This fascinating guide to the history and mythology of woman-related symbols features:
Unique organization by shape of symbol or type of sacred object
21 different sections including Round and Oval Motifs, Sacred Objects, Secular-Sacred Objects, Rituals, Deities' Signs, Supernaturals, Body Parts, Nature, Birds, Plants, Minerals, Stones and Shells, and more
Introductory essays for each section
753 entries and 636 illustrations
Alphabetical index for easy reference
Three-Rayed Sun The sun suspended in heaven by three powers, perhaps the Triple Goddess who gave birth to it (see Three-Way Motifs).
Corn Dolly An embodiment of the harvest to be set in the center of the harvest dance, or fed to the cattle to `make them thrive year round' (see Secular-Sacred Objects).
Tongue In Asia, the extended tongue was a sign of life-force as the tongue between the lips imitated the sacred lingam-yoni: male within female genital. Sticking out the tongue is still a polite sign of greeting in northern India and Tibet (see Body Parts).
Cosmic Egg In ancient times the primeval universe-or the Great Mother-took the form of an egg. It carried all numbers and letters within an ellipse, to show that everything is contained within one form at the beginning (see Round and Oval Motifs).
If you look up the word lion in the dictionary on your desk, odds are you'll learn it's a large, carnivorous mammal. The entry may note that it's the emblem of Great Britain, too, and mention courage and literary acumen, but you won't find out that two lions pulled the chariot of the goddess Cybele when she took it out for a spin. To learn that, you'd need to flip through The Woman's Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects. At the top of each page are drawings of the symbols discussed on that page. This well-organized tome is fascinating reading with a female-centric spin. Thus, poppet is not just a doll, but one used by witches as a proxy for the person they wanted to harm. Vase symbolizes the Earth Mother's womb, and, according to author Barbara G. Walker, the Greek word for vase, pithos, was mistakenly translated as pyxis, box, in that tale about Pandora.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0
Woman's Dictionary of symbols and sacred objects:
a fun reference but production quality low, definitely not a treasured addition to my library
Fun but Fact-lite:
I enjoy Walker's work on mythology - but all too often she introduces glaring errors which cast a shadow over her whole project. Examples off the top of my head are claiming that the word "idea" means "the god within" when the root word in Greek means nothing of the sort. Or she will write that the Yiddish word "shlemiel" (a fool) is derived from the story about Peter Shlemihl, when in fact, the Yiddish words predates the story but hundreds of years. (How many other carts is she putting before the... more info
Wiccan Library/Feminist Resource:
Great addition to your Wiccan Libraryor if you are just curious. Covers most ancient and arcane symbols with a brief history and definition. Good browsing book and resource.
Venomous Bias:
I was dismayed to discover Walker's acidic tone towards the Judeo-Christian religious tradition in this book. She seems to think that the fact that many Jewish and Christian symbols happen to have origins in Pagan cultures is somehow discrediting to Christianity and Judaism. In this and in some of her other writings, she makes it clear to the reader that it is her opinion that Judaism and Christianity are nothing more than a bastardized form of pseudo-Paganism in which the role of the woman has been... more info
