Amazons International # 56 ************************** Contents: Goddesses and Heroines Source Compilation Marcia Ian: Bio & comments Marcia Ian: Getting beyond gender Date of publication: 31.05.97 ***************************************************************** From: Editor Subject: Goddesses and Female Heroes Sources & References Recently I posted a request for references and source materials about female hero, strongwoman and goddess myths and symbols to various usenet newsgroups, as part of research for a literary project that I'm working on. As the responses came in, and as people asked me to make the material available on the WWW, I decided to include the material in AI. So here it is. I'd like to thank the following people for contributions to this compilation: Lilinah biti-Anat, K.D. Bates, Kim Burkard, Miche Campbell, Sarah Christian, Comharsa, Dean Cousins, Margaret Elizabeth Crandall, Jonathan R. Dooling, Macnair, Dan Morril, Gary Peavyhouse, John Sarapata, and SheDragon. Wonder Woman is a well-known image of the female hero; at this juncture I'd like to recommend these two recent stories by William Messner-Loebs and Mike Deodato jr.: The Contest (1995) and The Challenge of Artemis (1996). DC Comics, New York. Many Wonder Woman web sites are linked from the Amazon Connection. Ditto for Xena web sites. The Encyclopedia of Amazons: Women Warriors from Antiquity to the Modern Era by Jessica Amanda Salmonson. Paperback. Published by Anchor Books, Doubleday, New York. Publication date: August 1992. ISBN: 0385423667 This is an alphabetical listing of a many names of strong women, both real and legendary, and the bibliography is wealth of sources. Salmonson also has several other titles worth checking out: _Amazons_, _Amazons II_, _Swordswoman_, _Heroic Visions_, _Tomoe Gozen_, _Thousand Shrine Warrior_ and _Tales by the Moonlight_, but they may be hard to come by. The Book of Goddesses and Heroines by Patricia Monaghan Paperback, 456 pages. Published by Llewellyn Publications Publication date: April 1,1990. ISBN: 0875425739 Unfortunately, this book is out of print, but you may be able to find a used copy or borrow it at a library. Tatterhood and Other Tales; Stories of Magic and Adventure by Ethel Johnston Phelps. Paperback, 165 pages. Published by Feminist Press, New York. Publication date: May 1,1989. ISBN: 0912670509 From: kmk1@yks0.attnet.or.jp A wonderful collection of tales of "active and courageous girls and women in the leading roles." Refreshing, often humorous stories of adventure are a joy for readers of every age. The heroines don't passively await Prince Charming, but use their own resources to solve the problems of their lives. An invaluable bedtime story addition! Women of Classical Mythology: A Biographical Dictionary (Oxford Paperback Reference) by Robert E. Bell. Paperback, 462 pages. Published by Oxford Univ Pr (Trade). Publication date: April 1,1993. ISBN: 0195079779 From: K.D. Bates I've got a book titled "Women of Classical Mythology" by Robert E. Bell, that as the title implies, covers Greek and Roman mythical women of all types, in dictionary form. It's a good source for what you're looking to do. Great names, too ... The Witches' Goddess: The Feminine Principle of Divinity by Janet Farrar, Stewart Farrar. Paperback. Published by Phoenix Publishing, Inc. Publication date: October 1987. ISBN: 0919345913 Celtic Goddesses: Warriors, Virgins and Mothers by Miranda Green. Hardcover, 224 pages. Published by George Braziller. Publication date: January 1,1996. ISBN: 080761405X Celtic Women in Legend, Myth and History by Lyn Webster Wilde, Courtney Davis (Illustrator). Hardcover, 176 pages. Published by Blandford Press. Publication date: March 1,1997. ISBN: 0713725524 Women in Celtic Myth: Tales of Extraordinary Women from Ancient Celtic Tradition by Moyra Caldecott. Paperback, 215 pages. Published by Inner Traditions Intl Ltd. Publication date: October 1992. ISBN: 0892813571 Date: 19 May 1997 16:44:26 GMT From: burkard@kodak.com (Kim Burkard) Caldecott's book includes stories of strong female characters like Rhiannon, Arianrod, Maeve, Scathach, and others. A few physically strong female characters from myth and legend that you may wish to include in your list are: Valkyries, Durga, Inanna/Ishtar, and Sekhmet. There are quite a number of goddess sources on my web page which may be of help in finding out more information on these and other mythological entities which might