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Goddess with a Thousand Faces: A one-of-a-kind exploration of goddesses from our ancient past
Steeped in ancient magic, dark divinity and wild ways, Goddess with a Thousand Faces takes you on a historical journey like no other...
Blending mythological retellings with historical research, Goddess with a Thousand Faces traverses the world and transports through time to bring ten formidable and inspiring ancient goddesses to life. Meet Artemis, the Greek goddess of the wilderness, never without her bow and arrow; Sedna, Inuit goddess of the ocean, guarding the icy waters and all its creatures; Isis, Egyptian goddess of healing, who dwells by the River Nile, just to name a few...
Jasmine Elmer explores these goddesses of our past, uncovering their truths, their rebellion and their freedom. For too long, they have been written out of history; lost to the sands of time and stamped into silence. Goddess with a Thousand Faces restores these women to their glory.
Pour over this treasure trove of myths, legends and mighty goddesses. Hear the messages echoing through the ages and see yourself in the faces of these icons. For while their stories might ancient, today they are more important - and more powerful - than ever.
A treasure trove of beautiful storytelling and ancient wisdom, perfect for fans of Love in Colour by Bolu Babalola and Storyland by Amy Jeffs.
Blending mythological retellings with historical research, Goddess with a Thousand Faces traverses the world and transports through time to bring ten formidable and inspiring ancient goddesses to life. Meet Artemis, the Greek goddess of the wilderness, never without her bow and arrow; Sedna, Inuit goddess of the ocean, guarding the icy waters and all its creatures; Isis, Egyptian goddess of healing, who dwells by the River Nile, just to name a few...
Jasmine Elmer explores these goddesses of our past, uncovering their truths, their rebellion and their freedom. For too long, they have been written out of history; lost to the sands of time and stamped into silence. Goddess with a Thousand Faces restores these women to their glory.
Pour over this treasure trove of myths, legends and mighty goddesses. Hear the messages echoing through the ages and see yourself in the faces of these icons. For while their stories might ancient, today they are more important - and more powerful - than ever.
A treasure trove of beautiful storytelling and ancient wisdom, perfect for fans of Love in Colour by Bolu Babalola and Storyland by Amy Jeffs.
223 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 12, 2024
43 people are currently reading
941 people want to read
About the author
Jasmine Elmer
3 books9 followersJasmine Elmer is a mythologist and storyteller who brings ancient tales to life with a modern, feminist twist. Fascinated by the magical and the mystical, she dives into the worlds of goddesses, witches, slayers and rebels, showing how their stories still shape - and challenge - our own. With a background in ancient myth and history, Jasmine combines research with passion, breathing new life into myth and turning them into living manifestos of women’s power for a modern audience.
Her debut book, Goddess with a Thousand Faces, is a bold and lyrical journey through global goddess traditions, blending storytelling with historical insight to reclaim the sacred feminine. Her second book, Slay: Ancient Legends of Female Slayers and the Hidden Mythology of Dragons, champions forgotten female slayers and establishes them as emblems of strength, resistance, and liberation.
Of Pakistani and white heritage, Jasmine grew up in East London and now lives in Devon with her husband, son and five unapologetically adored cats. A passionate advocate of slow living, she spends her time meditating, enjoying nature and a savouring a sip of coffee. You can find her on Instagram @jas_elmer. Go to www.jasmineelmer.co.uk for more.
Her debut book, Goddess with a Thousand Faces, is a bold and lyrical journey through global goddess traditions, blending storytelling with historical insight to reclaim the sacred feminine. Her second book, Slay: Ancient Legends of Female Slayers and the Hidden Mythology of Dragons, champions forgotten female slayers and establishes them as emblems of strength, resistance, and liberation.
Of Pakistani and white heritage, Jasmine grew up in East London and now lives in Devon with her husband, son and five unapologetically adored cats. A passionate advocate of slow living, she spends her time meditating, enjoying nature and a savouring a sip of coffee. You can find her on Instagram @jas_elmer. Go to www.jasmineelmer.co.uk for more.
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September 28, 2024Before I start this review, I’m going to state for the imaginary record that I am not a classicist, but I am someone who, on account of her MA dissertation, has written a hell of a lot about classical religion and formidable Goddesses over the past couple of months, so I like to think I know what I’m talking about. Is this to do with my 15,000-word behemoth about the commercial success of PERCY JACKSON? Yes, but you get the picture.
GODDESS WITH A THOUSAND FACES is an anthology of modern reimaginings of some of the more formidable goddesses of historical and mythological pantheons. By mixing retellings and historical contextual work, Elmer aims to bring such goddesses as Inanna, Freja, Artemis and Sedna - among others - into modern contexts for modern readers.
This is one of those books which, as it reaches a wider audience, might be fairly polarising. It’s very much not a deep and heavy piece of scholarship, and in a market where efforts are being made to make non-fiction less intimidating to wider readership, this is something which potentially works to its advantage: however, this is one I would love to hear some opinions from other classicists on. One thing the book definitely has to its advantage is its illustrations, as denoted by its cover (see above): each goddess has a corresponding illustration, which works effectively to break up the anthology into palatable sections, and which creates effective imagery through which to view these anthropomorphized deities. However, in the actual execution of the book, GODDESS WITH A THOUSAND FACES unfortunately does not live up to its glossy image.
One of the more egregious aspects of the book comes in the form of the retellings themselves, which are all written in first-person present tense (for reference, dear reader, if I say that I’m currently writing this review, that’s the tense I’m using here). It’s obvious where this approach comes from in the current market - whether it’s the work of Madeline Miller, Jennifer Saint, or countless others leaping on the trend, first-person mythological reimaginings are massive money-makers in the current fiction market, and so it’s easy to draw comparisons with commercial interests on behalf of the current literary market. However, for a piece of non-fiction, this comes across as ineffective at best, and insensitive at worst. Firstly, this jars with the purpose these goddesses serve within culture: while they are anthropomorphised, with gods of such pantheons as the Greek taking on often unfavourable traits to reflect on the tenuous nature of the natural world and how these pantheons developed to explain these natural events, they are divine, and consequently unknowable. While even in Homer we see the Olympians aiding in the affairs of humanity, such as Athena appearing repeatedly in The Odyssey to aid Odysseus, it is consistently clear that they are divine beings, not humans, and these anthropomorphisations work to make them understandable to humans who fundamentally cannot understand the divine in its raw form. Secondly. this is almost an insensitive way of approaching divinity, especially as many of these goddesses are still worshipped in numerous ways and cultures today: Elmer even mentions the contemporary importance of these goddesses in numerous cultures, including that of Rangda, who continues to have cultural significance in Bali. Unlike reimagining historical figures, who have left human artefacts and writings behind, or of human mythological figures, who are quite literally engineered to establish the role of humanity in these stories (for instance, that of Briseis in Pat Barker’s THE SILENCE OF THE GIRLS, who works as an effective protagonist to demonstrate how ownership of women motivates the Trojan War from its inception to its conclusion), these goddesses are unknowable figures of religious importance, and this first-person narration undermines any of this depiction within culture. Similarly, the first-person narration only exists within the book to establish fundamentals about these figures’ depictions, which means that these sections often come across as clunky and artificial.
Something the book does well, however, is its adoption of numerous cultures within the text in order to establish the widespread nature of these goddesses throughout human culture and history: alongside Greek and Norse deities, who are featured often in such anthologies, we also get information about Inuit, Sumerian, Balinese, and Maori goddesses, meaning that a much more diverse outlook is taken (something aimed at by Dialogue Books, and thus is very obvious within the text’s aims). Similarly, lots of the historical context makes for interesting reading: while sometimes a little surface level, understandable for a text which discusses numerous cultures, there are discussions about the Indian caste system, Indigenous communities, and diverse religious concepts, which make for good introductions to those who might not have encountered these subjects before. Strong stances are also taken on destigmatising Voodoo and on the usage of the term ‘Inuit’ as opposed to more commonly-used slurs, and so it’s good to see these overdue conversations happening in a book from a prominent imprint.
