What do you think?
Rate this book
Myth, Religion, and Mother Right
The Swiss thinker J. J. Bachofen is most often connected with his theory of matriarchy, or "mother right," but that concept is only a small part of his contribution to our understanding of cultural history. This book includes an autobiographical essay and selections from An Essay on Ancient Mortuary Symbolism, Mother Right, and The Myth of Tanaquil.
?
?
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1926
17 people are currently reading
650 people want to read
About the author
Johann Jakob Bachofen
44 books20 followersJohann Jakob Bachofen (22 December 1815 – 25 November 1887) was a Swiss antiquarian, jurist, philologist, anthropologist, and professor for Roman law at the University of Basel from 1841 to 1845.
Bachofen is most often connected with his theories surrounding prehistoric matriarchy, or Das Mutterrecht, the title of his seminal 1861 book Mother Right: an investigation of the religious and juridical character of matriarchy in the Ancient World. Bachofen assembled documentation demonstrating that motherhood is the source of human society, religion, morality, and decorum. He postulated an archaic "mother-right" within the context of a primeval Matriarchal religion or Urreligion.
Bachofen became an important precursor of 20th-century theories of matriarchy, such as the Old European culture postulated by Marija Gimbutas from the 1950s, and the field of feminist theology and "matriarchal studies" in 1970s feminism.
Bachofen is most often connected with his theories surrounding prehistoric matriarchy, or Das Mutterrecht, the title of his seminal 1861 book Mother Right: an investigation of the religious and juridical character of matriarchy in the Ancient World. Bachofen assembled documentation demonstrating that motherhood is the source of human society, religion, morality, and decorum. He postulated an archaic "mother-right" within the context of a primeval Matriarchal religion or Urreligion.
Bachofen became an important precursor of 20th-century theories of matriarchy, such as the Old European culture postulated by Marija Gimbutas from the 1950s, and the field of feminist theology and "matriarchal studies" in 1970s feminism.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 17, 2009
Bachofen was well known for supporting the idea that there was an archaic matriarchal state, common to all ancient societies, that was over took by the patriarchal state and that this fight between patriarchy and matriarchy is present in mythological backgrounds.
Even if modern academics from historian to archaeologists have proven that nothing like a Matriarchy existed in ancient societies like Greek, Roman, Celtic , Egyptian and others , Bachofen's book is worth reading and covers very interesting topics.
Even if modern academics from historian to archaeologists have proven that nothing like a Matriarchy existed in ancient societies like Greek, Roman, Celtic , Egyptian and others , Bachofen's book is worth reading and covers very interesting topics.
August 1, 2020
JJ Bachofen was an important 19th-century scholar who ought still to be read, even if subsequent research has not confirmed his basic thesis that a matriarchal state (which he calls "Mother Right") the pervaded the ancient world.
He is important firstly for his influence. Mother Right is probably ground zero for Myth Studies, predating Frazer's (admittedly vaster and more influential) The Golden Bough by nearly 50 years. Bachofen's ideas and themes recur in Jung, Joseph Campbell, Erich Neumann, Robert Graves, and Camille Paglia. Even Engels used it as a source for The Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State. He analyzed the erotic significance of the Oedipus myth well before Freud. This volume also includes the introduction to Bachofen's late work, The Myth of Tanaquil, which contains some hints of ideas that would later recur so magisterially in Oswald Spengler.
Secondly, and more significantly, is his method. Writing in the absence of much archaeological evidence, Bachofen uses etymology and a highly original analysis of classical myths to imaginatively reconstruct ancient society and develop a model of history. (He is quite reminiscent of Giambattista Vico in this respect. Both of them have a background in Roman law, too.) Bachofen is therefore necessarily something of a Euhemerist, that is, wherever possible he takes myth to be rooted in history. He doesn't believe in a real Pegasus as a flying horse, yet "The stories of the Amazons and Bellerophon are real and not poetic." For these reasons, I suspect Bachofen will appeal more to people interested in literary criticism than those interested in "scientific" anthropology/archaeology.
Bachofen's model of history is a dialectical one, a dialectic of sex:
The realm of the idea belongs to the man, the realm of material life to the woman. In the struggle between the two sexes that ultimately ends with the victory of man, every great turning point is connected with an exaggeration of the preceding system. Man's abuse of woman leads to conjugal matriarchy; the Amazonian perversion of womanhood, with its unnatural intensification of woman's power, provokes a male uprising which sometimes ends with the restoration of natural marriage, as in Lycia, but sometimes with the downfall of matriarchy and the introduction of father right, as associated with Heracles, Dionysus, Apollo. For in all things it is abuse and perversion that provide the greatest stimulus to development.
