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Women of Myth: From Deer Woman and Mami Wata to Amaterasu and Athena, Your Guide to the Amazing and Diverse Women from World Mythology
Uncover the fascinating and complex women from mythology and folklore with this collection of stories profiling powerful goddesses, mighty queens, and legendary creatures.
Get inspired with 50 fascinating stories of powerful female figures from mythologies around the world. From heroines and deities to leaders and mythical creatures, this collection explores figures of myth who can inspire modern readers with their ability to shape our culture with the stories of their power, wisdom, compassion, and cunning.
Featured characters include:
-Atalanta: Greek heroine and huntress who killed the Caledonia Boar and joined the Argonauts
-Sky-Woman: The first woman in Iroquois myth who fell through a hole in the sky and into our world
-Pele: Hawaiian volcano goddess
-Clídna: Queen of the Banshees in Irish legend
-La Llorona: A ghostly woman in Mexican folklore who wanders the waterfront
Celebrate these game-changing, attention-worthy female characters with this collection of engaging tales.
Get inspired with 50 fascinating stories of powerful female figures from mythologies around the world. From heroines and deities to leaders and mythical creatures, this collection explores figures of myth who can inspire modern readers with their ability to shape our culture with the stories of their power, wisdom, compassion, and cunning.
Featured characters include:
-Atalanta: Greek heroine and huntress who killed the Caledonia Boar and joined the Argonauts
-Sky-Woman: The first woman in Iroquois myth who fell through a hole in the sky and into our world
-Pele: Hawaiian volcano goddess
-Clídna: Queen of the Banshees in Irish legend
-La Llorona: A ghostly woman in Mexican folklore who wanders the waterfront
Celebrate these game-changing, attention-worthy female characters with this collection of engaging tales.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2023
102 people are currently reading
3226 people want to read
About the author
Jenny Williamson
15 books87 followersJenny Williamson is a romance and fantasy novelist obsessed with the ancient past. While writing a historical romance, she fell down a research rabbit hole—an occupational hazard—and realized she had a decision to make. She could either go on hanging out in bars and ranting about child emperors and Mongol siegecraft and the Praetorian Guard—she gets that way after a few Dark n Stormies—or she could start a podcast.
In addition, Jenny recently published a poetry chapbook with Finishing Line Press. She grew up in Vermont and currently lives in Brooklyn.
In addition, Jenny recently published a poetry chapbook with Finishing Line Press. She grew up in Vermont and currently lives in Brooklyn.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
February 21, 2023
Happy Publication Day!😊
Women of Myth: From Deer Woman and Mami Wata to Amaterasu and Athena, Your Guide to the Amazing and Diverse Women from World Mythology by Jenny Williamson and Genn McMenemy celebrates fifty women from the myths, religion, and folklore from all over the world with not only familiar figures from the classics but also many dating back to ancient civilizations such as the Aztecs,the Mesopotamian and the Incan civilizations -from traditional maternal figures representing the elements and creation, to brave women breaking away from traditional gender roles to genderqueer figures that commanded awe and respect and fantastical figures whose legends have stood the test of time.
The authors divide the text into three segments. The first segment, "Goddesses", features female deities worshipped by different cultures ranging from warrior goddesses, to those representing elements of nature to goddesses of sex and sexual agency. Among the women featured in this section are Athena (Greek), Freyja (Viking), Kali (Hindu), Mami Wata (Africa and Afro-Caribbean), Isis (Egypt) and Ishtar (Ancient Mesopotamia) among others. I particularly enjoyed the stories of Corn Mother (Abenaki and Penobscot) Atargatis(Syrian) The Morrigan (Ancient Irish) and Itzapopalotl (The Aztecs).
The second segment, "Heroines", features women ranging from warriors, healers, and storytellers. The lore revolves around astounding feats of bravery, to revenge, and protection of family and motherhood featuring the stories of Amba/Shikhandi (from the Mahabharata), Atalanta ( the only female Argonaut), Maeve (Celtic Warrior Queen), and Morgan Le Fey ( from the Arthurian Legend) and Scheherezade ( from One Thousand and One Nights)among others. I loved reading about the lore of Urduja (Filipina Warrior Princess), the Somali Warrior Queen Arawelo and the Bosothoragon Slayer Basotho.
The final segment"Monsters” tells the stories of women who have been labeled “monsters” and whose stories are meant to instill fear. However, the authors delve deeper into the origin and context of these stories and how they can be interpreted as warnings. Often these origin stories have been misinterpreted or deliberately rewritten to vilify women who dared defy societal or gender norms imposed upon them in their culture. I absolutely loved this segment. My favorites included the myths and lore of Baba Yaga (Slavic), Deer Woman (Indigenous) and Kitsune (Japanese Ox Demons).
