The Sovereignty Goddess: What She Actually Means and Why She Keeps Showing Up
She shows up in Irish mythology more than almost any other figure. She’s at the gates of kingship in one story. She’s a hag who becomes a beautiful woman in another. She’s a queen who demands that her husband prove himself capable. She’s a...
The Völva and the Staff: Women’s Ritual Authority in Viking Age Religion and What the Archaeology Confirms
For a long time, the volva, the Norse seeress who traveled between communities offering prophecy and magical services, was treated by scholars as primarily a literary figure. Then the archaeologists caught up with the mythology, and the picture changed completely....
How to Read the Mabinogion (And What to Actually Look For)
The Mabinogion will confuse you the first time through. That’s not a knock on you. It’s a feature of the text. These are medieval Welsh tales that preserve mythological material considerably older than the manuscripts that contain them, written for an...