However, the book unfortunately has other issues which also deter or undermine its message on numerous occasions. There are several editorial and continuity errors which don’t appear to have been caught: we get a definition of animism three times over the course of four pages in Sedna’s chapter, and Inanna is mentioned to have been the first goddess discussed in the book, when in actual fact, she’s more like the fourth or fifth. As I’ve mentioned in previous non-fiction reviews, it’s almost more important to make sure these errors don’t occur in non-fiction, since it then places doubt in the minds of readers as to the accuracy of the other information being presented in the text. Similarly, the book has a bad habit of sometimes devolving into new-wave woo-woo territory, particularly in how it depicts femininity. In her discussion of the Egyptian goddess Isis, Elmer remarks that “In a world where rationality often takes precedence, her archetype encourages women to embrace their instinctive abilities and emotional intelligence.” (268). This consistent belief throughout the book asserts a gender-essentialism to knowledge, in that men are inherently rational and women are inherently emotional. In fact, this is something discussed by Ursula K. Le Guin (whose work I adore) so, since she phrases it far better than I do, I’ll quote her in full:
“But I didn’t and still don’t like making a cult of women’s knowledge, preening ourselves on knowing things men don’t know, women’s deep irrational wisdom, women’s instinctive knowledge of Nature, and so on. All that all too often merely reinforces the masculinist idea of women as primitive and inferior – women’s knowledge as elementary, primitive, always down below at the dark roots, while men get to cultivate and own the flowers and crops that come up into the light. But why should women keep talking baby talk while men get to grow up? Why should women feel blindly while men get to think?”
In a similar way, many of the most obvious parallels to modern life as portrayed by these goddesses are ignored in the text in favour of making each mini-conclusion separate from one another, and thus sometimes goes against the retelling Elmer presents. For instance, Artemis’ chapter revolves around one of her most prominent stories in Greek myth, in which the hunter Actaeon encounters her bathing in a forest pool, and in vengeance for looking upon her body without her consent - and as a fierce defender of her chastity - Artemis transforms him into a stag so he is torn apart by his own hounds as punishment. Elmer chooses to relate this myth to women’s supposed connection to nature - again, I echo Le Guin’s words about women’s knowledge being relegated to the primitive and instinctive - but in actual fact, would this story not be more relevant as a story of consent, bodily autonomy and lack of sympathy for sexual harassers? In a similar way, with Dialogue Books publishing this text in the UK, is it not inherently colonial to encourage Western female audiences to adopt Inuit, Balian and Maori goddesses as their symbols? These are figures of importance within their own cultures and religions, and so a tenuous line exists here that I fear risks being violated by this premise.
Overall, my issues with this text can be summed up with a line in the last chapter, in which, by stating what the reader is supposed to have taken from each goddess, Elmer states: “Get all sexy with it like Freja.” (271). For reference, the Norse goddess Freja symbolised marriage, love and sex, and in the story Elmer chooses to highlight, Freja has sex with a group of dwarf smiths in exchange for a fine gold necklace, but is then shamed by the wider gods of Valhalla after being betrayed by the trickster god Loki. In modern terms, we might view this through the lens of sexual exploitation and revenge porn - which is quite literally how Freja is treated by men in this story. Still, Elmer chooses to link this to Freja’s position as a figure of sexual freedom, which seems to be at odds with the story itself (much like Artemis’ story). This sentence really summarises the key flaw with the book: it seems to forget that it is discussing divine figures of religious importance, and so comes across as surface level and, quite often, disrepectful: after all, would any book about prominent female religious figures ever print “Get all sexy with it like Mary Magdalene.”? While a Classical outlook often places deities as characters within stories alone, it is important to regard that, for centuries, these goddesses were figures of the utmost importance within worship, and in many cases, still are: for instance, the goddess Kali, mentioned within the book, is still widely worshipped throughout Hinduism. While this is a book which does hold some merit - namely in its historical work - it is one which would have benefited from a different format, and makes the fundamental mistake of forgetting the heart of its subject matter.
*GODDESS WITH A THOUSAND FACES was released by Dialogue Books on the 12th of September, 2024: remember to support your brick-and-mortar bookshops, particularly indies! Thank you to Dialogue Books for an eArc in exchange for an honest review.
GODDESS WITH A THOUSAND FACES is an anthology of modern reimaginings of some of the more formidable goddesses of historical and mythological pantheons. By mixing retellings and historical contextual work, Elmer aims to bring such goddesses as Inanna, Freja, Artemis and Sedna - among others - into modern contexts for modern readers.
This is one of those books which, as it reaches a wider audience, might be fairly polarising. It’s very much not a deep and heavy piece of scholarship, and in a market where efforts are being made to make non-fiction less intimidating to wider readership, this is something which potentially works to its advantage: however, this is one I would love to hear some opinions from other classicists on. One thing the book definitely has to its advantage is its illustrations, as denoted by its cover (see above): each goddess has a corresponding illustration, which works effectively to break up the anthology into palatable sections, and which creates effective imagery through which to view these anthropomorphized deities. However, in the actual execution of the book, GODDESS WITH A THOUSAND FACES unfortunately does not live up to its glossy image.
One of the more egregious aspects of the book comes in the form of the retellings themselves, which are all written in first-person present tense (for reference, dear reader, if I say that I’m currently writing this review, that’s the tense I’m using here). It’s obvious where this approach comes from in the current market - whether it’s the work of Madeline Miller, Jennifer Saint, or countless others leaping on the trend, first-person mythological reimaginings are massive money-makers in the current fiction market, and so it’s easy to draw comparisons with commercial interests on behalf of the current literary market. However, for a piece of non-fiction, this comes across as ineffective at best, and insensitive at worst. Firstly, this jars with the purpose these goddesses serve within culture: while they are anthropomorphised, with gods of such pantheons as the Greek taking on often unfavourable traits to reflect on the tenuous nature of the natural world and how these pantheons developed to explain these natural events, they are divine, and consequently unknowable. While even in Homer we see the Olympians aiding in the affairs of humanity, such as Athena appearing repeatedly in The Odyssey to aid Odysseus, it is consistently clear that they are divine beings, not humans, and these anthropomorphisations work to make them understandable to humans who fundamentally cannot understand the divine in its raw form. Secondly. this is almost an insensitive way of approaching divinity, especially as many of these goddesses are still worshipped in numerous ways and cultures today: Elmer even mentions the contemporary importance of these goddesses in numerous cultures, including that of Rangda, who continues to have cultural significance in Bali. Unlike reimagining historical figures, who have left human artefacts and writings behind, or of human mythological figures, who are quite literally engineered to establish the role of humanity in these stories (for instance, that of Briseis in Pat Barker’s THE SILENCE OF THE GIRLS, who works as an effective protagonist to demonstrate how ownership of women motivates the Trojan War from its inception to its conclusion), these goddesses are unknowable figures of religious importance, and this first-person narration undermines any of this depiction within culture. Similarly, the first-person narration only exists within the book to establish fundamentals about these figures’ depictions, which means that these sections often come across as clunky and artificial.
Something the book does well, however, is its adoption of numerous cultures within the text in order to establish the widespread nature of these goddesses throughout human culture and history: alongside Greek and Norse deities, who are featured often in such anthologies, we also get information about Inuit, Sumerian, Balinese, and Maori goddesses, meaning that a much more diverse outlook is taken (something aimed at by Dialogue Books, and thus is very obvious within the text’s aims). Similarly, lots of the historical context makes for interesting reading: while sometimes a little surface level, understandable for a text which discusses numerous cultures, there are discussions about the Indian caste system, Indigenous communities, and diverse religious concepts, which make for good introductions to those who might not have encountered these subjects before. Strong stances are also taken on destigmatising Voodoo and on the usage of the term ‘Inuit’ as opposed to more commonly-used slurs, and so it’s good to see these overdue conversations happening in a book from a prominent imprint.
