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Ancient goddesses: love, violence and ecstatic experiences

Historian Ronald Hutton argues that some of the ancient world’s most powerful female deities were united by a potent combination of sex, violence and ecstatic experience

• Danny Bird

Published: November 3, 2026 at 3:50 PM

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What do goddesses of love have in common with goddesses of war? Historian Ronald Hutton argues that some of the ancient world’s most powerful female deities were united by a potent combination of sex, violence and ecstatic experience.

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Speaking to Danny Bird, Hutton traces a lineage from the Sumerian goddess Inanna through Ishtar, Aphrodite and Venus, all the way to the Norse Freyja and the Irish Morrigan. Along the way, they discuss why the Greeks were terrified of love, how Christianity tried to erase pagan goddesses, and why these extraordinary figures are enjoying a revival in the modern world.

Authors

Danny BirdContent producer

Danny Bird is a content producer at HistoryExtra

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