Mythology of Venus

Helen Benigni graduated with a Ph.D. in English from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1989. She is a professor at Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia, where she teaches comparative mythology, composition, and literature. Her other works include The Myth of the Year: Returning to the Origin of the Druid Calendar (2003) and The Goddess and the Bull: A Study in Minoan-Mycenaean Mythology (2007).

• ForewordMorgan Llywelyn PrefaceHelen BenigniAcknowledgements 1. The Emergence of the Goddess: A Study of Venus in the Paleolithic and Neolithic Era Helen Benigni2. The Epiphany of the Goddess: A Study of Venus in the Bronze and Iron AgeHelen Benigni3. Love Goddesses of the Early Historic AgeMiriam Robbins Dexter4. Venus, The Caillichín na Mochóirighe of Newgrange, IrelandAnthony Murphy Appendix I: The Astronomy of the Nights of VenusBarbara CarterAppendix II: The Eight Year Cycle of VenusBarbara CarterAppendix III: Of K’uk’ulcán and Quetazlcóatl, Venus in MesoamericaR.P. HaleIndex PlatesAbout the Authors

The Mythology of Venus admirably succeeds in presenting a complex yet stimulating overview of Venus as primordial archetype, complete with astronomical signposts and well-justified water associations. The female principal which has played a central role in human development is traced from its earliest recognition offering students of history, mythology or psychology much to think about.