However, the book unfortunately has other issues which also deter or undermine its message on numerous occasions. There are several editorial and continuity errors which don’t appear to have been caught: we get a definition of animism three times over the course of four pages in Sedna’s chapter, and Inanna is mentioned to have been the first goddess discussed in the book, when in actual fact, she’s more like the fourth or fifth. As I’ve mentioned in previous non-fiction reviews, it’s almost more important to make sure these errors don’t occur in non-fiction, since it then places doubt in the minds of readers as to the accuracy of the other information being presented in the text. Similarly, the book has a bad habit of sometimes devolving into new-wave woo-woo territory, particularly in how it depicts femininity. In her discussion of the Egyptian goddess Isis, Elmer remarks that “In a world where rationality often takes precedence, her archetype encourages women to embrace their instinctive abilities and emotional intelligence.” (268). This consistent belief throughout the book asserts a gender-essentialism to knowledge, in that men are inherently rational and women are inherently emotional. In fact, this is something discussed by Ursula K. Le Guin (whose work I adore) so, since she phrases it far better than I do, I’ll quote her in full:
“But I didn’t and still don’t like making a cult of women’s knowledge, preening ourselves on knowing things men don’t know, women’s deep irrational wisdom, women’s instinctive knowledge of Nature, and so on. All that all too often merely reinforces the masculinist idea of women as primitive and inferior – women’s knowledge as elementary, primitive, always down below at the dark roots, while men get to cultivate and own the flowers and crops that come up into the light. But why should women keep talking baby talk while men get to grow up? Why should women feel blindly while men get to think?”
In a similar way, many of the most obvious parallels to modern life as portrayed by these goddesses are ignored in the text in favour of making each mini-conclusion separate from one another, and thus sometimes goes against the retelling Elmer presents. For instance, Artemis’ chapter revolves around one of her most prominent stories in Greek myth, in which the hunter Actaeon encounters her bathing in a forest pool, and in vengeance for looking upon her body without her consent - and as a fierce defender of her chastity - Artemis transforms him into a stag so he is torn apart by his own hounds as punishment. Elmer chooses to relate this myth to women’s supposed connection to nature - again, I echo Le Guin’s words about women’s knowledge being relegated to the primitive and instinctive - but in actual fact, would this story not be more relevant as a story of consent, bodily autonomy and lack of sympathy for sexual harassers? In a similar way, with Dialogue Books publishing this text in the UK, is it not inherently colonial to encourage Western female audiences to adopt Inuit, Balian and Maori goddesses as their symbols? These are figures of importance within their own cultures and religions, and so a tenuous line exists here that I fear risks being violated by this premise.
Overall, my issues with this text can be summed up with a line in the last chapter, in which, by stating what the reader is supposed to have taken from each goddess, Elmer states: “Get all sexy with it like Freja.” (271). For reference, the Norse goddess Freja symbolised marriage, love and sex, and in the story Elmer chooses to highlight, Freja has sex with a group of dwarf smiths in exchange for a fine gold necklace, but is then shamed by the wider gods of Valhalla after being betrayed by the trickster god Loki. In modern terms, we might view this through the lens of sexual exploitation and revenge porn - which is quite literally how Freja is treated by men in this story. Still, Elmer chooses to link this to Freja’s position as a figure of sexual freedom, which seems to be at odds with the story itself (much like Artemis’ story). This sentence really summarises the key flaw with the book: it seems to forget that it is discussing divine figures of religious importance, and so comes across as surface level and, quite often, disrepectful: after all, would any book about prominent female religious figures ever print “Get all sexy with it like Mary Magdalene.”? While a Classical outlook often places deities as characters within stories alone, it is important to regard that, for centuries, these goddesses were figures of the utmost importance within worship, and in many cases, still are: for instance, the goddess Kali, mentioned within the book, is still widely worshipped throughout Hinduism. While this is a book which does hold some merit - namely in its historical work - it is one which would have benefited from a different format, and makes the fundamental mistake of forgetting the heart of its subject matter.
*GODDESS WITH A THOUSAND FACES was released by Dialogue Books on the 12th of September, 2024: remember to support your brick-and-mortar bookshops, particularly indies! Thank you to Dialogue Books for an eArc in exchange for an honest review.
May 26, 2025
als je mij een beetje kent, dan weet je dat ik heel erg van griekse mythologie houdt. dit boek vertelt de verhalen van 10 godinnen van over de hele wereld. dus niet alleen de bekende grieken, maar vooral meer onbekende godinnen.
elk hoofdstuk begint met een prachtige tekening van de godin. vervolgens heb je een klein stukje mythe, met daarna een lang stuk geschiedenis over de plek waar deze godin vandaan komt, en wat deze godin met vrouwelijkheid te maken had. hierdoor was het verhaal heel praktisch geschreven en voor mij niet leesbaar. ik wil juist meer te weten komen over de godinnen zelf en de mythen en verhalen waar zij in voorkomen.
de mythen die steeds worden gekozen gaan of over waarom een god “volledig door het lint is gegaan” (zo typisch), of over de mannen in het leven van de god. ik wil juist meer weten over de vrouwen zelf, over wat zij zelf hebben meegemaakt. dat vond ik extra jammer :(
elk hoofdstuk begint met een prachtige tekening van de godin. vervolgens heb je een klein stukje mythe, met daarna een lang stuk geschiedenis over de plek waar deze godin vandaan komt, en wat deze godin met vrouwelijkheid te maken had. hierdoor was het verhaal heel praktisch geschreven en voor mij niet leesbaar. ik wil juist meer te weten komen over de godinnen zelf en de mythen en verhalen waar zij in voorkomen.
de mythen die steeds worden gekozen gaan of over waarom een god “volledig door het lint is gegaan” (zo typisch), of over de mannen in het leven van de god. ik wil juist meer weten over de vrouwen zelf, over wat zij zelf hebben meegemaakt. dat vond ik extra jammer :(
September 16, 2024
Goddess: A female deity or God. The term can also refer to a woman who is greatly admired or adored, or who has extraordinary beauty or charm.
In this book, Jasmine Elmer unravels the goddesses of our past. She travels back thousands of years to introduce the reader to inspirational and fearless women; rebellious, fierce and mighty.
There is Freyja, Viking goddess of sexuality, war and magic, Kali, Hindu goddess of time, death and destruction and Isis, Egyptian goddess of healing, magic and wisdom, to name just a few. There is a fictional retelling of their stories - then a deeply fascinating background to each goddess.
It’s hugely informative (I learnt SO much about history and mythology) but what I especially loved was its informal style, which made it ten times more appealing and relatable. This isn’t a read which will make you furrow your brow and get your magnifying glass out for tiny footnotes, nope instead you’ll whizz through the pages and be transported back to ancient times, I don’t think I’ve ever imagined the past so vividly and evocatively.
Goddess with a Thousand Faces is inspirational, educational and original. Step into the world of these warrior women and embrace your inner goddess! We’ve got this girls! 💪
In this book, Jasmine Elmer unravels the goddesses of our past. She travels back thousands of years to introduce the reader to inspirational and fearless women; rebellious, fierce and mighty.
There is Freyja, Viking goddess of sexuality, war and magic, Kali, Hindu goddess of time, death and destruction and Isis, Egyptian goddess of healing, magic and wisdom, to name just a few. There is a fictional retelling of their stories - then a deeply fascinating background to each goddess.
It’s hugely informative (I learnt SO much about history and mythology) but what I especially loved was its informal style, which made it ten times more appealing and relatable. This isn’t a read which will make you furrow your brow and get your magnifying glass out for tiny footnotes, nope instead you’ll whizz through the pages and be transported back to ancient times, I don’t think I’ve ever imagined the past so vividly and evocatively.
Goddess with a Thousand Faces is inspirational, educational and original. Step into the world of these warrior women and embrace your inner goddess! We’ve got this girls! 💪
June 4, 2025
Als je houdt van geschiedenis, dan is dit een heel goed boek om te lezen over verschillende mythen en culturen.
Je hebt dat het boek ingaat op verschillende godinnen (uiteraard). Elk hoofdstuk begint dan ook met een mythe, waarna je overgaat naar een stukje geschiedenis.
Ik weet niet of het aan het moment lag dat ik dit boek aan het lezen was, maar ik vond het heel taai! De stukjes mythe vond ik heel erg leuk om te lezen, dat ging heel snel, maar de geschiedenis is dan toch heel traag.
Het is ook niet een boek dat je in een dag of avond uitleest. Ik heb het met verschillende pauzes gedaan, want als je over twee godinnen hebt gelezen zit je in je hoofd al snel vol met informatie om te verwerken!
Je hebt dat het boek ingaat op verschillende godinnen (uiteraard). Elk hoofdstuk begint dan ook met een mythe, waarna je overgaat naar een stukje geschiedenis.