The earliest form of human society he calls "Hetaerism" (from the Greek heteiros, or "companion," apparently a euphemism for whore), which is tribal and nomadic and in which, even though marriage of a kind often occurs, any man has the right to sleep with any woman, even to the point of incest. This, Bachofen believes, is very degrading to the woman, and such abuse leads to the reaction of Amazonism, in which women usurp the roles of men, isolate themselves and declare war upon them. I found myself frequently picturing the Hell's Angels as a modern analogue to Hetaeric society (they were a nomadic male fraternity, and any woman in their orbit implicitly consented to sex with all of them, often at once; contra Bachofen, I think most of the women had no problem with this, but I suppose the problem comes when this way of life is expanded into an entire social principle), and the lesbian separatist feminists of the 70's as an analogue to Amazonism.
Bachofen finds Amazonism "unnatural" and sees it settling down into "Mother Right" instead, which is female-dominated, though he argues it had numerous salutary effects on men, bravery and heroism foremost among them (here I think of the Medieval idea of Chivalry, with its adoration of the ideal woman and its strict moral code for men). He associates this state with the settling down of tribes into cities, with agriculture (the sexuality of Hetaerism he compares to swamps and to weeds which spring up anywhere, while Mother Right institutes cultivation, and here we get mother-centric myths and rituals such as those associated with Demeter/Ceres, a goddess of grain among other things), and above all with marriage.
The reign of the mothers is thus the pro-social, civilizing force par excellence (which makes me wonder what anti-civ types would make of this book). But the highest stage of society is not reached under Mother Right, which is bound to give way to Father Right. While women inaugurate institutions as such, we don't get a fully developed civil law until patriarchy is established. There's some fascinating analysis of the symbolism associated with these stages: Hetaerism is Earth, Mother Right is the Moon, Father Right the Sun. The major Greek hero myths tell successively the overcoming of Mother Right by Father Right. Bellerophon achieves at best a hostile compromise with the Amazons. Theseus defeats them. Hercules is the very archetype of the solar/phallic hero who overcomes the persecutions (the 12 labors, a zodiacal metaphor) the mother goddess Hera imposes on him.
There's a lot more. As with Vico, this is a fascinating historical model to contemplate, the assimilation of disparate mythological data into a coherent narrative impressive, even if we can't take it quite literally.
He is important firstly for his influence. Mother Right is probably ground zero for Myth Studies, predating Frazer's (admittedly vaster and more influential) The Golden Bough by nearly 50 years. Bachofen's ideas and themes recur in Jung, Joseph Campbell, Erich Neumann, Robert Graves, and Camille Paglia. Even Engels used it as a source for The Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State. He analyzed the erotic significance of the Oedipus myth well before Freud. This volume also includes the introduction to Bachofen's late work, The Myth of Tanaquil, which contains some hints of ideas that would later recur so magisterially in Oswald Spengler.
Secondly, and more significantly, is his method. Writing in the absence of much archaeological evidence, Bachofen uses etymology and a highly original analysis of classical myths to imaginatively reconstruct ancient society and develop a model of history. (He is quite reminiscent of Giambattista Vico in this respect. Both of them have a background in Roman law, too.) Bachofen is therefore necessarily something of a Euhemerist, that is, wherever possible he takes myth to be rooted in history. He doesn't believe in a real Pegasus as a flying horse, yet "The stories of the Amazons and Bellerophon are real and not poetic." For these reasons, I suspect Bachofen will appeal more to people interested in literary criticism than those interested in "scientific" anthropology/archaeology.
Bachofen's model of history is a dialectical one, a dialectic of sex:
The realm of the idea belongs to the man, the realm of material life to the woman. In the struggle between the two sexes that ultimately ends with the victory of man, every great turning point is connected with an exaggeration of the preceding system. Man's abuse of woman leads to conjugal matriarchy; the Amazonian perversion of womanhood, with its unnatural intensification of woman's power, provokes a male uprising which sometimes ends with the restoration of natural marriage, as in Lycia, but sometimes with the downfall of matriarchy and the introduction of father right, as associated with Heracles, Dionysus, Apollo. For in all things it is abuse and perversion that provide the greatest stimulus to development.
