Over the past few years there has been a boom in books published about kick-ass ladies; from Women in Science: 50 Pioneers Who Changed the World to the adorable Little People, Big Dreams series. These highly illustrated titles for all ages showcase some of the most interesting and inspiring women – and I absolutely love them. A slightly different take on a similar theme is the brand-new, super gorgeous Legendary Ladies by Ann Shen, which rather than focusing on real life historical figures, taps into the wealth of mythical characters and goddesses that are equally amazing and we should all learn more about.
This book, rather than being divided by origins, splits the goddesses into the categories of Creativity & Manifestation, Love, Power, Protection, and Reinvention. Not only does this breakdown allow the reader to go to the section most suitable to them at any given time, but mixing the mostly well-known Greek myths with those of Norse, Hindu, Japanese, Native American, Chinese, Welsh, Egyptian, Celtic and other origins means that you get to explore a whole variety of amazing characters – and notice similarities between those of vastly different cultures but with similar meaning or backgrounds, which was really cool.
Greek mythology and the gods within them have always been my preferred legendary tales and so I was thrilled to see that this book contains a bunch of them; from Gaia and Aphrodite to The Muses and Athena. For this blog tour though, I choose to focus on one of my all-time favourite characters: Artemis, twin to the perhaps more well-known Apollo, the god of music and poetry.
Not to be biased, but the artwork for the goddess of hunt, wilderness and the moon is one of the most eye-catching ones within this entire book, and I want it to be a print so I can hang it on my wall! Within this illustration, the daughter of Zeus is surrounded by the animals that play to her huntress side, and her dress and accessorises are bedazzled by stars and a crescent moon (and wouldn't look out of place at a mystical gathering in the forest). As a strong and independent woman, she's the patron goddess for young girls until they get married – and an inspiring one at that.
With deer (one of my favourite animals) as one of her companions, I already felt an affinity with Artemis, but the concluding sentence on the page makes me connect with her even more: "Call on Artemis when you need help focusing like a hunter on your goals and for spiritual strength." This is very apt for where I am in my own life right now, so I'll definitely keep her more front of mind from now on!
Legendary Ladies by Ann Shen is an incredibly beautiful and enlightening book jam-packed with fictional though very inspiring ladies from a whole variety of myths and cultures. The artwork within is absolutely stunning and really plays to the various characters' strengths. And on top of that learning more in-depth about these goddesses, some of which I had not heard of before reading this book, was super fascinating.
This is a real stunner and an amazing addition to my rapidly growing collection of books about kick-ass women.
This post is part of the official blog tour for Legendary Ladies, so make sure you check out the other stops too for more insights into this amazing book and some of the wonderful characters captured within!
Legendary Ladies is published by Chronicle Books and you can buy your copy now from Foyles or your own preferred retailer.
🎵 Listening to: Jason Mraz – I Won't Give Up
🔹 Mood: Awake
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