Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth

by Natalie Haynes

Overview

New York Times bestselling author Natalie Haynes returns to the world of ancient Greek myth in this scintillating follow-up to Pandora’s Jar.

Few writers today have reshaped our view of the ancient Greek myths more than revered bestselling author Natalie Haynes. Divine Might is a female-centered look at Olympus and the Furies, focusing on the goddesses whose prowess, passions, jealousies, and desires rival those of their male kin, including:

• Athene, who sprang fully formed from her father’s brow (giving Zeus a killer headache in the process), the goddess of war and provider of wise counsel.
• Aphrodite, born of the foam (and sperm released from a Titan’s castrated testicles), the most beautiful of all the Olympian goddesses, the epitome of love who dispenses desire and inspires longing—yet harbors a fearsome vengeful side, doling out brutal punishments to those who displease her.
• Hera, Zeus’s long-suffering wife, whose jealousy born of his repeated dalliances with mortals, nymphs, and other goddesses, leads her to wreak elaborate and often painful revenge on those she believes have wronged her. (Well, wouldn’t you?)
• Demeter, goddess of the harvest and mother of Persephone; Artemis, the hunter and goddess of wild spaces; the Muses, the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory; and Hestia, goddess of domesticity and sacrificial fire.

Infused with Haynes’s engaging charm and irrepressible wit, Divine Might is a refreshing take on the legends and stories we thought we knew.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063314672
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/02/2024
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	26,533
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Natalie Haynes is the author of six books, including the nonfiction work Pandora’s Jar, which was a New York Times bestseller, and the novels A Thousand Ships, which was a national bestseller and short-listed for the 2020 Women’s Prize for Fiction, and Stone Blind. She has written and recorded nine series of Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics for the BBC. Haynes has written for the Times, the Independent, the Guardian, and the Observer. She lives in London.

Editorial Reviews

11/13/2023

In this zippy study, Haynes (Pandora’s Jar), a novelist and classicist, opines on depictions of Aphrodite, Artemis, Demeter, and other Greek goddesses in literature and pop culture. For instance, she pushes back against Ovid’s portrayal in Metamorphoses of Hera, Zeus’s wife, who holds captive one of Zeus’s paramours whom the god turned into a cow in a vain attempt to disguise his adultery, as a “pathologically jealous wife.” Haynes instead suggests Hera’s response is justified and represents the concerns of fifth-century BCE Athens women who had no legal ability to initiate divorce but could be left by their husbands for other women. According to Haynes, Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, is defined by her unflappability in the face of attempted humiliation, as seen in a story from Homer’s Odyssey in which Aphrodite shrugs off getting caught cheating on her husband with Ares. The lighthearted tone and humor will keep even those already familiar with Greek mythology entertained through lengthy recaps of various legends (“I didn’t start this book expecting to compare Arnold Schwarzenegger to the goddess Artemis,” Haynes writes, “but we are where we are”), making the stories fresh and accessible for a new generation. The result is a fun take on Greek myth. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

“The lighthearted tone and humor will keep even those already familiar with Greek mythology entertained through lengthy recaps of various legends, making the stories fresh and accessible for a new generation. The result is a fun take on Greek myth.” — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

In her latest book of essays, Haynes gives a new, more feminist, perspective on many of the goddesses of Greek mythology--including major figures like Athene, Hera, Demeter, Hestia, and Aphrodite. She discusses their roles and how society has viewed them throughout history. Haynes asks listeners to examine our more traditional assumptions about these goddesses and how patriarchal structures inspired our notions about them. Her performance highlights the emotional weight of the betrayals and losses these figures experienced. But she balances the more difficult moments with a conversational style that is warm, charming, and even funny. The overall effect causes listeners to feel as if they are sitting right there, in person, hanging on every word. K.D.W. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2024 - AudioFile