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Barbara G. Walker
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The Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets Hardcover – January 1, 1996

by Barbara G. Walker (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 482 ratings
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Barbara Walker's The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets (HarperCollins, 1983) is an extremely valuable reference, based on the author's wide reading in folklore and mythology. It documents, entry by entry, the fate and historic distortion of matriarchal religion by triumphant patriarchy in the last few thousand years and makes sense of many of the seemingly senseless customs and rationalizations of creeds and beliefs of our major religions and our folkloric traditions. The Los Angeles Times called it a feminist-scholar’s gold mine and a browser’s delight. The San Francisco Chronicle called the book a mountain of scholarship, a vast mass of supremely documented material. The praise seems to be well-deserved. This book will encourage you to do independent research into history, anthropology, the pagan religions and other disciplines and the political struggle between the patriarchal religions and the pagan religions.
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  1. Print length
    1121 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Book Sales
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 1996
  5. Dimensions
    6.75 x 2.5 x 9.75 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0785807209
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0785807209
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Book Sales (January 1, 1996)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 1121 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0785807209
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0785807209
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.75 x 2.5 x 9.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 482 ratings

About the author

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Barbara G. Walker

Barbara G. Walker

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Barbara G. Walker, author of The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets, The Woman's Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects, and many other books, is a member of the Morris Museum Mineralogical Society and the Trailside Mineral Club of the New Jersey Earth Science Association.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
482 global ratings
Absorbing
5 Stars
Absorbing
Comprehensive academic encyclopedia of matriarchal history. This is a book I will keep always.
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Top reviews from the United States

Rachel Stickley
5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book!
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2024
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So much information. I have loved reading this book and to journey through time. This is critical information and history that is hidden in our culture and mindset. Can’t recommend enough!
One person found this helpful
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Dannan Tavona
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly useful reference
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2022
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Like it or not, there are some biases in the historical record, and some of what the masses are told is more of what some scholars and so-called paragons of church authority say "it should have happened" rather than how it actually was. Too often Victorian scholars were shocked again and again by how free women were and how openly sex was dealt with. More modern scholars are becoming aware of the discrepancies, but I personally believe that would be surprised at how pervasive this bias in the historical record truly is.

Enter Barbara Walker's invaluable tome. In ten years, only once have I found an incorrect citation. My testing hasn't been exhaustive by any means, but in any examination of the past, especially when it crosses over to the early Christian church, it is an invaluable, independent if sometimes scathing resource. Most people either forget or remain blissfully unaware that the first five centuries of Christianity were sometimes filled with competing variations, and there were hundreds of texts that were considered divinely inspired but never made it into New Testament. Just like Genesis chapter 1 is at odds with Genesis chapter 2, so scholars are finding that the majority of the Gospels and letters once ascribed to Paul are no longer thought to be by him, and the fact that they are at odds with the first half of the New Testament is what has helped put the authorship in doubt.

My paperback copy was soon worn out by frequent use (spine broke), so when the price of a hardback version with a much sturdier spine became available, I added this book back to my reference library. Even if you disagree with the conclusions, this is very useful in any study of early classic archeology, history, and religious traditions. Recommended.
16 people found this helpful
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B & L
5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightenment!
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2024
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Such a great book. I’m so happy to own it. You will be surprised when you discover all this new information that had previously been hidden! I’m going through it slowly, you will want to get a copy for all your girlfriends too. I recommend!
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Jo
5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting information
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2022
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If you have wondered how some of our beliefs or customs came about this is the book to read. I was surprised at how history beliefs, laws was and is manipulated by the people in power.
6 people found this helpful
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Chloe Woods
4.0 out of 5 stars Know your Herstory.
Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2010
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Jack holland summed it up best when he mentioned that the romans had the morals of a bitch, a beast, a souless carnal creature and male property. Women of the time were classified with beast and invalids, at best worse.

Walker did a fine job pointing out that they considered women lower than slaves, since slaves were or could be free people. Unfortuantey, she faied to point out all the slanderous female monsters and projections of males. She missed that an aspect of hecate was a virgin made not associated with the bitch, which is slander. yet, Barbara did a fine job finding truth about Medusa, and who first degraded Hag, by emphasize elder and loss of becauty and forgeting the wisdom of age.

She also did a superb job of eluding to the true mythos or stereotypes of pagan and christian devils and gods: Pan, Baphomet, Christ, Mithra and Lucifer. All in all quite complete.
9 people found this helpful
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Laura V Vega
5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book
Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2021
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The seller packaged the item with care and it was quickly shipped. The book is in excellent condition.
Tha book is must have. I am loving how t not only details myths but how it connects them to other corresponsponding subjects. The reference list is huge, great for research!
3 people found this helpful
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BlüMüsiK
5.0 out of 5 stars A "must have" reference book in every thinking and feeling man and woman's library.
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2017
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If you care to know where much of the imagery and some of the stories in the bible and many other contemporary religions originate, don't look any further than this voluminous reference work by Barbara G. Walker. This is the third book I bought and gave away to women friends, who all love it. It details an ancient matriarchal point of view which was taken over and almost eradicated by patriarchy. Many of our modern expressions and ideas can be traced back to these ancient times where women were gods and men willing to serve them.
You wanna know about the origin of "marriage", find out that the words "devil" and "divinity" grew from the same root, that the symbol of cauldron represented the Great Mother's cosmic womb, find out about the origins of the concept of "trinity" and on and on ...?
17 people found this helpful
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Ginger Cookie
5.0 out of 5 stars One of a kind
Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2015
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This is a classic, first printed in the 80's when I purchased it. Now I am purchasing it to give to my daughter in law for her birthday. Few books can withstand the test of time like this one. On one hand, it might seem that there is little interest in feminist scholarship, so that's why this book has not been followed by a hundreds more like it. On the other hand, it's hard to imagine anyone writing a better book on the subject, or more complete one. I am grateful for Barbara Walker for her courage, vision and scholarship to address women's history. She will probably never know how much of an impact she has had on women's evolution over these decades. I for one have taken inspiration and more from everything she has written.
41 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

lillyacomoloco
5.0 out of 5 stars Diamond of a book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 27, 2019
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I remember borrowing this from my local library in my early twenties and thinking to myself that I had to make sure that I get my own copy one day, and now I have.

This book is full of so much information and little pieces of history. It' so interesting and an alternative needed and additional perspective on parts of history or just general information relating to women.

Just wish there had been information on African myths and such too.
4 people found this helpful
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MK
5.0 out of 5 stars Must have
Reviewed in Australia on March 15, 2021
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Excellent reference book!
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Yannick
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
Reviewed in France on August 1, 2016
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Good seller.
Many informations about feminine worship in history.
Why 13 used to be à positive number, answer inside !!
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vanessa
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible
Reviewed in Canada on March 17, 2014
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As soon as I started reading this I couldn't believe I'd never encountered such a wonderful resource before. Barbara Walker doesn't shy away from the truth of our history. If anyone is curious about what a pre-christian, pre-patriarchy world was like they should check out this incredible encyclopedia. She untangles the history of the downfall of women and the Goddess. A dark history filled with genocide, oppression and survival. Things weren't always the way they are. This encyclopedia carries a message of hope to anyone who longs for the world to be different.
One person found this helpful
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Merlin
5.0 out of 5 stars Makes Dan Brown look like a juvenile delinquent
Reviewed in India on January 28, 2015
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Barbara Walker is a legend of these times. . . Just like Robert Svoboda . . . Anything she writes is an academic treat. . . Makes us wish Dan Brown was put away - in a place where the sun don't shine ! ! !
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