Sibyls: Prophecy and Power in the Ancient World

Guillermo (Cuba: Five Hundred Years of Images) goes in depth into the ancient world as he studies the prophetesses known as sibyls in this disappointedly crafted book. The precise premise of the book is unclear; it adheres to two general, somewhat underdeveloped theses about the importance of women in ancient religions and the fusion between ancient religions and Christianity. In spite of the book’s rocky introduction and conclusion, Guillermo’s expertise on sibyls themselves becomes clear in the middle chapters. Here, he focuses each chapter on a different significant sibyl, from the Delphic Sibyl, known for revealing to Oedipus his unfortunate destiny, to the Cumaean Sibyl who supposedly lived hundreds of years as a gift from Apollo. Guillermo explores the sibyls’ origins, known characteristics, and any other stories about the sibyls available in these exhaustive and well-researched sections. Unfortunately, the book is muddled by an unclear chronology, disorienting combination of fact and myth, and strange employment of quotations that feel like tangents. Guillermo’s book can be useful for those seeking specific knowledge on sibyls, but its structural issues will prove too great an obstacle for casual readers. (Nov.)