Girls Who Slay Monsters: Daring Tales of Ireland’s Forgotten Goddesses

by Ellen Ryan, Shona Shirley Macdonald (Illustrator )

Unsung stories from ancient Irish myths re-imagined for nine to twelve-year olds
Have you heard of Eithne the supernatural scholar or Fand the shape-shifting eco-warrior?

What about Bé Mannair, a gender-fluid spy who challenges an entire army, or Bé Binn, a giantess who gets her own back on her bullies?

From mermaids and fashionistas to athletes and farmers, meet goddesses of all shapes and sizes from Ireland’s ancient myths. Stand by their sides as they wield magic, fight monsters, and protect the powerless – and you might discover that you, too, are a force of nature.

Genres: Mythology, Fantasy, Ireland, Fiction, Childrens, Irish Literature, Middle Grade

230 pages, Hardcover

Published September 29, 2022

Reviews

[Aoife · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely beautifully illustrated book that is perfect for kids - particularly young girls - to learn all about the amazing Irish women who make up tales of Irish folklore.

I really loved the inclusion in this book and had no idea some of our goddesses crossed over between Greek and Spanish folklore as well - and I appreciated that the Goddesses came in all shapes and sizes with simple mentions of non-binary goddesses as well as Maebh who was the Queen of Menstruation!

Lots of fun and perfect for readers aged 10+ I say - I would have liked the stories to have been longer and more detailed but that is because I'm reading as an adult and would love full length novels on all of these women of folklore!

[Preethi Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely enjoyed this book by.. I loved reading about these Irish Goddesses. I was as excited as a child with this one and kept turning the pages expecting more and more . I almost read it in one sitting and am saving it up to re-read it with my toddler when she is a little older. The illustrations by Shona are spellbounding ! All I have to say is that she is very talented ! This book as a whole was a treat for the soul . The book is now nominated for Annpost Irish book awards and I am rooting for it !

[Elicia Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

There’s a nice variety in this collection, and beautiful illustrations. The stories have a “modern retelling” feel that I didn’t enjoy, sort of like a a movie adaptation from a new angle. I’d rather just read (and have my young readers) read the versions of the cycles we own as they’re ready and enjoy stories as retold by family members until then.

[Ally Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and wonderful short stories about different goddesses. A modern perspective on older stories with lots of different representations. Stunning mythical creatures and magic throughout.

Wonderful for children, I would think between ages 9 - 13 would be best target audience. The writing leans a bit younger but the themes are mature at times (war / violence / monsters). I still thoroughly enjoyed the stories reading as an adult though.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a trend recently of folktales moving away from Clever Jack and passive princesses, and towards women who know what they're doing and how to get what they want. This new book is a major part of that trend.

Ireland's goddesses were not soft, floaty beings in togas and chiffon. They were warriors, scholars, protectors and lovers. This book features 24 stories of Celtic goddesses, along with a beautiful full page illustration and some facts about the heroine or setting.
The illustrations are absolutely a higlight, using Celtic motifs but not overpoweringly so, sparing in colour which makes it all the more arresting when a goddess appears with flame red hair or blue tattoos dance on pale white skin. Shona is one of the best illustrators working in children's books today and this book is one of her best pieces of work.

The stories are well written and will hold kids' attention without being too long for them. This is a great introduction to Ireland's mythology and will hopefully lead to many more readers!

