Mother, Damsel, Monster—How Women Are Portrayed in Greek Myth

You know that phrase “It’s a man’s world?” Oh, yeah—I hate it too—but it was kind of the case in ancient patriarchal societies, especially in ancient Greece. 

For women in ancient Greece, life had two purposes: marry and have children. When it came to legal matters or dealing with the public, women were required to have a male counterpart represent them, whether that was a husband, father, or uncle. Women were mostly kept out of the public eye, and spent most of their lives tending to the private spheres of their homes. When you look at ancient depictions or scenes of men and women, you notice that men are always this rich, terra-cotta color, while women are pale and light—if that isn’t an indicator that one gets out more than the other, then I don’t know what is.

As much as we applaud ancient Greece for its many innovations and achievements, feminism isn’t one of them (although if you’re interested in reading up on an ancient Greek culture that did see women as almost equals, look into the Etruscans). Don’t get me wrong, there were still badass women (Hydna of Scione, Arete of Cyrene, and Agnodice of Athens to name a few) paving their ways through these times—these examples are simply harder to come by since there may not be records of these trailblazers. 

A lot of what we discover and can piece together about ancient societies comes from archaeological evidence: looking at physical records, who ruled at the time, how people were honored during burial, artwork, etc. But another resource is their storytelling—particularly mythology.

Now, let’s get to the good stuff.

In Greek mythology, women are rarely ever seen as the hero (I would say never, but only siths deal in absolutes), and usually act solely as a means to move the story along. The goddess Hera is jealous and vengeful because of her husband’s philandering (what a concept), Persephone is dragged to Hades against her will, and Medea is seen as evil even though she helps Jason with literally every part of his quest. 

As it typically confines women to the role of victim, lover, or mother, Greek mythology isn’t known for its female empowerment, but there was another important role women usually played: monster.

So many of Greek mythology’s most formidable characters and creatures are female. Scylla, harpies, sirens, the Gorgons, and even the Hydra are all bone-chilling monsters with the main purpose of destroying men—particularly heroes. Women also held roles of mystical power, particularly the Fates, witches (like Medea and Circe), and goddesses. These mystical women weren’t always destructive, and they could be extremely helpful if the protagonist was in their favor, but that fortune could turn sour very, very quickly.

Why is this? Why were dutiful and submissive female characters seen as good, and why were powerful women seen as terrifying or evil? 

There are many reasons, but here’s the one I want to focus on: in a way, men in ancient Greece were afraid of women. Not only were women seen as tied to the mystical world and the darkness, they were also tainted with a ‘disease’ called miasma (blood pollution). Ancient Greeks, particularly the men, feared miasma, which women automatically had because of menstruation. This exposure to miasma led to women being the caretakers of the dead, adding to their mystical, dark reputations. It’s a classic response to the fear of the unknown: suppression. 

Again, we could do a really deep dive into the topic and this is barely skimming the surface, but next time you’re reading up on a Greek myth, pay attention to how the female character is perceived—what does it tell you about the cultures and values of Greece at that time? What can she teach you about finding and using your power today?