Woman's Lore: 4,000 Years of Sirens, Serpents and Succubi

by Sarah Clegg, Shala Nyx (Narrator)

The history of a demonic tradition that was stolen from women – and then won back again.

Demonic temptresses – from siren-mermaids to Lilith – are well known today, and their mythology focuses around the seductive danger they pose to men. But the root of these figures can be traced back 4,000 years and in their earliest incarnations they were in fact demons worshipped and feared by women: like Lamashtu, the horrific talon-footed, serpentine monster, who strangled infants and murdered pregnant women, or the Gello, the ghost of a girl who had died a virgin and so killed expectant mothers and their babies out of jealousy.

This history of a demonic tradition from ancient Mesopotamia to the present day – from Lamashtu and Gello, to Lamia and Lilith, and mermaids and vampires – shows how these demons were co-opted by a male-centred society, before being recast as symbols of women's liberation. We also learn what this evolution can tell us about the experience of women and womanhood: the danger of childbirth, changing attitudes towards sexuality and the movement for women's rights.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mythology, History, Feminism, Audiobook, Historical, Folklore

Audiobook

Published April 20, 2023

Reviews

[Allyssa Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book is well written with interesting/ very well researched information, it read more like a scholarly source or history textbook than I had expected. It was less about the lore and was more of a historical timeline with evidence leading back to the very first creature in recorded history. It follows the evolution of these creatures and their transformation as they pass between culture and have been passed on for thousands of years. Well written, but not the type of book I expected.

[Hegeleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her Woman's Lore, Sarah Clegg chases the remnants of the ancient Mesopotamian goddess Lamashtu in mythology and folklore through time and space. We meet Lamia, Lilith, mermaids, sirens and numerous other demonesses and discover how they are all linked together and how their roots go way back to Lamashtu.

Despite the vast time frame and geographical scope of such an endeavour, Clegg guides the reader smoothly through it all. Her argumentation is easy to follow and backed up by a lot of evidence and records from the past. To say I am utterly baffled and blown away by the extensiveness of Clegg's knowledge and research is an understatement.

Above all, Woman's Lore is an important book. It is a book that everyone should read in my opinion, men, women and everyone with another gender identity alike. It is an eye opener, a rather saddening and at times infuriating and frustrating deep dive into the way misogyny has rooted itself deeper in our society and subconsciousness than I ever imagined. It lays bare the way women have struggled since what seems like the dawn of time and how men have stolen, manipulated and deformed even the goddesses and demonesses women used to protect themselves and their children.

Yet, however furious some chapters made me feel, the ultimate message of this book is one of hope, one of pride and one of reclaiming what has always been fundamentally woman's lore.

I can't recommend this book enough, it is truly one of the most interesting and insightful reads I have ever encountered.

[Alenka of Bohemia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definitely interesting, though a little ent-ish ("It takes a long time to say anything in Old Entish. And we never say anything unless it is worth taking a long time to say.") Simply put, while I found new bits of history I am happy to file into my brain, the book seemed overtly too long and with the same point repeated in every chapter. And it all ends up being about one thing. I should probably also mention that this particular woman´s lore is limited to the mythology of Mesopotamia and Greece, so do not expect anything Asian, Native American, or from other parts of Europe, etc.

[Kayla Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

In:
Mythology
Eating men
Divorcing demons
Amulets
Combing hair in a seductive manner
Glitter
Out:
The catholic church
Men having opinions
Slimy snake tails
Spying on women through key holes
Office buns
Trad wives

The moral of this book is literally women can’t have shit right from the beginning. I’m pissed off

[Dina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating tale of how Lamashtu and Lilith - and their unpredictable mix - have been the prototypes of a whole range of female creatures in old and modern folklore, from the Bible till Twilight. The author paints the social context behind the transformations in the mythology and how all seemingly different creatures are in fact linked to the same roots and reasons, and wow, some links were unexpected and explained so much. I really enjoyed the multiple perspectives the author weaved into the narrative, including the aspects related to archeology, historical records and literature, paintings and modern cinema…

[Muriel (The Purple Bookwyrm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

More accurate rating: 7.5/10.

