«Las diosas, que una vez reinaron omnipotentes, fueron derribadas por quienes querían transformarlas en algo más afín a sus propios intereses. Sin embargo, las personalidades originales de estas mujeres siguen brillando.» Brujas, Guerreras, Diosas recoge las increíbles historias de cincuenta mujeres de leyenda de todo el mundo: desde hadas y espectros hasta vampiras, hechiceras y diosas vudú. Entre las páginas de este magnífico compendio, desfilan las feroces Furias, las Valquirias o la espeluznante Medusa, pero también otros personajes singulares como la Mujer Búfalo Blanco, espíritu indígena norteamericano, o Yennenga, la ingobernable princesa africana mossi. Con un enfoque fresco y directo, Kate Hodges sitúa en el centro de la narrativa popular a todas estas heroínas —demonizadas y denostadas durante siglos en nombre del patriarcado y del racismo— a través de una perspectiva feminista de la mitología universal. Las ilustraciones de Harriet Lee-Merrion, mediante un sugerente juego de colores planos y líneas delicadas, profundizan en este encuentro entre el relato popular y la huella que han dejado en nuestro imaginario colectivo estas mujeres fuertes e inspiradoras.

Warriors, Witches, Women: Mythology's Fiercest Females from Kate Hodges is a wonderful guide and introduction to female characters in various mythologies around the globe.

I was a little torn between 4 or 5 stars but realized I was considering four stars not based on whether the book succeeded in what it was doing but whether it was the book I might have wanted in its place. That is unfair both to the book/author and to readers who read this review. I had some familiarity with most (but far from all) of the figures in this book. That isn't because I am particularly well-versed in mythology but because my time in Women and Gender Studies departments have introduced me to many marginalized figures, both of legend of of real life. So I would likely have chosen a book of tales of these women rather than a guide. That said, I knew I was getting a guide and as such I was not disappointed in the least.

While the descriptions of each woman usually includes some overview of a major explanatory myth, maybe her creation maybe one that illustrates what she represents. These are not really retellings of the myths so to complain about their storytelling style is disingenuous at best. Each description does a wonderful job of showing how the image and perception of each figure has changed over time and how each might have been exported to other cultures.

I highly recommend this to anyone feeling like their knowledge of mythology is limited to Greek and Roman and, even more disheartening, limited to a particularly patriarchal expression. This book will offer many ideas for further reading and further research. On its own, the book will make for enjoyable reading and one that could and should be handed down to the next generation.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )