EAN: 9781803280288

WOMANS LORE - SARAH CLEGG TASCHENBUCH

The history of a demonic tradition that was stolen from women - and then won back again.
Creatures like Lilith  the seductive first wife of Adam  and mermaids  who lured sailors to
their death  are familiar figures in the genre of monstrous temptresses who use their charms to
entice men to their doom. But if we go back 4 000 years  the roots of these demons lie in
horrific creatures like Lamashtu  a lion-headed Mesopotamian demon who strangled infants and
murdered pregnant women  and Gello  a virgin ghost of ancient Greece who killed expectant
mothers and babies out of jealousy. Far from enticing men into danger and destruction  these
monsters were part of women's ritual practices surrounding childbirth and pregnancy. So how did
their mythology evolve into one focused on the seduction of men? Sarah Clegg takes us on an
absorbing and witty journey from ancient Mesopotamia to the present day  encountering a
multitude of serpentine succubi  a child-eating wolf-monster of ancient Greece  the Queen of
Sheba and a host of vampires. Clegg shows how these demons were appropriated by male-centred
societies  before they were eventually recast as symbols of women's liberation  offering new
insights into attitudes towards womanhood  sexuality and women's rights. '[A] remarkable
work... Extraordinary  meticulous detail' Literary Review

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