Welcome to Gender and Greek Myth

Welcome to Gender and Greek myths. These posts are designed for readers curious about the literary, psychological, and archeological aspects of Greek myths. Like all myths originating in prehistoric times and passed on orally, they’re shrouded in mystery, reflecting the universal need to explain the unknown in story, touched with divine inspiration. 

From archeological sites, we know the Goddess was worshipped throughout the Eastern Mediterranean world, notably in Crete, where this snake goddess was found. Her role was greatly diminished in classical Athens of the fifth century BCE, as Zeus and Apollo became pre-eminent. Athena is a powerful warrior goddess, and Hera, Aphrodite, Artemis, and Hestia all have their domains, but shrunken. Athena was said to burst from the head of Zeus! When her mother Metis, a Titan blessed with wisdom, became pregnant by him, Zeus heard that Metis’ daughter would be wiser than her mother and her son would overthrow Zeus. He swallowed her and her unborn child. Later Zeus was seized by a mighty headache. The smith god Hephaestus split open his skull and out popped Athena, fully grown and armed. 

So was early goddess worship subsumed, literally as here or through Zeus’ rapes and abductions. More on all this in posts to come.