Goddess symbols: Universal signs of the divine female

by Claire Gibson

Symbols Of The Goddess.

Genres: Goddess, Spirituality

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of the Goddess as depicted around the world. Brief info on the main goddesses commonly known. Assorted pictures, paintings and drawings. Chapters are broke down by area, with the final chapter being how Christianity/Judaism absorbed and changed the Goddess and the coming out, so to speak, of Her in modern times.

[Ren Morton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published in 2004, I would love to see an updated version of this work. While it leaves out mention of Slavic and Arab mythology, Gibson canvases a large portion of the known world- relating myths of the various goddesses, images of their visual symbols, and noting common themes.

A few corrections are needed. For example, the Mayan and Taino people are not extinct.

I also wish there was a table at the end that list each geographical area and the predominant goddess symbols in a way that one can see the consistencies across all cosmologies. As it is, the reader is left to make a list and then see the infer the patterns across the cultural groups and time periods.

Also, I would like a final chapter of “who is the goddess” that again, compiles the most consist symbols associated with her across the globe (her commonalities) along with a discussion from modern day goddess mysteries/devotees on what such commonalities mean about human psychic needs, about our understanding of the world and our place in it, and how her revival is integral to other modern day movements such as environmentalism, human rights, and anti-capitalism.

All that to say, this book is an excellent starting point if you are just beginning to emerge yourself in goddess mythology and symbolism, thinking about Women’s relationship to others, or looking for an alternative reality to patriarchy.

[Tori]

Goddess symbols: Universal signs of the divine female by Claire Gibson (1998)