Mythological Women: Strong or Dangerous?

As we discussed in class during our presentations, the portrayal of women in Ancient Greece mythology largely served to support the patriarchal society. Greek men drew upon many female figures from their myths to support the idea that women were “a plague on men” and should not be given positions of power. However, I find it interesting that, if looked at as a whole, it is not the myths themselves that portray women as the obviously inferior sex. Greek men seem to have chosen to focus on those portraying women in a negative or “dangerous” light in order to support their patriarchal society. 

There are many prominent female mythological figures that could be strong role models for women. Athena was the goddess of intelligence and battle strategy, yet the Greeks seemingly ignored the fact that she was a woman—they reserved most, if not all, educational and militant pursuits for men. Other examples of strong females include Nike, goddess of victory, and Artemis, goddess of the hunt. Even Zeus feared the wrath of his wife, Hera, who would fly into a rage when she learned of his affairs—he even had to hide his illegitimate children from her!

However, most Greek males never tried to let women follow in the footsteps of these stronger role models. Instead, they focused on the strrories of Pandora, who made the worst mistake in mythological history when she let out evil into the world, and Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, who was often portrayed as devious and cunning (in other words, men were scared of her). The fact that Greeks disregarded the strengths of their own goddesses is strange to me. The patriarchal Greek society was one of the most advanced in the world. Imagine what they could have achieved if they had had the help of women. 

Sources:

https://www.thenationalherald.com/170664/5-greek-goddesses-inspired-women-wonder-woman/

https://www.armstrong.edu/history-journal/history-journal-containing-the-kalon-kakon-the-portrayal-of-women-in-ancien

Oedipus—An Apollo or a Dionysus?

During the Ancient Greek Religion presentation, Elise’s discussion of “opposites” Apollo and Dionysus made me start to wonder—who is Oedipus more like? Like Apollo, Oedipus can be rational and logical. After all, he solved the riddle of Sphinx and saved Thebes from more destruction. From studying Apollo in seventh grade, I know he is also associated with protecting the young. And like Apollo, Oedipus protects his people in this way. His relationship with the Thebans is paternal in nature, and he feels an instinctive obligation to them.

However, while Apollo is prudent, Oedipus is often not. Like Dionysus, Oedipus’ emotional state drives his rash decision-making. Oedipus’ reckless assumptions generate chaos (similar to Dionysus’ chaotic and indulgent nature). For example, when Tiresias strongly implies/tells Oedipus that he killed King Laius, Oedipus refuses to accept that possibility. Not only does Oedipus reject the truth, but he immediately accuses Creon and Tiresias of murdering Laius and conspiring against him. Also, the actual decision to kill King Laius and his men was likely not well thought-out and was probably based on his instincts. Oedipus allows his emotions to control him and thereby brings about his own destruction.

To me, it feels like the forces of Apollo and Dionysus are at war in Oedipus’ soul.

Minangkabau-a-who?

Indonesia’s Minangkabau: The World’s Largest Matrilineal Society

     Gabby's question during the presentation on Women's Roles in Ancient Greek really caught my attention, so I did some research on women-centered societies and stumbled across this "oddity" (by traditional patriarchal standards). The Minangkabau is an ethnic group in Indonesia in which women are highly respected and honored. And guess what...it's actually "a devoutly Muslim community." Immediately, I thought to myself, what? Traditionally, Islamic societies view women as inferior and treat them as such. 

     However, the Minangkabau break from tradition, in a sense. In fact, the Minangkabau don't see men and women as equals; judging from their practices, women take the cake. Although some of their roles may at first appear "traditional," property passes from mother to daughter--ultimately giving them the upper hand, so to speak. Husbands move into their wives' homes, and decisions require an agreement between the two genders. Even more notably, "girls are treasured." Conceiving a daughter is wayyy better than conceiving a son, according to the Minangkabau (and my parents...just kidding!). 

     At first glance, the women and men of this society seem to fit traditional Western general roles. Women fulfill domestic duties, while men occupy political and religious roles. But according to the article, "both genders say that they value those roles, and each other, equally." This concept might be difficult to some of you to grasp, which I understand, because we live in a relatively more progressive society, but consider the situation of the Minangkabau. They live in Indonesia in a society that many of us can't completely comprehend. Due to their differences, their outlook on life is bound to be far different than ours. The article I read provided quotes from Minangkabau people, which I found were helpful to me in understanding their way of life.

