This may seem like a strange topic but it came about through a conversation with some friends and I couldn't get it out of my head. It's rather an interesting topic as it has really made me sit and think about how the goddesses have been portrayed within mythology and cultures. The original concept of this post grew when a friend mentioned that when researching goddesses, or looking at artwork/statues of goddesses, they would usually be listed as the sister or daughter of a god, almost like their relationship to a god was the only way they could be referred to as.
It is unusual to find a religion, whether current or ancient, that holds space for goddesses to be worshipped and/or revered in their own right. One such religion is Hinduism and the example I have found is the goddess Parvati. There are many forms that Parvati takes but each is worshipped individually. She is still the wife of Shiva, mother of their children and the gentler aspect of Devi, the universal goddess, but these are just parts of Parvati herself and they don't define who she is as a goddess.
This isn't true within the Ancient Greek pantheon, though, and there are some stark differences between Parvati and the examples I have found to be most prominent. These are Hera the goddess of marriage, Aphrodite the goddess of love, and Athena the goddess of wisdom.
Hera is the wife of Zeus and is one of the most popular and respected goddesses of the Greek pantheon. While she is the goddess of marriage, her own marriage was not the best example. Zeus was well-known for not being faithful to Hera but because Zeus was a god, he was given an unlimited pass. Hera, on the other hand, was forced to marry Zeus. This happened because she refused his advances. It was because of this that Zeus changed into a bird that had been injured in a storm and sought refuge in Hera's arms. Zeus then changed back to his godly form before assaulting Hera, which led to Hera feeling ashamed and like she had no choice but to marry him. This beginning of their relationship was not stable and led to many problems, from his lust to her jealousy.
But Hera was the Goddess of Marriage so you might think that she did well by marrying Zeus, when in reality, he had countless affairs with others. Hera was meant to represent the ideal of a happy family and marriage but she actually experienced the opposite because Zeus would often show more favour to the children born from his affairs than the children he had with Hera.
Hera couldn't do anything about this marriage that was forced on her because she was subjected to the godly hierarchy, of which Zeus was king. She couldn't escape this marriage either as divorce proceedings could only be initiated by the husband, but also because her marriage to Zeus was eternal. If Zeus were to divorce Hera, she would also lose her power and status as Queen of Olympus and so in this way, Hera was dependent on his power for her own.
Hera serves as an example of how women in ancient Greece were dependent on their husbands and helpless to change the societal dynamic. The assault Hera experienced also shows that women were objectified and exploited.
Aphrodite's experience was similar to Hera's in that she also was trapped in a loveless marriage that benefitted her father and husband but not her. Aphrodite was beautiful and many gods tried for her hand. As a result of this, Zeus, Aphrodite's father, was unsure how he could hand her over without causing tensions with the other gods. This situation was actually solved when Hera was trapped in a gold throne by Hephaistos and Zeus then said that whoever saved Hera would be given her hand in marriage. Many gods tried and failed, including Aphrodite's lover, Ares. Hephaistos, after having beaten many of Aphrodite's suitors, eventually went to Olympus of his own accord and demanded her hand in marriage in exchange for releasing Aphrodite. Zeus agreed so that the rivalry would end and Hera freed. But Aphrodite wasn't happy in this marriage because she had wanted to marry Ares, and just like Hera, she couldn't start divorce proceedings. So Aphrodite rebelled by acting on her own desires and pursued the attentions of other men.
But this whole situation goes against what Aphrodite stood for as the Goddess of Love because she was trapped in a loveless marriage. Although Hephaistos loved Aphrodite, she had never and would never reciprocate his feelings. This caused Hephaistos to become angry and bitter so he made a plan to shame Aphrodite and Ares in front of all the other gods. So when they were embracing in bed, he sprung a golden net over them before calling the gods to witness their infidelity. The result of this action is not clear as there are varying accounts of what happened next, but it is implied that Hephaistos did divorce Aphrodite as he is said to have married one of the Charities, Aglaia. According to the mythological stories about Aphrodite, she rebelled against those who sought to control her love and passion, the very things she was revered as a Goddess for. The only act of resistance and independence that was open to Aphrodite was to continue a relationship with her personal choice of lover.
The Goddess of Wisdom, Athena, has a different story to both Aphrodite and Hera as there isn't a marriage in sight for her. But Athena was still rather important within the Greek pantheon and mythologies. Athena's story starts with her mother, Metis who was the original Goddess of Wisdom. Metis was pregnant with Athena when she told Zeus of a prophecy that caused Zeus a lot of worry. The prophecy stated that Metis would have a daughter, Athena, who would be equal to Zeus in strength and wisdom but that afterwards Metis would also have a son who would potentially be able to overthrow Zeus to preside over the gods and men. In retaliation of this prophecy, Zeus decided to swallow Metis and her unborn child whole but against the odds, Athena was born fully grown from Zeus' mouth.