[Eva Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG! I wasn’t expecting the amount of different powers that these goddesses had. I never would have thought to borrow this book without the cover and the blurb. My favourites were Fand, Scothníam, Créde, Úaine, Bé Mannair, Badb Catha, Eithne, Morrígan and Bé Chuille although, I still loved the others. Fand was so amazing with the fact that she went to so much trouble to help so many animals.Úane was still willing to stand up to the men who tried to hunt the prey on her island even after they promised that they would not harm any. Morrigan and Be Mannair were both not afraid to really do what they were comfortable with, especially Bé Mannair. She knew that she wasn’t comfortable in a female form and she was always happy to help. She wasn’t annoyed at being a gender fluid goddess and she wasn’t afraid to show it. I think that this book may have been a bit better if every goddess had a map of where their story was set, the time period and any other goddesses that might have shared a similar timeline or appeared in their story.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fantastic collection of Irish mythology centering the non-male heroes. Ellen Ryan has done her research, as she outlines in the author’s note. She makes clear in her note that the volume isn’t intended to be a scholarly work, but instead is a reimagining for middle grade readers. Older readers will enjoy the stories as well. Each of the 24 stories is introduced with a breathtaking portrait by illustrator Shona Shirley Macdonald. There is diversity in skin color based on the goddess’s region of origin, and also in body size. My one quibble with the overall package is with the map of Ireland and the surrounding lands on the endpapers. The places highlighted on the map do not always match with the places mentioned in the stories, and the different names used to describe a location cause unnecessary confusion.
Published in Great Britain in 2022, and in the United States in 2024.

[Corinne · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was young, I used to pour over Greek mythology books, reading and rereading about Artemis and Athena, Atalanta and Arachne. I would have loved this book about Irish goddesses. These are fun, great retellings of old myths with beautiful illustrations for each story. She's not afraid to make her goddesses cruel and cunning. I love Ellen Ryan's description of Morrigan: "...darkness whispered to her like a low, steady drum beat." But she also highlights goddesses with kindness and patience, courage and self-belief.

[Ds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Per chi ama l'Irlanda e il suo folklore, questo è sicuramente un libro da leggere! Le illustrazioni sono splendide e si incontrano tante tipologie di dee, ognuna con la sua storia e potere particolare. Ho scoperto tante cose diverse ed è stata davvero una lettura piacevolissima. Manca una stella solo perché a volte l'intento di "modernizzare" le dee è un pochino forzato secondo me, anche se capisco benissimo il motivo di questa scelta.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book. Interesting info. The one thing that threw me was locations. The book listed the Isle of Mann, the Isle of Skye, & a couple of others. The Isle of Mann is an island in the Irish Sea (so between Ireland & British) & is a self governing, protectorate of Great Britain. The Isle of Skye is off of Scotland. (So neither are Irish.)

[Barbara Pereira · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unforgettable book, and one of the best of its kind. The only reason I’m not giving it the highest rating is that I feel it would have been an even better experience to read it rather than listen to the audiobook.

[Chelsea Moreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really sweet book full of myths I’ve never heard of before and each was super interesting. This is a 4 star read for its intended audience 9-12 year olds, but for me was more around a 3-3.5 reading experience. Some really lovely illustrations throughout also.

[Elise Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous book, easily accessible. It's like coming home.

[mich]

*Harper Collins title*

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting and I learnt a lot about the Irish goddesses

[Orla Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated and really interesting. I loved learning about goddesses I knew little to nothing about.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories about Irish goddesses, some of whom I've never heard of before. Some small changes here and there but loved the format and tidbits of knowledge

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable book of short stories about the various forgotten Goddesses of ancient Ireland. The artwork in this was also spectacular.

[Eliana Burke-Cosgrave · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a a great book for learning more about goddesses and myths.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful.

[Marta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a great resource for Irish folklore inspo

[Marianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really pretty, cool and simple look into Irish mythology. I had no idea about the origin of a bunch of these Irish places, names and stories!

[Norah Leighton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved reading this to my son as he has Celtic ancestry on both sides.

[Roxy · Rating 3 out of 5]

not as great as I would've liked

[Jbondandrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this book. Some of the goddesses mentioned I hadn't heard of before. I hope I can find out more about them through other books.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Amy Bowles · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was so interesting to learn about these goddesses of Ireland and their many talents and adventures. It shows the strength of women and how often their stories have become forgotten.

[Karen Tomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to audio book. Nice retelling of old legends, not a massive fan of the modern language used, kind of took away from the story in my opinion but still a nice book for young girls