Virgin Mother Goddesses of Antiquity

Various goddesses of the ancient Mediterranean world were once understood to be Virgin Motherscreators who birthed the entire cosmos without need of a male consort. This is the first book to explore evidence of the original parthenogenetic power of deities such as Athena, Hera, Artemis, Gaia, Demeter, Persephone, and the Gnostic Sophia. It provides stunning feminist insights about the deeper meaning of related stories, such as the judgment of Paris, the labors of Heracles, and the exploits of the Amazons. It also roots the Thesmophoria and Eleusinian Mysteries in female parthenogenetic power, thereby providing what is at long last a coherent understanding of these mysterious rites.

Marguerite Rigoglioso is an adjunct instructor at the Dominican University of California and the author of the Palgrave title The Cult of Divine Birth in Ancient Greece.