Ik weet niet of het aan het moment lag dat ik dit boek aan het lezen was, maar ik vond het heel taai! De stukjes mythe vond ik heel erg leuk om te lezen, dat ging heel snel, maar de geschiedenis is dan toch heel traag.
Het is ook niet een boek dat je in een dag of avond uitleest. Ik heb het met verschillende pauzes gedaan, want als je over twee godinnen hebt gelezen zit je in je hoofd al snel vol met informatie om te verwerken!
June 27, 2025
This book is a powerful and inspiring exploration of femininity and feminism through the lens of mythical retellings. It is also a good introduction to the history of different cultures of the world.
What I didn't like about this book, however, was the author's own personal interjections and their overly simplistic tone. It made this book come across as too much of its time.
What I didn't like about this book, however, was the author's own personal interjections and their overly simplistic tone. It made this book come across as too much of its time.
March 4, 2025
3,5 ⭐️ - Interessant om te lezen over godinnen waar ik nog niks vanaf wist. Het was een prettige opzet: kort de mythe, dan de setting van die tijd en oorsprong en altijd nog een linkje naar de rol en vrijheden van vrouwen in die tijd en hoe dit zich bindt aan de desbetreffende godin. Sommige verhalen van godinnen lagen mij iets meer. Af en toe had ik ook liever een langer stuk mythe gewild.
September 10, 2024
"Welcome to the world of the goddess..."
Goddess with a Thousand Faces is like no other book I’ve read. Beautiful, poetic and ambitious, it tells the story of nine different goddesses from around the world, blending myth with history and exquisite storytelling to go deeper than the average retelling. Jasmine Elmer tells us the goddesses story and then examines the history of the ancient society that created it, allowing us to understand the environment that created the myths, how they viewed women, and giving us a greater comprehension of what the stories are trying to tell us. All of this merges with Elmer’s evocative imagery to completely immerse her reader in these myths and ancient civilisations. And how could I write a review for this book without mentioning that stunning cover. It’s definitely one of the most beautiful books in my collection.
“So, tell the world, femininity can be dark. It can be angry. Embrace it. Honour it. Next time the Rangda within rages, go to her and listen. Tell her that it's OK to step out of the shadows… Wear her with pride.”
Each of the nine goddesses in this book are carefully chosen by Elmer and blended with her meticulous research where she asks us to think about what we can learn from these myths and how we can relate to them today. One of the things I liked most about this book was how it was about goddesses from all around the world. I’ll admit, I’ve only really read Greek mythology before this, so although I had read about Artemis before and knew a little about Isis, the other goddesses were completely new to me. It was fascinating and sparked a new interest in me to learn more about different mythology. I loved all of the goddesses, but the one that I felt the strongest connection to was Rangda - Balinese Goddess of Evil, Black Magic and Balance. She was such an interesting, powerful and enthralling goddess and I found myself relating to so much of her story. I will definitely be reading more about her in the future.
Atmospheric, detailed and enlightening, Goddess with a Thousand Faces is a must-read. Even if you’ve not read any mythology before, I think you’d enjoy this book.
Goddess with a Thousand Faces is like no other book I’ve read. Beautiful, poetic and ambitious, it tells the story of nine different goddesses from around the world, blending myth with history and exquisite storytelling to go deeper than the average retelling. Jasmine Elmer tells us the goddesses story and then examines the history of the ancient society that created it, allowing us to understand the environment that created the myths, how they viewed women, and giving us a greater comprehension of what the stories are trying to tell us. All of this merges with Elmer’s evocative imagery to completely immerse her reader in these myths and ancient civilisations. And how could I write a review for this book without mentioning that stunning cover. It’s definitely one of the most beautiful books in my collection.
“So, tell the world, femininity can be dark. It can be angry. Embrace it. Honour it. Next time the Rangda within rages, go to her and listen. Tell her that it's OK to step out of the shadows… Wear her with pride.”
Each of the nine goddesses in this book are carefully chosen by Elmer and blended with her meticulous research where she asks us to think about what we can learn from these myths and how we can relate to them today. One of the things I liked most about this book was how it was about goddesses from all around the world. I’ll admit, I’ve only really read Greek mythology before this, so although I had read about Artemis before and knew a little about Isis, the other goddesses were completely new to me. It was fascinating and sparked a new interest in me to learn more about different mythology. I loved all of the goddesses, but the one that I felt the strongest connection to was Rangda - Balinese Goddess of Evil, Black Magic and Balance. She was such an interesting, powerful and enthralling goddess and I found myself relating to so much of her story. I will definitely be reading more about her in the future.
Atmospheric, detailed and enlightening, Goddess with a Thousand Faces is a must-read. Even if you’ve not read any mythology before, I think you’d enjoy this book.
June 27, 2025
‘Het zal je aansporen jezelf in deze godinnen te vinden, ze te heroveren, en het helpt je uiteindelijk misschien wel te worden wie je oorspronkelijk was.’
Godinnen van Jasmine Elmer is een boek voor elke vrouw. Krachtig, inspirerend en mooi. Verhalen die je aan het denken zetten en je je innerlijke godin laten omarmen.
Godinnen bevat tien korte verhalen over verschillende, je raadt het al, godinnen. Je hoeft echter gene achtergrondkennis over de verschillende mythes te hebben om in dit boek te duiken, en ik vond het zelfs een goede introductie tot bepaalde mythologieën als je daar geïnteresseed in bent. Ikzelf vond met name het verhaal over Artemis erg interessant.
Het was een fijn boek tussendoor te lezen, en ook en dat je af en toe na een verhaal even kon wegleggen. Daarnaast vond ik de illustraties van elke godin prachtig en een leuke toevoeging aan het boek.
4 ⭐️ sterren.
Bedankt Ambo Anthos voor dit recensie-exemplaar!
Godinnen van Jasmine Elmer is een boek voor elke vrouw. Krachtig, inspirerend en mooi. Verhalen die je aan het denken zetten en je je innerlijke godin laten omarmen.
Godinnen bevat tien korte verhalen over verschillende, je raadt het al, godinnen. Je hoeft echter gene achtergrondkennis over de verschillende mythes te hebben om in dit boek te duiken, en ik vond het zelfs een goede introductie tot bepaalde mythologieën als je daar geïnteresseed in bent. Ikzelf vond met name het verhaal over Artemis erg interessant.
Het was een fijn boek tussendoor te lezen, en ook en dat je af en toe na een verhaal even kon wegleggen. Daarnaast vond ik de illustraties van elke godin prachtig en een leuke toevoeging aan het boek.
4 ⭐️ sterren.
Bedankt Ambo Anthos voor dit recensie-exemplaar!
May 11, 2025
In Godinnen leer je vrouwen uit de wereldmythologie kennen. En nog belangrijker: ze worden in de context geplaatst, en Jasmine Elmer tipt je wat je van de godinnen kan leren.
In de proloog vertelt Elmer over de positie van de vrouw in de patriarchale samenleving, en waarom ze dit boek schreef. Kunnen we niet allemaal wat inspiratie van sterke vrouwen gebruiken? Ze roept ook op: "Sluit je aan bij deze godinnen [...] want jij bent een godin [...]"!
Godinnen bespreekt tien vrouwen uit de wereldmythologie. Hierbij komen verschillende culturen en verschillende mythen voorbij. Van Isis en Artemis, waar ik al wat meer mee bekend was, tot de Soemerische godin Inanna en de Inuit-godin van de zee Sedna. Het boek geeft nieuwe informatie over godinnen en mythen waar ik nog niet bekend mee was, dat vond ik leuk!
Ieder hoofdstuk van een godin start met de hervertelling van de mythe, gevolgd door het commentaar van de auteur. Elmer legt uit hoe de mythe in de tijd en in de cultuur van vroeger past. En ook nu, hoe het doorwerkt in de huidige tijd. Verder gaat het over wat jij van de godin kan leren. Dit is allemaal opgeschreven in korte, duidelijke taal. Hierdoor is het boek makkelijk te lezen.
Met Godinnen leerde ik nieuwe godinnen uit wereldmythes kennen, en de context. Godinnen is een interessant boek vol sterke vrouwen en wat je van ze kan leren. Inspirerend en interessant boek!
Deze recensie verscheen eerst op https://www.readalicious.nl/recensies...
Dit boek heb ik ontvangen via de uitgeverij in ruil voor een review. Dit had geen invloed op mijn mening over het boek.
