the goddess book tag (original)

Hello, dear friends! I hope all is well for you and if not, I hope that brighter days head your way soon!

It’s been a rough time for women in the US ever since the US Supreme Court repealed the landmark ruling of Roe v. Wade. This means that it will be up to US states whether or not they want to legalize abortion within their territory. Naturally, because of this, in many Republican held states abortion will become illegal, often without exemption for rape, incest, death of the mother, and/or death of the infant. I won’t go too far into it, but I will say this: it is not an exaggeration to say that because of this situation, women and afab individuals will die.

With all of this going on and women being targeted specifically, I wanted to do something to celebrate women. And that’s how I came up with this original tag, “The Goddess Book Tag”! This tag is in celebration of a variety of goddesses from all over the world. These goddesses inspire me by proving that no matter what a woman is good at and/or what “kind” of woman she is, she is worthy, valuable, and powerful! I think all of us women (trans women included, mind you!) have a bit of each of these goddesses mirrored inside of us and hopefully we can remember that in times of need.

rules

1. Link back to the creator’s (me, Lila @ Hardcover Haven) original post!
2. Answer each of the questions.
3. Tell us your favorite goddess and why you love her!
4. Tag 5 – 10 other people to complete this tag.
5. Have fun!

the goddess book tag

Athena // Greek Goddess of Wisdom and War // Your favorite cunning female character

CREDIT: Simini Blocker

I’m gonna go with an oldie but a goodie, and that is Kestrel Trajan from The Winner’s Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski. I love Kestrel, because she’s a great example of a “strong female character” who’s not a “traditional fighter.” As a matter of fact, she’s actually written in-text as being pretty shit at fighting. BUT! She’s incredibly intelligent and a brilliant strategist! Which is so awesome to see, because we rarely see examples of women who demonstrate “strength” in non-physical ways. And also because, like, I’m not good at physical strength, but like, I’m hella good at “intellectual strength,” so I could identify with Kestrel, haha!

Isis // Egyptian Goddess of Magic, Protection, and Motherhood // A female character who looks like a cinnamon roll but could kill you

I think Tarisai from Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko really embodies this quality! Tarisai is so kind and such a good friend, but she’s also incredibly powerful and is assigned the role of being the “supreme judge” in her kingdom. As such she’s very fair-minded, but she also has to dole out the occasional punishment to evil-doers. So she definitely looks like a cinnamon roll but could kill you, lol!

Chang’e // Chinese Goddess of the Moon // A female character whose loyalty is admirable

CREDIT: ephermeres

For this one I’m choosing one of my all-time favorite characters: Helene Aquilla from the An Ember in the Ashes quartet by Sabaa Tahir! Helene’s loyalty to her people, her family, her friends, and her cause is both a blessing and a curse. In my opinion, it’s part of what makes her such a fascinating character: the inner turmoil that her conflicting loyalties cause her. It’s interesting to see which loyalty she ends up upholding above all others and why.

Pachamama // Incan Goddess of the Earth, Harvest, and Fertility // A female character who is a creator (example: artist, musician, performer, uses some kind of creative magic powers etc.)

CREDIT: @ladylyeart

I know exactly who to choose for this one and it’s Genya Safin from Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse novels! Genya is a special caste of “corporalki” (grisha who can manipulate the human body) called a “tailer,” which is basically like a magical makeup artist. Because Genya is the best tailer known in the fictional country of Ravka, she’s assigned to work for the queen, as well as for the “sun summoner,” Alina Starkov. She and Alina become close friends and, much later, Genya learns how to live with several traumatic events she’s been through, demonstrating her strength and grace in the face of hardship.

Anat // Phoenician Goddess of War and Peace // A female character who is a fierce fighter

CREDIT: Priscilla Bonilla V.

I’m choosing Katsa from the Graceling Realm series by Kristin Cashore for this one. Katsa is an assassin with a special “gift” for killing, but she doesn’t want to be an assassin/killer. When Katsa falls for Prince Po, a series of events lead her on a great adventure. During this adventure, Katsa proves how fierce her love for her family and friends is and how she’s willing to put that love into action to protect them.

Kali // Hindu Goddess of Time, Change, and Death // A female character whose character arc left you feeling inspired

CREDIT: ayeoops

For this question I just knew I had to choose Bree from Legendborn by Tracy Deonn! Seeing Bree as this Black girl who kinda got knocked down by life and then thrown into an ancient mostly White secret society and how she grew to really embrace her power was fucking priceless!