be applicable. You can find my page at: http://www.servtech.com/public/greenman/mythBooklist.html Enjoy. -kim --- Kimberly Burkard | _ Everything I needed to know in Eastman Kodak Company| _____C .._. life, I learned from my ferret: Rochester, New York | ____/ \___/ Frolic and dance for joy often, burkard@kodak.com |<____/\_---\_\ have no fear or worries, and enjoy life. From: michelle.campbell@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (Miche) Bridget (later St. Bridget), an Irish goddess. She worked at her smithy all day every day and was very physically strong. Miche From: macnair@ionet.net Atalaya, Amazons, Diana.........Toci From: Dean Cousins http://www.preferred.com/~morgan/brew/shadows/ (Lots of pagan and Wicca references.) From: sarahchristian@interoz.com A big resource on ancient mythology in Egypt is at http://interoz.com/egypt/gods1.htm and the complete Egyptian book of the dead is at http://interoz.com/egypt/bkofdead.htm Date: Mon, 19 May 1997 09:33:32 -0300 From: Lilinah biti-Anat An often overlooked powerful goddess is the Canaanite goddess Anat, also spelled Anath. She assists Ba'al in his battle with Yam the Ocean and Mot, Death. In fact, while Ba'al is devoured by Mot-Death, Anat kills Mot-Death. Of course, he eventually shows up again. Sources for this myth include Pritchard's _The Ancient Near East, an Anthology of Texts & Pictures, vol. 1_ (trans. by Ginsberg), _Thespis_ by Theodor H. Gaster, and best of all, _Canaanite Myths and Legends_ by J.C.L. Gibson, originally edited by G.R. Driver. In different episodes Anat the adolescent Maiden slays two apparently human armies, the serpent and other henchmen of Yam the Ocean, and, as I said, Mot-Death. She also threatens the chief god of the pantheon, El, saying she'll make his grey hair run with blood. In several other episodes, it appears that she has sex with Ba'al, while both of them are in bovine form. Anat also causes the death of the human hero Aqat when he refuses to give her his bow, which was made by the divine magician-craftsman god Kothar-wa-Khasis. Lilinah biti-Anat Qadash Kinahnu, a Canaanite-Phoenician Temple http://www.geocities.com/soho/lofts/2938 Date: 20 May 1997 19:26:17 GMT From: Jonathan Two powerful women,Monica Sjoo and Barbara Mor. The Great Cosmic Mother. A powerful book for modern men and women. A must on every goddess--worshiping persons shelf. The book will upset you. It will astonish you. It will educate you. And finally, it will give you hope. -- Jonathan R Dooling johnrd@icon.co.za The Great Cosmic Mother: Rediscovering the Religion of the Earth by Monica Sjoo, Barbara Mor. 2nd Edition. Paperback, 501 pages. Published by HarperSanFrancisco. Publication date: August 1991. ISBN: 0062507915. ***************************************************************** Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 10:42:00 +0000 From: Marcia Ian Reply-To: gnudle@i-2000.com Subject: brief bio and a comment or two I am a former subscriber who got lost and was found recently by Thomas. I fit the criteria for Amazon status, except that I'm not tall (5'4") nor single. After being single for many years, having raised two daughters by myself, earned my BA. MA, and Ph.D., gotten a job as an assistant professor and then earning tenure, publishing a book and many essays, all the while training as a bodybuilder year in year out and maintaining a muscular physique all those years, which now at the age of 46 is better than ever, I met the first man ever who totally loves and honors my independence and strength, yet does not respond sexually by wanting me to dominate him. I was somewhat angered by the poster in AI # 53, to whom John responded in AI # 54, who implied that Amazons who do not want to dominate men are not as sexual as men. Actually, he said that such women are not enslaved by the sexual drives that motivate men. First of all: one does not have to be enslaved by sexual drives to be sexual, nor does sex require s/m roles. No one has to be enslaved in actuality or symbolically. Reading the two AI's I received today, I am pleased to see that there are some diverse and open-minded thinkers on the list, as for example Andy White who pointed out (AI # 54) that Amazons are women, not sexual fetishes, no matter whether or not some men and women fetishize them. Also, Greg Wilson asked a couple of relevant questions (AI # 54). Do Amazons find that stereotyping strong women, even as Amazons, works against their