Book
Review:
Goddess in the Grass
Serpentine Mythology and the Great Goddess
by Nicholas
Campion
Softcover, 204 pages
Price: $US19.95
Published by Ecco Nova Editions, Victoria BC
Copyright Licenses:
Access@, 1 Yonge Street,
Suite 1900 Toronto, ON, M5E IE5
CANADA
Website: www.eccenova.com
ISBN: 0-9731648-2-4
"The serpent - is it a symbol of evil and
pernicious sex, or is it a form of the life-renewing great
Goddess?"
This quote is found on the back cover of this
title.... the cover of which features the lovely 'Lilith'
by John Collier. If you haven't seen it, the painting portrays
a naked young woman with long hair being caressed and coiled
by a large serpent from foot to shoulder. The imagery is
naked and erotic.
Before I got my copy of "Goddess in the Grass",
I wasn't really sure what to expect... the title sounded
interesting in it's own right.
Once I received it, the described cover got
my interest straight away... I couldn't wait to learn more
about serpentine mythology and the great goddess. Part of
this meant learning about the author - Linda Foubister.
I looked through the title for information
about Linda, but wasn't able to find anything about her....
my next step was to search the net. I found the publisher's
website at http://www.eccenova.com/goddess_in_the_grass.htm
where the author's background as a biologist who has studied
snakes, and has combined this study with her interest in
mythology is explained. Linda lives in Victoria, B.C. in
a grove of oak trees - lucky thing!
"Goddess in the Grass" is her first book.
It has a depth and complexity that is well worth investing
in particularly if you are interested in a female perspective
of mythology through the various cultures and historical
periods of time. Linda has done a spectacular job in covering
this complex subject in easy to read language and logical
layout so that the structure keeps relevant subjects easy
to navigate.
The chapters are set out as follows:
The Primordial Serpent Goddess
The Serpent Goddess Overthrown
The Renewing Serpent Goddess
The Fertile Serpent Goddess
The Prosperous Serpent Goddess
The Copulating Serpent Goddess
The Womb of the Serpent Goddess
The Deadly Serpent Goddess
The Two-Faced Serpent Goddess
The Contemporary Serpent Goddess
As can be seen, the various aspects of the
serpentine mythology are thoroughly examined from a number
of viewpoints.
The dictionary of serpent goddesses is another
section of this book I think is worthwhile - this is approximately
50 pages long so is quite detailed. This alone is worth
having, so is an added bonus.
I would recommend "Goddess in the Grass" to
anyone interested in mythology, women's issues and/or the
use of animals as symbols in history and contemporary times.
This is an excellent reference book and comparison of serpentine
mythology from all parts of the world.
Amazon Link:
Click here
to get a price for this book at Amazon.
If you have any more questions... please
contact me!