Concise and well-structured, I found Women of Myth to be an informative and entertaining read that I just could not put down. While I was familiar with the women from Greek mythology and Indian deities and characters from Indian epics and had heard of some of the other characters, most of the women featured in this book were new to me. I loved learning about the myths and lore that were a part of the respective cultures of different ancient civilizations. The authors have done a commendable job of presenting these tales incorporating elements from the origin stories (briefly mentioning how these stories have been retold through the ages, often with varied interpretations), the symbolism associated with the characters and how some of these characters have been portrayed in theatre, movies, television and different literary forms. The stories are accompanied by stunning illustrations by Sara Richard.
Fans of mythology and folklore would definitely enjoy this book. I look forward to adding this book to my personal collection.
Many thanks to the authors, Adams Media and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this truly fascinating book.
Women of Myth: From Deer Woman and Mami Wata to Amaterasu and Athena, Your Guide to the Amazing and Diverse Women from World Mythology by Jenny Williamson and Genn McMenemy celebrates fifty women from the myths, religion, and folklore from all over the world with not only familiar figures from the classics but also many dating back to ancient civilizations such as the Aztecs,the Mesopotamian and the Incan civilizations -from traditional maternal figures representing the elements and creation, to brave women breaking away from traditional gender roles to genderqueer figures that commanded awe and respect and fantastical figures whose legends have stood the test of time.
The authors divide the text into three segments. The first segment, "Goddesses", features female deities worshipped by different cultures ranging from warrior goddesses, to those representing elements of nature to goddesses of sex and sexual agency. Among the women featured in this section are Athena (Greek), Freyja (Viking), Kali (Hindu), Mami Wata (Africa and Afro-Caribbean), Isis (Egypt) and Ishtar (Ancient Mesopotamia) among others. I particularly enjoyed the stories of Corn Mother (Abenaki and Penobscot) Atargatis(Syrian) The Morrigan (Ancient Irish) and Itzapopalotl (The Aztecs).
The second segment, "Heroines", features women ranging from warriors, healers, and storytellers. The lore revolves around astounding feats of bravery, to revenge, and protection of family and motherhood featuring the stories of Amba/Shikhandi (from the Mahabharata), Atalanta ( the only female Argonaut), Maeve (Celtic Warrior Queen), and Morgan Le Fey ( from the Arthurian Legend) and Scheherezade ( from One Thousand and One Nights)among others. I loved reading about the lore of Urduja (Filipina Warrior Princess), the Somali Warrior Queen Arawelo and the Bosothoragon Slayer Basotho.
The final segment"Monsters” tells the stories of women who have been labeled “monsters” and whose stories are meant to instill fear. However, the authors delve deeper into the origin and context of these stories and how they can be interpreted as warnings. Often these origin stories have been misinterpreted or deliberately rewritten to vilify women who dared defy societal or gender norms imposed upon them in their culture. I absolutely loved this segment. My favorites included the myths and lore of Baba Yaga (Slavic), Deer Woman (Indigenous) and Kitsune (Japanese Ox Demons).
Concise and well-structured, I found Women of Myth to be an informative and entertaining read that I just could not put down. While I was familiar with the women from Greek mythology and Indian deities and characters from Indian epics and had heard of some of the other characters, most of the women featured in this book were new to me. I loved learning about the myths and lore that were a part of the respective cultures of different ancient civilizations. The authors have done a commendable job of presenting these tales incorporating elements from the origin stories (briefly mentioning how these stories have been retold through the ages, often with varied interpretations), the symbolism associated with the characters and how some of these characters have been portrayed in theatre, movies, television and different literary forms. The stories are accompanied by stunning illustrations by Sara Richard.
Fans of mythology and folklore would definitely enjoy this book. I look forward to adding this book to my personal collection.
Many thanks to the authors, Adams Media and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this truly fascinating book.
February 15, 2023
Women of Myth by Jenny Williamson and Genn McMenemy, hosts of the amazing podcast Ancient History Fangirl, is THE book that you'll want to read if you are, just like me, a mythology nerd or if you'd like to learn more about mythology and folklore that aren't only centered on western ones. It featured diverse mythological women from all corners of the world and I just loved that so damn much.
The book started strong with a foreword by Liv Albert, host of Let's Talk About Myths, Baby! podcast. I could think of no one better for this and her foreword started perfectly with "There's nothing I love more than mythology... except maybe women in mythology." I fully agree!
In Women of Myth you'll find no less than 50 mythological women highlighted and they are divided into three parts: goddesses, heroines and monsters.
