Published: 2023
Author: Jenny Williamson & Genn McMenemy | Illustrator: Sara Richard
Genre: Comparative Mythology / Non-Fiction Illustrated Guide
Audience: Grades 9–12 (High School) & Young Adult
Number of Stars: ★★★★★ (5/5)
Goodreads Link: Women of Myth
Themes: Feminist Folklore, Cultural Archetypes, Global Polytheism, Visual Art Interpretation.
Review by: Gina Iorio
Publisher’s Summary
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 – Greek heroine and huntress who killed the Caledonia Boar and joined the Argonauts – The first woman in Iroquois myth who fell through a hole in the sky and into our world – Hawaiian volcano goddess -Clí Queen of the Banshees in Irish legend -La A ghostly woman in Mexican folklore who wanders the waterfront Celebrate these game-changing, attention-worthy female characters with this collection of engaging tales.
Review
Women of Myth is a wonderful, highly organized reference book that explores the distinct stories of women in folklore and mythology from a vast array of global cultures. To create a clean reading experience, the book is divided into three comprehensive sections that encompass goddesses, heroic mortal women, and legendary monsters or mythical creatures.
In each individual entry, readers are provided with an easy-to-digest breakdown detailing name pronunciation, regional aliases, historical physical appearances, and sacred symbolic icons. (Though, reading through these, it did make me pause and wonder: if this were a reference book written primarily about male gods, would the text place such a heavy emphasis on their physical appearances?)
The narrative overviews themselves are quite brief, spanning only one to four pages per figure. While I personally wish there was a bit more deep biographical information provided for each character, this brevity actually makes the book a perfect, accessible starting point for anyone who would like to learn the basics about different global deities.
Artist Sara Richard created the absolutely wonderful illustrations featured throughout the pages. Sadly, every single entry does not receive its own accompanying illustration, which would have been phenomenal given the quality of the art. Ultimately, this is a brilliant, inspiring book, and I would be incredibly interested in reading future historical works by these authors. If you are at all interested in world mythology, this book is a fascinating read.
🗺️ The Archetypal Taxonomy of the Female Divine
Williamson and McMenemy deconstruct patriarchal mythological narratives by re-categorizing female figures outside of traditional passive roles, sorting them instead by their agency and cultural function.
- The Problem of the Cosmetic Gaze: The reviewer raises an excellent critical point regarding the text’s focus on “appearance.” In classical anthropology, female mythological entities are frequently evaluated based on aesthetic purity or physical deformity (the beautiful maiden vs. the hideous crone), a lens rarely applied with equal scrutiny to the disfigurements or traits of male patriarch deities.
- The Modular Entry System: Because entries are limited to four pages, the text acts as an intellectual menu. It uses standardized sidebars (pronunciation, symbols, aliases) to allow readers to compare entities across completely different continents and eras instantly.
🎒 Classroom & Curricular Connections
- World History & Comparative Mythology (Cross-Cultural Archetype Mapping):
- Activity Idea: “The Global Symbol Matrix.” Have students select one entity from each of the three sections (Goddess, Heroine, Monster), ensuring they span different global regions (e.g., Shinto, Yoruba, Aztec, Norse). Have them construct a comparative chart tracking how different societies used distinct animals, elements, or weapons to symbolize female authority, analyzing common threads in human storytelling.
- Media Literacy & Gender Studies (Deconstructing Aesthetic Biases):
- Activity Idea: “The God vs. Goddess Audit.” Address the reviewer’s prompt: If this was a book about gods, would there be information on appearances? Have students pull up standard encyclopedia entries for five male deities (e.g., Zeus, Odin, Anubis) and five female deities (e.g., Aphrodite, Isis, Freyja). Have them count and analyze the ratio of sentences dedicated to physical attractiveness or clothes versus sentences dedicated to actions, powers, and achievements.
- Visual Arts & Creative Writing (Completing the Portfolio):
- Activity Idea: “The Missing Entry Art.” Because the reviewer noted with sadness that not every entry received an illustration, have students select one of the un-illustrated figures in the book. Using Sara Richard’s vibrant Art Deco-meets-tribal stylistic aesthetic as inspiration, have students paint, sketch, or digitally design an original portrait of that figure incorporating all her official symbols.
