In due time I realised that every single continent was rich with colourful and intricate mythology of its own.įrom India’s Parvati, a manifestation of the all-powerful divine feminine energy of the universe, Shakti, according to Hindu mythology. Outside of the Egyptians, ancient African mythology seemed obscure and non-existent it stood in my mind as a blank canvas to the exquisite masterpiece that was ancient western mythology. It took a few years before my interest in Roman and Greek mythology sparked a question that I would later discover to be one of the most important that I have ever asked - where are the African myths? For a long time, I believed that they didn’t exist. I put aside her terrible treatment of Medusa, a woman punished for being sexually assaulted, and her general disregard for human life, and instead focused on her display of feminine strength and power. someone viewed women as wise and strategic. She was evidence that even back in 900 B.C. As a young, impressionable and (annoyingly) enthusiastic feminist, Athena with her wit and strength appealed greatly to me.

Frankly, I still get quite a bit excited when I come across her in literature and art. I knew her to be the alluring goddess of wisdom, arts and strategic warfare, and I was completely enthralled. Sometimes the novels chosen are new, often they are from the backlist and occasionally re-issued from way back.Why We Should All Know More About African MythologyĪthena was the first deity that I remember learning about in school. But to keep ourselves on our toes, we have a rule that author gender is alternated, girl-boy-girl-boy, and the continents always rotated (with occasional glitches). Too good to be true? The catch is that the bookshop gets to choose what the book group reads. Each month the discussion is lively and unpretentious, with naughty snacks and plenty to drink. You don’t even have to have had read the book. The title to be read and discussed is sign-posted and on sale for the whole of the previous month (with a discount for those who make it known they intend to come) and everybody is welcome, whether first-timer, part-timer or regular-timer. With rare exceptions such as bank holidays, the book group meets on the first Wednesday of every month at 7.30pm. Now past its tenth year the Crow Book Group has grown into a regular social event.

Reni k