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The Mothers, Abridged Edition
Book by Briffault, Robert
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First published January 1, 1927
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 4, 2016
I'd first gotten excited about the matriarchal theory when I encountered it in Robert Graves, who made a compelling if unscientific case for the notion that, before people understood that men help women to reproduce, women held the upper hand in social relations. (The First Sexual Revolution would come about after men became aware of this fact and let it go to their heads.) Briffault was a brilliant and eccentric anthropologist who became convinced of this same idea and exhaustively documented the evidence he found for it, from all around the world and throughout history. While his ideas have never gained much currency amongst the orthodox, they had a strong influence on later feminist theory, as for instance through Riane Eisler's The Chalice and the Blade. Regardless of whether you consider this a pioneering work of brilliant insight or merely a curio of an era where much of science was still performed by talented amateurs, it remains a fascinating and provocative read.
April 4, 2019
I read the abridged version many years ago when the Brighton branch of the Boston Public Library had it. When I looked for it about ten years ago, I found, to my dismay, that the library had disposed of it. Fortunately, a lot of the local academic libraries have it. This is another book I started about ten years ago, suspended reading a couple years later, only to resume it about three years ago. This book is in an old style, so there are a lot of footnotes, and the sentences are long with lots of clauses. The polyamory crowd has apparently overlooked this book, maybe because they want to be a "modern" social phenomenon. There is a lot to say for the prevalence of liberty in sexual relations, and the consequent infanticides and terminations of pregnancy, and how people rarely connected it with marriage. Further, it was usually the women who did the choosing and initiated sexual relations.
July 26, 2025
THE FAMED PRESENTATION OF THE MATRIARCHAL THEORY OF SOCIAL ORIGINS
Robert Stephen Briffault (pronounced "Bree-foh"; 1876-1948) was a social anthropologist and later a novelist; readers of this volume might also be interested in his 'Marriage-Past and Present.' He wrote in the Preface of this 1931 book, "In response for the demand for an edition of my work... in one volume it was originally contemplated to issue an abridgement of the book... [but] so many portions of it would, however, have had to be sacrificed, that I have deemed it preferable to confine myself to the discussion of the main thesis which chiefly attracted attention in the original work... Although its material is for the most part extracted from [the earlier work], I have felt free to treat it as an independent work."
He observes, "Whatever view we may take of the respective intellectual capacities of men and women under modern conditions, they are quite inapplicable to animals, and also to primitive humanity. Masculine intellectual superiority, assuming the extremest view of its nature, has reference to mental spheres which are products... of social evolution. In primitive conditions that superiority has no application." (Ch. I, pg. 21)
He notes that among animal groups "The male, instead of being the head and supporter of the group, is not an essential member of it, and more often than not is altogether absent from it... When he attaches himself to the female's family his association with it is loose and precarious. He has no functional place in it. The parental relation is confined to that between mother and brood. Paternity does not exist... The mother is the sole centre and bond of it..." (Ch. I, pg. 23)
He states, "The matriarchal theory ... is a theory of social origins. It is not... an hypothesis concerning a form of society existing at some undetermined period of the past in which women, instead of men, ruled... If human society did not develop out of a group in which the male was the dominant member... there is no alternative except ... the matriarchal theory of social origins." (Ch. IV, pg. 100)
He suggests, "The patrilocal form of marriage thus depends upon a transaction superimposed on the original arrangement whereby a man went to live with his wife's people. If that be so... there is no alternative but to conclude that the practice of matrilocal marriage was the original form of marriage union, and is coeval with the origin of humanity." (Ch. IV, pg. 137-138)
Interestingly, he says that the term 'Matriarchy' "suggests therefore that ... the women exercise a domination over the men... The speculations of Bachofen [see 'Myth, Religion, and Mother Right'] encouraged that misconception... in which the respective parts of the sexes were reversed as in a topsy-turvy world... In point of fact there is nothing in the lower phases of culture corresponding to the domination of one sex over the other which characterizes patriarchal societies." (Ch. VII, pg. 179-180) Later, he adds, "no great difficulty is found in showing that a matriarchal constitution of society cannot be inferred from the practice of matrilineal reckoning of descent." (Ch. VII, pg. 186)
He argues, "The patriarchal theory of social origins relied in the tradition of Christian countries upon the pictures of patriarchal pastoralists in the Bible. Yet even the traditions of that typically patriarchal organisation supply indications so definite of its evolution from different conditions ... marriage was with them matrilocal, as is fully illustrated by the Biblical account of the marriage of Jacob... [and] the Song of Deborah, represents the Hebrew tribes under the command of a female 'judge' [Judges 4]." (Pg. 274)
He says, "Fatherhood, in the lower stages of human society does not found a family; motherhood alone does." (Ch. VIII, pg. 226) He concludes, "Patriarchal marriage, the patriarchal family, and patriarchal morality are features of our social organization ... [that are] relatively late products of that social evolution." (Ch. XII, pg. 310)
Briffault's work had a huge influence upon the women's movement of the 1960s and later, and his provocative ideas retain their fascination even today.