Woman's Lore presents the history of related, demonic (or demonised), fantastical female figures such as Lilith, (the) Lamia and mermaids from (one of) their hypothesised points of origin, in Ancient Mesopotamia – with the (rather scary) goddess Lamashtu – up to the 20th century, when most of these figures were reclaimed, to a certain extent, by feminist activists, artists, etc...

I really enjoyed this one, overall. I appreciated the quality of the author's scholarship (with, thankfully, proper referencing and citation work), the (for the most part) tight focus of her thesis, and even the cheekiness she displayed, at times, in her commentary. I was already pretty familiar with the material, yet learned a few new things nonetheless, so that was a big plus for me.

Given my prior knowledge, there are a couple of elements I found missing from the book which I think could've made its thesis feel more complete. I also would've enjoyed a bit more theological analysis, or extrapolation, in the text as well. That being said, the author's main point concerning the nature of these figures as true elements of women's lore, culture and history was beautifully articulated and supported by the evidence she provided in the book.

Unfortunately, the book started losing some of its tight focus in its penultimate chapter, on the Victorian Era, and I think the author 'overstretched' herself somewhat. The connections and conclusions she drew from previously discussed material didn't feel as solid as they should have, and I just felt there was a glaring gap in her argumentation.

However, that was nothing compared to the absolute train wreck that was the book's last chapter. Mini vent time: why, oh why, do non-fiction writers keep doing this? Why did there need to be an attempt at some sort of grand (but largely unsupported) connection to contemporary social justice stuff in a book already very clearly doing feminist scholarship, by promoting a facet of women's religious and cultural history? If I felt the author overstretched her analysis in her chapter on the 19th century, it was so much worse in her chapter on the 20th and 21st centuries, bloody hell. We left the delightful realm of tight but engaging exposition supported by material evidence and entered the rather unpalatable one of wild, only tangentially related speculation, and outright oversimplification (or misrepresentation) of information (e.g.: a paragraph on Second Wave feminism that was atrociously bad, and a section devoted to Octavia E. Butler's Xenogenesis trilogy that was... actually I don't even know what the fuck that was, quite frankly). Honestly... those last two chapters should've been collapsed into a single one.

It is so incredibly frustrating when books like these just do not stick to landing, especially since Woman's Lore's overarching conclusion, by contrast, was a perfectly fine summary of the book's main thesis. Which means I would, yes, definitely recommend this book to mythology, religious and cultural history nerds interested in female-centric material, but with the major caveat that the book's thesis kind of jumps ship in its last two chapters.

[maegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This read too much like a textbook with not enough female monsters or creatures for my liking. The whole book is about 4/5 creatures, which are the same ones that appear on the cover, mentioned over and over in every chapter.

Is it very well documented? Yes, it is.
Is it boring? Slightly.

Also, the addition of a chapter exclusively analysing the Victorian view of womanhood and the femme fatales in film noir that followed felt extremely out of the blue. That was the moment I decided to give up.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstandingly good. Engagingly and wittily written, it shows how a set of protective women's practices and beliefs were sexualised by men, combined and conflated, used to demonise the "unacceptable woman" and how they've been subsequently reclaimed as feminist and queer icons. Also got me way more interested in the literal wet dreams of Bronze Age men than I was expecting. Prob the book I've most enjoyed so far this year.

[Jen Burrows · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woman's Lore is an interesting and indepth exploration of feminine mythology, and how these beliefs have spread over time and across cultures and continents.

While I found some sections a little dense and repetitive, the overarching narrative is fascinating. A tremendous amount of research has gone into this book, and I found Clegg's dedication to the subject infectious. I particularly liked how she contextualises her evolving demons in the society and culture of their time, empasising how these monsters have been reimagined as the storytellers see fit.

I also got the sense that Clegg knows she herself is continuing this tradition of rebirth by capturing this history on her own terms, and its satisfying to see this reclaimation play out.

*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story, bringing a much-needed female perspective to overcome the inherent male bias in many historical accounts. Based on extensive research and evidence, it reads as an academic treatise that has been adapted for a non-academic audience.

[Brecht Reintsema · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a refreshingly great non-fiction read: both well-readable and well-researched.

