Woman's lore : 4,000 years of sirens, serpents and succubi
Clegg, Sarah2023
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Click and Collect for Woman's lore : 4,000 years of sirens, serpents and succubiThe history of a demonic tradition that was stolen from women and then won back again. Demonic temptresses from siren-mermaids to Lilith are well known today, and their mythology focuses around the seductive danger they pose to men. But the root of these figures can be traced back 4,000 years and in their earliest incarnations they were in fact demons worshipped and feared by women- like Lamashtu, the horrific talon-footed, serpentine monster, who strangled infants and murdered pregnant women, or the Gello, the ghost of a girl who had died a virgin and so killed expectant mothers and their babies out of jealousy. This history of a demonic tradition from ancient Mesopotamia to the present day from Lamashtu and Gello, to Lamia and Lilith, and mermaids and vampires shows how these demons were co-opted by a male-centred society, before being recast as symbols of women's liberation. We also learn what this evolution can tell us about the experience of women and womanhood- the danger of childbirth, changing attitudes towards sexuality and the movement for women's rights.
Woman's lore : 4,000 years of sirens, serpents and succubi / Sarah Clegg.
Clegg, Sarah, author
London : Head of Zeus, 2023.©2023
xxi, 282 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : colour illustrations ; 24 cm
"An Apollo book."Includes bibliographical references and index.
97818045496509781804549650
201.3082201.308
BL325.F4
English
543879
Location | Collection | Call number | Status/Desc |
---|---|---|---|
Brighton Library | Adult Non Fiction - Society and Beliefs | 201.308 CLE | Available |
Find it!
Total copies: 1
Available: 1
Click and Collect for Woman's lore : 4,000 years of sirens, serpents and succubi