great mother, n.Definitions

The Great mother (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠mother at dawn, sister-wife at noon, and at dusk the mother again, taking the dead back into her womb.

The Great mother (n.) or ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠mother archetype covers both what cherishes and fosters growth and whatever is secret, devouring, seducing, poisoning — "the loving and the terrible mother."

The Great mother (n.) may ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠be compensation for dethroned mothers, raised up as patriarchy returned and the matriarchy was being cut back.

The Great mother (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠usually a danger to her son — as on an early Christian lamp where one fish devours the other.

The Great mother (n.) lost ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠her throne when she could not guard her own house: the earthquake that toppled Knossos made way for a male god, the Earth-shaker.

The Great mother (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the woman's version of the magician: all-merciful, all-understanding, all-forgiving — and as great love goes unappreciated, great wisdom goes misunderstood, and neither can bear the other.

The Great mother (n.) appears ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠at once as the supreme goal and the most frightful danger, the Terrible Mother — for whoever sunders himself from the mother longs to get back to her.