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Lost Goddesses of Early Greece: A Collection of Pre-Hellenic Myths
For thousands of years before the classical myths were recorded by Hesiod and Homer, the Goddess was the focus of religion and culture. In Lost Goddesses of Early Greece , Charlene Spretnak recreates, the original, goddess-centered myths and illuminates the contemporary emergence of a spirituality based on our embeddedness in nature.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
12 people are currently reading
1473 people want to read
About the author
Charlene Spretnak
24 books32 followersCharlene Spretnak has been intrigued throughout her life as a writer, speaker, and activist with dynamic interrelatedness. She has written nine books on various subjects in which interrelatedness plays a central role, including its expression in the arts. She is particularly interested in 21st-century discoveries indicating that the physical world, including the human bodymind, is far more dynamically interrelated than modernity had assumed. Such discoveries are currently causing a “relational shift” in our institutions and systems of knowledge, as she suggests in Relational Reality (2011). Several of her books have also proposed a "map of the terrain" of emergent social-change movements and an exploration of the issues involved. She has helped to create an eco-social frame of reference and vision in the areas of social criticism (including feminism), cultural history, and religion and spirituality. Since the mid-1980s, her books have examined the multiple crises of modernity and furthered the corrective efforts that are arising. Her book Green Politics was a major catalyst for the formation of the U.S. Green Party movement, of which she is a cofounder. Her book The Resurgence of the Real was named by the Los Angeles Times as one of the Best Books of 1997. In 2006 Charlene Spretnak was named by the British government's Environment Department as one of the "100 Eco-Heroes of All Time." In 2012 she received the Demeter Award for lifetime achievement as "one of the premier visionary feminist thinkers of our time" from the Association for the Study of Women and Mythology. She is a professor emerita in philosophy and religion.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
November 21, 2009
I wouldn't normally pick this up but Jennifer Reif used it as a source for Mysteries of Demeter which I am reading.
Call # BL782.S66 1992
In this book, Spretnak claims that before northern "barbarians" invaded Greece, idyllic matriarchal civilizations worshipped Greek goddesses. Then the awful warlike men demoted the peaceful mother goddesses and distorted the original mythology.
She includes myths about Gaia, Pandora, Themis, Hera, Artemis, Selene, Hecate, Athena, Demeter and Persephone. She says the myths are based on research about the goddesses, but since there is limited information she took some "poetic license". Spretnak said she didn't footnote them as it would take away from the power of the myths. Right, sure. Some of the stories are kind of pretty and might be spiritually inspiring but I wish I knew more of where she was getting her ideas.
I think matriarchal theorists take things to one extreme and those that reject them take it to another. I do think some ancient cultures were more *egalitarian (not matriarchal) before becoming patriarchal, I don't buy that they exclusively worshipped goddesses.
Real feminism is not about denigrating men or on a spiritual level male deities while women and goddesses are promoted above them.
Call # BL782.S66 1992
In this book, Spretnak claims that before northern "barbarians" invaded Greece, idyllic matriarchal civilizations worshipped Greek goddesses. Then the awful warlike men demoted the peaceful mother goddesses and distorted the original mythology.
She includes myths about Gaia, Pandora, Themis, Hera, Artemis, Selene, Hecate, Athena, Demeter and Persephone. She says the myths are based on research about the goddesses, but since there is limited information she took some "poetic license". Spretnak said she didn't footnote them as it would take away from the power of the myths. Right, sure. Some of the stories are kind of pretty and might be spiritually inspiring but I wish I knew more of where she was getting her ideas.
I think matriarchal theorists take things to one extreme and those that reject them take it to another. I do think some ancient cultures were more *egalitarian (not matriarchal) before becoming patriarchal, I don't buy that they exclusively worshipped goddesses.
Real feminism is not about denigrating men or on a spiritual level male deities while women and goddesses are promoted above them.
April 4, 2013
This collection attempts to reconstruct the mythology of really ancient Greece — the stuff that came before the myths with which we are generally familiar today. Charlene Spretnak makes a convincing case that the versions we know were filtered and transformed by conquering patriarchal cultures. This book invites us to imagine what those myths might have looked like in the preceding oral tradition. It's an ecofeminist project with spiritual ramifications.
