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A system of myths, symbols, and rituals, dating back to the Paleolithic and Neolithic, survives in present-day imagery. In exploring this system, special attention is drawn to the linkage between ancient and contemporary civilizations of Eurasia and Mesoamerica, as seen in their cosmology, and expressed in common mythological and iconographic themes. The author examines contemporary Middle American and eastern European textiles, especially women’s garments, that contain an elaborated sacred code of symbols, and include remnants of the four horizontal directions, and the three vertical worlds that portray the structure of the universe. The cosmology contained in patterns around the world denotes striking parallels that attest to internal connections between different cultures, beyond time and place.
“This is one of those rare scholarly books where the author’s personal engagement ... takes us to the heart of the subject with ease and joy. Dr. Oleszkiewicz-Peralba is a scrupulous researcher with nuanced understanding of the subject … She connects extremely diverse cultures across time and space through mythology, rituals, women’s clothing, and sacred art.” • Neela Bhattacharya Saxena, Nassau Community College
“The breadth of the author’s knowledge is impressive and her ability to find commonalities and analogies is amazingly insightful, all rigorously argued and documented. Her erudition is stunning. This book is an excellent contribution to transdisciplinary studies, by bringing together anthropology, women and gender studies, cross-cultural analysis, spirituality and religion, and aesthetics.” • Alan West-Durán, Northeastern University
List of Illustrations
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Worldview
Chapter 1. Cervids and Their Associations
Chapter 2. Goddess Civilizations and Their Symbols
Chapter 3. Image of the Universe
Chapter 4. Weaving and Embroidery: A Semblance of the Cosmos
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index