The Metamorphosis of Baubo

Wilfred Milius Lubell

Baubo, the bawdy joker of Greek mythology, springs to life in this poetic exploration. Lubell examines ancient literature, artifacts, and iconography to show how a positive image of woman’s sexuality was slowly redefined as monstrous. In her examination, she draws upon mythologies as diverse as those of the Irish, Japanese, and Filipinos. Her thesis–that woman’s power has been systematically subverted–is far from new, but her subject matter–woman’s sexual need–is rarely considered in archetypal studies such as this. Especially provocative are her analyses of the “sacred laughter” necessary to Baubo and of the descent of Medusa from the primeval joker.

status	Lost
genre	Spirituality » Goddess-Based Religions
publisher	Vanderbilt
publish date	1994
popularity	checked out 0 time(s)