The Heroic Female Spirit: A Collection of Tales (Paperback)

by Phyllis K. Peterson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Myths and legends have traditionally been the domain of men and boys. The gallant hero is almost always male. In The Heroic Female Spirit: A Collection of Tales, author, performer, and storyteller Phyllis Peterson shows women and girls at the center of each story--discovering their inner gifts, defying restrictive customs, and creating peace between seemingly implacable foes. In the tradition of Joseph Campbell, her stories employ many of the moral virtues found in every religion. The heroes in each tale strive to reshape and improve the world around them, demonstrating that heroic qualities are not only the domain of young men and boys, but reside within each of us regardless of gender.

About the Author
Phyllis K. Peterson is the author of Healing the Wounded Soul (Baha'i Publishing, 2005). A talented performer and storyteller, Peterson enjoys writing and telling stories about maintaining healthy personal boundaries, the authority of self, protecting children from abuse, and anger management. She lives in Machesney Park, Illinois.

Product Details

• Paperback: 189 pages
• Publisher: Baha'i Publishing; 1st edition (May 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931847290
• ISBN-13: 978-1931847292
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,409,181 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Female Spirit leads to more fully participatory society, January 21, 2008

By	Joan C. Scott "[e-mail]" (New Mexico and Oregon) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

From the title, The Heroic Female Spirit, one might expect stories of Queen Arthur types going forth to rule the world. However that is not what you will find here. You also might expect to find stories to read at bedtime -- a little final entertainment before sleeping. That is not what is in this book, either. What you will find are modern myths addressing modern problems -- stories comparable to ancient folk myths -- but they are not just to be read and set aside. In the back section of the book, there is a discussion guide for each story. Here in Grants a small group of us are forming a group for empowerment of women, and such stories and discussion can be used in some of our meetings to help women see their own potential. The stories comprise 115 pages, but the discussion guides occupy 74 pages, so such a use is obviously dear to the author's heart. When her 11 year old grand-daughter listened to the author tell the story of "The Girl Who Climbed a Ladder to the Stars", she paused in wonder at the end and finally said, "Wow!" Then she said, "Grandma, the thing I like about your stories is that the girl and the boy always end up understanding each other better!" She captured in a nutshell is what the book is about.

In the mythic past when trees were many and people were few, we did not need myths about the importance of saving forests. In that same mythic past humanity was ruled by force; the strongest ruled, so there were no myths made about people cooperating. In a mythic past dominated by men, there were few myths about the contributions of women. Now modern society has become hamstrung rather like the boy in Peterson's "Legend of the Guardians of the Forest" and the men in "Legend of the Girl Who Climbed a Ladder to The Stars." Part of the reason is that too few choose to add into the mix of leadership the uniquely female traits -- today's ruling females for the most part are expected to act and think like men, to eschew parts of their identity. Tales like the tales of the forest guardians and the ladder climber illustrate the need for women to trust their feminine abilities and use them in concert with the traditionally male approach to life. Learning just what those female traits might be is the theme of chapters like "The Cave of Whispers" and "The Keeper of the Shoes." The tales "The Wall of Sorrows" and "The Light of Unity" get us to thinking about how women might help change the generally negative tone of modern society. Each tale shows us how we may incorporate a virtue into our approach.

In the author's Baha'i Faith, adherents see the emancipation of women as a prerequisite for world peace and social progress. In a statement to a UN-sponsored women's conference in the Caribbean in 1988, its world governing body has stated, "The Bahá'í International Community believes that the well being of humanity, the realization of social and economic development and the establishment of world peace require the recognition of the equality of men and women as a spiritual principle, and the consequent participation of women with men in all fields of human endeavor." Note that it does NOT say that women must learn to think and act like men, but that they must participate. Beginning to discover the value of feminine strengths and how they can be used in combination with men's strengths are major themes of Peterson's tales. These tales, which make no effort to teach Baha'i theology, can be used to help us in that process of learning so absolutely tied to achievement of world peace.