Drei Gaugöttinnen

Drei Gaugöttinnen by E. L. reinterprets the saints Walburg, Verena, and Gertrud as lingering figures of Germanic goddess lore, weaving religious history with mythic insight. Drawing on fieldwork among the Altmühl and Main valleys and observations from the Aare and Upper Rhine, the author reconstructs how local cults and folk memory preserved pre-Christian elements within medieval and modern saint veneration. Part history, part comparative folklore, and rooted in the Religion and Myths/Legends tradition, the book examines landscape-bound cults, regional identities, and the social roles of women saints in German peasant life. E. L.’s antiquarian perspective—born of youthful explorations of abbeys, ruins, and rural customs—frames a nuanced argument: these revered figures function less as diocesan patrons than as protectors of distinct political and cultural districts. Themes include syncretism between pagan and Christian practices, the archival power of oral tradition, and how communal memory shapes sacred topography. Ideal for listeners fascinated by church history, Germanic mythology, folklore studies, and cultural anthropology, this audiobook offers a richly observed, scholarly yet accessible exploration of how myths survive inside saints and landscapes.