Strangely enough, I liked the introductory material (the preface, the introduction to the book as a whole and the introductions to the individual myths themselves) better than the myths themselves. That's nothing to sneeze at, as the introductory material makes up the bulk of this slim volume. It's scholarly and there are footnotes citing sources.
The myths themselves are exceedingly brief. Many are only two or three pages long, and they are double spaced. These have no footnotes and the sources are not clear to me. I interpreted them as poetic in nature. Spretnak describes moving through several stages in her process: research, study, meditate, and "then become that Goddess as much as possible" before the act of composition. That mix of scholarship and spirituality might disturb some people, but I don't have a problem with it as long as it's acknowledged.
The problem I do have is that the myths just seem to lie there. They are kind of flat and a little dull.
Spretnak herself anticipates this criticism. She writes, "The charge can be leveled against the pre-Hellenic myths that they have less plot design, intrigue, and dramatic tension than does Olympian mythology. This is true." She goes on to explain that this is because of the lack of written records. The myths have been pieced together from extremely fragmentary evidence. More to the point, she notes that "themes of deceit, treachery, alienation, and brutality" simply did not inform the sacred stories of this era. Instead, they "tell of harmonious bonds among humans, animals, and nature."
In other words, these are tales from a utopian Golden Age, and as such they suffer from one of the profound problems of utopian literature: They are kind of a yawn. Perhaps this reflects the values I've internalized, raised as I have been on a diet of modern American entertainment, with all the concomitant violence and misogyny that may imply. (Where are the exploding automobiles?!?) But I don't think so. I think it's just more fun to read about gods behaving badly. (But by all means avoid the book of that title. Ugh.)
I also wonder about the historical accuracy of Spretnak's perspective. This was originally published in 1978 when second wave feminism was in full flower. I'm not a scholar of such matters, so I don't know what the current thinking might be on such matters but I imagine it has evolved. See The Myth of Matriarchal Prehistory by Cynthia Eller. I have no problem with historical revisionism per se, but I'm more inclined to read this as forward-looking rather than backward-looking; that is, I'm inclined to see that utopian Golden Age as something to which we may aspire rather than something that existed at some point in the past. I think re-imagining myths is a worthy exercise.
Despite these reservations, I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in mythology and/or ecofeminism. You can read it in an afternoon, and it will give you plenty to think about. Even after the details of the myths have faded from memory, the overall concept of a pre-patriarchal mythos will linger on.
I should also say that as a co-founder of the Green Party, Charlene Spretnak is something of a personal hero — or perhaps I should say, a personal Hera.
Strangely enough, I liked the introductory material (the preface, the introduction to the book as a whole and the introductions to the individual myths themselves) better than the myths themselves. That's nothing to sneeze at, as the introductory material makes up the bulk of this slim volume. It's scholarly and there are footnotes citing sources.
The myths themselves are exceedingly brief. Many are only two or three pages long, and they are double spaced. These have no footnotes and the sources are not clear to me. I interpreted them as poetic in nature. Spretnak describes moving through several stages in her process: research, study, meditate, and "then become that Goddess as much as possible" before the act of composition. That mix of scholarship and spirituality might disturb some people, but I don't have a problem with it as long as it's acknowledged.
The problem I do have is that the myths just seem to lie there. They are kind of flat and a little dull.
Spretnak herself anticipates this criticism. She writes, "The charge can be leveled against the pre-Hellenic myths that they have less plot design, intrigue, and dramatic tension than does Olympian mythology. This is true." She goes on to explain that this is because of the lack of written records. The myths have been pieced together from extremely fragmentary evidence. More to the point, she notes that "themes of deceit, treachery, alienation, and brutality" simply did not inform the sacred stories of this era. Instead, they "tell of harmonious bonds among humans, animals, and nature."
In other words, these are tales from a utopian Golden Age, and as such they suffer from one of the profound problems of utopian literature: They are kind of a yawn. Perhaps this reflects the values I've internalized, raised as I have been on a diet of modern American entertainment, with all the concomitant violence and misogyny that may imply. (Where are the exploding automobiles?!?) But I don't think so. I think it's just more fun to read about gods behaving badly. (But by all means avoid the book of that title. Ugh.)
