The following is only a selective list of books covering women, mythology, religion and herstory. More will be added as I continue with my own research. If any reader has any suggestions, please mail me. If I find the suggested books of use, they too will be included. The books are divided by the chapters for which they were used: Creation, Descent of the Gods, Goddesses, Muses and Amazons, and Women and Religion. Often times, texts cross over. Those books which I found especially informative or interesting are marked with an asterisk (*). Those which might be considered children's books--a great source of information and inspiration--are marked (#). I have also added a list of links which the reader may find of interest.
Creation
Eisler, Riane.The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future. San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1987.
*Frazer, James George. Robert Fraser, abr. The Golden Bough. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.
Gimbutas, Marija. The Language of the Goddess. New York: HarperCollins, 1991
Leeming, David and Margaret Leeming. A Dictionary of Creation Myths. New York: Oxford University Press,1994.
Descent of the Gods
Athanassakis, Apostolos N. The Homeric Hymns: Translation, Introduction and Notes. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press,1976.
Bolen, Jean Shinoda. Gods in Every Man: A New Psychology of Men's Lives and Loves. New York: HarperPerennial,1989.
*Campbell, Joseph. Occidental Mythology. New York: Penguin Books,1963.
*Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. In the Wake of the Goddesses: Women, Culture and the Biblical Transformation of Pagan Myth. New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1992.
Leeming, David and Jake Page. God: Myths of the Male Divine. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.
*Novack, Philip. The World's Wisdom: Sacred Texts of the World's Religions. San Francisco: HarperCollins,1994.
Oliphant, Margaret. The Atlas of the Ancient World: Charting the Great Civilizations of the Past. New York: Simon and Schuster,1992.
*Stone, Merlin. When God Was A Woman. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers,1976.
Goddesses
Adkins, Lesley and Roy A. Dictionary of Roman Religion. New York: Facts On File, Inc.,1996.
*Ann, Martha and Dorothy Myers Imel. Goddesses in World Mythology: A Biographical Dictionary. New York: Oxford University Press,1993.
*Baring, Ann and Jules Cashford. The Myth of the Goddess: Evolution of An Image. London: Penguin Books, 1991.
Bolen, Jean Shinoda. Goddesses in Every Woman: A New Psychology of Women. New York: HarperPerennial,1984.
Cotterell, Arthur. The Encyclopedia of Mythology: Norse, Classical, Celtic. New York: Smithmark Publishers, 1996.
Davidson, Hilda Ellis. Roles of the Northern Goddess. London: Routledge, 1998.
Devi: Goddesses of India. John Stratton Hawley and Donna Marie Wulff, editors. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996.
Erdoes, Richard and Alfonso Ortiz. American Indian Myths and Legends. New York: Pantheon Books, 1984.
Getty, Adele. Goddess: Mother of Living Nature. London: Thames and Hudson, 1990.
Gibson, Clare. Goddess Symbols: Universal Signs of the Divine Feminine. New York: Barnes and Nobles, 1998.
Goddess: A Celebration in Art and Literature. Jalaja Bonheim, editor. New York: Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 1997.
Graham, Lanier. Goddesses. New York: Abbeville Press, 1997.
Green, Miranda. Celtic Goddesses: Virgins, Warriors and Mothers. New York: George Braziller, 1996.
Graves, Robert. The White Goddess. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1948.
*Hall, Nor. The Moon and the Virgin: Reflections on the Archetypal Feminine. New York: HarperPerennial, 1980.
Hallam, Elizabeth. Gods and Goddesses: A Treasury of Deities and Tales from World Mythology. New York: MacMillan, 1996.
Harpur, James. The Atlas of Sacred Places: Meeting Points of Heaven and Earth. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1994.
*Harvey, Andrew and Ann Baring. The Divine Feminine: Exploring the Feminine Face of God Around the World. Berkeley: Conari Press, 1996.
Hixon, Lex. Mother of the Universe: Visions of the Goddess and Tantric Hymns of Enlightenment. Wheaton, IL: Quest Books, 1994.
Husain, Sharukh. The Goddess: Creation, Fertility and Abundance: The Sovereignty of Woman: Myths and Archetypes. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1997.
Jordan, Michael. Encyclopedia of Gods: Over 2500 Deities of the World. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1993.
Krupp, Dr. E. C. Beyond the Blue Horizon: Myths and Legends of the Sun, Moon, Stars and Planets. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991
Leeming, David and Jake Page. Goddess: Myths of the Female Divine. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.
#Legends of the World. Richard Cavendish, ed. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1982.
Long, Asphodel P. In a Chariot Drawn By Lions: The Search for the Female in Deity. Freedom, CA: The Crossing Press, 1993.
Mann, A.T. and Jane Lyle. Sacred Sexuality. New York: Barnes and Noble, 1995.
