The Goddess Obscured: Transformation of the Grain Protectress from Goddess to Saint

Description

Goddess lore has persisted throughout the history of civilization. In "The Goddess Obscured" Pamela Berger traces one particular mythic figure, the grain protectress, and demonstrates how this figure was revered by many cultures. Drawing upon ancient artifacts, medieval sculpture and painting, as well as folklore, poetry, and drama, Berger recounts the story of the grain protectress and documents the significance of an image that has persisted from the ancient Near East to the classical world, from the Mediterranean to the Celtic and Germanic north, from paganism into Christianity, from the Middle Ages into the Renaissance, and still survives in folksongs and village celebrations of today. List of Illustrations ix Acknowledgments xiii Introduction 1 Chapter I. The Goddess in the Ancient World 5 The Ancient Near East, Southeastern and Central Europe, Egypt, and Crete 5 Greece 16 Rome 19 Chapter II. The Goddess in the North 25 Germania 25 Celto-Roman Gaul 28 Chapter III. The Mother Goddess in Art from Antiquity to the Middle Ages 37 Chapter IV. Metamorphosis: From Goddess to Saint 49 Radegund 55 Macrine 60 Walpurga 61 Milburga 64 Brigid 70 Flight and Hunger 74 Chapter V. Folk Figures 77 Daemon 77 Bessey 80 Blaise 81 The Earth Mother at Mâché and Bissey 84 The Crazy Mother 85 Chapter VI. Metamorphosis: From Goddess to Virgin Mary 89 The French Poem 91 Early Welsh Legend 96 The Irish Poem and Celtic Connections 97 The Fourteenth-Century Play 100 The Flemish Carol 103 Chapter VII. The Grain Miracle in Medieval Art 105 Chapter VIII. The Grain Miracle in Folklore 127 Conclusion 145 Notes 147 Index 171