I also wonder about the historical accuracy of Spretnak's perspective. This was originally published in 1978 when second wave feminism was in full flower. I'm not a scholar of such matters, so I don't know what the current thinking might be on such matters but I imagine it has evolved. See The Myth of Matriarchal Prehistory by Cynthia Eller. I have no problem with historical revisionism per se, but I'm more inclined to read this as forward-looking rather than backward-looking; that is, I'm inclined to see that utopian Golden Age as something to which we may aspire rather than something that existed at some point in the past. I think re-imagining myths is a worthy exercise.
Despite these reservations, I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in mythology and/or ecofeminism. You can read it in an afternoon, and it will give you plenty to think about. Even after the details of the myths have faded from memory, the overall concept of a pre-patriarchal mythos will linger on.
I should also say that as a co-founder of the Green Party, Charlene Spretnak is something of a personal hero — or perhaps I should say, a personal Hera.
October 10, 2015
My only regret is I didn't come upon this book sooner. I believe it should be in every young woman's library and it should live aside all books of faith and religion. I will return to its pages time and time again, when the seasons change, when the Moon is new and when the Moon is full.
May 19, 2010
Includes a non-rape version of the Persephone story.
March 19, 2021
Years ago, I signed up for an elective on folklore, and promptly panicked when I recieved the book list. There was no real textbook for the class, but there was a list of about 25 books on the syllabus. I found out later that, due to some formatting issues, the required reading and suggested reading lists had been put together, but by that I had already purchased the lot and started reading them. Lost Goddesses of Early Greece is one of the books that I probably never would have stumbled across or read if not a formatting error. It's a formatting error that I am grateful for, as the book is amazing.
Lost Goddesses of Early Greece is a deceptively simple book. Most people don't think about how old myths are or how they evolve over unimaginable lengths of time. Most people just think of the classical greek myths and go 'that's about as old as it gets, unless you want to read Gilgamesh.' I know that's what I thought, prior to reading Lost Goddesses. It had never really occurred to me that, yes, there was something that pre-dated classical Greece, that it was a culture and tradition different than classical Greece, and that we actually know about it (perhaps not as much as we know about other periods of history, but it's not completely lost in the mists of time, either). Spretnack does a wonderful job of explaining how this gap in knowledge came to be, why it exists, and filling in the gap by explaining what we now know about pre-Hellenic times, though understandably hampered by the fact that these traditions were largely oral and they were targeted for extinction due to political reasons over time. Then, she goes on to focus on individual godesses to explain what their characters were originally like, how their characters were changed to the Hellenic veraions that most of us would be familiar with, and offers possible explainations for the alterations. Then comes my favorite part of the book: Spretnack writes a short 'myth' for each goddess to illustrate their character in the pre-Hellenic era. Though Spretnack's academic analysis is wonderful, it is the stories that keep me coming back to this book. Though short, the stories accurately present for the modern reader what these goddesses would have been like for pre-Hellenic worshippers. Their stories are caring, uplifting, and empowering, and I cannot thank Charlene Spretnack for writing a book that makes these stories and their history accesible for the average reader.
Lost Goddesses of Early Greece is a book that I adore, and one that I would highly recommend (especially over a book about classical greek mythology).
Lost Goddesses of Early Greece is a deceptively simple book. Most people don't think about how old myths are or how they evolve over unimaginable lengths of time. Most people just think of the classical greek myths and go 'that's about as old as it gets, unless you want to read Gilgamesh.' I know that's what I thought, prior to reading Lost Goddesses. It had never really occurred to me that, yes, there was something that pre-dated classical Greece, that it was a culture and tradition different than classical Greece, and that we actually know about it (perhaps not as much as we know about other periods of history, but it's not completely lost in the mists of time, either). Spretnack does a wonderful job of explaining how this gap in knowledge came to be, why it exists, and filling in the gap by explaining what we now know about pre-Hellenic times, though understandably hampered by the fact that these traditions were largely oral and they were targeted for extinction due to political reasons over time. Then, she goes on to focus on individual godesses to explain what their characters were originally like, how their characters were changed to the Hellenic veraions that most of us would be familiar with, and offers possible explainations for the alterations. Then comes my favorite part of the book: Spretnack writes a short 'myth' for each goddess to illustrate their character in the pre-Hellenic era. Though Spretnack's academic analysis is wonderful, it is the stories that keep me coming back to this book. Though short, the stories accurately present for the modern reader what these goddesses would have been like for pre-Hellenic worshippers. Their stories are caring, uplifting, and empowering, and I cannot thank Charlene Spretnack for writing a book that makes these stories and their history accesible for the average reader.
