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Goddess in the Grass
By Linda Foubister
Ecce Nova Editions, 2003, ISBN: 9780973164824
$27.95
Goddess in the Grass is a fascinating foray into the world of serpentine mythology. It includes myths, stories and symbolisms from around the world, including Australia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.
Fourbister has structured the book into topical chapters, each one exploring a specific aspect of serpent goddess myths, for example "The Primordial Snake Goddess," The Renewing Snake Goddess, "The Prosperous Serpent Goddess", etc. This makes cross-cultural similarities and differences between the serpent myths and goddess representations along each particular theme particularly evident. It also means that Fourbister manages to cover the vast amount of subject material in an easy-to-read and interesting way. Helpful for anyone wanting to delve a bit deeper in snake mythology is the Dictionary of serpent goddesses in the back of the book, and bibliography. The dictionary lists over 100 goddesses and their connections with snakes. The bibliography is also quite comprehensive, containing articles from scholarly journals to academic texts to mass market mythology books.
I had only three problems with Goddess in the Grass. The first was the overwhelming feminist slant to the information presented, although I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised given the title of the book. The second was the presentation of the anthroplogical and archeological interpretations as absolute fact. From the very first sentence in her introduction, Fourbister presents the universal ancestral worship of a Great Mother Goddess as historical fact, rather than current interpretation of available evidence.
Finally, the text felt rushed and the book unfinished. This is probably due to the enormity of the survey undertaken by Fourbister. I wonder if she had any idea when she embarked on this project just exactly how many goddeses have snake mythologies associated with them, and how many different serpentine archetypes exist. The reader is frequently presented with tidbits of information which fit into the overall theme of the chapter, but have little do to with preceding or proceeding paragraphs, making reading quite a bit disjointed at times. Unfortunately I doubt if there is anyway to fix this problem, short of making the book longer, which might not be a bad idea for future editions.
Overall, Goddess in the Grass is a worthwhile addition to the bookshelf of anyone interested in goddess mythology, or in the historical and cultural symbolism of serpents. It is certainly one that I am sure I will find myself referring to often.
(Reviewed Midsummer 2004)
Amanda is a local writer on matters of science, spirit, the environment and community issues.
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Book reviews © 2004. Permission to reprint, with full credit, must be
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