In de proloog vertelt Elmer over de positie van de vrouw in de patriarchale samenleving, en waarom ze dit boek schreef. Kunnen we niet allemaal wat inspiratie van sterke vrouwen gebruiken? Ze roept ook op: "Sluit je aan bij deze godinnen [...] want jij bent een godin [...]"!
Godinnen bespreekt tien vrouwen uit de wereldmythologie. Hierbij komen verschillende culturen en verschillende mythen voorbij. Van Isis en Artemis, waar ik al wat meer mee bekend was, tot de Soemerische godin Inanna en de Inuit-godin van de zee Sedna. Het boek geeft nieuwe informatie over godinnen en mythen waar ik nog niet bekend mee was, dat vond ik leuk!
Ieder hoofdstuk van een godin start met de hervertelling van de mythe, gevolgd door het commentaar van de auteur. Elmer legt uit hoe de mythe in de tijd en in de cultuur van vroeger past. En ook nu, hoe het doorwerkt in de huidige tijd. Verder gaat het over wat jij van de godin kan leren. Dit is allemaal opgeschreven in korte, duidelijke taal. Hierdoor is het boek makkelijk te lezen.
Met Godinnen leerde ik nieuwe godinnen uit wereldmythes kennen, en de context. Godinnen is een interessant boek vol sterke vrouwen en wat je van ze kan leren. Inspirerend en interessant boek!
Deze recensie verscheen eerst op https://www.readalicious.nl/recensies...
Dit boek heb ik ontvangen via de uitgeverij in ruil voor een review. Dit had geen invloed op mijn mening over het boek.
June 15, 2025
This was not what I was expecting but I still enjoyed this read.
I loved the different stories about each of the Goddesses and how the author made you feel so empowered.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the different stories about each of the Goddesses and how the author made you feel so empowered.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
March 30, 2025
hoe heeft dit een gemiddelde waardering van (afgerond) 4 sterren
April 16, 2025
3.5 stars.
This was not quite what I expected but I can’t say I didn’t like it because I worked out why it was different than I thought it would be by the first chapter.
I went into this with the expectation that it was going to explain how the different Goddesses have been reflected in history and the cultures they are a part of, which it does talk about, but I wasn’t really thinking it would talk about the women of those cultures and what roles they played in communities as much.
Though I did learn some new things so I cannot say I didn’t enjoy that aspect of the book. And the Goddesses this book talks about are from all over the world and points in history (depending on when the culture they are part of is being discussed is active).
If you’re into Feminist Non-Fiction and Ancient Cultures this is the book for you
This was not quite what I expected but I can’t say I didn’t like it because I worked out why it was different than I thought it would be by the first chapter.
I went into this with the expectation that it was going to explain how the different Goddesses have been reflected in history and the cultures they are a part of, which it does talk about, but I wasn’t really thinking it would talk about the women of those cultures and what roles they played in communities as much.
Though I did learn some new things so I cannot say I didn’t enjoy that aspect of the book. And the Goddesses this book talks about are from all over the world and points in history (depending on when the culture they are part of is being discussed is active).
If you’re into Feminist Non-Fiction and Ancient Cultures this is the book for you
May 24, 2025
A great book of tales of different Goddesses followed by a half-chapter on their historical and cultural context.
September 27, 2024
First of all the cover of this book is gorgeous, I know we aren’t supposed to judge a book by it, but it’s what always draws me in first.
This book is a telling of the fictional history of some of the first female deities. Women who have been forgotten over the years. Some names you may recognise some you may not. But each of them are remembered today.
As you read this book you may see a bit of a reflection of yourself, your soul, going back in time.
There are some beautiful illustrations in the book, showing each of the women. A book which covers history, culture and religion.
There are tales of nine different goddesses covered within the book, from all different parts of the world. Each goddesses story is told and examined through the ancient history that created it. How women were viewed. Each goddess has been clearly researched, the author asks you to think about what we may have learned from each of these goddesses.
I have not really studied much about goddesses, I have picked up a few things through reading about Greek goddesses, along with some gods, but have never looked into anything like this.
If this sounds like it interests you it’s definitely a book to pick up, it’s easy to read about one goddess at a time, having a break in between each one, and then read about the next or, obviously you can read about all nine in one go.
An interesting read, that I highly recommend. The author adds some suggested reads if you wish to read more about any of the Goddesses.
This book is a telling of the fictional history of some of the first female deities. Women who have been forgotten over the years. Some names you may recognise some you may not. But each of them are remembered today.
As you read this book you may see a bit of a reflection of yourself, your soul, going back in time.
There are some beautiful illustrations in the book, showing each of the women. A book which covers history, culture and religion.
There are tales of nine different goddesses covered within the book, from all different parts of the world. Each goddesses story is told and examined through the ancient history that created it. How women were viewed. Each goddess has been clearly researched, the author asks you to think about what we may have learned from each of these goddesses.
I have not really studied much about goddesses, I have picked up a few things through reading about Greek goddesses, along with some gods, but have never looked into anything like this.
If this sounds like it interests you it’s definitely a book to pick up, it’s easy to read about one goddess at a time, having a break in between each one, and then read about the next or, obviously you can read about all nine in one go.
An interesting read, that I highly recommend. The author adds some suggested reads if you wish to read more about any of the Goddesses.
March 18, 2025
Eigenlijk is dit boek een verzameling van verhalen. Er worden tien godinnen besproken, waarbij je eerst de godin leert kennen in een hervertelling. Je wordt echt meegenomen in de leefwereld in de tijd dat deze godinnen echt werden aanbeden. Elmer diept iedere godin enorm goed uit, waarbij ze duidelijk haar huiswerk uitmuntend heeft gedaan. Ieder hoofdstuk bevat een prachtige illustratie van de betreffende godin.
Dit boek is een fascinerende geschiedenisles waarbij je had gehoopt dat Elmer vroeger je leerkracht zou zijn. Religieuze en culturele invloeden, mythes en legendes. Je bekijkt de wereld even door een andere bril!
Dit boek is een aanrader als:
🌬️ je van mythologie houdt
🌬️ je van geschiedenis houdt
🌬️ je graag leest over female empowerment
🌬️ je van kort en bondig houdt
Dit boek is een fascinerende geschiedenisles waarbij je had gehoopt dat Elmer vroeger je leerkracht zou zijn. Religieuze en culturele invloeden, mythes en legendes. Je bekijkt de wereld even door een andere bril!
Dit boek is een aanrader als:
🌬️ je van mythologie houdt
🌬️ je van geschiedenis houdt
🌬️ je graag leest over female empowerment
🌬️ je van kort en bondig houdt
September 7, 2024
[ARC Review]
I am not a non-fiction person, unless the topic is interesting, which this was!
I really enjoyed reading about different goddesses from a span of different cultures. Lately a lot of the market, non-fiction and fiction, are predominantly based on western mythology, so it was refreshing to read about goddesses like Rangda (the Balinese goddess of Evil, Black Magic and Balance), Inanna (the Sumerian goddess; Queen of Heaven and Earth, War and Sexuality) and Mawu-Lisa ( the Vodun goddess of all creation, the sun and the moon).
The mix of both fiction and non-fiction worked well at keeping my attention focused but admittedly the non-fiction sections dragged a little in places. I am not a non-fiction person, so that is my fault if I struggle to stay focused on something for a while.
I could tell a lot of extensive research and time went into this novel and to be inspired by turning 40 reflects how you can write and publish something no matter how old you are.
In the beginning, Elmer says, "Because if goddesses could garner such adoration in the past, perhaps by restoring their stories, I might restore parts of myself", and I really hope she achieved this, as it's such a good piece of work!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for a free, voluntary review.
I am not a non-fiction person, unless the topic is interesting, which this was!
I really enjoyed reading about different goddesses from a span of different cultures. Lately a lot of the market, non-fiction and fiction, are predominantly based on western mythology, so it was refreshing to read about goddesses like Rangda (the Balinese goddess of Evil, Black Magic and Balance), Inanna (the Sumerian goddess; Queen of Heaven and Earth, War and Sexuality) and Mawu-Lisa ( the Vodun goddess of all creation, the sun and the moon).