Lost Goddesses of Early Greece is a book that I adore, and one that I would highly recommend (especially over a book about classical greek mythology).
November 3, 2014
Good enough if you're looking for stories, I suppose, but if you're trying to do any research on the characters you're SOL. Despite saying that she wouldn't fictionalize and embroider the stories, Spretnak does exactly that- understandable enough, as they are stories and she's trying to re-tell them as best she can; completely worthless for academics.
January 28, 2020
I didn't like this book much. I can't really say it advertises itself falsely, but when I hear 'a collection of pre-Hellenic myths' I expect some actual sources, not just recycled stuff from Marija Gimbutas and Joseph Campbell, both of whom I like as poetic inspiration but not historicity. We all loved the Robert Graves-ancient matriarchy-overwhelmed-by the-asshole-patriarchy theories, but very little of them can be ascertained beyond wild speculation. There's nothing new in the info section at the beginning of each mini-chapter, but the rewritten and reinterpreted 'pre-Hellenic myths' are nothing more than fictional revamps of the traditional material .
I had thought this was a book that could be included in research and source material, but it's just a writer's reinterpretation with no more validity than mine would be.
I had thought this was a book that could be included in research and source material, but it's just a writer's reinterpretation with no more validity than mine would be.
February 2, 2013
I never realized how patriarchal the Greek gods were until I read this book. It offers a new take on the feminine side of the ancient goddesses. Refreshing, new, and powerful. It's nice to read something that empowers the female energy.
April 12, 2013
Introduced me to a topic I knew little about, but seems thin on footnoted research, just seems too fleshed out by the author. Interesting and raises questions about accepted views of early Greece, however.
July 28, 2011
Very good. Loved this book.
October 19, 2020
I'm not entirely certain how accurate this is, but I enjoyed reading it.
July 31, 2025
This book!!!!!!! is incredible.
I may be late to the game here but apparently~~~~, Classical Greek Mythology as “we” know and permit it, is a falsified fairly new adaptation of the ancient MATRIARCHAL version. Basically, the original Pre-Hellenic myths have all been rewritten into erroneous patriarchal versions. The ancient world was built around Goddess, revolved around Goddess- not around God. Imagine that 0:)
“When compared to the religions of the Goddess in Europe and elsewhere, the Judeo-Christian tradition was “born yesterday." In fact, the very notion of supreme deity, i.e., ultimate power, being male is a relatively recent invention. Zeus first appeared around 2500 B.C. and Abraham, the first patriarch of the Old Testament, is dated by Biblical scholars at 1800 B.C.; in contrast, some of the Goddess statues are dated at 25,000 B.C. Therefore, what we see around us, that is, patriarchal religion and social order, is not "the natural order" for all humankind since Day One based on “the Natural Law."
The new, patriarchal religion co-opted the older mythic symbols and inverted their meaning: The female, Eve, was now weak-willed and treacherous; the sacred bough was now forbidden; and the serpent, symbol of regeneration and renewal with its shedding skins, was now the embodiment of evil.”
This really sums it all up for me.
As I was marveling at her words, I thought to myself, Charlene Spretnak has GOT to be an Aquarian. I looked up her birthday, and sure enough! Jan 30, baby.
The book begins with an introduction to the Pre-Hellenic myths and takes us through what actually happened vs. what Classical Greek Mythology (misleadingly based on the patriarchy) says happened. She sites different sources that widely spread untrue stories, such as Jung’s “Collected Works” and other popular texts written by renown men.
Then she introduces each Goddess in more of a factual way, giving us their common backstory.
Afterwards, my personal favorite part~~ she writes her own version of the Goddess’s myth, poetically and melodiously. If the whole book read like this, I’d probably give it 5 stars. It’s honestly worth 5 stars for being so full of knowledge in such a small book. I think what was slightly missing for me, was that I could have used more background overall since I am not well versed in neither Classical Greek Mythology nor Pre-Hellenic Goddess-based mythology. Whereas, I think she wrote it assuming that the reader is already familiar with the common Classical versions of the myths.