The Goddesses: Some goddesses featured were Amaterasu from Japan, Ishtar from Ancient Mesopotamia, Atargis from Syria, Mami Wata from Africa and more.
The Heroines: Some heroines featured were Amba/Shikhandi from India, Princess Bari from Korea, Mulan from China, Thákane from southern Africa and more.
The Monsters: Some monsters featured were Alcha Kandicha from Morocco, Clídna from Ireland, Babamik from Papua New Guinea, Medusa from Greece and more.
I really liked how the different women were categorized like that and that there was also a little guide with the pronunciation, appearance and what their symbols were. Especially the symbols I found super fascinating to learn about. Like I said above in this review this book features diverse women from myth from all over the world and this is just so great and not to be underestimated. I also love how the authors don't shy away from the bad in mythology like predatory men who pray on women, which is part of a lot of the stories from the featured goddesses, heroines and monsters. Jenny and Genn did this amazingly!
Of course I also have to talk about the gorgeous illustrations by Sara Richard. I was already familiar with her work from other illustrated books but she really blew my mind with her art work in this one. I loved how she portrayed the women she illustrated. They were each and every one just glorious to look at.
Women of Myth: From Deer Woman and Mami Wata to Amaterasu and Athena, Your Guide to the Amazing and Diverse Women from World Mythology by Jenny Williamson and Genn McMenemy is a beautifully diverse and illustrated book that's informative as well as a true joy to read.
The book started strong with a foreword by Liv Albert, host of Let's Talk About Myths, Baby! podcast. I could think of no one better for this and her foreword started perfectly with "There's nothing I love more than mythology... except maybe women in mythology." I fully agree!
In Women of Myth you'll find no less than 50 mythological women highlighted and they are divided into three parts: goddesses, heroines and monsters.
The Goddesses: Some goddesses featured were Amaterasu from Japan, Ishtar from Ancient Mesopotamia, Atargis from Syria, Mami Wata from Africa and more.
The Heroines: Some heroines featured were Amba/Shikhandi from India, Princess Bari from Korea, Mulan from China, Thákane from southern Africa and more.
The Monsters: Some monsters featured were Alcha Kandicha from Morocco, Clídna from Ireland, Babamik from Papua New Guinea, Medusa from Greece and more.
I really liked how the different women were categorized like that and that there was also a little guide with the pronunciation, appearance and what their symbols were. Especially the symbols I found super fascinating to learn about. Like I said above in this review this book features diverse women from myth from all over the world and this is just so great and not to be underestimated. I also love how the authors don't shy away from the bad in mythology like predatory men who pray on women, which is part of a lot of the stories from the featured goddesses, heroines and monsters. Jenny and Genn did this amazingly!
Of course I also have to talk about the gorgeous illustrations by Sara Richard. I was already familiar with her work from other illustrated books but she really blew my mind with her art work in this one. I loved how she portrayed the women she illustrated. They were each and every one just glorious to look at.
Women of Myth: From Deer Woman and Mami Wata to Amaterasu and Athena, Your Guide to the Amazing and Diverse Women from World Mythology by Jenny Williamson and Genn McMenemy is a beautifully diverse and illustrated book that's informative as well as a true joy to read.
April 21, 2025
I absolutely loved this and learnt so much.
You can tell the authors are really enthusiastic about the subject matter just by the writing style. It wasn't 'dry' at all.
The illustrations are stunning. I would definitely recommend it to others.
You can tell the authors are really enthusiastic about the subject matter just by the writing style. It wasn't 'dry' at all.
The illustrations are stunning. I would definitely recommend it to others.
February 28, 2023
От началото на света до наши дни жената носи сила, която патриархалните общества се стремят да претебрегнат и потъпчат. Душите и телата на жените носят оптимизъм и раждат продължение на човешкия вид. Техните емоции се ръководят от сърдечност и щедрост, от любов и страст. Но когато желанията им бъдат пренебрегнати, те показват другата страна на женствеността . Заради загубена любов, заради мъжка неспрведливост или заради силна амбиция жените са претърпявали пълно преобразяване.Гневът и отмъстителността, породени от мъка, болка и страх излизат на сцената.Красотата им вече е била оръжието, с което са сeeли отмъщение и са търсели възмездие. Следвайки проявите на женската природа, през вековете са се родили митовете и приказките.