The mix of both fiction and non-fiction worked well at keeping my attention focused but admittedly the non-fiction sections dragged a little in places. I am not a non-fiction person, so that is my fault if I struggle to stay focused on something for a while.
I could tell a lot of extensive research and time went into this novel and to be inspired by turning 40 reflects how you can write and publish something no matter how old you are.
In the beginning, Elmer says, "Because if goddesses could garner such adoration in the past, perhaps by restoring their stories, I might restore parts of myself", and I really hope she achieved this, as it's such a good piece of work!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for a free, voluntary review.
September 9, 2024
I love historical myths and retellings so I was very eager to read Goddess with a Thousand Faces and I was completely blown away by this amazing book. Jasmine Elmer has selected ten ancient goddesses from a vast range of cultures, some you will know and some you won't, and retold their stories.
The retellings are breathtaking and really bring each goddess to life. Each retelling is followed by the history of the goddess, their country and their culture. I learnt so much whilst reading this fabulous book and although I read it cover to cover, it's a book you can dip in and out of at your own pace.
I was astonished at the differences of the goddesses; they are all unique with their own individual characteristics. I was shocked that I had only heard of three out of the ten goddesses and have to applaud Jasmine Elmer for telling their stories and reminding the world about these powerful goddesses.
Informative, empowering and contemplative, Goddess with a Thousand Faces is a powerful novel that encourages introspection and perhaps you will see glimpses of these mighty goddesses within yourself.
I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
The retellings are breathtaking and really bring each goddess to life. Each retelling is followed by the history of the goddess, their country and their culture. I learnt so much whilst reading this fabulous book and although I read it cover to cover, it's a book you can dip in and out of at your own pace.
I was astonished at the differences of the goddesses; they are all unique with their own individual characteristics. I was shocked that I had only heard of three out of the ten goddesses and have to applaud Jasmine Elmer for telling their stories and reminding the world about these powerful goddesses.
Informative, empowering and contemplative, Goddess with a Thousand Faces is a powerful novel that encourages introspection and perhaps you will see glimpses of these mighty goddesses within yourself.
I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
September 16, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
FIRST OF ALL! What an absolutely stunning cover 😍 I read the e-book version and didn't get to appreciate it in all its glory, but I love it!
Jasmine takes us around the world, exploring goddesses from our ancient past, both well known to most of us, and others I'd never heard of, to explore how we've forgotten feminity and expressing it to the fullest.
Beginning each chapter with a beautiful drawing of each goddess, then diving into a retelling of their myth from the goddess's perspective, and ending with accessibly written historical context of the culture and myth, Jasmine weaves a beautiful picture of each goddess, their world and how the ancient connects to the present.
I thoroughly enjoyed this! I loved learning about new goddesses and ancient cultures never on my radar before. It was a unique approach to myth retellings and history. It was incredibly refreshing to read about depictions of feminity that isn't as restrictive as it is today. This is a wonderful addition to the myriad of books putting women back into history. Highly recommend this one 👌🏼
FIRST OF ALL! What an absolutely stunning cover 😍 I read the e-book version and didn't get to appreciate it in all its glory, but I love it!
Jasmine takes us around the world, exploring goddesses from our ancient past, both well known to most of us, and others I'd never heard of, to explore how we've forgotten feminity and expressing it to the fullest.
Beginning each chapter with a beautiful drawing of each goddess, then diving into a retelling of their myth from the goddess's perspective, and ending with accessibly written historical context of the culture and myth, Jasmine weaves a beautiful picture of each goddess, their world and how the ancient connects to the present.
I thoroughly enjoyed this! I loved learning about new goddesses and ancient cultures never on my radar before. It was a unique approach to myth retellings and history. It was incredibly refreshing to read about depictions of feminity that isn't as restrictive as it is today. This is a wonderful addition to the myriad of books putting women back into history. Highly recommend this one 👌🏼
September 10, 2024
With a key message of inclusivity that transcends gender, age and social standing, this is an academic, non-fiction but also deeply personal and fictional history of some of the world's female deities.
And if the cover and premise don't pique your interest, I genuinely need to ask the question, why not?
It embraces the world wide progression of women whose stories may be forgotten to history, but whose narrative continues the transcend the public consciousness even today.
A debut book, it sets out a manifesto in the introduction , by Jasmine, that this is not a comprehensive covering of all deities, from all time, apart from being an impossible and maybe unending task, the end result would be reductive.
It stakes a claim to not become an academic text, a simple listing of these females and what they meant, but seeks to show what they mean, what they transcend and what they become.
For in each of these women, it is possible to find a reflection of your own face, your own femininity, your own soul, going back through centuries to times that feel, in a way, more progressive than this modern age. A rebuke to toxic masculinity, this is not a book which bars men, but rather invites them to understand us by the journeys of others.
Whilst some names may be familiar to you, others may not and this is the joy in a book like this, you can feel Jasmine talking to you, and inviting you to join her, and if you like what you read, then there are suggested readings for each chapter.
The beautiful illustrations really take this books into a brand new territory for me, they add such resonance to each woman.
A mix of history, culture and religion, it explores how the narrative has changed, mutated, and become something quite different from the original intent of goddesses, where they existed as the property of, or adjunct to, a god.
This picture, by the way, does not do justice to the beautiful design. A book to treasure, this is one you will yourself returning to again and again and again. That is , if you can get bit back from your sticky fingered teenage daughter..
And if the cover and premise don't pique your interest, I genuinely need to ask the question, why not?
It embraces the world wide progression of women whose stories may be forgotten to history, but whose narrative continues the transcend the public consciousness even today.
A debut book, it sets out a manifesto in the introduction , by Jasmine, that this is not a comprehensive covering of all deities, from all time, apart from being an impossible and maybe unending task, the end result would be reductive.
It stakes a claim to not become an academic text, a simple listing of these females and what they meant, but seeks to show what they mean, what they transcend and what they become.
For in each of these women, it is possible to find a reflection of your own face, your own femininity, your own soul, going back through centuries to times that feel, in a way, more progressive than this modern age. A rebuke to toxic masculinity, this is not a book which bars men, but rather invites them to understand us by the journeys of others.
Whilst some names may be familiar to you, others may not and this is the joy in a book like this, you can feel Jasmine talking to you, and inviting you to join her, and if you like what you read, then there are suggested readings for each chapter.
The beautiful illustrations really take this books into a brand new territory for me, they add such resonance to each woman.
A mix of history, culture and religion, it explores how the narrative has changed, mutated, and become something quite different from the original intent of goddesses, where they existed as the property of, or adjunct to, a god.
This picture, by the way, does not do justice to the beautiful design. A book to treasure, this is one you will yourself returning to again and again and again. That is , if you can get bit back from your sticky fingered teenage daughter..
August 16, 2024
This book is both an introduction to goddess mythology and an encouragement to look at the ways these goddesses can inspire women today. The author focuses on 10 goddesses from around the world. Each chapter begins with a story about that goddess, based on the information and stories the author found in the course of her research. Then each goddess is put into context with a short overview of the culture in which the stories originated. She acknowledges that there were often cultural differences between the groups these stories developed in, but it would be impossible to get too deeply into that in a book like this. Finally, Elmer muses on how the stories and goddesses can inspire women today, arguing that although the stories are old, they still have relevance for women. The goddesses she includes in the book are: Freyja (Iceland), Artemis (Greek), Rangda (Bali), Inanna (Sumerian), kali (Hindu), twins Mawu-Lisa (Vodun), Sedna (Inuit), Hine-nui-te-po (Maori), Huitaca (Muisca-Andes Region), and Isis (Egypt). There is a selected bibliography at the back for people who would like to delve deeper into any specific culture/goddess.
This book is a good introduction to goddess mythology. I like that it includes many goddesses from many different parts of the world. As someone who has no background in this subject, I enjoyed reading the book and learning from it. The resources listed in the bibliography serve as a good starting point for those who wish to learn more than it was possible to include in this book. The author's writing style is almost conversational, which makes the book very readable. Her love of this subject shines through on every page. If you want to learn more about any or all of these goddesses, this is a great place to start.
I thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a digital review copy of this book.
This book is a good introduction to goddess mythology. I like that it includes many goddesses from many different parts of the world. As someone who has no background in this subject, I enjoyed reading the book and learning from it. The resources listed in the bibliography serve as a good starting point for those who wish to learn more than it was possible to include in this book. The author's writing style is almost conversational, which makes the book very readable. Her love of this subject shines through on every page. If you want to learn more about any or all of these goddesses, this is a great place to start.
I thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a digital review copy of this book.
September 11, 2024
As an introduction to Goddess mythology this book works extremely well and for someone like me with no prior knowledge at all I found it to be both absorbing and informative on an easy to understand level. Nicely divided into clearly defined chapters, each one explains in more detail the chosen goddesses from around the world. There are those who we may have heard of like Freja, the Icelandic Goddess from Viking mythology, Artemis from the Greek, and Isis, the Egyptian Goddess of Healing, Magic and Wisdom and then lesser known Goddesses such as Sedna, the Inuit Goddess of the Sea and Marine Animals, and Kali, Hindu Goddess of Time, Death and Destruction. The remaining five Goddesse, Rangda, Inanna, Mawu-Lisa, Hine-nui-pō, Huitaca, are equally as fascinating as the author describes in detail their power and ancient wisdom, and brings each one to life in intricate detail. Each Goddess is beautifully illustrated in simple black and white line drawings which emphasise their power and gives each one a distinct personality.
This is one of those lovely books which educates as well as entertains and whilst it is perfectly possible to read in sequential order, I found myself dipping into and out of the book at whim, initially choosing the Goddess who appealed the most and then retracing my steps and going back to re-read something I had missed on my first time around. Well written, and well researched, with an informative bibliography, there is much to discover in Goddesses with a Thousand Faces a non-fiction book which brings the ancient myths and legends to life in a meaningful way and which also adapts them for a modern readership.
September 18, 2024
I’d love to know how other readers felt at the beginning of this reading journey and then towards the end, especially after reading the afterword. It really puts a different slant on things. I also think that is indicative of the general gist of this book. What we see, what we are told, where and with whom do we connect, why and what that says about our own experiences in life.
Not gonna lie, the first goddess we encounter, her story made me have a core reaction of anger. There is an element of control, choice and ownership – I’ll give Freyja and the author that. My gut was screaming misogyny, patriarchy and the injustice of it all. Along the way the bigger picture becomes more evident.
In the end the book – and I’m sure opinions can differ on whether it is our perspective or the perspective of others – is a canvas of womanhood. A multi faceted kaleidoscope of the strengths, characteristics, personalities, experiences of the women – the goddesses, and how it relates to women of today.
I really enjoyed the read and highly recommend it, and also hope there will be more of this genre bending material from this particular author.
I can’t leave a review without mentioning the stunning hardback cover and the art for each goddess. at the start of every chapter. It gives the story the other-worldly feeling it deserves, and yet simultaneously it is a story grounded with facts – which creates a reading experience like no other. The cover and the story stays with you. It made me want to shout – Awaken and Fight. We are all of them and they are each one of us.
Not gonna lie, the first goddess we encounter, her story made me have a core reaction of anger. There is an element of control, choice and ownership – I’ll give Freyja and the author that. My gut was screaming misogyny, patriarchy and the injustice of it all. Along the way the bigger picture becomes more evident.
In the end the book – and I’m sure opinions can differ on whether it is our perspective or the perspective of others – is a canvas of womanhood. A multi faceted kaleidoscope of the strengths, characteristics, personalities, experiences of the women – the goddesses, and how it relates to women of today.
I really enjoyed the read and highly recommend it, and also hope there will be more of this genre bending material from this particular author.
I can’t leave a review without mentioning the stunning hardback cover and the art for each goddess. at the start of every chapter. It gives the story the other-worldly feeling it deserves, and yet simultaneously it is a story grounded with facts – which creates a reading experience like no other. The cover and the story stays with you. It made me want to shout – Awaken and Fight. We are all of them and they are each one of us.
March 13, 2025
Godinnen van Jasmine Elmer is het beste te omschrijven als een combinatie van mythologie met feminisme. Voeg daar een vleugje geschiedenis en cultuur aan toe, en je hebt de kern van waar dit boek over gaat te pakken.
Jasmine Elmer heeft een fijne schrijfstijl die prettig leest. Het is recht toe recht aan, en lekker kort en bondig geschreven. Haar passie voor geschiedenis en mythologische Godinnen komen in dit werk goed naar voren. Het is echt te merken dat ze ontzettend veel tijd, aandacht en liefde in dit boek heeft gestopt.
Het boek bespreekt tien Godinnen, de een wat bekender dan de ander. Ieder hoofdstuk begint met een verhaal vanuit het perspectief van de Godin. Hierdoor krijg je een super goede indruk van wie ze was en hoe haar leefwereld eruitzag. Jasmine Elmer heeft deze verhalen gebaseerd op alle informatie die beschikbaar is over de Godinnen. Na het korte verhaal zet ze de Godin uiteen en vertelt ze wat haar gemaakt heeft tot wie ze is. Ieder hoofdstuk eindigt de auteur met een inzicht wat de lezer aan het denken kan zetten. Het inspireert je om je innerlijke Godin naar buiten te halen. Dit beschrijft ze allemaal op een prettige manier. Het biedt een heldere uitleg zonder dat je het idee hebt een les geschiedenis bij te wonen. Ook zonder enige voorkennis van de behandelden Godinnen kun je dit boek prima lezen.
Kortom: als je graag leest over mythologie en female empowerment met een vleugje culturele geschiedenis? Dan is dit het boek voor jou!
Ik heb een recensie-exemplaar ontvangen in ruil voor mijn eerlijke mening.
Jasmine Elmer heeft een fijne schrijfstijl die prettig leest. Het is recht toe recht aan, en lekker kort en bondig geschreven. Haar passie voor geschiedenis en mythologische Godinnen komen in dit werk goed naar voren. Het is echt te merken dat ze ontzettend veel tijd, aandacht en liefde in dit boek heeft gestopt.
Het boek bespreekt tien Godinnen, de een wat bekender dan de ander. Ieder hoofdstuk begint met een verhaal vanuit het perspectief van de Godin. Hierdoor krijg je een super goede indruk van wie ze was en hoe haar leefwereld eruitzag. Jasmine Elmer heeft deze verhalen gebaseerd op alle informatie die beschikbaar is over de Godinnen. Na het korte verhaal zet ze de Godin uiteen en vertelt ze wat haar gemaakt heeft tot wie ze is. Ieder hoofdstuk eindigt de auteur met een inzicht wat de lezer aan het denken kan zetten. Het inspireert je om je innerlijke Godin naar buiten te halen. Dit beschrijft ze allemaal op een prettige manier. Het biedt een heldere uitleg zonder dat je het idee hebt een les geschiedenis bij te wonen. Ook zonder enige voorkennis van de behandelden Godinnen kun je dit boek prima lezen.
Kortom: als je graag leest over mythologie en female empowerment met een vleugje culturele geschiedenis? Dan is dit het boek voor jou!
Ik heb een recensie-exemplaar ontvangen in ruil voor mijn eerlijke mening.
September 17, 2024
Goddess with a thousand faces took me by surprise in a good way. From the blurb; I'd expected a purely fantasy book, but instead I was presented with a combination of factual mythology and history, and fantasy, focussed around ten Goddesses.
It's told in such a way that you don't feel bogged down with information, but it encourages you to go do further research of your own, if one of the Goddesses piques your interest. The book is balanced with a brief fantastical story featuring the Goddess and then a factual section where we learn how the Goddess fitted into her cultural society.
It encourages you to embrace and explore what femininity means to you. The author sets out to depict the stories from a feminine perspective - often literature can be distorted over time, as historically males were the main writers. But please note - this novel isn't designed to be exclusive of males; she notes that 'I wanted to rebuild aspects of our femininity - regardless of biological gender, for we all possess inherent female qualities'.
I adored the inclusivity of the different cultures and that masculinity/femininity is not biologically determined. Most of these Goddesses were completely unknown to me before the read, and I enjoyed having a short introduction to their stories.
The Goddess included are;
*Freya
*Artemis
*Rangda
*Inanna
*Kali
*Mawu-Lisa
*Sedna
*Hineunui-tepo
*Huitaca
*Isis
It's told in such a way that you don't feel bogged down with information, but it encourages you to go do further research of your own, if one of the Goddesses piques your interest. The book is balanced with a brief fantastical story featuring the Goddess and then a factual section where we learn how the Goddess fitted into her cultural society.
