Book Review: Women of Myth: From Deer Woman and Mami Wata to Amaterasu and Athena, Your Guide to the Amazing and Diverse Women from World Mythology by Jenny Williamson and Genn McMenemy

My Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Women of Myth: From Deer Woman and Mami Wata to Amaterasu and Athena, Your Guide to the Amazing and Diverse Women from World Mythology by Jenny Williamson and Genn McMenemy celebrates fifty women from the myths, religion, and folklore from all over the world with not only familiar figures from the classics but also many dating back to ancient civilizations such as the Aztecs, Mesopotamia and the Incan civilizations - from traditional maternal figures representing the elements and creation, to brave women breaking away from traditional gender roles to genderqueer figures that commanded awe and respect and fantastical figures whose legends have stood the test of time.

The authors divide the text into three segments. The first segment, "Goddesses", features female deities worshipped by different cultures ranging from warrior goddesses, to those representing elements of nature to goddesses of sex and sexual agency. Among the women featured in this section are Athena (Greek), Freyja (Viking), Kali (Hindu), Mami Wata (Africa and Afro-Caribbean), Isis (Egypt) and Ishtar Ancient Mesopotamia) among others. I particularly enjoyed the stories of Corn Mother (Abenaki and Penobscot) Atargatis(Syrian) The Morrigan (Ancient Irish) and Itzapopalotl (The Aztecs).

The second segment, "Heroines", features women ranging from warriors, healers, and storytellers. The lore revolves around astounding feats of bravery, to revenge, and protection of family and motherhood featuring the stories of Amba/Shikhandi ( from the Mahabharata), Atalanta ( the only female Argonaut), Maeve (Celtic Warrior Queen), and Morgan Le Fey ( from the Arthurian Legend) and Scheherezade ( from One Thousand and One Nights)among others. I loved reading about the lore of Urduja ( Filipina Warrior Princess), the Somali Warrior Queen Arawelo and the Bosothoragon Slayer Basotho.

The final segment "Monsters” tells the stories of women who have been labeled “monsters” and whose stories are meant to instill fear. However, the authors delve deeper into the origin and context of these stories and how they can be interpreted as warnings. Often these origin stories have been misinterpreted or deliberately rewritten to vilify women who dared defy societal or gender norms imposed upon them in their culture. I absolutely loved this segment. My favorites included the myths and lore of Baba Yaga (Slavic), Deer Woman (Indigenous) and Kitsune (Japanese Ox Demons).

Concise and well-structured, I found Women of Myth to be an informative and entertaining read that I just could not put down. While I was familiar with the women from Greek mythology and Indian deities and characters from Indian epics and had heard of some of the other characters, most of the women featured in this book were new to me. I loved learning about the myths and lore that were a part of the respective cultures of different ancient civilizations. The authors have done a commendable job of presenting these tales incorporating elements from the origin stories (briefly mentioning how these stories have been retold through the ages, often with varied interpretations), the symbolism associated with the characters and how some of these characters have been portrayed in theatre, movies, television and different literary forms. The stories are accompanied by stunning illustrations by Sara Richard.

Fans of mythology and folklore would definitely enjoy this book. I look forward to adding this book to my personal collection.

Many thanks to the authors, Adams Media and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this truly fascinating book. This book is due for release on February 21, 2023.