The earliest form of human society he calls "Hetaerism" (from the Greek heteiros, or "companion," apparently a euphemism for whore), which is tribal and nomadic and in which, even though marriage of a kind often occurs, any man has the right to sleep with any woman, even to the point of incest. This, Bachofen believes, is very degrading to the woman, and such abuse leads to the reaction of Amazonism, in which women usurp the roles of men, isolate themselves and declare war upon them. I found myself frequently picturing the Hell's Angels as a modern analogue to Hetaeric society (they were a nomadic male fraternity, and any woman in their orbit implicitly consented to sex with all of them, often at once; contra Bachofen, I think most of the women had no problem with this, but I suppose the problem comes when this way of life is expanded into an entire social principle), and the lesbian separatist feminists of the 70's as an analogue to Amazonism.
Bachofen finds Amazonism "unnatural" and sees it settling down into "Mother Right" instead, which is female-dominated, though he argues it had numerous salutary effects on men, bravery and heroism foremost among them (here I think of the Medieval idea of Chivalry, with its adoration of the ideal woman and its strict moral code for men). He associates this state with the settling down of tribes into cities, with agriculture (the sexuality of Hetaerism he compares to swamps and to weeds which spring up anywhere, while Mother Right institutes cultivation, and here we get mother-centric myths and rituals such as those associated with Demeter/Ceres, a goddess of grain among other things), and above all with marriage.
The reign of the mothers is thus the pro-social, civilizing force par excellence (which makes me wonder what anti-civ types would make of this book). But the highest stage of society is not reached under Mother Right, which is bound to give way to Father Right. While women inaugurate institutions as such, we don't get a fully developed civil law until patriarchy is established. There's some fascinating analysis of the symbolism associated with these stages: Hetaerism is Earth, Mother Right is the Moon, Father Right the Sun. The major Greek hero myths tell successively the overcoming of Mother Right by Father Right. Bellerophon achieves at best a hostile compromise with the Amazons. Theseus defeats them. Hercules is the very archetype of the solar/phallic hero who overcomes the persecutions (the 12 labors, a zodiacal metaphor) the mother goddess Hera imposes on him.
There's a lot more. As with Vico, this is a fascinating historical model to contemplate, the assimilation of disparate mythological data into a coherent narrative impressive, even if we can't take it quite literally.
April 14, 2009
More for Jungians to chew on. Of course any Jungian worth his or her salt who may be reading this review has already read this book.
November 15, 2024
It turns out that the guy who (basically) invented the idea of matriarchy did so because he wanted to praise the triumph of Christian-Roman-Imperial-Occidental-Idealist patriarchy!
In his "Essay on Mortuary Symbolism", Bachofen does some extremely dubious myth-interpretation, all around the theme of Apollonian/Solar/Idealist/Agricultural/Roman religious values triumphing over their Aphroditean/Lunar/Material/Swampy(!)/Egyptian counterparts. Very clearly pulling a lot from Plutarch's "Isis and Osiris".
In "Mother Right", Bachofen elaborates 3 main stages of social development: 1) a promiscuous ("Hetaeric") stage where women and property are "held in common", 2) the matriarchal stage where women who are tired of so much sex institute monogamous marriage, while still tracing descent matrilineally, and 3) the patriarchal phase, where descent is patrilineal & property is inherited.
In mythological terms, these three stages correspond to Aphrodite, Demeter, and Apollo. He has two lesser stages, a martriarchal Amazonian phase (man-hating) which precedes (& justifies...) the patriarchy and a patriarchal Dionysian phase within the patriarchy where the women are corrupted by oriental decadence (associated with the later Roman empire).
I was actually surprised by how well attested the primitive promiscuity was in his ancient sources, especially Herodotus, although he doesn't claim it to be a stage, just an oddity of African and Asian tribes that he has heard about. It's rather unclear from Bachofen's interpretation whether women are treated as Mother Goddesses at this stage, as this would suggest more agency and power than his claim that they are basically required to have sex with all men who come their way.
The transition from promiscuity to matriarchy is much less well attested by his sources. He does give some examples of the introduction of monogamy, where promiscuity is progressively curtailed to before marriage or to the wedding night. In general, he interprets almost any sign of positive treatment and respect for women as lingering remnants of the matriarchal stage, although this doesn't even make sense within his system as it could also be held over from Goddess figures of the Hetaeric stage.