Robert Stephen Briffault (pronounced "Bree-foh"; 1876-1948) was a social anthropologist and later a novelist; readers of this volume might also be interested in his 'Marriage-Past and Present.' He wrote in the Preface of this 1931 book, "In response for the demand for an edition of my work... in one volume it was originally contemplated to issue an abridgement of the book... [but] so many portions of it would, however, have had to be sacrificed, that I have deemed it preferable to confine myself to the discussion of the main thesis which chiefly attracted attention in the original work... Although its material is for the most part extracted from [the earlier work], I have felt free to treat it as an independent work."
He observes, "Whatever view we may take of the respective intellectual capacities of men and women under modern conditions, they are quite inapplicable to animals, and also to primitive humanity. Masculine intellectual superiority, assuming the extremest view of its nature, has reference to mental spheres which are products... of social evolution. In primitive conditions that superiority has no application." (Ch. I, pg. 21)
He notes that among animal groups "The male, instead of being the head and supporter of the group, is not an essential member of it, and more often than not is altogether absent from it... When he attaches himself to the female's family his association with it is loose and precarious. He has no functional place in it. The parental relation is confined to that between mother and brood. Paternity does not exist... The mother is the sole centre and bond of it..." (Ch. I, pg. 23)
He states, "The matriarchal theory ... is a theory of social origins. It is not... an hypothesis concerning a form of society existing at some undetermined period of the past in which women, instead of men, ruled... If human society did not develop out of a group in which the male was the dominant member... there is no alternative except ... the matriarchal theory of social origins." (Ch. IV, pg. 100)
He suggests, "The patrilocal form of marriage thus depends upon a transaction superimposed on the original arrangement whereby a man went to live with his wife's people. If that be so... there is no alternative but to conclude that the practice of matrilocal marriage was the original form of marriage union, and is coeval with the origin of humanity." (Ch. IV, pg. 137-138)
Interestingly, he says that the term 'Matriarchy' "suggests therefore that ... the women exercise a domination over the men... The speculations of Bachofen [see 'Myth, Religion, and Mother Right'] encouraged that misconception... in which the respective parts of the sexes were reversed as in a topsy-turvy world... In point of fact there is nothing in the lower phases of culture corresponding to the domination of one sex over the other which characterizes patriarchal societies." (Ch. VII, pg. 179-180) Later, he adds, "no great difficulty is found in showing that a matriarchal constitution of society cannot be inferred from the practice of matrilineal reckoning of descent." (Ch. VII, pg. 186)
He argues, "The patriarchal theory of social origins relied in the tradition of Christian countries upon the pictures of patriarchal pastoralists in the Bible. Yet even the traditions of that typically patriarchal organisation supply indications so definite of its evolution from different conditions ... marriage was with them matrilocal, as is fully illustrated by the Biblical account of the marriage of Jacob... [and] the Song of Deborah, represents the Hebrew tribes under the command of a female 'judge' [Judges 4]." (Pg. 274)
He says, "Fatherhood, in the lower stages of human society does not found a family; motherhood alone does." (Ch. VIII, pg. 226) He concludes, "Patriarchal marriage, the patriarchal family, and patriarchal morality are features of our social organization ... [that are] relatively late products of that social evolution." (Ch. XII, pg. 310)
Briffault's work had a huge influence upon the women's movement of the 1960s and later, and his provocative ideas retain their fascination even today.
January 6, 2020
Sprawling challenging book on matriarchal origins of civilization. I found this hard-going but there is an array of interesting chapters on how tribes around the world viewed the world, sex and gender relations. Even abridged it is still very long. An introduction by Gordon Rattray Taylor points out that parts of the theory probably don't hold up very coherently, but it is still very thought-provoking. Matriarchal elements of cultures and societies could come to the fore again in human history - who knows! It might be a refreshing change from centuries of patriarchy!
September 7, 2025
This book advances the controversial yet influential idea that early human societies originated in matrilineal and matrilocal frameworks, rather than patriarchal ones. The author, Robert Briffault, does not claim that primitive societies were ruled by women in a direct reversal of patriarchy. Instead, he argues that the mother was the original focal point of social organization. The theory is sociological rather than political, seeking to explain the emergence of family structures based on maternal bonds and responsibility, not female domination.
Briffault posits that the earliest form of human society was matrilocal—where the husband went to live with the wife’s people. This arrangement, he contends, was tied to the practical realities of motherhood: the mother’s certainty regarding her offspring and her natural role in nurturing and bonding with the next generation. The father’s role was secondary and often loosely defined; across both animal and primitive human groups, the mother is seen as the center and bond of family life, while the father could be absent or peripheral.
