The White Goddess is a key book for modern Pagans and Wiccans. Subtitled 'A Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth', Robert Graves investigates the links between poetry, mythology and the worship of the Goddess. The White Goddess had a profound influence on Gerald Gardner, the modern reinventor of Paganism.
The White Goddess was one of the first widely available books which uncompromisingly advocated a Goddess-centered spirituality. It builds on Frazier's Golden Bough, but written from the point of view of a working poet struggling to reconcile the ancient crafts of poetry and mythology with the brutality of the twentieth century. Although it is a 'difficult book' it will also prove very rewarding. It does not provide details of ancient rituals or try to reinvent them for a modern context; rather it gives details on the profound links between ancient runic alphabets, mysterious (and previously unexplained) Drudic and Bardic poetry and the Celtic lunar year. It bears the same relation to more practical books about Wicca as a theoretical physics textbook does to a users' manual for a computer. Reading the White Goddess will enhance your understanding of Wicca by giving you deep background on the craft.
Because of copyright restrictions, we are unable to post an etext of the 'White Goddess'; however, we encourage you to purchase a copy if you have any interest in the subject of Goddess oriented spirituality.