Great Goddesses of Ancient Egypt

By Barbara S. Lesko and Lesko

The great goddesses of Egypt inspired magnificent temples and art and a literature that speaks of their supreme importance to the ancients--men and women, royalty and commoners. In this book Barbara S. Lesko follows the changing fortunes, over thousands of years, of the seven most significant Egyptian goddesses: Nut, Neith, Nekhbet, Wadjet, Hathor, Mut, and Isis. Some appeared in prehistory, and some were later political creations. One became a universally revered goddess of the Greco-Roman world who successfully held her own against Christianity for five hundred years.

Although they often assumed human form, some goddesses were associated with animals that Lesko traces back to African clan divinities. Understood as the sun's heat, the Milky Way, the flood, and the mother of the king of Egypt, the great goddesses also assumed the caring role of protector for deserving humans, assisting with careers, romance, and fertility. They held out the promise of eternal life, and records show that they won fierce loyalty from their followers.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0806132027
• ISBN13: 9780806132020
• Release Date: November 1999
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.9" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Great Condition. Timely Delivery

Written by an egyptologist, this book is well-researched and yet at the same time easy to read and provides information lots of information in one book that I have only been able to glean from many different texts. It includes info on how the goddesses were viewed over time in relation to the culture and to the male gods. I thoroughly enjoyed it.The Great Goddesses of Egypt

This is THE MEAT of the Egyptian Goddesses!

This is a great reference and in depth exploration into the many goddesses of a land I love....Egypt. It is not a picture book of any sort, it's power is in it's informational material.I found this book on my quest for knowledge of Hathor. This book gave me more then enough...and opened my eyes to interest in other deities of Egypt. I highly recommend it!

THE GODDESS RETURNS

At last, a scholarly work that makes accessible information that proves what those of us who have been steeped in ancient Egyptian lore have known all along. Using the latest scholarly material, and her own brilliant insights, Barbara Lesko aptly demonstrates that the ancient goddesses of Egypt were NOT considered merely consorts of more supreme male dieties, but were highly evolved and viewed as significant creative forces in their own right. Dr. Lesko examines extant evidence of the ancient cults of Isis, Hathor, Neith, Mut and others to present a coherent, comprehensive and chronological picture of how various feminine deities were incorporated into the daily lives of the ancient Egyptians and their neighbors, spanning the nearly 6,000 years of recorded history. For perhaps the first time, this material is presented in a format accessible to non-historians and to non-academicians.In addition, Dr. Lesko shows us that, in the end, the powerful attributes of the goddesses assimilated into one super-goddess, i.e., Isis. The cult of Isis grew to be very powerful, and became so resonant with the common people that its adherents covered much of the known ancient world. Remanants of Isian worship have been found in such far-reaching locations as Pompei, Santorini, Crete, Malta, Turkey, Southern France and even as far north as England and Scotland -- a testiment to the enduring popularity of the divine feminine creative force in the lives of these ancient peoples. In addition, Dr. Lesko postulates that the remnants of the cult of Isis may also have merged with the Christian Marian cults, where the super-goddess was often venerated in the form of Black Madonnas and Christian cathedrals dedicated to the mother of Christ. Interestingly, Dr. Lesko also points out that the cult of Isis still has many adherents around the world today.This book is a ground-breaking scholarly contribution to a field that has been dominated soley by the patriarchal perspective. Dr. Lesko skillfully avoids the pitfalls of much of the goddess-focused literature by sticking to documented fact and avoiding politically-inspired cliches. Her book is clearly and concisely written. One does not have to be an expert Egyptologist to follow it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested the study of ancient Egypt, ancient religions, and the veneration of the archetypal Mother goddess.

A REAL JEWEL

This book chronicles the goddesses who inspired Ancient Egypt's greatness, for they were important to the poor and the elite alike. The author focuses on Nut, Neith, Nekhbet, Wadjet, Hathor, Mut, and Isis. Some of the goddesses had their origins in the Predynastic whereas others were later political creations. A few of these goddesses, Lesko argues, can be traced through an association with various animals to African clan divinities. These great goddesses were believed to protect and nuture Kemet (the land of Egypt) and its pharaoh. The book has many black and white illustrations accompanying the text. It is a great reference and resource for consultation by students and scholars.

Excellent, comprehensive survey of early Egyptian goddesses.

Great Goddesses of Egypt examines the changing images and history of seven of the most important Egyptian goddesses, from Nekhbet to Mut and Isis. Some were prehistoric figures; others political figures of later times: Great Goddesses of Egypt deserves ongoing mention as an excellent resource introducing the facts about early Egyptian goddesses.