Mascetti, Manuela Dunn. Goddess Wisdom: Aphrodite, Artemis, Athena. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1996.
*Mascetti, Manuela Dunn. The Song of Eve: An Illustrated Journey into the Myths, Symbols and Rituals of the Goddess. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1990.
Monaghan, Patricia. The Book of Goddesses and Heroines. Saint Paul: Llewellyn Publications,1981.
Motz, Lotte. The Faces of the Goddess. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.
Neumann, Erich. The Great Mother. Ralph Manheim, trans. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1963.
*Paris, Ginette. Pagan Meditations: Aphrodite, Hestia, Artemis. Translated by Gwendolyn Moore. Woodstock, CT: Spring Publications, Inc., 1986.
*Paris, Ginette. Pagan Grace: Dionysus, Hermes and Goddess Memory in Daily Life. Translated by Joanna Mott. Dallas: Spring Publications, Inc., 1990
Regula, DeTracy. The Mysteries of Isis: Her Worship and Magick. Saint Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 1995.
Shaw, Ian and Paul Nicholson. The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers, 1995.
#Spretnak, Charlene. Lost Goddesses of Early Greece: A Collection of Pre-Hellenic Myths. Boston: Beacon Press, 1978.
#Stone, Merlin. Ancient Mirrors of Womanhood: A Treasury of Goddess and Heroine Lore from Around the World. Boston: Beacon Press, 1979.
Turcan, Robert. The Cults of the Roman Empire. Cambridge: Blackwell, 1996.
The Book of the Goddess: Past and Present. Carl Olson, ed. New York: Crossroad, 1992.
#Waldherr, Kris. The Book of the Goddess. Hillsboro, OR: Beyond Words Publishing, Inc., 1995
Willson, Martin. In Praise of Tara: Songs to the Saviouress: Source Texts from India and Tibet on Buddhism's Great Goddess. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1996.
*Woolger, Jennifer Barker and Roger J. Woolger. The Goddess Within: A Guide to the Eternal Myths That Shape Women's Lives. New York: Fawcett Columbine,1987.
Muses and Amazons
Cereta, Laura. Collected Letters of a Renaissance Feminist. Transcribed, translated and edited by Diana Robin. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997.
D'Aragona, Tullia. Dialogue on the Infinity of Love. Edited and translated by Rinaldina Russell and Bruce Merry. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997.
Fonte, Moderata. The Worth of Women: Wherein Is Clearly Revealed Their Nobility and Their Superiority to Men. Edited and translated by Virginia Cox. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997.
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. Herland: A Lost Feminist Utopian Novel. Introduction by Ann J. Lane. New York: Pantheon Books, 1979.
#Hazell, Rebecca. Heroines: Great Women Through the Ages. New York: Abbeville Press Publishers, 1996.
Jones, David. Women Warriors: A History. Washington: Brassey's, 1997.
.*LaRousse Dictionary of Women. Melanie Parry, ed. New York: Larousse Kingfisher Chambers, Inc., 1996.
*Leon, Vicki. Uppity Women of Ancient Times. Berkeley: Conari Press, 1995
*Leon, Vicki. Uppity Women of Medieval Times. Berkeley: Conari Press, 1997.
Medieval Women Monastics: Wisdom's Wellsprings. Miriam Schmitt and Linda Kulzer, eds. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1996.
*Pizan, Christine de. The Book of the City of Ladies. Translated by Earl Jeffrey Richards. New York: Persea Books, 1982.
Pulci, Antonia. Florentine Drama for Convent and Festival. Translated by James Wyatt Cook. Edited and James Wyatt Cook and Barbara Collier Cook. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997.
Salmonson, Jessica Amanda. The Encyclopedia of Amazons: Women Warriors from Antiquity to the Modern Era. New York: Anchor Books, 1991.
Sappho. Translated by Mary Barnard. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1958.
Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz. Poems, Protest and a Dream: Selected Writings. Translated with notes by Margaret Sayers Peden. New York: Penguin Books, 1997.
Sova, Dawn B. Encyclopedia of Mistresses. Stamford, CT: LongMeadow Press, 1993
Women and Religion
An Anthology of Sacred Texts By and About Women. Serinity Young, ed. New York: Crossroad Publishing,1993.
Aquino, Maria Pilar. Our Cry for Life: Feminist Theology from Latin America.Trans. Dinah Livingstone. New York: Orbis Books, 1994.
Brock, Rita Nakashima and Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite. Casting Stones: Prostitution and Liberation in Asia and the United States. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996.
Brown, Karen McCarthy. Mama Lola: A Vodou Priestess in Brooklyn. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991.
Budapest, Z. The Grandmother of Time: A Women's Book of Celebrations, Spells and Sacred Objects for Every Month of the Year. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1989.
Budapest, Z. The Holy Book of Women's Mysteries. London: Robert Hall, 1989.