breaking out of the molds they would like to break? (My answer is yes, but I don't let that stop me.) Do Amazons find that being persistently sexualized is annoying or negative in some way? (My answer is yes, when that sexulization is based on some stereotype of domination rather than some real response to the woman as a person.) When I unsubscribed or stopped reading AI I did so because I found it disappointing that the men's main response on AI to strong women was the wish to be dominated by them, as opposed to learning to interact with them as individuals. I have no objection to S/M, dominance/submission, or any other form of sexual play or performance by any combination of men and women -- but I do object to the assumption that this is how sex should or must be, or that women exist in order to gratify these (or any other) fantasies of men, however flattering it might be to be "worshipped". A few other words of background. I was never athletic until my 20's, when I began with yoga, running, and martial arts. In grad school I found bodybuilding, which has been my sport ever since. I have been driven by my intellect as well as my spirit and body ever since I was a child. I am now a professor who specializes in literary modernism, psychoanalytic theory, gender studies -- and certain aspects of popular culture that are near and dear to me, namely, bodybuilding and heavy metal music. Marcia Ian ***************************************************************** Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 17:51:20 +0000 From: Marcia Ian Subject: getting beyond gender Several subscribers have invoked or referred to theories of psychological or spiritual androgyny whereby each of us could be said to have both "masculine" and "feminine" aspects whether we are male or female. I realize that there are some good intentions behind these ideas, but I don't think this is an effective way to transcend gender dualism. To say that I may have "masculine" attributes merely means that I have some attributes conventionally associated with men or maleness. Ultimately the terms "masculine" and "feminine" are inseparable from the male and female attributes that gave rise to the stereotypes to begin with. Besides, no matter how you arrange a pair of categories, they are still only a pair, a symbolical couple, and as such are not adequate to account for the endless variety among individuals and their ways of interacting. One alternative I very much like is that proposed by Martine Rothblatt in her book, The Apartheid of Sex. I've not read the book, so I am not claiming to evaluate it, but I visited a web site (http://199.171.16.53/gender3.html) where it was summarized in some detail, and I found that some of her ideas accord with my own. I am slightly revising her terms here, but what she says is that every individual regardless of sex or gender (including someone of transsex or transgender) is psychosexually defined by how they imagine or act out three qualities or activities -- eroticism, aggressivity, and nurturing. Everyone has, does, and wants these to varying degrees and in different proportions. Someone who likes to nurture may find him/herself attracted to someone else who likes to nurture too, or to someone who would rather receive it than give. Two aggressive people may not get along very well unless their eroticism is very complementary; plus neither may want to spend time nurturing, which may not work out well, or work out great if they avoid having children and acting like children! The point is that these qualities need not be be characterized or caricatured as masculine or feminine, and yet may, and do, belong to people of whatever sex or gender. Food for thought. Marcia Ian (Marcia Ian's PostModern Culture article _From Abject To Object: Women's Bodybuilding_ is cited in AI # 18. A previous AI contribution of hers, titled _Call for a polymorphous erotic_, is available in AI # 33.) ***************************************************************** * Amazons International * * Thomas Gramstad, editor: thomas@math.uio.no * * Administravia/Listserver: amazons-request@ifi.uio.no * * Submissions: amazons@math.uio.no * * http://www.math.uio.no/~thomas/lists/amazons.html * * * * The Amazon Connection -- Links to Amazon web sites: * * http://www.math.uio.no/~thomas/lists/amazon-links.html * ***************************************************************** "A Hard Woman is Good to Find" -- The Valkyries