Chapter VI, The Gift of the Goddess Summary and Analysis

It comes as a surprise to many people in modern western society to discover that the depiction of god as a male figure in modern Judeo-Christian and Moslem religions is a relatively recent development in the history of mankind. In this chapter Campbell describes the foundation for the myths of the Great Goddess and then traces the historical development of societies and cultures, leading to the present day domination by males of both the dogmas and administration of western religions.

The inescapable biological fact that it is the woman who gives birth and nourishment to an infant leads to the concept of the mother being the prime source of life and hence the identification of the mother as the supreme being. Evidence of the very early origin of this...