Woman of Myth е сборник, който представя накратко разказани истории на малко и много известни митологични женски образи. Създадени от човешката фантазия, от фанатизма или от жаждата за властност на патриархата, богините, героините от народния епос и известните сказания и легенди са имали своята власт и са служели за пример, за упование или за назидание. Почти всички жени в митологията са неземно красиви и също толкова силни, жестоки и отмъстителни. Като всички божества, те са изисквали уважение, преклонение, страхопочитание и послушание от онези, които са под тяхно влияние. Верните поданици са били облагодетелствани, а онези, които им откажат преклонение или демонстративно ги отхвърлят, биват довеждани до неуспех и до смърт.
И така книгата е изпълнена с известни и непознати имена от фолклора, легендите и приказките на народите по целия свят:
= Sky Woman - първата жена в митологията на хурони и ирокези.
= Arianrhod - яростно независима жена, почитана като главна богиня в келтската религия.
= Amaterasu - една от най - видните богини в японската митология, чийто символ / изгряващото слънце/ е виден върху японското знаме.
= The Morrigan - древната ирландска богиня на войната и бойната настървеност.
= THE QALUPALIK - Инуитският морски дух КАЛУПАЛИК, който примамва деца на леда.
= Историята на Мулан е записана за първи път в „Баладата за Мулан“, народна песен от династията Северна Уей от 386–535 г. сл. Хр. През 429 г. сл. н. е. Уей воюва с Роуранския каганат, народ на север, който в баладата се споменава като Сюнну. Смята се, че историята на Мулан се развива през това време и е записана за първи път някъде през шести век.
= Pele - Хавайската богиня - вулкан.
Удоволствието от запознаването с всички тези женски сили е невероятно!
Woman of Myth е сборник, който представя накратко разказани истории на малко и много известни митологични женски образи. Създадени от човешката фантазия, от фанатизма или от жаждата за властност на патриархата, богините, героините от народния епос и известните сказания и легенди са имали своята власт и са служели за пример, за упование или за назидание. Почти всички жени в митологията са неземно красиви и също толкова силни, жестоки и отмъстителни. Като всички божества, те са изисквали уважение, преклонение, страхопочитание и послушание от онези, които са под тяхно влияние. Верните поданици са били облагодетелствани, а онези, които им откажат преклонение или демонстративно ги отхвърлят, биват довеждани до неуспех и до смърт.
И така книгата е изпълнена с известни и непознати имена от фолклора, легендите и приказките на народите по целия свят:
= Sky Woman - първата жена в митологията на хурони и ирокези.
= Arianrhod - яростно независима жена, почитана като главна богиня в келтската религия.
= Amaterasu - една от най - видните богини в японската митология, чийто символ / изгряващото слънце/ е виден върху японското знаме.
= The Morrigan - древната ирландска богиня на войната и бойната настървеност.
= THE QALUPALIK - Инуитският морски дух КАЛУПАЛИК, който примамва деца на леда.
= Историята на Мулан е записана за първи път в „Баладата за Мулан“, народна песен от династията Северна Уей от 386–535 г. сл. Хр. През 429 г. сл. н. е. Уей воюва с Роуранския каганат, народ на север, който в баладата се споменава като Сюнну. Смята се, че историята на Мулан се развива през това време и е записана за първи път някъде през шести век.
= Pele - Хавайската богиня - вулкан.
Удоволствието от запознаването с всички тези женски сили е невероятно!
October 23, 2023
I received a gifted copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via the publishers.
Women of Myth is a stunning illustrated guide book to many women throughout myths and legends across a multitude of cultures and civilizations. This was such an enjoyable read and is set out across three sections: Goddesses, Heroines and Monsters. Each female presented in the book has several pages dedicated to them and tells you of the names they are known by, symbolism and how they've been portrayed across the years through different formats such as literature, television, movies, theatre and the origin story surrounding them. I loved how this book makes you open your mind to each and every woman and gives you a fresh perspective on their powerful stories and natures.
Women of Myth is a stunning illustrated guide book to many women throughout myths and legends across a multitude of cultures and civilizations. This was such an enjoyable read and is set out across three sections: Goddesses, Heroines and Monsters. Each female presented in the book has several pages dedicated to them and tells you of the names they are known by, symbolism and how they've been portrayed across the years through different formats such as literature, television, movies, theatre and the origin story surrounding them. I loved how this book makes you open your mind to each and every woman and gives you a fresh perspective on their powerful stories and natures.
February 27, 2024
I bought this book because I have the Women of Myth oracle deck and wanted to learn more about the women portrayed in it. I can confirm, that if you have the deck and wonder whether you need this as an additional source of information and companion, the book will help you gain deeper understanding of the card meanings. However, it was a great disappointment to find out that not all of Sara Richards’ gorgeous artwork made it in and I just don’t understand why. Some absolutely stunning illustrations have been left out, which is quite unfortunate for the people who have access only to the book.
