of our ancestors because of their power. Imagine if a whole community could be silent for a month. That means no mobile phones, no television, no radio, etc., just us alone with our thoughts. We could get so much important work done during this time. We could develop so many ideas during this time. Abonsam can also remind us that there are forces who want to destroy us and we should drive those forces out of our communities.

This book is an excellent resource for anyone seeking basic information about the stunning variety of gods that humans have believed in over the last several centuries.

A common challenge for believers is to avoid becoming so fixated on their particular god or gods that they ignore or never learn about other gods.

Just skimming through this book will expand one's awareness about our long-time obsession with gods.


I highly recommend this book.


--Guy P. Harrison, author of

Race and Reality: What Everyone Should Know About Our Biological Diversity

and

50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God



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This books got it all, I didn't know there were THAT many deities! Definately a must have for any witch/pagan/coven...or anyone who wants to know anything about any deity.