Books › Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets
Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets
First published 1996 · 1124 pages
A sprawling, subversive treasure trove that invites readers to wander through the hidden, pre-patriarchal origins of myth, magic, and language.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like wandering through a vast, secret library hidden beneath the foundations of modern history. It is a meandering, browser-friendly experience that invites you to dip into random entries, from the origins of fairy tales to the suppressed histories of ancient goddesses, and emerge hours later with your worldview subtly shifted. The tone is fiercely scholarly yet deeply subversive, dismantling patriarchal narratives with meticulous research and an authoritative, revelatory voice. The atmosphere is steeped in the mystical and the ancient, wrapping the reader in a sense of profound discovery. It will thoroughly delight feminist historians, modern witches, and anyone who loves peeling back the layers of familiar folklore to uncover the forgotten, matriarchal roots of human culture.
- Mood
- illuminating
- mystical
- thought-provoking
- ancient
- Tone
- authoritative
- subversive
- scholarly
- revelatory
- feminist
- Pace
- meandering
- Themes
- the divine feminine · reclaiming women's history · dismantling patriarchal narratives · hidden origins of folklore · mythology and magic
- The writing
- Meticulously researched and densely informative, yet highly accessible and laced with a quiet, authoritative defiance.
- The arc
- Begins with casual curiosity about familiar folklore and deepens into a profound, paradigm-shifting awe at the hidden matriarchal roots of human culture.
- Who it's for
- Feminist scholars, modern witches, and folklore enthusiasts who love falling down rabbit holes of ancient history and mythic origins.
Content notes
- discussions of misogyny
- religious persecution
- historical trauma
- sexual violence
About the book
"Do You Know... where the legend of a cat's nine lives comes from? Why "mama" is a word understood in nearly all languages? How the custom of kissing began? Whether there really was a female pope? Why Cinderella's glass slipper was so important to the Prince? The answers to these and countless other intriguing questions are given in this compulsively readable, feminist encyclopedia. Twenty-five years in preparation, this unique, comprehensive sourcebook focuses on mythology anthropology, religion, and sexuality to uncover precisely what other encyclopedias leave out or misrepresent. The Woman's Encyclopedia presents the fascinating stories behind word origins, legends, superstitions, and customs. A browser's delight and an indispensable resource, it offers 1,350 entries on magic, witchcraft, fairies, elves, giants, goddesses, gods, and psychological anomalies such as demonic possession the mystical meanings of sun, moon, earth, sea, time, and space ideas of the soul, reincarnation, creation and doomsday ancient and modern attitudes toward sex, prostitution, romance, rape, warfare, death and sin, and more. Tracing these concepts to their prepatriarchal origins, Barbara G. Walker explores a "thousand hidden pockets of history and custom in addition to the valuable material recovered by archaeologists, orientalists, and other scholars." Not only a compendium of fascinating lore and scholarship, The Woman's Encyclopedia is a revolutionary book that offers a rare opportunity for both women and men to see our cultural heritage in a fresh light, and draw upon the past for a more humane future"--Back cover.
Description from Open Library.
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