Athena fulfilled her part of the prophecy, but instead of being Zeus' rival, she became his most trusted advisor. She did this without coming across as having superior wisdom so that Zeus didn't see her as a threat. So Athena had quite some power and may also have been Zeus' favourite, even if she did defer to him in all things. While she may have had more freedom than others, Athena always asked for Zeus' permission before doing anything so that she could be sure of not receiving a punishment. During the Trojan War, Zeus was giving support to both sides which was causing a lot of chaos on the battlefield and it was only when Hera and Athena joined together that Zeus was convinced to let the Greeks push back the Trojans. Athena was always subjected to Zeus' command as she was his daughter living in a patriarchal society, which meant that she was below him in terms of power and status.
Two other Greek goddesses who also serve as examples of how feminism has always been a social topic are Hestia, and Persephone. Their stories are differ slightly to those of Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite, but they are still material to the social battle for equality.
Persephone was the daughter of Demeter and Zeus, and the Goddess of Springtime and Fertility. Without anyone finding out, Zeus organised for Persepone to marry his brother, Hades, so one day, Hades kidnapped Perspehone while she was outside picking flowers. Persephone was taken down to the Underworld to become Hades' bride and until after Hades explained everything, she believed she had been kidnapped by him.
As Persephone was the goddess of springtime and fertility, the upper world was left devoid of brightness and life. But according to some stories, Persephone was gifted a garden in the Underworld that was filled with poppies by Hades. The problem was that poppies weren't the best substitute for the variety of plants that the world of the living had.
Because of her marriage to Hades and the additional role of Queen of the Underworld, Persephone isn't just the goddess of spring – she's also goddess of the dead. Her identity is a duality: springtime and fertility, and presiding over the dead. Persephone is a goddess of opposites within this situation.
Hestia is another Greek goddess with a similar story. She was the first child of Kronos and the older sister of Zeus. Because she was the firstborn, she chose to take the title of Goddess of the Hearth and Home. This was an important aspect of life in the ancient Greek society because life revolved around the home and the community. Hestia's role was to tend the flame of the hearth which represented tending to the home and community itself, both public and private.
In some mythological stories, Hestia is one of the twelve Olympians but there is a clash in some of these accounts where her place is taken by Dionysus. Dionysus was a younger and newer god, and because of this, it has been suggested that Hestia gave up her seat for him. But this may be a modern aspect of the retelling of this story as there is no clear reason why Dionysus replaced Hestia in these ancient stories.
Hestia was a more passive goddess and had a quiet nature, which may be why this version has been presented. She very much appears to be a reserved person within Greek mythology. Most of the time, Hestia doesn't tend to take sides in the wars that the other gods took part in, as she prefers to tend the eternal flame at the hearth of Olympus.
But Hestia was definitely a central figure who represented the interconnectedness of the home and community, although she was later removed from the central Olympian community and became a minor secondary goddess so that a god could take a more prominent role.
While the Gorgon Medusa is not a goddess, her story is another example. Medusa was the only mortal born of Phorcys and Ceto. She was also beautiful which made her exceptional within her family as they were all dreadful and fearful beings in their own right.
This sounds like a lovely story so far, but what happened next is not. Medusa became the High Priestess in the Temple of Athena, where as part of serving Athena, she was chaste and a virgin. While Medusa was supposed to be unattainable by any man, it seems that the gods, one in particular, did not want to comply with this. Poseidon himself violated Medusa in the Temple which angered Athena, but instead of punishing Poseidon, she chose to punish Medusa, her Priestess.
Athena's punishment left Medusa bereft of her beauty and turned her into an ugly monster whose gaze turned any living being into stone. Because of this change, Medusa ended up being banished to the furthest corners of the known world at the time so she could live away from human contact. But this punishment had other consequences that meant Medusa was constantly hunted by those who wished to destroy her and take her head as it kept its powers of turning living things to stone after death. Perseus was the one who finally beheaded Medusa, and Medusa is immortalised within the constellation of Perseus as the brightest star is said to represent the eye of Medusa.
After all these stories that are steeped in history, it seems that feminism is not such a "modern" concept as might be believed. Women, and goddesses, have faced issues of equality for thousands of years due to how patriarchal society has been. Perhaps it was because of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II that women started asking for the same consideration as men, but I don't think that feminism should be confined to just women as goddesses should be given the respect and honour that they have long deserved and long been denied.
Personally, I don't see goddesses as after-thoughts to their male counterparts or relatives. I see them as individuals who are worthy of being considered separate to the gods who have always been considered as their own entities. I'm not going to say that goddesses have to be considered as their own personas because this is a very personal choice for each of us to make. But I do think that equality should be given to them because they are a part of so many aspects of life.
I know this has turned into a lengthier post than I originally planned but I hope this inspires you to truly honour goddesses and consider how you think of them in their own right.
Peace and love to all!!!
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