My favorite excerpt is the last chapter- The Myth of Demeter and Persephone. Mother and daughter. To sum it up, Demeter is the Goddess of the crops- the Grain Mother, the one responsible for introducing planting and harvesting to the beings. Keeping them nourished. Persephone is her daughter who is fascinated by the spirits of the dead. The spirits seem lost. She wants to become a greeter, a welcomer of these departed souls in the underworld, helping to guide and assist them. She expresses this to her mother, and Demeter replies that it is she who has domain over the underworld, for she draws the crops and wild plants forth from beneath the surface of the earth. However, her purpose is more-so to feed the living. Persephone feels called to help the dead and goes to the underworld, while her mother is worried about this idea but allows her to go live out her mission.
“‘I am Persephone and I have come to be your Queen. Each of you has left your earthly body and now resides in the realm of the dead. If you come to me, I will initiate you into your new world.’
She beckoned those nearest to step up onto the rock and enter Her aura. As each spirit crossed before her, Persephone embraced the form and then stepped back and gazed into the eyes. She reached for a few of the pomegranate seeds, squeezing them between Her fingers. She painted the forehead with a broad swatch of the red juice and slow pronounced:
“You have waxed into the fullness of life
And waned into darkness;
May you be renewed in tranquility and wisdom.”
So so lovely.
This is a book I will have to reread because a lot of the information has not stuck into my brain.
Another great thing is that in the back of the book, she provides a list of further reading to learn more about the Goddesses ! I was happy to see Joseph Campbell’s name among those- he’s a real one.
The topic of the Goddess is something I will be exploring more thanks to this eye-opening book. So fascinated by her energies, rituals, and stories.
Highly recommend to any Aquarian or any person who values authenticity and would like to know about real history aka herstory lollll or any person looking to connect with her inner whimsical divine magic.
I may be late to the game here but apparently~~~~, Classical Greek Mythology as “we” know and permit it, is a falsified fairly new adaptation of the ancient MATRIARCHAL version. Basically, the original Pre-Hellenic myths have all been rewritten into erroneous patriarchal versions. The ancient world was built around Goddess, revolved around Goddess- not around God. Imagine that 0:)
“When compared to the religions of the Goddess in Europe and elsewhere, the Judeo-Christian tradition was “born yesterday." In fact, the very notion of supreme deity, i.e., ultimate power, being male is a relatively recent invention. Zeus first appeared around 2500 B.C. and Abraham, the first patriarch of the Old Testament, is dated by Biblical scholars at 1800 B.C.; in contrast, some of the Goddess statues are dated at 25,000 B.C. Therefore, what we see around us, that is, patriarchal religion and social order, is not "the natural order" for all humankind since Day One based on “the Natural Law."
The new, patriarchal religion co-opted the older mythic symbols and inverted their meaning: The female, Eve, was now weak-willed and treacherous; the sacred bough was now forbidden; and the serpent, symbol of regeneration and renewal with its shedding skins, was now the embodiment of evil.”
This really sums it all up for me.
As I was marveling at her words, I thought to myself, Charlene Spretnak has GOT to be an Aquarian. I looked up her birthday, and sure enough! Jan 30, baby.
The book begins with an introduction to the Pre-Hellenic myths and takes us through what actually happened vs. what Classical Greek Mythology (misleadingly based on the patriarchy) says happened. She sites different sources that widely spread untrue stories, such as Jung’s “Collected Works” and other popular texts written by renown men.
Then she introduces each Goddess in more of a factual way, giving us their common backstory.
Afterwards, my personal favorite part~~ she writes her own version of the Goddess’s myth, poetically and melodiously. If the whole book read like this, I’d probably give it 5 stars. It’s honestly worth 5 stars for being so full of knowledge in such a small book. I think what was slightly missing for me, was that I could have used more background overall since I am not well versed in neither Classical Greek Mythology nor Pre-Hellenic Goddess-based mythology. Whereas, I think she wrote it assuming that the reader is already familiar with the common Classical versions of the myths.
My favorite excerpt is the last chapter- The Myth of Demeter and Persephone. Mother and daughter. To sum it up, Demeter is the Goddess of the crops- the Grain Mother, the one responsible for introducing planting and harvesting to the beings. Keeping them nourished. Persephone is her daughter who is fascinated by the spirits of the dead. The spirits seem lost. She wants to become a greeter, a welcomer of these departed souls in the underworld, helping to guide and assist them. She expresses this to her mother, and Demeter replies that it is she who has domain over the underworld, for she draws the crops and wild plants forth from beneath the surface of the earth. However, her purpose is more-so to feed the living. Persephone feels called to help the dead and goes to the underworld, while her mother is worried about this idea but allows her to go live out her mission.
