Encyclopedia of Goddesses and Heroines

More Than 1,000 Goddesses and Heroines from around the World Groundbreaking scholar Patricia Monaghan spent her life researching, writing about, and documenting goddesses and heroines from all religions and all corners of the globe. Her work demonstrated that from the beginning of recorded history, goddesses reigned alongside their male counterparts as figures of inspiration and awe. Drawing on anthropology, folklore, literature, and psychology, Monaghan’s vibrant and accessible encyclopedia covers female deities from Africa, the eastern Mediterranean, Asia and Oceania, Europe, and the Americas, as well as every major religious tradition.

Table of Contents:
Contents Introduction Note on Spelling and Pronunciation Africa Introduction African Pantheon Egyptian Pantheon African Diaspora Pantheon Eastern Mediterranean Introduction Eastern Mediterranean Pantheon Christian and Jewish Pantheon Asia and Oceania China and Korea Introduction Chinese, Mongol, and Taiwanese Pantheon Korean Pantheon Circumpolar North Introduction Circumpolar North Pantheon India Introduction Hindu and Buddhist Pantheon of India, Nepal, and Tibet Southeast Asia and Indonesia Southeast Asian and Indonesian Pantheon Japan Introduction Japanese and Ainu Pantheon The Pacific Islands and Australia Introduction Pacific Islands Pantheon Australian Pantheon Europe The Baltic Introduction Baltic Pantheon The Celtic World Introduction Continental Celtic and Breton Pantheon Irish and Scottish Pantheon British and Manx Pantheon Welsh, Cornish, and Arthurian Pantheon Finno-Ugric Cultures Introduction Finno-Ugric Pantheon Greece Introduction Greek Pantheon Rome Introduction Roman and Italic Pantheon Etruscan Pantheon Scandinavia Introduction Scandinavian Pantheon Southeastern Europe Introduction Southeastern European Pantheon Slavic Peoples Introduction Slavic Pantheon The Americas North America Introduction North American Pantheon Mesoamerica Introduction Mesoamerican Pantheon South America and the Caribbean Introduction South American and Caribbean Pantheon Bibliography Index About the Author

About the Author :
Patricia Monaghan, PhD (1946–2012), was a leader in the contemporary women’s spirituality movement as well as an award-winning poet, scholar, activist, and mentor. In 1979, she published the first encyclopedia of female divinities, a book that has remained in print since then in various formats and that she later expanded into the current volume.

Review :
“This beautiful volume—akin to Athena’s gift of weaving to the Greeks—provides a tapestry of glimmering threads of goddess figures from the world’s mythologies. This is an important introductory reference volume crafted with scholarship both deep and wide.” —Safron Rossi, PhD, editor of Joseph Campbell’s Goddesses: Mysteries of the Feminine Divine “Something deep within every woman is healed and validated when she learns the rich feminine history of goddesses and heroines through history and their importance in all the world’s cultures. And it’s all here in this magnificent work.” —Christiane Northrup, MD, ob/gyn physician and author of the New York Times bestsellers The Wisdom of Menopause and Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom “It’s really valuable to have a book describing all goddesses and heroines. I’m sure many artists will find it inspiring.” —Erica Jong, author of Fear of Flying “For almost thirty-five years, generations of students and scholars have used editions of Patricia Monaghan’s rich and detailed encyclopedias describing thousands of goddesses and heroines. This wonderful new edition contains an introduction to bring the book up-to-date, discussing the most recent finds of female figures. This will be a superb addition to anyone’s library.” —Miriam Robbins Dexter, author of Whence the Goddesses: A Source Book