It encourages you to embrace and explore what femininity means to you. The author sets out to depict the stories from a feminine perspective - often literature can be distorted over time, as historically males were the main writers. But please note - this novel isn't designed to be exclusive of males; she notes that 'I wanted to rebuild aspects of our femininity - regardless of biological gender, for we all possess inherent female qualities'.
I adored the inclusivity of the different cultures and that masculinity/femininity is not biologically determined. Most of these Goddesses were completely unknown to me before the read, and I enjoyed having a short introduction to their stories.
The Goddess included are;
*Freya
*Artemis
*Rangda
*Inanna
*Kali
*Mawu-Lisa
*Sedna
*Hineunui-tepo
*Huitaca
*Isis
September 10, 2024
I've always been a fan of mythology and the stories of different gods and goddesses, and Goddess with a Thousand Faces is unlike anything I've ever read. It’s a beautifully poetic and ambitious book that weaves together the stories of nine goddesses from different corners of the world. If you're looking to start your own journey into these myths, this book is a fantastic place to begin. Jasmine Elmer doesn't just retell these myths; she dives deeper, blending storytelling with ancient wisdom to create something truly unique. You can feel her passion on every page, and it's clear she has done her research—her writing makes it easy to connect with these goddesses and understand their significance. Each goddess's tale is followed by a deep exploration of the ancient societies that shaped them, offering insights into how these cultures viewed women and what the myths were really trying to convey. Elmer’s vivid descriptions and evocative imagery pull me right into these ancient worlds, making me feel like I'm experiencing these myths firsthand. And I can't wrap up without mentioning the cover—it's absolutely breathtaking.
October 11, 2024
Goddess with a Thousand Faces is a fascinating book that explores the myths of ten goddesses from around the world. Split into ten chapters, each section explores the myth and historical context of a goddess.
This was such an interesting read! I loved the way Elmer retold the myth surrounding each goddess but also gave the reader some information surrounding the history and culture of the goddess. It allows the reader a chance to gain a deeper understanding of the world and history surrounding that mythology. I also liked the way Elmer highlighted what we can take from the myth of each goddess and apply it to our lives.
Elmer has a great narrative voice and I really liked that Goddess of a Thousand Faces is written in a really accessible way - even if you know lots about certain mythologies you're bound to still find some new and interesting details. There were goddesses I was already familiar with featured in this book (like Freya and Isis) and plenty I had never heard of (like Kali and Sedna). Their stories were all fascinating and I ended up reading one a night to give me a chance to really think about and absorb each story.
If you're looking for a book that weaves history and mythology in a really fascinating and compelling way, you definitely need to add Goddess with a Thousand Faces to your TBR.
This was such an interesting read! I loved the way Elmer retold the myth surrounding each goddess but also gave the reader some information surrounding the history and culture of the goddess. It allows the reader a chance to gain a deeper understanding of the world and history surrounding that mythology. I also liked the way Elmer highlighted what we can take from the myth of each goddess and apply it to our lives.
Elmer has a great narrative voice and I really liked that Goddess of a Thousand Faces is written in a really accessible way - even if you know lots about certain mythologies you're bound to still find some new and interesting details. There were goddesses I was already familiar with featured in this book (like Freya and Isis) and plenty I had never heard of (like Kali and Sedna). Their stories were all fascinating and I ended up reading one a night to give me a chance to really think about and absorb each story.
If you're looking for a book that weaves history and mythology in a really fascinating and compelling way, you definitely need to add Goddess with a Thousand Faces to your TBR.
November 18, 2024
A really fascinating and unique book that I devoured! And it's led me down a new path of discovery and doing research for myself on so much that I knew little or nothing about before!
The author picks 10 ancient goddesses from a variety of cultures around the globe and introduces them to us in a very clever way! She begins with a retelling of their myth, and then expands into the history, culture and politics that were relevant to each story in that part of the world at that time and it really does give you more of a sense of each character. She also wants you as a reader to see yourself in some of these characters and hence the retellings have a more relatable spin to them.
It was a wonderful way to learn more about the different cultures in the world and how each of them treated women, and continue to do so! The mix of history with mythology was perfectly pitched to connect with readers coming in to this with either a good knowledge of the subjects, or like me, those who want to learn more and it has really opened my eyes up to a wider range of characters who I want to learn more about. Highly recommended!!
The author picks 10 ancient goddesses from a variety of cultures around the globe and introduces them to us in a very clever way! She begins with a retelling of their myth, and then expands into the history, culture and politics that were relevant to each story in that part of the world at that time and it really does give you more of a sense of each character. She also wants you as a reader to see yourself in some of these characters and hence the retellings have a more relatable spin to them.
It was a wonderful way to learn more about the different cultures in the world and how each of them treated women, and continue to do so! The mix of history with mythology was perfectly pitched to connect with readers coming in to this with either a good knowledge of the subjects, or like me, those who want to learn more and it has really opened my eyes up to a wider range of characters who I want to learn more about. Highly recommended!!
September 28, 2024
I enjoyed this book and it was nice having an anthology of feminine deity mythology with the lore behind it.
The stories of the goddesses and the lessons we can take from them stuck with me a long time, especially the betrayal of Sedna, the grief of Isis and the shaming of several others, something many women can identify with today. Goddesses from a broad cultural spectrum are represented in this book and the lore is explained really well and readers are encouraged to explore their own femininity and societal attitudes throughout.
Each story was short so I didn’t have to remember a load of detail, which made it an ideal read as lately I’ve been tired, busy and struggling to concentrate. That said, I would have liked the selected stories of each goddess to have been a bit longer as some felt extremely brief.
Overall a great book to introduce the reader to many goddesses and keeping their legend alive through telling their story.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The stories of the goddesses and the lessons we can take from them stuck with me a long time, especially the betrayal of Sedna, the grief of Isis and the shaming of several others, something many women can identify with today. Goddesses from a broad cultural spectrum are represented in this book and the lore is explained really well and readers are encouraged to explore their own femininity and societal attitudes throughout.
Each story was short so I didn’t have to remember a load of detail, which made it an ideal read as lately I’ve been tired, busy and struggling to concentrate. That said, I would have liked the selected stories of each goddess to have been a bit longer as some felt extremely brief.
Overall a great book to introduce the reader to many goddesses and keeping their legend alive through telling their story.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
September 6, 2024
I absolutely flew through this book! The retellings which open each chapter were gripping, compelling, and brilliant. At the end of each it felt like I was resurfacing from a different world and trying to recalibrate to reality - in the most amazing way.
This is a work of non-fiction, though, not a fictional retelling. The historical or cultural detail was engagingly written and absolutely fascinating. It is so welcome that this book includes cultures beyond ancient Greece and Rome. The move away from Eurocentrism is refreshing and I learned so much about different cultures. It was wonderful to see threads which ran through goddesses from across the globe.
The writing was warm and inclusive, complex and sensitive issues were dealt with deftly and with grace.
The cover and illustrations are absolutely STUNNING. I will be gifting this book so widely! I cannot recommend it strongly enough!
This is a work of non-fiction, though, not a fictional retelling. The historical or cultural detail was engagingly written and absolutely fascinating. It is so welcome that this book includes cultures beyond ancient Greece and Rome. The move away from Eurocentrism is refreshing and I learned so much about different cultures. It was wonderful to see threads which ran through goddesses from across the globe.
The writing was warm and inclusive, complex and sensitive issues were dealt with deftly and with grace.
The cover and illustrations are absolutely STUNNING. I will be gifting this book so widely! I cannot recommend it strongly enough!
June 1, 2025
While it was nice to have such a wide span of cultures represented in this book and the author clearly researched a good amount to write it, the retelling of the goddess stories were pretty superficial and generally poorly executed. The interpretations the author got out of the retellings didn’t feel like they matched the stories - such as Freyja’s sexual liberation with the sleeping with the dwarves story (and of all stories to tell about Freyja, felt like she could have picked something better). There was also a lot of projecting current feminist thought onto how women could have / should have felt thousands of years ago which felt insincere and like a big leap. Overall it was nice to learn about some cultures I didn’t have much exposure to before, but the stories themselves felt shallow and the book overall felt poorly executed.
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