“‘I am Persephone and I have come to be your Queen. Each of you has left your earthly body and now resides in the realm of the dead. If you come to me, I will initiate you into your new world.’
She beckoned those nearest to step up onto the rock and enter Her aura. As each spirit crossed before her, Persephone embraced the form and then stepped back and gazed into the eyes. She reached for a few of the pomegranate seeds, squeezing them between Her fingers. She painted the forehead with a broad swatch of the red juice and slow pronounced:
“You have waxed into the fullness of life
And waned into darkness;
May you be renewed in tranquility and wisdom.”
So so lovely.
This is a book I will have to reread because a lot of the information has not stuck into my brain.
Another great thing is that in the back of the book, she provides a list of further reading to learn more about the Goddesses ! I was happy to see Joseph Campbell’s name among those- he’s a real one.
The topic of the Goddess is something I will be exploring more thanks to this eye-opening book. So fascinated by her energies, rituals, and stories.
Highly recommend to any Aquarian or any person who values authenticity and would like to know about real history aka herstory lollll or any person looking to connect with her inner whimsical divine magic.
July 22, 2022
I wish this were longer. Not necessarily the myths themselves, but the introduction and the notes preceding each myth, because Spretnak really only scratched the surface. I especially appreciated Spretnak's retelling of the Demeter & Persephone myth as her version goes rather nicely with the reconstructed Minoan version of the tale!
Having recently read When They Severed Earth from Sky: How the Human Mind Shapes Myth, I did cringe a little bit at the idea that the only deity was a perfectly loving, nurturing Mother Goddess or that all their myths were about harmony. The idea of myth being made as a way of preserving vital information about the environment (such as volcano eruptions or tidal waves) makes me think that even the earlier myths would have had some form of conflict and disaster because that is what living on earth entails. Happy, joyous fairy tales that simply describe everyone being happy and joyous all the time don't convey useful information. Oral cultures have no other way to pass down information than through storytelling, so even the most 'useless' (to us) stories were often stories describing the stars, explaining earthquakes, preserving history about wars and droughts and illness, that get mixed up and faded over the thousands of years of retelling, invading, and moving about we've done.
Very much enjoyed Spretnak's explanation of Hera's "stormy marriage" with Zeus, as Hera being an unwilling spouse given to the invading deity; the fights between them being representations of a native population struggling against those who have conquered them, was a great perspective.
Spretnak's rather biting defense of Pandora was a beautiful thing to read; truly. Makes me want to go and see if any polytheists are including her any more!
Having recently read When They Severed Earth from Sky: How the Human Mind Shapes Myth, I did cringe a little bit at the idea that the only deity was a perfectly loving, nurturing Mother Goddess or that all their myths were about harmony. The idea of myth being made as a way of preserving vital information about the environment (such as volcano eruptions or tidal waves) makes me think that even the earlier myths would have had some form of conflict and disaster because that is what living on earth entails. Happy, joyous fairy tales that simply describe everyone being happy and joyous all the time don't convey useful information. Oral cultures have no other way to pass down information than through storytelling, so even the most 'useless' (to us) stories were often stories describing the stars, explaining earthquakes, preserving history about wars and droughts and illness, that get mixed up and faded over the thousands of years of retelling, invading, and moving about we've done.
Very much enjoyed Spretnak's explanation of Hera's "stormy marriage" with Zeus, as Hera being an unwilling spouse given to the invading deity; the fights between them being representations of a native population struggling against those who have conquered them, was a great perspective.
Spretnak's rather biting defense of Pandora was a beautiful thing to read; truly. Makes me want to go and see if any polytheists are including her any more!
Want to read
December 29, 2008I have had a fascination with the earliest religions since I knew of their existance...
October 14, 2014
Just an absolutely outstanding book. This was a re-read from many, many moons ago. My memory did not fail me. This is a treasure, the illustrations exquisite. Adored every word.
June 29, 2019
like that scene in 00 coming of age films when the girl goes underwater in her underwear
December 18, 2023
Extremely brief. I was expecting more depth of exploration and discovery. Still has some good pieces with essentially what amounts to a “taster” about several goddesses and I will plan to use it in my work in the upcoming years. Also note that there are only 12 goddesses explored—I was expecting something more encyclopedic, I think!