"Even though it seems to be that men have more functions than women, we are still the same,'” said Widya Indah Lestari, a bright and articulate 16-year-old who covers her head, prays five times daily, and plans to become a doctor."

“'Our tradition is based on the holy Koran,'” said Lestari, [a woman]. “'The Koran says men will be the leaders. But women are not under the pressure of men. Even though men lead women, it doesn’t mean that women are less important.'”

     Power and authority is indeed divided among men and women but not in a Western sense. 

According to Evelyn Blackwood, an anthropology professor that studied the community, “'Yes, men have public power. But think of them as front men, representing the community to the state or to the mosque.'” Men have fancy titles, but women own the land. It's a more balanced system than that of a patriarchal society. For example, men and women are both involved in the decision-making process. 

     How does an Islamic society have such different views? The answer may lie in a "their long-held customs, or adat [...which] derives in part from the ancient animist and Hindu belief system of the Manangkabau, which existed before the arrival of Islam to Sumatra." The adat fuels the matrilineal inheritance fire, and the Manangkabau maintain that it can be practiced alongside Islam. 

      Despite cases of abuse and violence in this community (which are unfortunate aspects of every community), "women remain central." In the words of the male chief, or datuk, "'We devote everything to women.'"

     Obviously, we should strive towards equality in our current society, but since we often study patriarchal societies (as many prominent societies were and still are), I thought it was fitting to delve deeper into the philosophy behind a matriarchal society.

Source: https://www.thedailybeast.com/indonesias-minangkabau-the-worlds-largest-matrilineal-society?ref=scroll 

King Laius

When I was reading Oedipus, I could not stop thinking about the story of King Laius. Now that I read an interesting article about his biography, hopefully I can provide further insight into our discussion about Oedipus and his family. Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Mortals/Laius/laius.html.amp

• His father, King Labdacus, died very early into Lausis’s childhood and Lycus not only took care of him but assumed the throne.
• However, two twin brothers, Amphion and Zethus, killed Lycus to become crowned kings of Thebes.
• A few loyal citizens helped Lauis escape Thebes, and was raised in the court of Pelops where he eventually raped Pelops son, Chrisippus, and went back to Thebes to discover that Amphion and Zethus died.
• Therefore, Lauis easily became king and married Jocasta.
• Lauis discovered from the Oracle of Delphi that if he ever had a son that the son would kill him and marry his mother.
• In a different version of the myth, the oracle said that Thebes would be saved if he had no children.
• Unfortunately, Lauis had too much to drink and, through Jocasta, gave Oedipus life!
• Lauis was ordered that the baby should be left on a mountain to die.
• However, the shepherd responsible for taking the baby on the mountain gave the baby to another shepherd who gave the baby to King Polybus and Queen Merope.
• Eventually, as we all know, King Lauis encountered Oedipus who ended his life according to the prophecy.

I Love Y'all!: Response to Anabella'a "Auras" Post

I absolutely loveeee when I read the blog and laugh! Right on, y'all! <3 For some reason, the blog wouldn’t let me reply to y’all’s hilarious string of posts!!!

Although I cannot unequivocally say that I believe in auras, I find it fascinating to envision red and blue (which together create my favorite color, purple!) auras surrounding me. Furthermore, I'm a sucker for quizzes (now and always). 

I don't read my horoscope on a daily basis (to be honest, it scares me!), but I know I’m a Gemini. And...I'm twin!!! So I can't help but be somewhat intrigued.

I’m torn. Here’s why.

