Customer Reviews

The New Book of Goddesses & Heroines

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Patricia has created the best Goddess reference book I have seen, and I have collected shelves of such books. I turn to this book first for research, for many years and through several editions. It gets deeper and better and bigger! Patricia's writing is clear, poetic and concise. It is well organised, the cross-reference tables are indispensable, the stories are a delight. A must for anyone interested in learning more about the Goddess's many manifestations.

My area of expertise is Celtica so my comments pertain specifically to those entries in the book. If you are looking for a book with wonderful pictures and beautifully written descriptions, then you may enjoy this book. However, if you are looking for accurate information about the Celtic goddess figures named here, please look somewhere else, such as Mac Killop's _Dictionary of Celtic Mythology_ or, better still, read the myths--the Ta/in (as translated by Thomas Kinsella) or the Mabinogi (as translated by Patrick Ford) for yourself. In addition, Monaghan makes significant errors or repeats notions that are not accepted by recent scholarship. For example, Monaghan conflates several distinct figures into one without justification, such as presenting the figure of Bridget as a pan-Celtic goddess of primary importance when she was probably only one of many local deities. Some of her statements are essentially speculative, such as "Some rituals and legends suggest that Brigid's history may date back even beyond the era of the Celts." Monaghan's etymologies of "Celtic" goddess names are sometimes incorrect; for example, she gives the meaning of Bridget's name as "'bright arrow' or simply the 'bright one.'" In fact, the name means, "high one." "Sheela na gig" does not mean "hag." In her description of Morgan le Fey, Monaghan confuses various theories--such as one set that associates Morgan with an earlier figure named Muirgein vs. those that associate Morgan with the medieval figure of the Mo/rrigan. More importantly, Morgan le Fey is a figure of late medieval tales, not a goddess figure. My largest criticism of Monaghan's work is that she works on an assumption that is widespread among modern Wiccans but doesn't seem to reflect pre-Christian attitudes or practice; this assumption views goddesses in various cultures as variations on a handful of themes. For example, Monaghan repeatedly lumps together goddesses from several cultures. In doing so, she glosses over the differences that make each goddess--and the culture who venerated her--unique. She also lumps together Irish and Welsh figures as if the two cultures were a single "Celtic" group, ignoring the unique histories and approaches of these two groups. In the process, I think her approach leads to misunderstandings of the figures and the cultures. This approach almost certainly does not reflect belief and practice in pre-Christian Celt cultures.

I could read this book over and over again. (And if I didn'thave to keep getting it out of my library, I would! Amazon has anorder on the way...) Whether I was looking something up or just opening the book to a random goddess/heroine, it was always entertaining and informative.

Goddesses and Heroines far surpasses what is commonly known of the goddesses and heroines which is what really makes this book special. Rather than just recounting a myth you may have read several times, there's always a piece of information you probably don't know. I especially loved the way she describes well known Biblical figures. It really gave me a new way to look at things.

At the bottom of each entry it gives you other names and/or figures related to the deity which I found to be really helpful. It heightened my understanding of what I had looked up originally and expanded the myths, showing me how things were interrelated.

In short, this was a book I *always* enjoyed reading. I know I'll refer to this book a countless number of times in the future to learn about new Goddesses and Heroines, to research, or to just reread myths I love.

Monaghan's book provides an amazing and comprehensive review of these mythological women. Not only does she provide basic information for the layperson, she also gives little-known and in-depth background information on the true origins and roles of these female figures. This book can be browsed through for hours of simple entertainment, or it can be equally used as a resource for scholarly study.

As a reference tool, The New Book of Goddesses & Heroines is unmatched. As a collection of stories, it is entertaining and enlightening. Look up a Goddess for factual information and you are treated to a well written account that makes the facts come alive.

In the burgeoning publishing area of women's mythology and spiritual systems, it is important to find such exhaustive, scholarly and time-proven works. This updated edition of The Book of Goddesses and Heroines is particulary appreciated. Earlier editions and printings and have guided women and men for years, in discovering mythology long hidden from scholarship. Entries are arranged clearly, with many new and updated entries, and the language describing each goddess and heroine is poetic and concise. An excellent bibliography leads readers to primary sources of information, and to related works by other scholars. Indexes and cross-indexes are a particularly useful feature for readers drawing comparisons cross-culturally. A truly excellent resource.

This book is a fairly good who's who of the Goddess realms. While some information is not exactly accurate, most of it is good for a quicky look up for the female deity you haven't heard of! Most blurbs of the deities are 1/4 to 1/2 page, while some are over a page long, again, not a true encylopedia, but still good reference.

This is a wonderful book despite some mistakes. Like Chandi is the wrathful form of Kali but she spells it Candi and does not state this. Not every goddess is listed here. Like you wont see Dhumavati, or Tripura Sundari, Kaal Ratri. Otherwise its a nice book, pretty big too.

This book is awesome! It has encyclopedia like entries for Goddesses of the world. The entries are short and concise but it is a great starting point to researching various Goddesses.

I have long been fascinated by the goddess mystique, and I was delighted to find this book. It is one of the most informative books on the female role in mythology I have ever found.