The iconographic trail of a vast subject, beginning with a taste of the ancient figurines, seals, and petroglyphs, then Vedic goddesses: Aditi, Prthvī, Ushas, Rta, Nirrti, Vac, Sarasvati. Nature goddesses in Maurya and Gupta art—the yakshi, salabhaniyika, and apsaras—trees, flowers, waters, and animals. Lakshmi looms large in the ringstones, terracottas, sculptures, temples, and rock-cut caves. Saptamatrika (the Seven Mother Goddesses); Vaishnava, Shaiva, Jain and Buddhist goddesses; Durga, Kali, and the Dasa Mahavidya (Ten Great Wisdoms). Ganga, Jvalamukhi, and the stunning circular temples of the 64 Yoginis. Shakta traditions of Lalita / Rajarajesvari / Sri Vidya; regional goddesses in Kashmir, Assam, Odissa, Tamilnadu and Kerala, where a million women annually celebrate Pongala for Atukkal Amma.
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Max Dashu founded the Suppressed Histories Archives in 1970 to research and document women's history and heritages from the most ancient times to the present, globally. www.suppressedhistories.net She is internationally known for her expertise on iconography, matricultures and female spheres of power; medicine women, witches, and the witch hunts; and the interconnections between patriarchy, conquest, and systems of domination.
She is the author of Witches and Pagans: Women in European Folk Culture, 700-1100 (2016) and Women in Greek Mythography: Pythias, Melissae and Titanides (2023). Her unfolding open access book, Magna Mater, Paulianity, and the Imperial Church (2024-25) looks at the origins of church-state authoritarianism and persecution. Her videos include Woman Shaman: the Ancients (2013) and Women’s Power in Global Perspective (2008), along with an extensive videography at https://www.youtube.com/@maxdashu/videos
Max blogs daily on the Suppressed Histories Facebook page, followed by 254,000 people internationally. She teaches online courses and visual webcasts, and has guest-lectured at scores of universities and international conferences.