As for the content… I have thoughts. The writing and the overall tone, although fun, educational and easy to digest, can be quite jarring at times, particularly in the Goddesses and the Heroines section. I understand that the book is meant to cater to a more modern and perhaps younger audience, but the authors are as subtle as a brick hitting you in the face with their agenda.
I can’t comprehend what is this obsession with almost every mythological figure ‘defying the patriarchy’ or being some sort of queer, transgender or genderfluid entity. It’s not like these elements are not present in mythology, but the approach and the language… Even as someone with liberal views myself, I rolled my eyes more times that I can count, reading certain passages and titles like Vengeance-Seeking Genderqueer Warrior or Legendary Somali Queen Who Smashed the Patriarchy, or when a certain woman was labeled as cisgender or being assigned female at birth. It’s juts dumb and sounds absurd in the context of ancient legends. Superimposing contemporary progressive views and terminology onto mythological figures in such unsophisticated manner is just mind-boggling to me.
The text is also peppered with snarky comments, usually targeted at the male characters in the stories. I guess it's supposed to be humorous girlboss talk, but it comes of nasty and almost bratty. (Coincidentally, I was rereading Women Who Run With the Wolves at the same time and although Clarissa Pinkola Estes’ work is a completely different animal, I couldn’t help but notice the staggering difference in presenting and interpreting myths and stories.)
Pandering aside, the book is entertaining, the selection is quite nice, and there’s a good balance between well-known and more obscure entities. The non-European figures were really intriguing to me, having never heard of most of them, and the Monsters section was absolutely fascinating. It’s a good starting point, especially if you want to research these mythological women further. Just brace yourself for a lot of buzzwords and you’ll be fine.
As for the content… I have thoughts. The writing and the overall tone, although fun, educational and easy to digest, can be quite jarring at times, particularly in the Goddesses and the Heroines section. I understand that the book is meant to cater to a more modern and perhaps younger audience, but the authors are as subtle as a brick hitting you in the face with their agenda.
I can’t comprehend what is this obsession with almost every mythological figure ‘defying the patriarchy’ or being some sort of queer, transgender or genderfluid entity. It’s not like these elements are not present in mythology, but the approach and the language… Even as someone with liberal views myself, I rolled my eyes more times that I can count, reading certain passages and titles like Vengeance-Seeking Genderqueer Warrior or Legendary Somali Queen Who Smashed the Patriarchy, or when a certain woman was labeled as cisgender or being assigned female at birth. It’s juts dumb and sounds absurd in the context of ancient legends. Superimposing contemporary progressive views and terminology onto mythological figures in such unsophisticated manner is just mind-boggling to me.
The text is also peppered with snarky comments, usually targeted at the male characters in the stories. I guess it's supposed to be humorous girlboss talk, but it comes of nasty and almost bratty. (Coincidentally, I was rereading Women Who Run With the Wolves at the same time and although Clarissa Pinkola Estes’ work is a completely different animal, I couldn’t help but notice the staggering difference in presenting and interpreting myths and stories.)
Pandering aside, the book is entertaining, the selection is quite nice, and there’s a good balance between well-known and more obscure entities. The non-European figures were really intriguing to me, having never heard of most of them, and the Monsters section was absolutely fascinating. It’s a good starting point, especially if you want to research these mythological women further. Just brace yourself for a lot of buzzwords and you’ll be fine.
January 28, 2024
Over the millennia and around the world, religions and literary epics and superstition had numerous female characters that have influenced numerous cultures and societies. Women of Myth: From Deer Woman and Mami Wata to Amaterasu and Athena, Your Guide to the Amazing and Diverse Women from World Mythology by Jenny Williamson and Genn McMenemy with illustrations by Sara Richard covers 50 goddesses, heroines, and monsters from around the world.
Over the course of 248 pages, Williamson and McMenemy cover their selected subjects in encyclopedic format giving pronunciation guides, appearance, and any symbols connected with the subject before giving an overview of the individual and their story with a sidebar to end the entry. As the very long subtitle states the authors cover women from around the world as 28 of them come from non-European, North African, or Middle Eastern cultures that sometimes dominate books like these with only token characters from China or India and a generic entry to cover all Native American tribes & cultures. The main reason I got this book was the 30 illustrations done by Sara Richard, an artist whose work I’ve followed for a very long time and frankly her work here is once again top notch. Now for some people who are triggered by gender terminology, avoid this book because Williamson and McMenemy don’t shy away from stating the evidence of genderbending or intersex for some individuals which when I checked other sources—besides those they provided in the reference section at the back of the book—turned out the authors did their research to give that possibility of that interpretation.
