📖 Blog Tour ~ Goddess with a Thousand Faces by Jasmine Elmer

 

Renegade Books
12 September 2024

Thanks to the publisher for the invitation to the blog tour

Goddess with a Thousand Faces is the first of its kind, blending multiple genres to create an accessible read for everyone. It offers a fresh and necessary perspective on the ancient world, transcending culture, race and time. 

Steeped in ancient magic, dark divinity and wild ways, Goddess with a Thousand Faces takes you on a historical journey like no other... 

Blending mythological retellings with historical research, and stunning illustrations, Goddess with a Thousand Faces traverses the world and transports through time to bring ten formidable and inspiring ancient goddesses to life. Meet Artemis, the Greek goddess of the wilderness, never without her bow and arrow; Sedna, Inuit goddess of the ocean, guarding the icy waters and all its creatures; Isis, Egyptian goddess of healing, who dwells by the River Nile, just to name a few...

Jasmine Elmer explores these goddesses of our past, uncovering their truths, their rebellion and their freedom. For too long, they have been written out of history; lost to the sands of time and stamped into silence. Goddess with a Thousand Faces restores these women to their deserving glory.

Pour over this treasure trove of myths, legends and mighty goddesses. Hear the messages echoing through the ages and see yourself in the faces of these icons. For while their stories might be ancient, today they are more important – and more powerful – than ever.

📖 My Review...

As an introduction to Goddess mythology this book works extremely well and for someone like me with no prior knowledge at all I found it to be both absorbing and informative on an easy to understand level. Nicely divided into clearly defined chapters, each one explains in more detail the chosen goddesses from around the world. There are those who we may have heard of like Freja, the Icelandic Goddess from Viking mythology, Artemis from the Greek, and Isis, the Egyptian Goddess of Healing, Magic and Wisdom and then lesser known Goddesses such as Sedna, the Inuit Goddess of the Sea and Marine Animals,  and Kali, Hindu Goddess of Time, Death and Destruction. The remaining five Goddesse, Rangda, Inanna, Mawu-Lisa, Hine-nui-pō, Huitaca, are equally as fascinating as the author describes in detail their power and ancient wisdom, and brings each one to life in intricate detail. Each Goddess is beautifully illustrated in simple black and white line drawings which emphasise their power and gives each one a distinct personality. 

This is one of those lovely books which educates as well as entertains and whilst it is perfectly possible to read in sequential order, I found myself dipping into and out of the book at whim, initially choosing the Goddess who appealed the most and then retracing my steps and going back to re-read something I had missed on my first time around. Well written, and well researched, with an informative bibliography, there is much to discover in Goddesses with a Thousand Faces a non-fiction book which brings the ancient myths and legends to life in a meaningful way and which also adapts them for a modern readership.

About the Author

Jasmine Elmer is a straight-talking ancient world expert. Deciding her subject needed a 'glow up', she began her mission in 2020 to make the subject relatable and representative. Outside of writing, she spends her time bringing that energy to television screens, appearing on broadcast channels such as Channel 4, Channel 5 and National Geographic, as well as hosting and featuring on many podcasts. Her podcast Legit Classics has a mission to make everyone love the Classics as much as she does.

Her debut book Goddess with a Thousand Faces is a bold exploration of world goddesses, blending storytelling with historical fact. It follows years of research as a student at universities like UCL, Cambridge and Exeter and a career as a secondary school teacher of Classics. She is of dual heritage, Pakistani and white, and her mother was born in Canada. She grew up in East London but now lives in Exeter, Devon with her husband and son. She has five cats and is absolutely not ashamed of that fact! When she has some downtime, she loves spending time in nature, curling up with a good book and a hot choc, and having a laugh with her friends. She flits between meditation and being frazzled. Such is life.

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