October 3, 2024
Amazing ❤️
March 20, 2023
There’s something healing about reading the myths I love from a perspective re-imagining them as they might have been before the violence brought by the patriarchy. A little over-embellished maybe, but a lovely read and intro to the idea.
December 21, 2022
Summary: a brief overview of eleven goddesses who pre-date Hellenic Greece and whose myths were transformed and absorbed into the Hellenic pantheon.
Thesis: these peaceful, life-giving goddesses were worshipped in the murky (to us) time period between the pre-historical and post-historical world. That world is believed by scholars to have been matriarchal. The goddesses were, according to the author, intentionally disempowered and made irreverent by waves of patriarchal bands of violent and invading Greek-speaking nomads from the north. (This is before there was such a thing as “Greece”.)
My review: Spretnak’s thesis is not her own; she draws heavily from scholars who, in the early decades of the twentieth century, began synthesizing information from literary sources, archeological evidence, art, and linguistics to make sense of pre-historical religion and culture. In that scholarship, it is proposed that the Zeus-worshipping religion that later became the classical Greek pantheon was not indigenous to mainland Greece but instead was imported over millennia, starting about 3,500 years ago, by invading nomadic warriors who absorbed the indigenous religion into their own.
Spretnak devises an affective structure - she introduces each goddess with a thematic summary, pre- and post-Hellenic, followed by a synthesis of each goddess’s pre-Hellenic myth. The synthesis is Spretnak’s own interpretation of what their myth was prior to it being polluted by the invading Zeus-worshippers. I used the strident term “polluted” intentionally because Spretnak is strident in her assertions. She writes from a strongly feminist perspective and makes her distaste for patriarchal social structures clear.
If you’re looking for a purely objective summary of pre-Hellenic religious beliefs in the Aegean region, this is probably not the book for you. However, I believe Spretnak’s book is worth reading as a beginner’s guide to pre-Hellenic scholarship, whether you agree or not with her political opinions. Through her bibliography, she introduces us to major scholars, who since the 1920s, have synthesized information from multiple disciplines to paint a picture of what religious life was like in the days long before Homer.
Spretnak’s interpretations of the myths of Hera and Persephone are particularly moving. Hera’s myth, because rather than the tropic shrew of The Iliad, we meet a loving, powerful goddess who lifts women up rather than jealously tears them down. And Persephone’s, because rather than a tale in which a woman is a tropic victim of male violence, Persephone makes a choice to give comfort to both the living and the dead and therefore give humans the gloom of winter and the joyous rebirth of spring.
Thesis: these peaceful, life-giving goddesses were worshipped in the murky (to us) time period between the pre-historical and post-historical world. That world is believed by scholars to have been matriarchal. The goddesses were, according to the author, intentionally disempowered and made irreverent by waves of patriarchal bands of violent and invading Greek-speaking nomads from the north. (This is before there was such a thing as “Greece”.)
My review: Spretnak’s thesis is not her own; she draws heavily from scholars who, in the early decades of the twentieth century, began synthesizing information from literary sources, archeological evidence, art, and linguistics to make sense of pre-historical religion and culture. In that scholarship, it is proposed that the Zeus-worshipping religion that later became the classical Greek pantheon was not indigenous to mainland Greece but instead was imported over millennia, starting about 3,500 years ago, by invading nomadic warriors who absorbed the indigenous religion into their own.
Spretnak devises an affective structure - she introduces each goddess with a thematic summary, pre- and post-Hellenic, followed by a synthesis of each goddess’s pre-Hellenic myth. The synthesis is Spretnak’s own interpretation of what their myth was prior to it being polluted by the invading Zeus-worshippers. I used the strident term “polluted” intentionally because Spretnak is strident in her assertions. She writes from a strongly feminist perspective and makes her distaste for patriarchal social structures clear.
If you’re looking for a purely objective summary of pre-Hellenic religious beliefs in the Aegean region, this is probably not the book for you. However, I believe Spretnak’s book is worth reading as a beginner’s guide to pre-Hellenic scholarship, whether you agree or not with her political opinions. Through her bibliography, she introduces us to major scholars, who since the 1920s, have synthesized information from multiple disciplines to paint a picture of what religious life was like in the days long before Homer.
Spretnak’s interpretations of the myths of Hera and Persephone are particularly moving. Hera’s myth, because rather than the tropic shrew of The Iliad, we meet a loving, powerful goddess who lifts women up rather than jealously tears them down. And Persephone’s, because rather than a tale in which a woman is a tropic victim of male violence, Persephone makes a choice to give comfort to both the living and the dead and therefore give humans the gloom of winter and the joyous rebirth of spring.
July 27, 2011
Obra corta pero muy interesante de leer. De fácil y rápida lectura pero no tan fácil digestión. Basandose en el hecho histórico de que la antigua Grecia era depositaria de una serie de culturas más antiguas a las invasiones Aqueas y Dóricas, pretende rescatar las imágenes originales de aquellas Diosas femeninas, consideradas como encarnaciones o figuraciones de la suprema energía femenina fundamental o Gran Diosa, que según teoría de la autora, han sido manipuladas y empequeñecidas en funciones y poder por el arduo trabajo de los poetas de la Grecia Clásica y los posteriores estudiosos del tema hasta ser solo figuras supeditadas a las masculinas en el espectro del patriarcal Olimpo.
La parte de recuperación de los mitos viene a ser como un pequeño libro de mano de poesía de inspiración griega para mujeres y buscadores de lo femenino.
Sin entrar en valoraciones de certeza o incerteza, la parte de recuperación de mitos es hermosa de leer, y el libro en su poco gravoso. Recomendado para gente imaginativa que se esté aburriendo y buscadoras acérrimas de la Gran Diosa.
La parte de recuperación de los mitos viene a ser como un pequeño libro de mano de poesía de inspiración griega para mujeres y buscadores de lo femenino.
Sin entrar en valoraciones de certeza o incerteza, la parte de recuperación de mitos es hermosa de leer, y el libro en su poco gravoso. Recomendado para gente imaginativa que se esté aburriendo y buscadoras acérrimas de la Gran Diosa.
December 27, 2023
"Long before she was regarded as mother of the powerful deities, she herself was the powerful deity."
I deeply enjoyed this. Even though it was published in the 80s, Spretnak's style of writing and clear and concise way of portraying information is still very accessible. I'm very into the mythology we all know and love, but these myths that focus more on matriarchy and the goddesses having power that doesn't stem from the gods that they're connected to in Olympian myth really does it for me.
*
Slowly they found that hunger has many forms.
Life was young and frail when Aphrodite arose with the breath of renewal.
Still, Artemis always appeared to a mother who called and always rejoiced with her at the moment of birth.
I deeply enjoyed this. Even though it was published in the 80s, Spretnak's style of writing and clear and concise way of portraying information is still very accessible. I'm very into the mythology we all know and love, but these myths that focus more on matriarchy and the goddesses having power that doesn't stem from the gods that they're connected to in Olympian myth really does it for me.
*
Slowly they found that hunger has many forms.
Life was young and frail when Aphrodite arose with the breath of renewal.
Still, Artemis always appeared to a mother who called and always rejoiced with her at the moment of birth.
December 29, 2020
I was expecting a little more of an analytical approach, considering the title. Informed by her research on the origins of Greek myths, Spretnak gives alternate, women-centered versions of the Greek myths. I loved the illustrations and how the book made me reconsider how myths are formed and the ways Roman rule influenced them. I wanted to know more about the early sources she found and the historical context of how the myths changed.
August 18, 2018
I believe it is important for us all to know the original stories of the Goddesses before the myths were corrupted by the patriarchal religions. Charlene Spretnak does a good job of giving us back our stories.
May 22, 2020
This slim volume was an education and initiation on its own! It should be required reading alongside the learning of the ancient myths, because the picture is utterly incomplete, politically suspect and terrible for women without it. In one fell swoop, this offers a bracing correction.
July 21, 2009
I liked this little known book of Spretnaks. She does simple renditions of Greek Goddess tales and leaves each page after each tale blank. It is very meditative.
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September 10, 2013Wonderful introduction covering the re-writing of the earliest Greek myths by the conquering, patriarchal societies that overtook Greece.
September 12, 2019
tremendous book about pre-Hellenic (myths?) These stories are some of the earliest of a time when Goddess was both Mother and warrior and more. I highly recommend.
April 5, 2020
Very enjoyable & educational. I loved learning the origins & how the goddesses have been adapted throughout the ages. Wish there were more!
May 13, 2021
I found it rather trite and dull.
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