The Cup of Mari Anu

Teya Rosenberg is an assistant professor of English specializing in
children’s literature at Southwest Texas State University.

This tale presents a female hero in a feminine and feminist mythology.
The people of Mari Anu worship their goddess with a temple in which a
silver cup catches spring water; as a result of their worship, the
people are prosperous. But soon they begin to neglect the shrine; when
the cup disappears and the spring dries up, the people’s prosperity
also disappears. Their priestess, a mute child named LuSin, begins a
quest westward, through mountains to the sea, and then sailing even
further west. She is guided by a variety of animal helpers and
encounters a goddess, who bestows gifts of strength and unusual ability
on her. Eventually she finds a new cup for her people’s shrine. In
undertaking the quest and returning to her people with the boon, LuSin
is a hero.

As mythology, this book provides another dimension to well-known Greek,
Roman, Judeo-Christian, and Celtic mythologies. As historical fiction,
however, it does not work, being too plot-driven, with little
development of character or setting. The somewhat didactic story (the
audience is clearly being instructed about the myths and beliefs of
Goddess worship) is nonetheless enjoyable, and the color illustrations
are a lovely addition. Recommended.