ON ONE HAND, I can’t help but agree with Ritchie. Free will IS far more comforting than predestination. Everything I strive towards hinges on the idea that “what I put in” is “what I will get out.” Obviously, everyone grows up in a different environment, but I firmly believe that if you give 100% every day, you will create your best self. We should recognize that we are privileged to have the life we have and should attempt to fully take advantage of the benefits we enjoy and give back to our community. At the same time, people who “start from the bottom” are often those who come out on top. Why do these advances happen? Perhaps it’s luck—maybe sometimes. But I’ve learned that most people succeed because of something different. They succeed, not because of the tools they were given, but because of what kind of life they chose to construct with those tools. My grandpa grew up in Price Hill, Cincinnati, in a household in which money was scarce. At a very young age, he contracted TB and missed an entire year of school. The only reason he received treatment was because his aunt was a nurse. Moreover, he didn’t learn how to read until the 5^th grade! But he used a combination of his quick wit, amiability, hilarity, intellect, and athletic prowess to transform his life. In high school, he became Class President, and the MLB tried to recruit him. He turned down their offers because he knew a different life awaited him—one that didn’t involve home runs and glory but, instead, involved self-fulfillment and intellectual gratification. The University of Cincinnati awarded him with a football scholarship, which helped my grandpa kick-start his academic career. While in college, two things molded the rest of his life. He tried to win my grandma’s heart by swallowing a goldfish (he claims he was trying “to impress her,” but he soon realized he’d have to try harder than that!), and he uncovered his geologic passions. One of the reasons Oedipus Rex is so tragic is that none of the characters have the ability to shape their own destinies, and at first, some of them believe that they do. If we lived in a world in which everyone credited the stars, planets, or Greek gods as dictators of our Fate, how would anyone have hope? How would humanity progress? The lack of free will would be tragic, indeed. That said, although I do believe in God, I also think that He gives us control over our actions and the ability to change our lives. I see what I perceive is free will in action every day. (I’m not trying to start any sort of religious debate. I just mean that I don’t think the belief in God or other gods rules out the possibility of free will. In Oedipus, it kind of does, but in other religions, the same doesn’t always ring true.)

ON THE OTHER HAND, I consider myself a person who feels emotion deeply—sometimes on a level logic cannot explain. There are certain aspects of my personality that I simply can’t control, and I experience certain immediate connections to people that I can’t explain. Some people say their Mind guides the majority of their actions, and others believe that their Heart is the boss. WHAT GUIDES YOU??? YOUR MIND OR YOUR HEART? A one word answer will suffice! I want to know! My Heart ultimately guides me, and its dominance is not something I can consciously control. As a result, I don’t think free will and conscious choices are the sole determiners of our Fate. The world is not as simple as some depressing (although interesting) philosophers would lead you to believe. Still, there’s no shame in loving fortune cookies, auras, and horoscopes—I do!

I’m confident that the world’s mysteries will never cease to intrigue me.

Oedipus and the Sphinx: Artwork

Something that grabbed my attention as I read Oedipus was the concept of the Sphinx; mythological figures often entice me as they seem to awaken a certain level of imagination within the reader. Last year, when we read Paradise Lost, one of my favorite things was looking at the paintings which were inspired by the book. Oedipus has a similar effect on artists and I enjoyed looking at the various pieces which each depicted the Sphinx in their own way, expressing individuality.
 

Tiresias

When Mrs. King mentioned the story about Tiresias' sex change as a result of viewing the copulation of snakes and the blindness that Hera allegedly cursed him with, my curiosity was peaked. Being somewhat familiar with Mythology, I figured there are probably several versions of this story and the causes of Tiresias' sex change and blindness. Below is what I found (about his sex changes, blindness, prophecy, and some other cool stuff):

Most mythological accounts hold relatively consistent for the cause of Tiresias's sex changes: he struck and wounded two mating snakes with his staff and was turned into a female until, seven years later, he returned to the same site, struck the same snakes, and turned back into a male.

The blindness: as Mrs. King informed us, one version of the cause for Tiresias' blindness is his involvement in Zeus' and Hera's argument regarding which gender enjoys sex more. When he was asked to resolve the argument, he, to the disdain of Hera, said that women enjoy sex much more. Hera then struck him blind. Zeus, in return for Tiresias agreeing with him, gave him the gift of prophecy. 

Some other interesting versions: one story goes that Athena cursed Tiresias with blindness after he accidentally saw her bathing. Tiresias's mother (Chariclo) then asked Athena to restore his sight. Athena was unable to do so, so she instead gave him the gift of prophecy. 

Methods in which he received oracles: In "Oedipus" we are told that Tiresias hears the oracle straight from Apollo. In several other mythological stories, Tiresias receives his visions through the songs of birds or the smoke of a burning sacrifice. 

Personally, I find Tiresias pretty awesome. He is a mere mortal but seems to transcend time (we see him in the Odyssey as well as "Oedipus") and the regular status of humans. The issue of the divinities versus humans was regularly explored in Greek tragedies. I found it interesting how, while Tiresias is not a god, he is often viewed in the same light. Many characters, including Oedipus initially, view Tiresias in a sort of divine light due to his prophecy abilities. 

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiresias

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tiresias