by Anne Davey

Created on: March 31, 2008   Last Updated: January 23, 2010

Finding books specifically devoted to the role played by women in mythology is not an easy task.

Mythology in religion tends, as with most religious writing, to be masculine in its construct and, though there are many significant roles played by women in the great stories and myths of our societies both ancient and modern, it is only recently that these have come sufficiently to our attention. Thus there are few classic books on the subject, most are relatively recent additions to our library.

Firstly I'd like to recommend some good general guides which treat the whole subject of women in mythology:

1. "Goddesses in World Mythology: A Biographical Dictionary" by Martha Ann and Dorothy Myers Imel, (1993).

This is an excellent and very thorough book; well researched and, in my opinion, the definitive collection of information on goddesses in mythology. The book is divided into pantheons and also into attributes, and covers the development of myths surrounding each goddess over time. It's an impressive and successful volume.

2. "Women of Mythology" by Kay Retzlaff' (2001)

This is a good overview of the characters in mythology and covers all religions. It includes mortal women, as well as goddesses, and is good on women warriors. The scope is so wide it is more of a general introduction to everything than an in-depth resource, but it would be a useful addition to most book collections.

3. "The Women's Companion to Mythology" edited by Carolyne Larrington. (1997)

This is a collection of essays written by women on gender and myth, revealing the stories from around the world which highlight the relationship between male and female. It explores the balance between the sexes at various historical points as presented by mythology, and reveals much about how different societies saw their womenfolk, as well as something of how women see themselves. Less anthology-like than the first two books on the list, it is nevertheless a thought-provoking read.

4. "Women in Myth" by Bettina L. Knapp (1997)

This is a brilliant scholarly book as a deserved modern classic on the subject. The author analyses myths from nine different countries and uses them to explore women's role in their societies. She constructs myths as being both ectypal (dealing with the existential world) and archetypal (dealing with eternal experiences) and so posits the idea that myths not only reveal a dead civilisation to us, they offer a glimpse of a society's shortcomings and needs. This work is tied into

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