We resume our weekly Women's Wednesday column with one of the most famous women of all time: Venus. You are probably well acquainted with the mythological figure of Venus (or Aphrodite for the Greek): the…
Our journey to the discovery of the many Mulieres Clarae continues with a multi-faceted goddess, Minerva. Robinet Testard, as shown in the illumination above, chose to depict her warrior side by arming her with sword…
Today, just like every Wednesday, Folia Magazine welcomes a new Mulier Clara: the spotlight this week goes to Ceres, the goddess of agricultural fertility. In accordance to her patronage, the deity is often depicted holding…
This week’s Women’s Wednesday features a new Mulier Clara: Juno, queen of the Greek gods and patron of marriage and childbirth. The illuminator Robinet Testard, as seen above, depicts the goddess with bare womb and…
Our third Women's Wednesday is dedicated to Opis, Saturn's wife, earth goddess and personification of abundance. The Latin word "ops", in fact, literally means "riches, plenty"; at the same time, "opis" signifies "work", especially in…
Let’s continue our adventure through the pages of the De Mulieribus Claris: today's guest is Semiramis, the legendary queen of Assyria. The illumination above depicts Semiramis in the company of a white dog, perhaps to symbolize…
How could we not open our Women’s Wednesday column if not with the very first woman, Eve? The myth of Eve was surely a heavy one for women through history, especially in Catholic medieval Europe; the First…
Folia Magazine presents a new, all-female weekly column: Women’s Wednesday! Every Wednesday we will be bringing your attention to an illumination taken from one of the many copies of Giovanni Boccaccio’s De Mulieribus Claris: 106 women,…