A fascinating story of a folkloric and cultural tradition of female demons, which first appears in ancient Mesopotamia as a reflection of women's fears of childbirth, moving through time and space where men instead began to use these figures to portray their own fears of powerful women.

Would definitely recommend to anyone with an interest in folklore, history and feminism.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dit begon opzich best leuk; de geschiedenis van lilith, gello en lamia, maar werd al snel een beeeetje langdradig en ieder hoofdstuk was hetzelfde opgebouwd :/
wel interessant en ik heb zeker wat geleerd maar het had wat gelaagder mogen zijn denk ik

[Inês · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have trouble summarizing how I feel about this book, except that it is a masterpiece on the history of women, their power and perseverance at the silent treatment induced on them.

I think a quote from the end of the book might say it all:

"There is no way of being a woman that can keep you safe from demonization, that frees you from criticism. And while this is a depressing realization, it's also a freeing one - if you'll be painted as a monster no matter what, you might as well make your own choices, and take control of your own destiny, rather than attempting to mould yourself to a contradictory ideal of womenhood that can be taken away from you no matter what you do."

Despite everything, despite our histories and beliefs being taken from us, altered to fit into men's anxieties and fears and so make us the villains, we still stand and our voices are still heard through millennia if you are willing to hear.

I love being a woman.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 .5 (rounded up)⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.

I was really intrigued by the premise of this book, and I’m glad to have read it.

The author has clearly done thorough research and presents to us the many iterations of the female as demon, seductress and ideal woman and how different cultures and time periods have interpreted or presented this in their religion/culture.

I was especially interested in the inclusion of Melusine, who I am already very familiar with. It was interesting to read about the connections to earlier female iterations.

[Elena Druță · Rating 5 out of 5]

Femeia-Demon. 4000 de ani de mituri, seducție și mister de Sarah Clegg a fost o lectură captivantă despre parcursul demonilor de sex feminin de-a lungul istoriei. De la Lamashtu, zeița-demon la care apelau femeile rugându-se pentru o sarcină fără complicații, o naștere ușoară și protecție pentru copiii lor, la Lamia, văzută drept un monstru ce mănâncă copii în antichitate, la Lilith, presupusa primă soție a lui Adam, izgonită din Eden pentru că a vrut să fie egala bărbatului său, în scrierile biblice, la sirene, văzute de către victorieni drept opusul idealului feminin, la imaginea de vampă din filmele mute de la începutul secolului trecut, la viziunea actuală asupra acestui demon feminin, atât de schimbat și modificat, iubit și urât de-a lungul timpului. Volumul mi-a plăcut mult datorită atât documentării ample și a explicațiilor de ce, și cum, și în ce fel o zeitate „a migrat” dintr-o porțiune geografică în alta, obținând sau pierzând anumite trăsături/puteri, dar și datorită modului absolut revoltător, exemplificat cu lux de amănunte, în care femeia frumoasă, puternică, ce știe ce vrea, a fost demonizată, la propriu și figurat, de către bărbat - în special de către fețele bisericești și de către societatea victoriană, ceva mai recent - secole și secole la rând. Cu siguranță este un volum interesant atât din punct de vedere antropologic, cât și mitologic, pe care-l recomand dacă subiectul vă captează atenția.

[Stephanie (Bookfever) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woman’s Lore: 4000 Years of Sirens, Serpents and Succubi takes its readers from the earliest civilizations to the modern era, tracing the history of the demonic feminine tradition that begins with the Mesopotamian goddess Lamashtu. In the book, we encounter the child-devouring monster Lamia, sirens with their alluring but deadly voices, Lilith, who defied Adam and was cast out of paradise, and the mysterious mermaids, among many others. Sarah Clegg reveals how these figures are all interconnected through enduring myths of female power, danger, and desire.

Obviously, this book was right up my alley, no surprise there! Female monsters? Ancient mythology? A work that’s both well-researched and cleverly written, and even a little cheeky at times? I was absolutely obsessed! The book also explored how male societies used stories of female demons to control women’s roles and female power for literally thousands of years. It is only recently that women have started to reclaim the symbols of Lamashtu, Lamia, and Lilith, etc, as their own.

