• When King Arthur was conveyed to Avalon they were there.
• When Odin summoned warriors to Valhalla they were there.
• When Apollo was worshipped on Greek mountains they were there.
• When Brendan came to the Island of Women they were there.

They tended the Welsh goddess Cerridwen's cauldron of inspiration, and armed the hero Peredur. They are found in Britain, Ireland, Norway, Iceland, Gaul, Greece, Africa and as far afield as South America and Oceania. They are the Nine Maidens - the priestesses of the Mother Goddess.
From the Stone Age to the twentieth century, the Nine Maidens come in many forms - Muses, Maenads, Valkyries, seeresses and druidesses. In this book Stuart McHardy traces the Nine Maidens from both Christian and pagan sources, and begins to uncover one of the most ancient and widespread of human institutions.