Women of Myth looks at 50 individuals that had significant impact upon their cultures either as deities to be prayed to, heroines to look up to, or monsters to look out for. Jenny Williamson and Genn McMenemy did a great job introducing readers to these individuals with the added effect of the amazing art of Sara Richard giving a visual interpretation of them as well.
Over the course of 248 pages, Williamson and McMenemy cover their selected subjects in encyclopedic format giving pronunciation guides, appearance, and any symbols connected with the subject before giving an overview of the individual and their story with a sidebar to end the entry. As the very long subtitle states the authors cover women from around the world as 28 of them come from non-European, North African, or Middle Eastern cultures that sometimes dominate books like these with only token characters from China or India and a generic entry to cover all Native American tribes & cultures. The main reason I got this book was the 30 illustrations done by Sara Richard, an artist whose work I’ve followed for a very long time and frankly her work here is once again top notch. Now for some people who are triggered by gender terminology, avoid this book because Williamson and McMenemy don’t shy away from stating the evidence of genderbending or intersex for some individuals which when I checked other sources—besides those they provided in the reference section at the back of the book—turned out the authors did their research to give that possibility of that interpretation.
Women of Myth looks at 50 individuals that had significant impact upon their cultures either as deities to be prayed to, heroines to look up to, or monsters to look out for. Jenny Williamson and Genn McMenemy did a great job introducing readers to these individuals with the added effect of the amazing art of Sara Richard giving a visual interpretation of them as well.
September 3, 2023
Fascinating little book filled with great stories and some lovely art :)
I've always loved fairy tales and legends and for once it's great to see a book that features ladies only :)
From all over the world you have stories showing courage, determination, passion and strength.. common denominator? Women....we rock!
Happy Readings!
I've always loved fairy tales and legends and for once it's great to see a book that features ladies only :)
From all over the world you have stories showing courage, determination, passion and strength.. common denominator? Women....we rock!
Happy Readings!
March 5, 2025
4.25/5☆
gorgeous illustrations!! 🥰
gorgeous illustrations!! 🥰
August 17, 2024
I’ve listened to Genn and Jenny’s podcast for so long now so it was so awesome finally being able to read this book! Loved the way they set up their book and the entries for the mythical women and LOVED the artwork! Definitely came away from this learning lots more about non-western myths!
February 9, 2024
It is a good introduction to women characters that play a role in myth. She picked out a good variety of women all-over the world, mainly giving background information and keypoints about who they are, in what way these women are used in storytelling and where they are from. Writing could've been more in-depth, sometimes the language was a bit too 'modern' for me. Nevertheless I enjoyed it!
June 12, 2023
love that this championed diversity and decentered western figures but its sooo crazy how not a single woc was involved 😭
February 7, 2023
What drew me into this book was the title then the artwork. I love learning about mythology and especially when it is about women of myth. What I loved about this book is that it had more than just Greek/Roman women in this book. There are women in this book that I can't wait to do more research on.
I absolutely loved all the art in the book and I need it on my walls ASAP
Thank you Netgalley for letting me read and review this.
I absolutely loved all the art in the book and I need it on my walls ASAP
Thank you Netgalley for letting me read and review this.
April 4, 2023
LOVE this concept and am sure it'd be an easier read if you dipped in and out of it instead of listening to long chunks like I did? That said, I'll definitely be returning to this. It was so interesting! And the pictures are so so good.
May 17, 2023
Some of these stories are WILD and very interesting to learn about. I highly recommend this book for a wee overview of a load of different mythologies. There are definitely many I want to learn more about now!
February 9, 2023
This is a great source for those who were big mythology buffs growing up (like me!). While most people are familiar with Greek and Roman mythology, this book touches upon figures from all over the world and brings to light figures many are unfamiliar with.
This book has nice tidbits, even for the most familiar figures such as Athena, who has a mother in some telling.
The illustrations are gorgeous and loving detailed. The power of these women can be felt, whether benevolent or malicious.
Thank you to Adams Media for the e-ARC
This book has nice tidbits, even for the most familiar figures such as Athena, who has a mother in some telling.
The illustrations are gorgeous and loving detailed. The power of these women can be felt, whether benevolent or malicious.