His evidence for the institution of Patriarchy comes largely from Aeschylus's Eumenides, where the Erinyes (furies) are suing Orestes for killing his mother to avenge his father, losing to Apollo who champions the right of fathers. While there's clearly some important stuff here for Greek gender relations and a preference for men over women, I don't think it vindicates the idea that a fully matriarchal period preceded Athenian patriarchy. He also cites myths of Amazonian warriors falling in love with Greek heroes, but I have trouble putting much stock in these.
In the final selection, from the introduction to his "The Myth of Tanaquil", Bachofen just lets his Western chauvinism & imperialism (which had always been apparent) run rampant, talking about Rome's historical mission to subjugate Asia both politically and spiritually and how much he still thinks that is the basic goal of Western society.
In his "Essay on Mortuary Symbolism", Bachofen does some extremely dubious myth-interpretation, all around the theme of Apollonian/Solar/Idealist/Agricultural/Roman religious values triumphing over their Aphroditean/Lunar/Material/Swampy(!)/Egyptian counterparts. Very clearly pulling a lot from Plutarch's "Isis and Osiris".
In "Mother Right", Bachofen elaborates 3 main stages of social development: 1) a promiscuous ("Hetaeric") stage where women and property are "held in common", 2) the matriarchal stage where women who are tired of so much sex institute monogamous marriage, while still tracing descent matrilineally, and 3) the patriarchal phase, where descent is patrilineal & property is inherited.
In mythological terms, these three stages correspond to Aphrodite, Demeter, and Apollo. He has two lesser stages, a martriarchal Amazonian phase (man-hating) which precedes (& justifies...) the patriarchy and a patriarchal Dionysian phase within the patriarchy where the women are corrupted by oriental decadence (associated with the later Roman empire).
I was actually surprised by how well attested the primitive promiscuity was in his ancient sources, especially Herodotus, although he doesn't claim it to be a stage, just an oddity of African and Asian tribes that he has heard about. It's rather unclear from Bachofen's interpretation whether women are treated as Mother Goddesses at this stage, as this would suggest more agency and power than his claim that they are basically required to have sex with all men who come their way.
The transition from promiscuity to matriarchy is much less well attested by his sources. He does give some examples of the introduction of monogamy, where promiscuity is progressively curtailed to before marriage or to the wedding night. In general, he interprets almost any sign of positive treatment and respect for women as lingering remnants of the matriarchal stage, although this doesn't even make sense within his system as it could also be held over from Goddess figures of the Hetaeric stage.
His evidence for the institution of Patriarchy comes largely from Aeschylus's Eumenides, where the Erinyes (furies) are suing Orestes for killing his mother to avenge his father, losing to Apollo who champions the right of fathers. While there's clearly some important stuff here for Greek gender relations and a preference for men over women, I don't think it vindicates the idea that a fully matriarchal period preceded Athenian patriarchy. He also cites myths of Amazonian warriors falling in love with Greek heroes, but I have trouble putting much stock in these.
In the final selection, from the introduction to his "The Myth of Tanaquil", Bachofen just lets his Western chauvinism & imperialism (which had always been apparent) run rampant, talking about Rome's historical mission to subjugate Asia both politically and spiritually and how much he still thinks that is the basic goal of Western society.
May 23, 2021
Did women rule the world in the time before written history?
Swiss scholar Johann Jakob Bachofen studied ancient myth and histories in the nineteenth century and determined matriarchy preceded the patriarchy which has dominated the West since the Roman era.
Bachofen distinguishes the matriarchal peoples by their recitude, piety, culture, the awareness of unity of all living things, the harmony of the universe, the fragility of life and the pain of death. Women served as guardians of the mystery, of justice and peace, and were subservient to matter and nature.
Bachofen claims the myths prove the existence of the matriarchy because such a system would have been beyond the imagination of the ancient male scribes. The existence of matrilocal and matrilineal societies provide evidence of the ancient matriarchy. In a complicated progression, matriarchy devolved into Amazonism to which males rebelled and who then encoded patriarchy into harsh encompassing law.
The Mother Right is neither an anthropological nor archeological study. Rather, it explores the mythic as a dreamscape.
