A Garland of Forgotten Goddesses: Tales of the Feminine Divine from India and BeyondMichael Slouber Imagining the divine as female is rare—even controversial—in most religions. Hinduism, by contrast, preserves a rich and continuous tradition of goddess worship. A Garland of Forgotten Goddesses conveys the diversity of this tradition by bringing together a fresh array of captivating and largely overlooked Hindu goddess tales from different regions. As the first such anthology of goddess narratives in translation, this collection highlights a range of sources from ancient myths to modern lore. The goddesses featured here battle demons, perform miracles, and grant rare Tantric visions to their devotees. Each translation is paired with a short essay that explains the goddess’s historical and social context, elucidating the ways religion adapts to changing times. |
Contents
Slaying the Demon in the Backwaters | 19 |
Sisters of the Mysuru Hills | 43 |
The Virgin Demon Slayer | 61 |
Origin Tales from Two Early | 83 |
Goddess of Ones Own Place 47 | 117 |
The Great Goddess as Local Avatar of Miracles | 143 |
7 | 171 |
Răstrasenā | 192 |
Calon Arang a Middle Javanese work in the Balinese script | 218 |
Tvarită | 244 |
The Swift Goddess | 245 |
Tvaritāmūlasūtra a hybrid Sanskrit work in the Ranjana script | 246 |
Kāmeśvari | 262 |
Nityākaula and Cincinīmatasārasamuccaya hybrid Sanskrit works in the Newar script | 265 |
Avyapadeśyā Kālī | 282 |
Jayadrathayamala a hybrid Sanskrit work in the Devanagari script | 284 |
Hawk Goddess of the Mewar Mountains | 193 |
Ekalinga Māhātmya a Sanskrit work in the Devanagari script | 195 |
Rangda | 216 |
A Tale of Magic | 217 |
Indefinable Kālī | 288 |
Glossary | 294 |
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Common terms and phrases
Abhinavagupta auspicious Baba Bahucarā Bali Balinese Batara Guru Bhadrakāļī Bhairava body Brahmā Brahmin called Calon Arang Cāmuṇḍā Camundi century chapter context cremation ground cult Dārika deities demons described Devī Devi Mahatmya Devi's devotion divine Durgā early Ekalinga Eklingji epithet female Girah girl gods Golovkova Gujarat Hindu Hinduism India Indra Javanese Jayadrathayāmala Kailā Devī Kālī Kāmeśvarī king known Krama Lord magic Mahābhārata Māhātmya mandala manuscript Mewar mountain Mpu Bahula Mpu Baradah Mysuru narrative Nepal Newar original pan-Indian Pārvatī passage performed praise Purāņas Ra Nini Rajasthan Rangda Rāṣṭrasenā Ratna Manggali refers region religious ritual Ruru sacred Sadewa sage Śaiva Śaivism Śākta śakti Sanderson Sanskrit Seven Mothers sexual shrine Śiva Śiva's Skanda Purāṇa slaying spell spirits Śrī story Sudamala Supreme Goddess Svasthānī tale Tantras Tantric Tantric traditions temple translated Tripurasundari Tvarită Tvarita's University Uttanahalli Vedic vidyās Vindhyavāsinī visual worship yakṣa yoginis Yokochi