Jenny Williamson - Women of Myth

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Its still such an unreal dream that this book exists. We wrote the proposal for this book together after not seeing each other due to the pandemic for over two years. We sat at a little outdoor restaurant in Athens, typing on our laptops and furiously researching and suggesting different women to feature in this book. And that process still feels like a dream. We were told our proposal for this book was going to be accepted for publication at the ruins of the ancient Minoan palace, Knossos, in Crete. Everything thats happened since has felt a little like a myth to us. Thank you so much for purchasing this book. Thank you for taking this journey with us.

This book would not have been possible without so many people. We are probably going to forget someone, so were apologizing in advance. Our infinite thanks go out to:

Our amazing editor Rebecca Tarr Thomasthank you for this incredible project and your belief in us. We are so grateful to tell these stories and to work with you.

Our development editor, Laura Daly, for the best notes, guidance, and keeping us ruthlessly on taskthank you.

The amazing team at Adams Media and Simon & Schuster for marketing, producing, publicizing, and selling this book.

The incredible Liv Albert. Its safe to say this book wouldnt exist without you. Your friendship throughout a global pandemic, your advice, your wicked sense of humor, and your grace have been some of the best gifts the last few years have given us. Thank you for being not just a friend, but an epic friend. Heres to more Spartacus Mondays and cocktails in Greece.

The brilliant classics, Mediterranean studies, and history podcast communities online. Thank you so much for your support and your belief in us. Getting to know you all has been one of the best things about starting our podcast.

The amazing authors who have given us their support, advice, and encouragement. Your support has meant the world to us. Thank you so much to Nikita Gill, Jennifer Saint, Elodie Harper, Ben Aaronovitch, Mike Duncan, and Joanne Harris.

Our wonderful listeners of the Ancient History Fangirl podcast. Thank you for letting us tell you all the dirt from the ancient world. For giving us a place in your lives. And for all the kind words youve shared with us on social media and via email.

Genn would also like to thank the following people:

To my mother, the keeper of all the best stories, who introduced me to mythology and reading and who never gets tired of my telling her random snippets of history and lore. And to my father, who can spin a tale like no one elseI am pretty sure all my storytelling comes from listening to your stories about dinosaurs hiding around the treetops, just out of sight. To my brothersPat, who can tell a story and make me laugh with just two words (cool beans!), and Greg, who has been known to spin the truth into fiction. And to my sister-in-law, Jen, whose support has never failedthank you!

To my incredible friends Angel and Porsche, thank you for the late-night phone calls, the life advice, and all the support youve given me. I am truly lucky to call you friends and family.

To my niece, Elizabeth, and my honorary niecesLucy, Claire, and SophieI hope you find women in this book who inspire you.

To the Movie Club (Dan, Nikki, Curtis, Lou, Pat, Jen, and Anne)which started on FaceTime as a way to get through the pandemic and check in on each other weekly and turned into lifelong friends. Thank you for forcing me outside of my comfort zone and cheering on this book!

To my creative partner, Jenny. There is no one Id rather be on this crazy adventure with. Thank you for always helping me find the story, for texting me random mythology facts at ungodly hours, and for helping me find my way out of the deep, dark woods and onto the beach of everything Ive always wanted. Im beyond lucky to have you as a friend and work wife. Heres to more books and more adventures.

And last, but never least, to my husband. The past few years have been difficult for usfrom surviving a global pandemic to caring for a dying family member. We lost your dad before this book was finished, but I know he would have loved it. Thank you, Glen, for believing in me and this book even when I didnt. For always reminding me that this book and my dreams were worth fighting for. And for sending our tiny dog, Triss, to scratch at the shed at just the right moments for cuddles and walkies. I love you.

Jenny would also like to thank the following people:

Thank you to my mom, who ran the library in the small town where I grew up and who let me hide in the stacks for as long as I wanted. That library was my first doorway into the amazing worlds of mythology and history that I still escape to today.

Thank you to my dad, whose endless support and love have kept me afloat and who taught me to love history and story as much as he does.

Thank you to my dear friends, to Juliet and Amanda and Brittney and Joe and Amy and Jayel and Lynsey and Angel, who have endlessly believed in me and listened to my going on and on about history and mythology over cocktails, who have encouraged my obsessions and cheered me on in this journey.

And, of course, thank you to Genn, whose heart and imagination are both boundless, who makes all our creative endeavors better and stronger and more electric, who is always there for a 3 a.m. text convo about Dionysus, and without whom this book and our podcast and my life as I know it would not exist. I love you. Thanks for spinning our dreams into reality with me.

FOREWORD

Theres nothing I love more than mythologyexcept maybe women in mythology . Ancient mythologies tell us so much about the ancient people who developed and believed in themthe good and the bad. Myths explain the natural world and give order to otherwise random and chaotic phenomena. Myths connect humanity with the divine, telling stories of gods and heroes with humanizing characteristics. Myths can be insightful, beautiful, tragic, funny, or even some kind of incredible melding of all of these themes. Myths are timeless and invaluable. (Did I mention theres nothing I love more than mythology?)

As the host of the podcast Lets Talk About Myths, Baby! and an author specializing in women of Greek mythology, I am always seeking to further my knowledge of mythologies beyond the Greek. Pop culture and reception today disproportionately favor the classical mythology of Greece and Rome, leaving the rest of the worlds mythologies by the wayside. But understanding the importance and relevance of ancient peoples and their mythologies beyond those of Europe is vital, as is looking at the ways those ancient peoples understood the fluidity and spectrum of gender. Fortunately, in Women of Myth , my dear friends Jenny Williamson and Genn McMenemy have created the perfect primer for learning about the vast and vibrant women of world mythologies. Alongside their words, Sara Richard has created a stunning and diverse means of visualizing those women. This book fills a gaping hole in the realm of mythological anthologies, giving voices and faces to some of the most fascinating and incredible women of world mythology.

For so long, retellings of mythologies have focused on the men: gods, heroes, and traditionally masculine warriors, while giving the women alongside them little credit. Meanwhile, the actual mythologies have always had great respect for their goddesses and heroines, even their so-called monstrous female-assigned creaturesthat respect often just didnt trickle down through the fog of patriarchal values to reach us today. In Women of Myth , Jenny and Genn examine women of mythologies the world over, providing lesser-known insights into even the most famous of goddesses and heroines, and amplifying the stories of others rarely mentioned in popular mythological anthologies. Just as they do in their fun and accessible podcast, Ancient History Fangirl , Jenny and Genn take special care with the stories of these women, doing their best to look beyond the traditional Western lens, and give the women their own voices. From Amaterasu to Ishtar and Kali to Mami Wata, Women of Myth is here to introduce you to all your new favorite goddesses.