The Chalice and the Blade [Paperback]

Eisler sees Neolithic society functioning in a spiritual Environment governed by The Goddess. Using this term as a universal, much in the way European historians use "God" in referring to any unnamed deity, she contends this spirit guided all early Mediterranean and European peoples. Feminine values held equal stature with [undefined] male values. It isn't clear whether men worshipped The Goddess or their own pantheon. She stresses that worship of The Goddess need not result in matriarchy. Eisler turns to Minoan Crete as the finest example of the "partnership" ideal. As archeologists uncovered the Minoan civilization, their astonishment at its grandeur grew. The discovery of unexpectedly high levels of technology without associated expansionist tendencies Eisler views as typifying what she later terms a "gylanic" society. Cooperation in the domestic environment obviated development of imperialist ambitions.

The real culprits in this scenario are two invading peoples, the Kurgans and the Hebrews. Invading the Mediterranean from northeast and south, they overran many cultures, transforming them utterly and imparting a new social order. Male dominated and driven by a passion for conquest, they imposed The Blade as a new social norm. War became the highest accomplishment, with male domination an enduring social result. A whole new mythology was established with part of the story being the subjugation of women, domestic or conquered. We are operating under that mythology today, she insists.

As Eisler progresses from ancient to modern times, her tone becomes more strident, moving from research to propaganda. She admits early in the book that she's utilizing a method known as "active research" which re-examines historical and archeological data to fit her scenario. This, of course, is fraught with pitfalls, and she stumbles into several. The universality of her Goddess throughout the Neolithic world has no basis in evidence. She scorns the Willendorf "Venus" figurines, but avoids altogether the various cave painting sites predating them. Nearly all the human figures in those paintings are hunters; none appear to be female. While Minoan civilization did surprise many, there's not a shred of evidence to indicate male-female "partnership" as its basis. The weren't expansionist, but it's just as likely that it was deemed unnecessary or too costly. It is far more likely Minoan civilization arose from people fleeing other invaders and finding Crete a sanctuary. Perhaps her gravest misinterpretation arises as she tries to come to grips with the rise of Christianity. She sees the Madonna as a continuation of The Goddess ideal. Claiming the Roman Saturnalia, adopted by Christians as the Messiah's birthday, succeeded because that holiday was special to The Goddess. Saturn was a god of agriculture and patron of clan elders who imparted the wisdom of experience over winter fires. Any goddesses who were revered during the Solstice simply gained attention from the universality of the holiday.

Eisler's errors result from zealousness and a narrow view. Two major factors erode her credibility. One is her focus on the Mediterranean scene. She fails utterly to take into account other peoples around the world, where male domination is common, if not prevalent. This widespread circumstance suggests a deeper root for human social structure. However, like so many feminist writers, Eisler shares their abhorrence of biological foundations for gender differences. E. O. Wilson, a favourite target of feminist writers since his 1975 publication of Sociobiology, garners no mention in the text. He rates but a lengthy and disparaging footnote at the back of the book. Yet even when Eisler was composing this book, zoology and molecular genetics were already forcing grudging recognition of sociobiology's value in human studies. More recent research is confirming Wilson's early ideas.

Eisler's book has worth in seeking to break the militaristic and male domination mythology we live under. That her evidence is suspect doesn't devalue her desire to replace that social framework with greater emphasis on nurturing and sharing. If these values were given more emphasis in education, she contends, it would go far to reducing our injurious attitude toward the environment. She portrays advocates of The Goddess as recognizing the cyclic pattern of nature in contrast to the linear and destructive force of "progress." It's an admirable cause, written with clarity, but hollow in foundation. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]