This was originally posted on June 7, 2020 Scene: A comfy lecture hall in the temple on the summit of Mount Olympus. The feminist historians have taken their seats. The eldest Olympians rise to speak. Let us attend to their… Read More ›
Athena
From the Archives: Medusa and Athena: Ancient Allies in Healing Women’s Trauma by Laura Shannon
This blog was originally posted on June 24, 2017 Rather than being a bleeding image of female disempowerment, Medusa may be read as…one of the most ancient European symbols of women’s spiritual abilities… [and] an empowering image of feminine potential.’… Read More ›
On Ukraine, War and Goddess’s Protection by Judith Shaw
We have all been horrified by the Russian invasion of Ukraine as we witness the brutal bombardment of not only military sites but also of civilians, neighborhoods, hospitals, churches, historical sites and nuclear power plants. It has been called the… Read More ›
Thrice-Born Athena, Pt. 3 by Barbara Ardinger
Note: If you’ve been reading Athena’s story for the past two days (link to Part 2 here), you know what’s happened to her before her third birth. You’ve read her version as I heard it in my mind and wrote… Read More ›
Thrice-Born Athena, Pt. 2 by Barbara Ardinger
Read Part 1 here. Note: This part of the story concerns what nearly everybody who has read the mythology knows about the Goddess of Wisdom. But what you’ve read in, say, Edith Hamilton or Robert Graves is the patriarchal version…. Read More ›
Thrice-Born Athena: A Secret History (Part 1) by Barbara Ardinger
Note: Inspired by Mary Sharratt’s excellent post on February 13 about the heroine’s journey and by Elizabeth Cunningham’s beautiful novel The Wild Mother (who is Lilith), I took a dive into my archives and found this story about Athena, which… Read More ›
Recognizing Our Mentors by Joyce Zonana
Ever since I first read it when I was sixteen, I have loved Homer’s Odyssey. For many years I was lucky enough to teach it almost every semester, and so I came to know it intimately. Despite the valid feminist critique of the ancient Greek epic—that it glorifies patriarchy, justifying and perpetuating men’s control over women—I still find it to be an inspiring evocation of female autonomy and power, both human and divine. Especially divine.
The Eldest, Truest Olympians by Barbara Ardinger
Scene: A comfy lecture hall in the temple on the summit of Mount Olympus. The feminist historians have taken their seats. The eldest Olympians rise to speak. Let us attend to their words. I am Hera, Queen of All, Daughter… Read More ›
On Snakes by Ivy Helman
In the ancient world, snakes represented fertility, creativity, rebirth, wisdom and, even, death. They were often closely connected to female goddesses, priestesses and powerful human females who were the embodiment of such powers. For example, there is the Minoan goddess/priestess… Read More ›
Medusa and Athena: Ancient Allies in Healing Women’s Trauma by Laura Shannon
‘Rather than being a bleeding image of female disempowerment, Medusa may be read as…one of the most ancient European symbols of women’s spiritual abilities… [and] an empowering image of feminine potential.’ –Patricia Monaghan, O Mother Sun! (1994:244) The name Medusa… Read More ›
OF POWER, GOOD COUNSEL, AND WISDOM by Daniel Cohen
In the Jewish and Christian traditions, Wisdom (Hochma in Hebrew, Sophia in Greek) is a female figure who is an aspect of deity. This has been forgotten for many years, but people are beginning to re-discover Her. There was a time when Power… Read More ›
How a Woman Became a Goddess: Athena by Laura Loomis
A large part of my fascination with Goddesses has to do with images of female power in cultures that were (and are) overtly patriarchal. Power has a tricky balance: when it’s being abused, the struggle is to find a way… Read More ›
A CLASH OF CULTURES IN OUR GENES by Carol P. Christ
I carry the exact replica of MDNA handed down from mother to daughter since the depths of the last Ice Age 17,000 years ago. My father carries the YDNA of the Indo-Europeans handed down from father to son since the time when… Read More ›