Be prepared for a challenge if you choose to read this book, particularly if your knowledge of Greek and Roman myth is as superficial as mine. Myth, Religion, and Mother Right is one of the most difficult books I’ve read since college.
Swiss scholar Johann Jakob Bachofen studied ancient myth and histories in the nineteenth century and determined matriarchy preceded the patriarchy which has dominated the West since the Roman era.
Bachofen distinguishes the matriarchal peoples by their recitude, piety, culture, the awareness of unity of all living things, the harmony of the universe, the fragility of life and the pain of death. Women served as guardians of the mystery, of justice and peace, and were subservient to matter and nature.
Bachofen claims the myths prove the existence of the matriarchy because such a system would have been beyond the imagination of the ancient male scribes. The existence of matrilocal and matrilineal societies provide evidence of the ancient matriarchy. In a complicated progression, matriarchy devolved into Amazonism to which males rebelled and who then encoded patriarchy into harsh encompassing law.
The Mother Right is neither an anthropological nor archeological study. Rather, it explores the mythic as a dreamscape.
Be prepared for a challenge if you choose to read this book, particularly if your knowledge of Greek and Roman myth is as superficial as mine. Myth, Religion, and Mother Right is one of the most difficult books I’ve read since college.
February 11, 2021
Tarım öncesi toplumların anaerkil olduğunu ilk defa ortaya koyan, anaerkil toplumun ataerkil topluma dönüşümünün mitolojik yönünü de anlatan mutlaka okunması gereken bir kitap.
July 26, 2025
THE ORIGINAL 19TH CENTURY AUTHOR WHO ARGUED FOR MATRIARCHAL ORIGINS OF SOCIETY
Johann Jakob Bachofen (1815-1887) was a Swiss antiquarian, jurist and anthropologist, and professor for Roman law at the University of Basel. This volume is a translation of 'Mutterrecht und Urreligion,' a selection of Bachofen's writings that was first published in 1926.
He says, "Myth is the exegesis of the symbol. It unfolds in a series of outwardly connected actions what the symbol embodies in a unity." (Pg. 48) He adds, "Therein lies the spell of mythical representation, which shows us the great deeds of the primordial age in the muted light of distant melancholy recollection, and that is what lends them the aura of consecration characteristic of the ancient necropolises." (Pg. 50)
He admits, "The present work deals with a historical phenomenon which few have observed and no one has investigated in its full scope. Up until now archaeologists have had nothing to say of mother right... The most elementary spadework remains to be done, for the culture period to which mother right pertains has never been seriously studied. Thus we are entering upon virgin territory." (Pg. 69)
He argues, "The mythical tradition is seen to be an authentic, independent record of the primordial age, a record in which invention plays no part... There is scarcely a feature of the matriarchal system that cannot be documented in this way... There is still another reason why myth demonstrates the authenticity of mother right. The contrast between mythical conceptions and those of subsequent days is so marked that where more recent ideas prevailed, it would not have been possible to invent the phenomenon of matriarchy." (Pg. 72-74)
Later, he argues, "All the myths relating to our subject embody a memory of real events experienced by the human race. They represent not fictions but historical realities. The stories of the Amazons and Bellerophon are real and not poetic." (Pg. 150-151)
He states, "The elevation of woman over man arouses our amazement most especially by its contradiction to the relation of physical strength. The law of nature confers the scepter of power on the stronger. If it is torn away from him by feebler hands, other aspects of human nature must have been at work, deeper powers must have made their influence felt." (Pg. 85)
He adds, "I shall pursue the religious basis of matriarchy no further: it is most deeply rooted in woman's vocation for the religious life... Seen in this light, matriarchy becomes a sign of cultural progress, a source and guarantee of its benefits, a necessary period in the education of mankind, and hence the fulfillment of a natural law which governs peoples as well as individuals." (Pg. 91)
He contends, "Amazonism is a universal phenomenon... Amazonism, despite its savage degeneration, signifies an appreciable rise in human culture." (Pg. 105)
Bachofen's writings had a HUGE impact on feminist writers of the 20th century; and it's illuminating to read his own writings, rather than just the interpretations that are given about him by later writers.
Johann Jakob Bachofen (1815-1887) was a Swiss antiquarian, jurist and anthropologist, and professor for Roman law at the University of Basel. This volume is a translation of 'Mutterrecht und Urreligion,' a selection of Bachofen's writings that was first published in 1926.