I think some chapters could've been a tad shorter but aside from that I was totally hooked by this book. It was fascinating to see how these female monsters were all connected and how their stories changed over time to reflect the era. I'd recommend this book to anyone who's interested in mythology, feminism, women's history and old lore.

[Sarah Kimberley · Rating 3 out of 5]

For thousands of years women have been explicitly demonised and cursed to be the wolves and serpents of folklore. Full of cunning, malice and sexual deviancy. After all it was a ‘woman’ who began the fall of mankind. This book was an interesting take on some of these long held folklore traditions, though very repetitive.
There is the baby eating Lamashtu, a Mesopotamian monster from Middle Eastern texts who was perhaps, as this book explores, a figment of the imagination of worried mothers. Then there’s sirens and mermaids, the image of the mermaid, shell bra and all, conjured up by the medieval mind. Originally the siren song was a sign of a storm clearing and joy to follow.
This book is definitely peppered with amazing history, delving into Greek and Mesopotamian legends, however I’d have liked further inclusion of other women’s lore from across the world.

[lucy is reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would easily read 10 books on this subject

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining and witty

[Madeline Elsinga · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Their tradition was initially something that gave women a degree of comfort and control in the horrifyingly dangerous situation of childbirth and pregnancy, and helped them through times when their children were sick or dying. Over time, however, it was appropriated by men, who co-opted these demons into appallingly misogynist stereotypes that focused entirely on men's own imagined fears.”

I was pulled in right away! I found the writing very engaging and easy to read. The footnotes had some humor to them which I liked. It’s both informative and entertaining, making it an easily accessible read!

The book covers stories from Mesopotamia to Victorian England, including lore about demon goddesses, mermaid-sirens, nymphs, vampires, and “snake women” (like Lilith and Melusine). Also looks at the reemergence of these stories in the present day, specifically Lilith and mermaids, which have been reclaimed by feminists and LGBTQ groups!

I loved getting to know more about the Melusine legend that features so prominently in my Tudor/Plantagenet historical novels! I was also intrigued by the discussions on Dracula by Bram Stoker and how he reinforced the Victorian fears/morality of femme fatales vs “the ideal woman” and the “feminization of men.” Lastly I loved learning that calling a woman a mermaid used to be an insult?! I found myself both speeding through the book because of how interesting it was and also trying to slow down my reading to savor it.

Woman’s Lore spans thousands of years and multiple continents so as the author said in the introduction, each legend could have its own book. It definitely felt like a great starter but also provided enough information to fully understand each demon story if you’re only mildly interested in this sort of history. It was cool to learn about how the stories around each of the “demons” were passed on and adapted throughout time, moving between the East and the West. As well as how they influenced art and literature! They have different names and sometimes different aspects but the stories share many similarities.

Fascinating look at how these legends were turned into evil seductresses, femme fatales, and monsters who “failed womanhood” by men, when originally they were tales used by woman to connect to each other on issues such as miscarriages, infant and maternal mortality, the fears/anxieties of childbirth, and infertility (which were typically, and still even today, seen as things to suffer in silence). They put these fears onto demons perhaps to provide them with some comfort and have something to blame if/when something went wrong.

The legends grew in the idea that these women were demons created to destroy men when in fact they were stories to warn/inform or connect women to one another through! These stories and beliefs survived despite churches and scholarly men trying to explain them away, because women continued telling these stories. They passed the stories on to their daughters and neighbors, thankfully because of that we now have the stories today to learn about how they lived!

Highly recommend for anyone interested in mythology, feminist history, and/or women reclaiming their stories. Will definitely be a favorite of the month!

TW/CW: miscarriage, child/infant death, death in childbirth, infertility, violence, misogyny, rape, antisemitism (brief mention), sexual content, racism, homophobia (brief mention), slavery (brief mention), transphobia

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This took over 6 months to read. While the premise of the book is soooo interesting the writing is just too dense, it’s not easy to follow and if it weren’t for the audiobook I’m not sure I would’ve finished it. You can tell the author has passion for the topic but her narration is just boring.

[alexindreamland · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's extremly well researched and still easy to read. It's mostly about ancient Mesopotamian, Greek and religious (jewish, christian and muslim) lore and connects a lot of dots where these stories and figures might have mixed and influenced each other.

