In ancient myth – and novels by authors from Neil Gaiman to Toni Morrison – these ambiguous figures are sometimes repressive, sometimes inspiring
What springs to mind when you think of the word “goddess”? Divine feminine energy? Mother Earth? Ancient Greek women wafting around in white dresses causing mischief? “Domestic goddesses” or “sex goddesses”? Or even Anastasia Steele’s exuberant “inner goddess” who spends a lot of Fifty Shades of Grey salsa-ing and pole-vaulting in excitement about her romantic escapades? (Each to her own.)
There are two definitions of the term – 1. a female deity, and 2. a woman who is powerfully attractive and beautiful. Wrapped up in the word’s broader associations are lots of fun attributes (Beauty! Allure! Meddling!), alongside more tricky inferences about what our culture assumes to be the ultimate feminine qualities (Beauty! Allure! Meddling!)
Related: Top 10 novels about God
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