Food for Thought, by Ariana Ferrante

Most of you have probably heard of Demeter, the Classical Greek Goddess of the Harvest. Also Zeus, Hermes, Apollo and Athena, yes?

How about Limos, Goddess of Famine?

For every ‘heroic’ deity, there are those who oversee the darker aspects of life. They may be revered with fear or politely ignored until they must be faced.

Here we have Limos, alone in her cave, awaiting supplicants who wish to bargain for her services.

This beautiful short story shows us the power of a Goddess, even if she is neither sexy nor famous. Famine isn’t just about food, after all, but about lack - something that we have all felt but prefer to brush under the carpet.

What does Limos seek? How does she relate to her opposite, Demeter? How does she live when not granting requests or making deals?

When I saw the synopsis of this tale, I was wary; not because of the content, but because I’m a Pagan Priest(ess) by profession. Check my bibliography if you’d like. I work in the community as any other minister or chaplain does, and have led ritual, both privately and in public (my record is 300 people!).

I’ve seen the gods of many pantheons trivialised and Disneyfied, adapted and sanitised until their original song is lost.

And I’m so happy to say that this little book is a song, perfectly-struck notes that describe the relationship between goddess and worshipper, as well as the deeper power of that deity as force. Yes, humans have always personified Nature’s archetypes so as to better understand them, but Limos delves into the broad meaning of what fuels us, what gives us life and what gives that life meaning: connection and love.

We cannot ignore something unpleasant when it’s intrinsic to what keeps us alive. So Limos is as essential as Demeter, with power over both other gods and humans - almost as inexorable as Death. This story allows us a moment to truly see Her, to perhaps understand a little what this means.

To see our connection to Nature in all her beauty and hardship, and to relate to that, just a touch.

As I closed the final page, I cheered for Limos, and I think you might too.

This book was kindly provided for my stop as part of Zooloo’s Book Tours, and I’m very grateful to share what proved to be a tiny treasure.