Secularization, mass culture, apocalyptic mood, lack of self – the transition from the 19th to the 20th century shapes the self-understanding of modern man like no other era before. Heinrich Mann's early masterpiece "The Goddesses" impressively portrays this spirit of the times through the example of an extraordinary woman. In her triple transformation, the Duchess of Assy is constantly driven by those primal forces that gain the upper hand in uncertain times: Eros and Thanatos. This work examines the symbolic character of femininity within the Goddesses trilogy, femininity that stands for the new and the uncertain, and once again becomes a projection surface for the fears of an entire generation. Revolutions are committed and fail, artificial kingdoms are established, entire cities are doomed to destruction at the mere glance of the demonic seductress.