The Concept of the Goddess

by Sandra Billington (Editor), Miranda Green (Editor)

Overview

The Concept of the Goddess explores the function and nature of goddesses and their cults in many cultures, including:
* Celtic
* Roman
* Norse
* Caucasian
* Japanese traditions.
The contributors explore the reasons for the existence of so many goddesses in the mythology of patriarchal societies and show that goddesses have also assumed more masculine roles, with war, hunting and sovereignty being equally important aspects of their cults.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781134641512
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	09/11/2002
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Sandra Billington, Miranda Green

Table of Contents

List of illustrations, Notes on contributors, Preface: the life and work of Hilda Ellis Davidson, Introduction, 1 The concept of the Goddess, 2 The Celtic Goddess as healer, 3 Now you see her, now you don’t: some notes on the conception of female shape-shifters in Scandinavian traditions, 4 Freyja and Frigg, 5 Freyja—a goddess with many names, 6 Meg and her Daughters: some traces of goddess-beliefs in megalithic folklore?, 7 Milk and the Northern Goddess, 8 Coventina’s Well, 9 Nemesis and Bellona: a preliminary study of two neglected goddesses, 10 Fors Fortuna in Ancient Rome, 11 Transmutations of an Irish goddess, 12 Aspects of the earth-goddess in the traditions of the banshee in Ireland, 13 The Caucasian hunting-divinity, male and female: traces of the hunting-goddess in Ossetic folklore, 14 The Mistress of the Animals in Japan: Yamanokami, Index

Editorial Reviews

Focusing mostly on Celtic and Nordic traditions, 14 essays describe several specific goddesses, including Freyja and Frigg, Megalithic Meg, Coventina, Nemesis and Bellona, and the Japanese Mistress of the Animals. They also consider wider aspects such as the Celtic goddess as healer, Scandinavian shape-shifters, and milk and the northern goddess. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Booknews

'An impressive and scholarly volume.' - Lynn Meskell, At the Edge

'Very highly recommended.' - The Cauldron

'... an outstanding source of information about goddesses not only of northern Europe, including Britain and Ireland, but also of Rome, the Caucasus and Japan.' - Wood and Water

'Highly recommended [it] illuminate[s] a profound understanding of the goddess, heretofore largely neglected by scholars or else romanticized by popular books.' - Annabel Lee, Runa

From the Publisher