Fierce Feminine Divinities of Eurasia and Latin America: Baba Yaga, Kālī, Pombagira, and Santa Muerte

196 Pages·2015·3.84 MB·English

by  Małgorzata Oleszkiewicz-Peralba (auth.)

Fierce F eminine D ivinitieso f
Eurasia and Latin America

Fierce Feminine Divinities of
Eurasia and Latin America
Baba Yaga, K ā l ī , Pombagira, and Santa Muerte
Ma ł gorzata Oles zkiewicz-Peralba
FIERCE FEMININE DIVINITIES OF EURASIA AND LATIN AMERICA
Copyright © Małgorzata Oleszkiewicz-Peralba, 2015.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2015 978-1-137-54354-7
All rights reserved.
First published in 2015 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN®
in the United States— a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world,
this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills,
Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-56076-9 ISBN 978-1-137-53500-9 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781137535009
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Oleszkiewicz-Peralba, Malgorzata, 1954–
Fierce feminine divinities of Eurasia and Latin America : Baba Yaga,
Kali, Pombagira, and Santa Muerte / Malgorzata Oleszkiewicz-Peralba.
pages cm
Summary: “This provocative book examines untamed feminine
divinities that are powerful, fi ercely independent, courageous, and wise.
They traverse time and national boundaries, appearing under different
names all over the world. Although they have often been domesticated,
maligned, and marginalized, they continue to be extremely attractive,
as they empower their devotees confronting them with the ultimate
reality of impermanence and death”—Provided by publisher.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Goddesses. 2. Goddess religion. 3. Baba Yaga (Legendary character)
4. Kali (Hindu deity) 5. Pombagira (Afro-Brazilian deity) 6. Santa Muerte
(Mexican deity) I. Title.
BL473.5.O54 2015
202(cid:2).114—dc23 2015009611
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Knowledge Works (P) Ltd., Chennai, India.
First edition: September 2015
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For all the women
who were dismissed and persecuted,
because of their gender,
their extraordinary abilities,
and their beliefs
For the Sisterhood

Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 1
Part I Eurasia
1 Baba Yaga, the Witch from Slavic Fairy Tales 15
2 K ā lī , the Ultimate Fierce Feminine 53
Part II Latin America
3 Pombagira, the Holy Streetwalker 69
4 Santa Muerte, Death the Protector 103
Conclusion 137
Notes 1 43
Bibliography 159
Index 1 75

Illustrations
Figures
I.1 G oddess Coatlicue, Mexico City 2
1.1 Baba Yaga by Maya Sokovic 16
1.2 Tap í s de la creaci ó (Tapestry of creation),
Girona Cathedral, Spain 24
1.3 The Mesoamerican feathered serpent,
Quetzalcoatl, Mexico City 29
1.4 Contemporary B ulgarian M artenitsas 32
1.5 Polish M arzanna 45
1.6 Goddess motifs on shirt embroideries, Poland,
beginning of the twentieth century 47
1.7 The goddess as the Lady of the Heavens, the
Earth, and the Underworld, paper cutout,
Poland 47
1.8 The goddess as the tree of life, paper cutout,
Poland 48
1.9 The goddess accompanied by growing plants,
flowers, and celestial bodies, paper cutout,
Ł owicz region, Poland, beginning of the
twentieth century 48
1.10 Two birds on a tree, paper cutout, Poland 49
1.11 The godde ss Ż ywa accompanied by growing
plants, paper cutout, Ł owicz region, Poland,
end of the nineteenth century 50
2.1 K ā l ī by Maya Sokovic 60
2.2 Procession f or S ara-La-K â li, Le s S aintes
Maries-de-la-Mer, France, 2008 65