A Goddess Arrives

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Summary: War and Magic in ancient Cyprus
Review: Gerald Brousseau Gardner (1884-1964) is often credited as being the founder of the contemporary witchcraft revival. His non-fiction works Witchcraft Today (1954) and The Meaning of Witchcraft (1959) established witchcraft as a religion and provided the impetus for a Goddess-centered mystery tradition. Gardner, in both his role as a British civil servant and as a keen amateur archeologist, traveled widely. While visiting the island of Cyprus he identified locations familiar to him from dreams. Based on the reality of these dreams, Gardner became convinced that he had lived on Cyprus in a previous life. In 1939 he penned the novel A Goddess Arrives, which is et in Cyprus and concerns magic and warfare there in 1450 B.C.E. The protagonist of A Goddess Arrives is Robert Denvers/Kinyras. Denvers, a British civil servant, has been betrayed by his wife and lapses into a cataleptic state. At this point Kinyras, Denvers past-life incarnation is introduced. Kinyras is a mercenary captain hired to help the Karpasian people resist an invasion by the deadly Khemites (Egyptians.) He is a superb fighter and some of his proficiency is explained by Kinyras' habit of astral travel. Journeying forward into the future, he is able to gain the knowledge to develop new weapons and techniques of war. His weakness is his love for a woman who has betrayed and deserted him. Enter Dayonis, princess of the Aghirda people, warrioress extraordinaire and practitioner of magic. Together she and Kinyras struggle to halt the Khemite invasion and, in the process, forge a relationship that will last down the ages. As their story unfolds so is explained the difficulties of the modern Robert Denvers, and it is Dayonis that holds the key to a happy resolution. A Goddess Arrives is written with meticulous attention to setting and details of life in the Cyprus of the fifteenth century B.C.E. The vivid depictions place the reader firmly in the story and the richness of the scene offsets rather stilted characters. Kinyras is stalwart, decisive, honorable and coldly analytical, with no patience for foolish women, superstition or any type of treachery. Dayonis is a power in her own right, but subject to sulks, pouting and magic that relies on ritual and, often, sacrifice. Bearing in mind the cultural status of women in 1939 and its undoubted influence on Gardner, it is still irksome to read "...had her lessons to learn, the first and foremost of which was the fact that she was a woman whose place in the creation of things she must fill." (p. 202) In general, Gardner's male characters are rational and brave, females weak, emotional and petty. There is no lack of action in A Goddess Arrives. Based on threatened invasion, the story leaps from battle to battle and the constant tension keeps the plot moving. Magical sequences are few; this is a book primarily devoted to armed conflict and the accompanying politics. Gerald Gardner's A Goddess Arrives introduces elements of astral travel, reincarnation and ritual magic in an era when these topics were simply not talked about. Given these factors and a lovingly precise description of an ancient culture, it remains of interest to modern readers.

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Summary: Publishing House comments
Review: I was really happy to find a copy of this book and my comments have NOTHING to do with the work itself. However, I am not happy with the quality of the volume itself from Goldolphin House. The book arrived yesterday and I have read only about 30 pages, and the book is already falling apart. Pages are coming loose from the binding. The text is not justified and is ragged on the Right Side of the pages. This is a minor point to some, but I find it very distracting. I just think for the price, a book should not be falling apart and the text should be properly formatted. The quality of this volume is as if they printed it at home, using substandard word processing software, and glued it together using discounted paste.

Rating:
Summary: One of Gardner's Classics
Review: If any of you that are into Gardner's tradition, then this book should be on your shelf. Eventhough, you can see that the book is fiction, this is where it all started by promoting "wicca" into the modern age and telling others that it is here to stay. I found it very interesting when he talked about his recarnation and how his dreams where messages sent to him by the touch of the Goddess. Remember, that his life work should be greatful towards those who talk about his work, without him, none of the traditions that you know of as of now, would have been born today without Gardner, so, give where credit is due.

Rating:
Summary: One of Gardner's Classics
Review: If any of you that are into Gardner's tradition, then this book should be on your shelf. Eventhough, you can see that the book is fiction, this is where it all started by promoting "wicca" into the modern age and telling others that it is here to stay. I found it very interesting when he talked about his recarnation and how his dreams where messages sent to him by the touch of the Goddess. Remember, that his life work should be greatful towards those who talk about his work, without him, none of the traditions that you know of as of now, would have been born today without Gardner, so, give where credit is due.