Contrary to misconceptions fueled by earlier theorists like Bachofen, Briffault carefully differentiates between matrilineal societies and those dominated by women. He notes that matrilineality (in which descent and inheritance are traced through the maternal line) does not equate to matriarchal rule over men. Rather, he asserts that in such societies, the concept of domination by one sex over the other, characteristic of patriarchal systems, simply does not appear.
A critical element in Briffault’s argument is his rejection of the notion that the patriarchal family was the original or "natural" form. He maintains that patrilocal marriage—where the wife moves to the husband’s home—developed later, arising only after the initial maternal, matrilocal period. For him, this structure is supported by many anthropological observations, including the prevalence of matrilineal descent and exogamy (marrying outside one's group) in a wide range of early societies.
Ultimately, The Mothers is not a claim about ancient women ruling over men, but about the fundamental role that motherhood—and the maternal figure—played in shaping social organization, moral values, and lineage. Briffault’s work invites reconsideration of what is often assumed to be “natural” in family and societal structure, challenging the universality and inevitability of patriarchy by highlighting alternative social origins anchored in the maternal bond.
Briffault posits that the earliest form of human society was matrilocal—where the husband went to live with the wife’s people. This arrangement, he contends, was tied to the practical realities of motherhood: the mother’s certainty regarding her offspring and her natural role in nurturing and bonding with the next generation. The father’s role was secondary and often loosely defined; across both animal and primitive human groups, the mother is seen as the center and bond of family life, while the father could be absent or peripheral.
Contrary to misconceptions fueled by earlier theorists like Bachofen, Briffault carefully differentiates between matrilineal societies and those dominated by women. He notes that matrilineality (in which descent and inheritance are traced through the maternal line) does not equate to matriarchal rule over men. Rather, he asserts that in such societies, the concept of domination by one sex over the other, characteristic of patriarchal systems, simply does not appear.
A critical element in Briffault’s argument is his rejection of the notion that the patriarchal family was the original or "natural" form. He maintains that patrilocal marriage—where the wife moves to the husband’s home—developed later, arising only after the initial maternal, matrilocal period. For him, this structure is supported by many anthropological observations, including the prevalence of matrilineal descent and exogamy (marrying outside one's group) in a wide range of early societies.
Ultimately, The Mothers is not a claim about ancient women ruling over men, but about the fundamental role that motherhood—and the maternal figure—played in shaping social organization, moral values, and lineage. Briffault’s work invites reconsideration of what is often assumed to be “natural” in family and societal structure, challenging the universality and inevitability of patriarchy by highlighting alternative social origins anchored in the maternal bond.
November 7, 2023
Es un básico en temas de matrística / matriarcado en la historia de la humanidad. Es el primer autor que relacionó la teoría de Bachofen con los pueblos indígenas de alrededor de todo el mundo y compara las costumbres tribales y hace inferencias al pasado (a través de escrituras, mitos, creencias).
Expone muchísima evidencia de costumbres , religión y creencias de pueblos indígenas, con una mirada más allá de los primeros europeos que escribieron sobre ellos al encontrarse esos pueblos a través de la colonización / misiones.
Me parece relevante toda la parte que dedica a las costumbres sexuales, modelos relacionales no monógamas, concepción del matrimonio.
Me gusta también el repaso que hace de las antiguas diosas y primeras religiones así como sus símbolos y animales asociados.
Muy interesante pero a la vez súper denso, muy interesante pero se me ha hecho largo…
El lenguaje que usa es el que se usaba a inicios del siglo XX , muy despectivo (bárbaros, salvajes, primitivos, culturas inferiores, incivilizados, etc.). A veces algo machista cuando habla de la naturaleza de las mujeres vs hombres. He podido leerlo sin considerando el año en el que se escribió y entendiendo el marco de esa época.
Expone muchísima evidencia de costumbres , religión y creencias de pueblos indígenas, con una mirada más allá de los primeros europeos que escribieron sobre ellos al encontrarse esos pueblos a través de la colonización / misiones.
Me parece relevante toda la parte que dedica a las costumbres sexuales, modelos relacionales no monógamas, concepción del matrimonio.
Me gusta también el repaso que hace de las antiguas diosas y primeras religiones así como sus símbolos y animales asociados.
Muy interesante pero a la vez súper denso, muy interesante pero se me ha hecho largo…
El lenguaje que usa es el que se usaba a inicios del siglo XX , muy despectivo (bárbaros, salvajes, primitivos, culturas inferiores, incivilizados, etc.). A veces algo machista cuando habla de la naturaleza de las mujeres vs hombres. He podido leerlo sin considerando el año en el que se escribió y entendiendo el marco de esa época.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews