Customer Reviews

The Great Goddess: Reverence of the Divine Feminine from the Paleolithic to the Present

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

 

 

This is a book that I bought after reading Markale's previous book Women of the Celts. I have to admit first that it was dry in some areas but picked up in others. Much of his focus is from a scholarly level and he focuses mostly on the many images of the Feminine Divine in both Art and sculputer. The purpose of his book I believe is to show that while the image and focus of the Goddess changed that she did not completely vanish but simply took on a new form. This book shows that the people's love for the Goddess was so strong that she could not be rid of by those who sought to destroy both Her worship and image.
As to the previous review it was said that Markale refered to the Sheela and "Terrifying" etc...This is true for to many people within the current mind set the sheela can be a terrifying image as can be many of the faces of the Goddess. Markale was not calling the Goddess names or making nasty judgements but I believe was attempting to show how she was viewed by others and that yes these images can give us feeling of terror due to our hiding away those parts of both ourselves and the goddess.
I say read the book for yourself and make your own judgement. Not half bad.

Very well written (although a bit dry) analytical comparison of the various ancient goddess figures found throughout European archaeological sites. Difficult to read quickly due to the author's writing style. Also, I was very disappointed that there were no illustrations/photographs of the figures mentioned, nor any maps of the locations they were found at. But overall, a very good effort.

The book arrived in a timely manner in the condition it was advertised to be.

I love the book and I received it in good time and in great condition.