[Laurence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a great concept and expertly researched. Takes the myth of the ancient Lamashtu and sees it morph, develop and migrate across lands and ages, taking into account at least Lamia, Gello, Lilitu, vampires, mermaids, sirens and Lilith. However, in later chapters with modern tropes the author appears to write with more of an agenda and her research mixes with opinion that is masked as fact which is frustrating. Especially with regards to Jewish and Christian thought. The author is brilliant with translations and objective fact, but extrapolates that with phrases like that which compares Lilith to the virgin Mary:

"Her inability to turn down the all-powerful being that has decided she must bear its child has no connection with her desire to escape. Even Mary, the mother of God, is ... a trapped woman trying to do the best she can in horrible circumstances."

This is clearly opinion and one that de-personalises the Christian God as an 'it', suggests Mary would have a 'desire to escape', is 'trapped', and in 'horrible circumstances'. Not only is this opinion disguised as fact, but it is also treading heavily and clumsily on a subject and belief system of millions and millions of people throughout the world. Such words would be dangerous to write about other religions.

Additionally, it is also entirely incorrect. The same biblical passage, just a few sentences after Mary finds out she is to be the mother of Jesus, Mary can be quoted saying:

“My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior ...
48 From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me."

Hardly the attitude of one desiring to escape the entrapment of horrible circumstances.

There are other examples of this sort of incorrect opinion-fact-insult in the book that is otherwise really very good. I do wish the scope was larger though. "4000 years of" on the front cover is suggestive of a fairly extensive look at woman's lore and the book could be larger, encompassing Striga as well as some Japanese and Chinese lore etc. As long as it maintained objectivity and researched fact, I would happily have read a lot more as, pre Appendix, it is only 246 pages.

[Becci Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredibly detailed account showing how women have been portrayed as monsters/gods throughout time. But it wasn't just an informative book, it discusses how female demons were created by men and how they were used to control the concepts of womanhood.
It was fascinating to go through time, all the way to today to discover how these demons have changed and also how women have reclaimed these demons as their own.

I don't usually quote but this really stuck with me...

'There is no way of being a woman that can keep you safe from demonisation, that frees you of criticism. And while this is a depressing realisation, it is also a freeing one.
If you'll be painted as a monster no matter what, you might as well make your own choices and take control of your own destiny. Rather than attempting to mold yourself to a contradicting ideal of womanhood that can be taken away from you no matter what you do'

'The story of our demons is the story of the triumph of Woman's Lore'

[Leanne Penning · Rating 5 out of 5]

The timespan and scope of this book is huge (4000 years across countless civilisations is no mean feat), and Clegg does a brilliant job of navigating and guiding the reader through it.

She follows the creation of a monstrous figure conjured by women, a personified projection of the fear of infant and maternal death; she tracks its shifting etymology and evolution as time passed and societies blended. How does a Lilith figure shift into a mermaid? How is this figure subsequently subverted and used as a patriarchal tool to oppress? And how have women since reclaimed them? All these answers can be found in this book.

The oral tradition is inherently feminine: stories are passed down through women’s networks for millennia. Either way, in whatever form or identity, those monsters are here with us today; albeit slightly removed, they endure, proving that however ridiculous they may seem, there’s a staying power in those old wives tales.

[Marije · Rating 4 out of 5]

”It is no wonder that so many women identified with our monsters: at one point or another, they have embodied almost every aspect of womanhood.”

Interesting book. It follows a tradition of female demons, from child-killing demons to seductresses, and eventually to feminist symbols. It was a pleasant and interesting read. Sometimes the jumps from one type of monster to the next (snake to mermaid?) were a bit unclear to me, but oh well.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

TWs: pregnancy, miscarriages, misogyny, child death, racism, sexual assault, slavery, transphobia, homophobia.

A super interesting look into the appearance of women in myths and legends throughout history and the sad and disturbing transformation of them into the sexual objects of men. I would definitely recommend to those with a keen interest in history, especially feminist representations within history.

[Jade Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

V. interesting. (And well written).

[madeline jordan]

more novel research, probably the most fact based of all my pieces which was a bit tough to get through but overall a really solid book

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

very detailed and the dose of sarcasm was very appreciated