Sedna // Inuit Goddess of the Ocean // Your favorite ocean-themed book starring a female character

CREDIT: meliescribbles

I absolutely love To Kill Kingdom by Alexandra Christo! It’s an action-packed, romance-filled ocean adventure starring a murderous siren princess and a human prince who makes a living hunting sirens. And it’s to die for! The enemies-to-lovers romance, the fantastical quest plotline, the lovable characters?! *chef’s kiss* It’s perfection!

Oshun // Yoruba Goddess of Beauty, Love, Divinity, and Femininity // A “strong female character” who finds value in their femininity

CREDIT: Little Chmura

I instantly thought of Parisa Kamali from The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake for this question! I love that Parisa’s character is a sultry seductress who recognizes the power in her femininity and takes pride in it. And I love how Blake doesn’t make Parisa come off as “frivolous,” shallow, or a stereotypical “mean girl.” Parisa finds worth and value in her sensuality and feminine nature, but it’s clear that while that’s an important part of her, it’s also not all that she can be reduced to.

Brigid // Celtic Goddess of Healing, Wisdom, Protection, and Poetry // Your favorite female poet (Optional: share your favorite poem by her too!)

My favorite poet (regardless of gender) is Nikita Gill. I actually mentioned her recently in my post all about my TBR for Hot Girl Summer! Anyhoo, I love Gill’s sweet, gentle “prose poems” so much! Her work focuses a lot on the themes of feminism and self-love and uses a lot of celestial, mythological, and fairy tale imagery.

Inanna // Mesopotamian Goddess of Justice, War, Sex, Love, and Beauty // A female character who fights for justice

My answer for this one is Renata Convida from Incendiary by Zoraida Cordova. Renata is a really interesting character because she fights for justice besidepeople who refuse to trust her due to her childhood. Nevertheless, Renata’s dedication to her cause never wavers! Her commitment to fighting for justice is so admirable!

Morana // Slavic Goddess of Death and Rebirth // A female character who died and who you wish you could bring back to life

Frejya // Norse Goddess of Forseeing and Influencing the Future // A female character who you think deserved better

CREDIT: rinze

Now, I have yet to read the final book in this trilogy, so this opinion may change once I have but I’m gonna say Eliana Ferracora from The Empirium Trilogy by Claire Legrand. My reasoning is that, at least as far as the first two books go, the series feels very focused on giving the majority of attention to the other main character of the series, Rielle. I feel like we get a really rich understanding of who Rielle is and her what her internal motivations are and on top of that Rielle’s plotlines are very intricate and intriguing and consequential. Meanwhile, Eliana feels a lot less fleshed out and her plotlines felt a little staler. I think if Eliana had been given the same attention as Rielle, then she would’ve been a lot easier to connect with and a lot more interesting to follow, and that’s the area where I think she deserved better.

my favorite goddess

CREDIT: Fernanda Suarez

My all-time favorite goddess is Athena, the Greek goddess of war and wisdom! There are a few things I think are really remarkable about Athena. First is the fact that she’s a female deity who represents wisdom and war, which are two areas that are typically seen as a man’s domain. Second is the fact that she represents both war and wisdom shows how important those two things are to each other. What I mean is that often times we associate wise scholars with being secluded in a library or university—but Athena defies that. She shows that wisdom requires action and vice versa!

i tag…

Sumedha @ The Wordy Habitat | Marie and Nyx @ Drizzle and Hurricane Books | Naemi @ A Book Owl’s Corner | Tasya @ The Literary Huntress | Saima @ Stories With Saima | Cosette and Caitlyn @ Tea Time Lit | Jayati @ It’s Just A Coffee Addicted Bibliophile | Kal @ Reader Voracious | Kristina @ Books and Dachshunds | YOU!

spill the beans, friends!

• Which goddess (from any pantheon) is your favorite?
• Do you know any books starring literal or metaphorical goddesses?
• Who’s a female litarary character who you relate to?

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Learn more the author of this post:

Lila @ Hardcover Haven

Lila is a 30 year old anthropology student and lover of literature who's been book blogging for an eternity. Her hobbies include reading, singing, writing, arts and crafts, and snuggling her two cats, Snoopy and Clementine.