Bücher veröffentlicht von Avalonia

Njord and Skadi: A Myth Explored delves into the story of the Norse giantess Skadi and her unhappy marriage to the sea-god Njord. As compensation, after the gods killed her father, Skadi is given a choice of husbands from among the gods, but she has to choose by looking at just their feet. She chooses the finest-looking feet, believing them to belong to Baldr, but finds to her dismay that she chose the Vanir god Njord instead. Not surprisingly, the marriage does not work out, and they each return to their respective domains, with Skadi keeping her status as a goddess.The author, Sheena McGrath, presents this book as a series of questions, using the story to open up the world of Norse myth and culture. She goes beyond the bare narrative by providing a wide perspective both on how myths work and some of the interesting theoretical questions raised in the study of mythology. Even simple questions, like why Skadi had to choose her husband by his feet alone, are shown to open up all sorts of mythological perspectives from Cinderella to medieval penitents to interpretations of myth in the 19th century. Drawing on her extensive study of mythology the author also addresses many other important questions, including:ASGARD, JÖTUNHEIM, MIDGARD: WHERE ARE THEY?ARE THERE ANY STORIES SIMILAR TO THIS MYTH?WHAT IS A GIANT? WHY DO THE GODS AND GIANTS INTERACT AT ALL?WHO ARE THE VANIR?WHAT IS IT THAT GIANTESSES WANT?WHY IS LOKI SO VULGAR?WHY DOES LOKI BORROW A SHAPE IF HE'S A SHAPE-SHIFTER?WHY DOES LOKI KEEP GETTING STUCK?Influenced by the work of the scholar Margaret Clunies-Ross, who views the conflict between the gods and giants anthropologically, as a battle over resources, access to women, and power, this book does not start from the assumption that the giants are evil or stupid but treats them every bit as seriously as the gods. In this ground-breaking study, McGrath encourages the reader to question received wisdom, explore Norse mythology and its goddesses, and deepen their understanding of the 'how and why' of myth.

The Shekinah is the manifestation of the Wisdom Goddess of the Kabbalah, the Old Testament and Merkavah Mysticism. She encompasses the primordial light of creation, the wisdom of the serpent and the inspiration of the dove. She is the beauty of the lily and the embodiment of the Tree of Life. She is also the World Soul, heavenly glory, mother of angels, inspiration for prophecy, and source of souls, as well as being the Shabbat Bride and the wife of God.In The Cosmic Shekinah the authors present a concise history of the different influences of earlier wisdom goddesses on the development of the Shekinah. These goddesses include the Sumerian Inanna, the Egyptian Ma'at, the Greco-Egyptian Isis, the Semitic Anat and Astarte and the Canaanite Asherah. They show that from these ancient sources arose the unnamed Wisdom Goddess and wife of God portrayed in the Old Testament and early Jewish wisdom literature. It is this unnamed Wisdom Goddess who would subsequently become the source for the development of the Shekinah as well as the Gnostic Sophia. The influence of the feminine divine as the Shekinah has continued to find expression, with the Virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit of Christianity and the Sakina of Islam all being shaped by the enduring influence of the Wisdom Goddess.Through tracing her roles, myths and functions the authors show that in addition to her modern-day resurgence, the Wisdom Goddess has always been present throughout history, even when she has been suppressed and disguised by deliberate exclusion and mistranslation. Drawing on numerous sources including medieval Kabbalistic works, Hekhalot texts of Merkavah Mysticism, ancient literature such as the Egyptian, Sumerian and Ugaritic myths, the Old Testament, Gnostic texts and recent finds in Biblical archaeology, The Cosmic Shekinah draws attention back to the light of divine feminine wisdom.