He says, "Myth is the exegesis of the symbol. It unfolds in a series of outwardly connected actions what the symbol embodies in a unity." (Pg. 48) He adds, "Therein lies the spell of mythical representation, which shows us the great deeds of the primordial age in the muted light of distant melancholy recollection, and that is what lends them the aura of consecration characteristic of the ancient necropolises." (Pg. 50)
He admits, "The present work deals with a historical phenomenon which few have observed and no one has investigated in its full scope. Up until now archaeologists have had nothing to say of mother right... The most elementary spadework remains to be done, for the culture period to which mother right pertains has never been seriously studied. Thus we are entering upon virgin territory." (Pg. 69)
He argues, "The mythical tradition is seen to be an authentic, independent record of the primordial age, a record in which invention plays no part... There is scarcely a feature of the matriarchal system that cannot be documented in this way... There is still another reason why myth demonstrates the authenticity of mother right. The contrast between mythical conceptions and those of subsequent days is so marked that where more recent ideas prevailed, it would not have been possible to invent the phenomenon of matriarchy." (Pg. 72-74)
Later, he argues, "All the myths relating to our subject embody a memory of real events experienced by the human race. They represent not fictions but historical realities. The stories of the Amazons and Bellerophon are real and not poetic." (Pg. 150-151)
He states, "The elevation of woman over man arouses our amazement most especially by its contradiction to the relation of physical strength. The law of nature confers the scepter of power on the stronger. If it is torn away from him by feebler hands, other aspects of human nature must have been at work, deeper powers must have made their influence felt." (Pg. 85)
He adds, "I shall pursue the religious basis of matriarchy no further: it is most deeply rooted in woman's vocation for the religious life... Seen in this light, matriarchy becomes a sign of cultural progress, a source and guarantee of its benefits, a necessary period in the education of mankind, and hence the fulfillment of a natural law which governs peoples as well as individuals." (Pg. 91)
He contends, "Amazonism is a universal phenomenon... Amazonism, despite its savage degeneration, signifies an appreciable rise in human culture." (Pg. 105)
Bachofen's writings had a HUGE impact on feminist writers of the 20th century; and it's illuminating to read his own writings, rather than just the interpretations that are given about him by later writers.
December 21, 2022
Myth, Religion, and Mother Right: Selected Writings of J.J. Bachofen is a book that collects a selection of writings by Johann Jakob Bachofen, a Swiss lawyer, cultural historian, and classical philologist. Bachofen is known for his influential theories about the nature of religion, myth, and culture, and this book presents some of his most important ideas on these subjects.
In his writings, Bachofen explores the role of myth and religion in shaping human culture and society. He argues that myth and religion are fundamental to the human experience, and that they play a central role in shaping our values, beliefs, and social norms. He also discusses the relationship between myth, religion, and power, and he explores the ways in which these forces interact and influence one another.
The book also includes Bachofen's writings on the concept of "mother right," which refers to the idea that early human societies were matriarchal, with women holding positions of power and authority. Bachofen argued that this was the case in many ancient societies, and he believed that the rise of patriarchy and the dominance of men represented a departure from this earlier, more harmonious and balanced social order.
Overall, Myth, Religion, and Mother Right: Selected Writings of J.J. Bachofen is an important resource for anyone interested in the ideas and thought of Johann Jakob Bachofen, and it offers a unique and insightful perspective on the role of myth, religion, and culture in shaping human society and history.
GPT
In his writings, Bachofen explores the role of myth and religion in shaping human culture and society. He argues that myth and religion are fundamental to the human experience, and that they play a central role in shaping our values, beliefs, and social norms. He also discusses the relationship between myth, religion, and power, and he explores the ways in which these forces interact and influence one another.
The book also includes Bachofen's writings on the concept of "mother right," which refers to the idea that early human societies were matriarchal, with women holding positions of power and authority. Bachofen argued that this was the case in many ancient societies, and he believed that the rise of patriarchy and the dominance of men represented a departure from this earlier, more harmonious and balanced social order.
Overall, Myth, Religion, and Mother Right: Selected Writings of J.J. Bachofen is an important resource for anyone interested in the ideas and thought of Johann Jakob Bachofen, and it offers a unique and insightful perspective on the role of myth, religion, and culture in shaping human society and history.
GPT
Read
August 23, 2007nonfiction,religion,mythology
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews