Virgin mother goddesses of antiquity
By: Marguerite Rigoglioso
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Published: 2010
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 267
ISBN-13: 9780230618862
Subjects: Mother goddesses
Description: "Various goddesses of the ancient Mediterranean world were once understood to be Virgin Mothers--creators who birthed the entire cosmos without need of a male consort. This is the first book to explore evidence of the original parthenogenetic power of deities such as Athena, Hera, Artemis, Gaia, Demeter, Persephone, and the Gnostic Sophia. It provides stunning feminist insights about the deeper meaning of related stories, such as the judgment of Paris, the labors of Heracles, and the exploits of the Amazons. It also roots the Thesmophoria and Eleusinian Mysteries in female parthenogenetic power, thereby providing what is at long last a coherent understanding of these mysterious rites"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: In the beginning : Chaos, Nyx, and Ge/Gaia; title: Athena/Neith/Metis : primordial creatrix of self-replication; title: Artemis : virgin mother of the wild, patron of Amazons; title: Hera : virgin queen of Heaven, Earth, and the Underworld; title: Demeter and Persephone : double goddesses of Parthenogenesis; title: The gnostic Sophia : divine generative virgin / Angeleen Campra.