Thank you to Adams Media for the e-ARC
April 15, 2025
it’s almost insane how this book positions itself as a well of knowledge and a champion of women but will make up fanfiction about these figures at the drop of a hat. when i saw in the first few pages that they considered medusa to be an empowering figure in myth i knew they actually understood none of this and it had to have been coming from wikipedia and tiktok trends they can cash in on. almost anyone with half a toe dipped into the pool of greek myth
knows that what happened to medusa was a punishment, that it’s only theorized by people in the modern day that it was a protection, but positioning hers as an uplifting tale is not done without purpose as this is an obsession regarding medusa coming from tiktok, and other social media platforms. it is not real myth and positing it as a possibility isn’t done for speculative reasons but to attempt to mindlessly signal to people who know nothing about any of these myths to make them feel empowered to make them buy the book, this book is targeted at the kind of people who have orientalist fixations on other cultures. Amaterasu has fanfiction written about her in this book presented as loosely as the facts. this book is an orientalist almanac for people who want to be cool to white people at dying down house parties when you name drop Huitaca. if they can’t get the facts straight about medusa, and indeed are possibly obfuscating the reality for sake of marketability, then i imagine nothing in this book can be taken at its word.
knows that what happened to medusa was a punishment, that it’s only theorized by people in the modern day that it was a protection, but positioning hers as an uplifting tale is not done without purpose as this is an obsession regarding medusa coming from tiktok, and other social media platforms. it is not real myth and positing it as a possibility isn’t done for speculative reasons but to attempt to mindlessly signal to people who know nothing about any of these myths to make them feel empowered to make them buy the book, this book is targeted at the kind of people who have orientalist fixations on other cultures. Amaterasu has fanfiction written about her in this book presented as loosely as the facts. this book is an orientalist almanac for people who want to be cool to white people at dying down house parties when you name drop Huitaca. if they can’t get the facts straight about medusa, and indeed are possibly obfuscating the reality for sake of marketability, then i imagine nothing in this book can be taken at its word.
February 23, 2023
From the well-known like Athena to the unknown like Kurukshetra Who was just one of the many goddesses that helped establish the third gender these goddesses represent many different countries and had many different abilities. Most myths or created to explain wife that song even have a real origin story but all are entertaining. I truly love this book in the introduction they called it a primer and if that’s what it is what an awesome primer and one every lover of myths should have. Reading these tails from different places in the world but different types of people only prove how similar the world really is because some themes play out around a very similar story to the counterpart in a different part of the world. Before reading this book I didn’t know Sierra Leone and the Zulu nation had folk stories but I will definitely be on the lookout for those. I truly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it myths awesome of my favorite things to read and have a big collection and I am so glad I can say I added this book to it. Not only did I learn the origin stories and the different stores from selling my favorite goddesses I learned about new ones. This is a definite five star read. I received this book from NetGalley and a publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
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February 17, 2023saw this book at work! loved learning about myths from all different cultures
October 29, 2024
This covers sooo many women across a wide range of mythologies around the world, with each of them only getting 3 or 4 pages of content. It's just way too shallow to really get much out of it. It might be more enjoyable to read slowly every once in a while rather than all at once, because it started to get really repetitive towards the end. There are a lot of common themes of women who attack men or children, women who are raped or rape others, and women associated with warfare, motherhood, or destruction. And the authors keep everything very light, purposely using slang that reads as extremely cringey in a published book... calling Adam (as in Adam and Eve) "seriously vanilla" was the worst of it. It was also very jarring to hear such casual language interspersed within stories of extreme violence, both physical and sexual (especially considering quite a few of the women in here were rapists themselves!).
I also wish there was some analysis of these stories instead of just repeating straight facts. Like I mentioned, there were a lot of similarities between stories across cultures that would have benefited from extra commentary in this book. But everything is just presented with the vague girlboss feminist view of "girl power!", which is most obvious in the foreword that says, "the actual mythologies have always had great respect for their goddesses and heroines" like girl... then why do so many of these stories involve these women getting raped or killed to save the world? Jesus Christ. It would have been nice for the authors to have actually talked about the nuance in these stories rather than just repeating them straight up.
The focus on diversity was great, as there were at least a few women from every continent. I also liked the extra boxes containing some historical context or fun facts semi-related to the women's stories. The art was really beautiful, though some of them didn't match up with the appearance descriptions in their sections, which was odd. It also would have been nice to have had at least a small illustration for every single woman since really only about half of them had one.
I kinda regret buying this to be honest, but I guess it would be a nice book to keep for reference later.
I also wish there was some analysis of these stories instead of just repeating straight facts. Like I mentioned, there were a lot of similarities between stories across cultures that would have benefited from extra commentary in this book. But everything is just presented with the vague girlboss feminist view of "girl power!", which is most obvious in the foreword that says, "the actual mythologies have always had great respect for their goddesses and heroines" like girl... then why do so many of these stories involve these women getting raped or killed to save the world? Jesus Christ. It would have been nice for the authors to have actually talked about the nuance in these stories rather than just repeating them straight up.
