The Goddess and Her Heros

Dr. Goettner-Abendroth has lifted matriarchy out of its mythological cloud by showing that matriarchal-based religions not only existed up to about 3500 years ago throughout the Indo-European world, but that their remnants remained for many centuries among the farmers and country people everywhere until the late Middle Ages, when they were systematically extinguished by the inquisitions and witch burnings. Dr. Goettner-Abendroth points out that Western historians, in upholding patriarchy, have ignored and dismissed these remnants, along with the important matriarchal values that accompany them, such as respect for the earth and nature, and for feeling and emotion, since patriarchy gives value only to intellect, to gain and loss, and to might as right. As a consequence of this thinking running to its logical extreme, she says, the welfare of the earth upon which we live is threatened. While Dr. Goettner-Abendroth in no way proposes returning to a matriarchal culture, she emphasizes that we desperately need to re-integrate these lost matriarchal values to bring balance and health back to our civilization.