Cannon, Katie G. Black Womanist Ethics. Atlanta: Scholars Press,1988.
Christ, Carol. Odyssey With the Goddess: A Spiritual Quest in Crete. New York: Continuum, 1995.
Christ, Carol P. Rebirth of the Goddess: Finding Meaning in Feminist Spirituality. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1997.
Crowley, Vivianne. The Principles of Paganism. San Francisco: Thorsons, 1996.
Crowley, Vivianne. The Principles of Wicca. San Francisco: Thorsons, 1997.
Eller, Cynthia. Living in the Lap of the Goddess: The Feminist Spirituality Movement in America. Boston: Beacon Press, 1995.
Ellis, Normandi. Dreams of Isis: A Woman's Spiritual Sojourn. Wheaton, IL: Quest Books, 1995.
*Harvey, Graham. Contemporary Paganism: Listening People, Speaking Earth. New York: New York University Press,1997.
Hopman, Ellen Evert and Lawrence Bond. People of the Earth: The New Pagans Speak Out. Rochester, VT: Destiny Books, 1996.
Johnson, Elizabeth. She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse. New York: Crossroad Publishing, 1992.
Jordan, Michael. Witches: An Encyclopedia of Paganism and Magic. London: Kyle Cathie, 1996.
Kyung, Chung Hyun. Struggle to be the Sun Again: Introducing Asian Women's Theology. New York: Orbis Books, 1990.
McFague, Sallie. The Body of God: An Ecological Theology. Minneapolis: Fortress Press,1993.
Oduyoye, Mercy Amba. Daughters of Anowa: African Women and Patriarchy. New York: Orbis Books, 1995.
Out of the Garden: Women Writers on the Bible. Christina Buchmann and Celina Spiegel, ed. New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1994.
*Paper, Jordan. Through the Earth Darkly: Female Spirituality in Comparative Perspective. New York: Continuum, 1997.
Plaskow, Judith. Standing Again at Sinai: Judaism from a Feminist Perspective. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1990.
*The Politics of Women's Spirituality: Essays by Founding Mothers of the Movement. Charlene Spretnak, ed. New York: Anchor Books, 1982.
Ruth, Sheila. Take Back the Light: A Feminist Reclamation of Spirituality and Religion. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc, 1994.
Shaw, Miranda. Passionate Enlightenment: Women in Tantric Buddhism. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994.
Schussler-Fiorenza, Elizabeth. In Memory of Her: A Feminist Theological Reconstruction of Christian Origins. New York: Crossroad Publishing, 1994.
She Rises Like the Sun: Invocations of the Goddess by Contemporoary American Women Poets. Janine Canan, ed. Freedom, CA: The Crossing Press, 1989.
The Will to Arise: Women, Tradition and the Church in Africa. Mercy Amba Oduyoye and Musimbi R. A. Kanyoro, eds. New York: Orbis Books, 1997.
Walker, Barbara G. The Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets. Edison, NJ: Castle Books, 1983.
Walther, Wiebke. Women and Islam: From Medieval to Modern Times. Princeton: Markus Wiener Publications, 1995.
Williams, Delores S. Sisters in the Wilderness: The Challenge of Womanist God-Talk. New York: Orbis Books, 1993.
WomanSpirit Rising: A Feminist Reader in Religion. Carol P. Christ and Judith Plaskow, ed. San Francisco: HarperSanFransisco, 1992.
*Women in World Religions. Edited by Arvind Sharma. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1987.
Back to Introduction
Ancient Voices--For those interested in jewelry of ancient inspiration, this is the site for you. There is a wide selection, mostly of European influence.
Avatar Search--One of the best search engines available for sites dedicated to mythology, Paganism, religion and the Occult.
Covenant of the Goddess--An umbrella organization for covens, solitaries and other pagan groups all over the United States.
Melisende's Women of History--A beautiful and informative site dedicated to preserving and rediscovering the memories of our foremothers.
Mythic Naturalism--This is a beautiful site dedicated to the Feminine Divine. It features many Jonathon Earl Bowser's original works of art (Mythic Naturalism, Landscapes, and others) as well as essays by the artist.
Omphalos--One of the best search engines on the web for sites dedicated to Paganism, Goddess/es, mythology and so on.
Pythia--A beautiful site dedicated to Hellenic Paganism (or Olympianism); includes links to many other such sites.
SageWoman--An e-zine dedicated to the Divine Feminine in all of us; includes poetry, articles by Starhawk, Joanna Powell Colbert and Diana Paxson (among others), as well as beautiful artwork.
Urban Arthurian Myth--The author of this site is interested mostly in Arthurian mythology, creative writing and music. He is also working on a trilogy on the modern reappearance of Arthur and company. The site also contains page after PAGE of useful links to sites ranging from mythology to philosophy to famous authors to tips on writing.