The focus on diversity was great, as there were at least a few women from every continent. I also liked the extra boxes containing some historical context or fun facts semi-related to the women's stories. The art was really beautiful, though some of them didn't match up with the appearance descriptions in their sections, which was odd. It also would have been nice to have had at least a small illustration for every single woman since really only about half of them had one.
I kinda regret buying this to be honest, but I guess it would be a nice book to keep for reference later.
January 16, 2024
This book is great. It has great art, well-researched profiles, and helpful sidebars that provide more context. I also really liked that they included pronunciations for nearly every woman (or female creature) mentioned.
This book covers 50 women in myth and is split into three sections: goddesses, heroines, and monsters. I like to look at representation in these types of books. For this book, I looked at gender representation and region. Leaving out the monsters, four of the women, or 8%, were described as gender-nonconforming (two additional women in the book dressed as men, but it appeared to be situational and not a part of their identity).
I broke down regions as follows: North America (extending from Canada to Panama), South America, Europe, East Asia (including Vietnam and the Philippines), South Asia, the Middle East, Saharan Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Oceania. Each of these regions was represented to some extent, and I feel this is one of the better books in this respect that I've read. The highest share went to European women (26%), followed by East Asia (16%) and North America (14%). Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East had 10% of the sample each. Saharan Africa made up 8% of the women. Oceania and South Asia both had 6%, and South America had the least representation with 4%, or two women. I was particularly impressed that the Saharan Africa sample contained women from Carthage and Morocco, and not only from Egypt, as is typically the case in books like this.
Overall, I think the geographical representation, while still skewing European, was much better in this book than in most books I read like this.
This book covers 50 women in myth and is split into three sections: goddesses, heroines, and monsters. I like to look at representation in these types of books. For this book, I looked at gender representation and region. Leaving out the monsters, four of the women, or 8%, were described as gender-nonconforming (two additional women in the book dressed as men, but it appeared to be situational and not a part of their identity).
I broke down regions as follows: North America (extending from Canada to Panama), South America, Europe, East Asia (including Vietnam and the Philippines), South Asia, the Middle East, Saharan Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Oceania. Each of these regions was represented to some extent, and I feel this is one of the better books in this respect that I've read. The highest share went to European women (26%), followed by East Asia (16%) and North America (14%). Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East had 10% of the sample each. Saharan Africa made up 8% of the women. Oceania and South Asia both had 6%, and South America had the least representation with 4%, or two women. I was particularly impressed that the Saharan Africa sample contained women from Carthage and Morocco, and not only from Egypt, as is typically the case in books like this.
Overall, I think the geographical representation, while still skewing European, was much better in this book than in most books I read like this.
January 15, 2023
In the forward of ‘Women of Myth’ Liv Albert begins with “There’s nothing I love more than mythology…except maybe women in mythology.” and it rings so true for me. I loved every bit of this book, some myths I knew but most I was reading about for the first time and it was fantastic. Separated into three sections (Goddesses, Heroines, and Monsters) and pulling from varied cultures, there’s something for everyone. If you enjoy mythology, read this book! If you don’t really enjoy mythology, read this book and you will! Besides being well written and interesting, it’s also very pretty and I can’t wait to have my own physical copy for my shelf.
Thank you to NetGalley and Adams Media for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Adams Media for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
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June 2, 2024A splendidly delightful collection of women in myth. The variety is pleasing to my curiosity, the perspectives are refreshing, and the illustrations are stunning in many different ways - a wonderful exploration of goddesses, heroines, and monsters.
June 25, 2023
Excellent read but each person/character is only briefly explored; this is a great and fairly diverse collection of familiar and often overlooked women, trans, and nonbinary folks from mythology. Once I got accustomed to to “podcast but in written format” style of the entries it was enjoyable but, again, this is more a primer of characters to research more elsewhere than any sort of in depth analysis.
September 5, 2023
A great reference book with a wider variety of mythical women than I’ve previously read.
March 22, 2025
A little too 2010s pop feminism for me, if you catch my meaning. Little to no nuance. Great illustrations though, wish they had them for every character.
September 8, 2025
Mythology is so fascinating. The feminine energy cannot be extinguished, as much as they try.
June 6, 2023
Very beautiful book about goddesses, heroines and monsters. It dives deeper than just the myth and takes on the cultural background as well which I love. Very insightful and well-written. The beautiful illustrations really finish it and make for an even better read.
May 18, 2025
gotta give this book props for introducing me to myths i've truly never heard of
October 31, 2023
"Women of Myth" gives a great introduction to both well-known and lesser-known mythological women from all over the world. I particularly liked the inclusion of the short retelling of each woman's most famous myth.
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