The Goddess in the Exodus: Nina Paley’s Seder-Masochism and Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminism, and Female Divinity in the Ancient World

Abstract

Abstract:Nina Paley’s animated musical Seder-Masochism reimagines the story of the Exodus. To Paley, the Exodus is not the pinnacle of God’s relationship with Israel but the silencing of Goddess religion. Paley draws heavily on the work of some “goddess feminists” to argue that YHVH’s rise killed “the Goddess.” This article discusses how Seder-Masochism portrays goddess worship in the ancient world in general and ancient Israel and Judah in particular. Tamber-Rosenau explores how Paley’s filmic portrayals of goddesses interact with the current state of scholarship on ancient goddesses. She then shows how the film’s central thesis that God silenced and killed the Goddess connects with Paley’s antitransgender ideology.