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The Metamorphosis of Baubo: Myths of Woman's Sexual Energy

winifred milius lubell marija gimbutas

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From primitive European and African carvings and cave drawings to the classical poetry, pottery, and sculpture of Attic Greece, from mysterious and disturbing female shapes on the facades of certain gothic Christian churches to startling and instructive examples of contemporary myths in the making, Winifred Milius Lubell tracks a vast resource of visual and textual evidence in this first book-length study of Baubo. Lubell's artistic and literary sources support the argument that from the earliest moments of civilization, humans have respected and revered female sexual energy, graphically symbolized in the vulva, as an indispensable force in the balance of nature. Over the ages, the images of Baubo and her sisters assumed deviant and disturbing forms, but the basic lines of her legend and its visual manifestations were not completely obscured. Nor, as this book will show, has Baubo's essential power been destroyed even in our own age.

232 pages, Paperback

First published April 1,1994

This edition

Format
232 pages, Paperback
Published
November 30, 2009 by Vanderbilt University Press
ISBN
9780826512529
ASIN
0826512526
Language
English

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winifred milius lubell

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Profile Image for Kimberly .
maggiic
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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I had never heard of Baubo, and this was an interesting deep dive into the importance of Baubo (in her various guises throughout different cultures), with her ability to restore balance by injecting humor, joy, and a female sexual energy into a situation (often through the baring of her genitals) . The book is filled with really interesting art (some of it illustrations by the author, many illustrations made from museum pieces, along with some photos) I've seen many of the "venus" statues and art, but I hadn't seen a lot of these before.

One negative- it seems this edition I have (red cover, 1st edition paperback, Vanderbilt University Press) has a few missing sections- page 114-115 seems to skip some text, as well as page 130-131.
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ibra91
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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An interesting look into how a single mythological tale has changed over time, both in form and content and in our understanding of that content.
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Creativemind243
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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This is a fascinating work— it looks at the goddess Baubo, both in terms of historical record as well as the themes she embodies. The first few chapters are a well-researched look at her myth with Demeter and her imagery. The book also explores what Baubo represents: a combination of fertility, yonic imagery and the power of female laughter. The other chapters examine similar figures in other cultures. All of it is well documented & footnoted.
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makiesan
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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تتناول الكاتبة شخصية ميثولوجية هي باوبو و هي امرأة يرد ذكرها بشكل مختصر و مبهم نوعا ما في اسطورة اغتصاب هاديس لبرسيفوني ابنة ديمتر, و قد قامت بإضحاك ديمتر و التخفيف عن حزنها من خلال القاء النكت و الكشف عن فرجها.
تحاول الكاتبة إثبات ان اصول باوبو ترجع للازمان القديمة جدا قبل سيطرة الاديان و الآلهة الذكورية على المعابد و التقديس, و تلقي الضوء على كيفية تغيّرها و تحوّلها من شخصية داعمة و مساعدة و راعية إلى شخصية شريرة و مرعبة مع الزمن و تغيّر الاديان, كما تعرض التشابه المدهش و المثير للاهتمام بين اسطورة ديمتر و اساطير اخرى في الثقافات المختلفة منها اليابانية, مع تغير بسيط في التفاصيل و الاسماء.
من المهم الإنتباه إلى أن الربط بين مختلف الاساطير و اصولها و معانيها بين مختلف الثقافات تبقى اراء و اجتهادات شخصية مبنية على اكتشافات و مخطوطات و كتابات تحتمل الكثير من التأويل مع صعوبة كبيرة للتوصل لإجابات كاملة و صحيحة تماما.
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sdgheoiman123
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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What a wonderful book! My only previous encounter with the figure of Baubo was quite a few years back ago when I first read "Women Who Run With the Wolves", in which Baubo is briefly mentioned. In that book, Baubo is referenced as the "belly goddess" who deals in laughter and embodies the idea of embracing our sexual nature with joy and good humor. Unfortunately, I learned from the same book that very little is known about Baubo.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered Lubell's well-written and informative book! The stories and artwork surrounding Baubo, as well as the explanations of how her figure has been oft maligned by the patriarchal society of years past, are presented in an incredibly accessible manner. I was engaged in the information throughout.

It is not uncommon for books on the mythology of women to fall into the unfortunate trap of man-bashing. Yes, much of our recorded history takes place in patriarchal societies that relegated women to a lower class. Yes, as a result there has been a downplay in the importance of female mythological figures throughout time. Is that the fault of men we encounter in society today? Absolutely not. There are legitimate concerns with how women are treated in modern times, but the guy in line next to you at the grocery store is hardly responsible for the repression of art by an archaeologist in the 1700s.

Fortunately, Lubell's book skillfully avoids doing this - the faults of the past are treated with an objective eye and without judgment. She keeps the focus on Baubo herself and her book is all the better for it. This is an absolutely fascinating read for anyone interested in the history of women in religious mythology.
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