Women in Ancient Greece and Mythology

Andrew Van Buskirk
Nov 6 · 7 min read

The stories of Greek mythology form an almost impossibly vast universe, replete with gods, goddesses, monsters and heroes alike. However, though they are absolutely essential to the foundations of literary history, and ubiquitous in their influence, there is one area in which Greek myths fall undesirably short. Women in Greek mythology, both mortal and immortal, are frequently shown in an unflattering and distasteful light. While not a constant issue, and though there are certainly instances of women being spoken of positively, the general portrayal of women in Greek mythology is a representation of the deep-rooted misogyny that ran rampant in ancient Greek society.

Women in ancient Greece had very little in the way of rights or any sort of freedom. According to Mark Cartwright, the publishing director of the Ancient History Encyclopedia, “unable to vote, own land, or inherit, a woman’s place was in the home and her purpose in life was the rearing of children” (Cartwright 1). From their earliest days, societal norms groomed women into the subservient model wives that men had grown to expect. In primary school, girls “were educated in a similar manner to boys, but with a greater emphasis on dancing, gymnastics, and musical accomplishment which could be shown off in musical competitions and at religious festivals and ceremonies. The ultimate goal of a girl’s education was…not directly to stimulate intellectual development” (Cartwright 5). Much was expected of Greek women — they were expected to be virgins until marriage, and upon said marriage, which was usually arranged by their fathers, they were regarded as “under the complete authority of their husbands” (Cartwright 9). Considering the fact that women were regarded as subservient from birth, it’s not inconceivable that such a society’s perspectives would bleed into their mythology.

In her paper for the Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History, Dessa Meehan reinforces this idea, stating that “there is a clear connection between culture and fable; fables reflected society and, in turn, perpetuated societal relationships evident within the mythology…the portrayal of women in mythology as deceitful, manipulative, and the downfall of men corresponded with oppressive treatment and forced seclusion, which mirrored Greek patriarchal society” (Meehan 1–2). Considering its history, then, it’s not surprising that Greek mythology is full of examples of stories and characters that directly mirror society’s attitudes towards the role of women in everyday life. Two of the foremost examples of women being portrayed negatively can be found in Pandora and Aphrodite.

Pandora is the archetypal display of the misogyny that pervades Greek myths. Created by Zeus as a punishment for mortals per the actions of Prometheus, Pandora is given gifts by each of the Gods before she is sent to Earth, the most significant of which being the gift of curiosity, bestowed upon her by Hera. Prometheus’s brings Pandora to his brother, Epimetheus, who falls deeply in love with her at first sight. Despite Hermes warning him not to accept any gifts from the gods, Epimetheus is blinded by her beauty and ignores the advice. Pandora is sent to Earth bearing a beautifully ornate box that she has been instructed never to open. At first, she is able to resist temptation and leave the box alone, only for her incurable curiosity to finally, inevitably overwhelm her. Pandora opens the box, and in doing so unleashes all of the evils into the world, closing it just in time to trap “hope” before it can escape.

While it’s important and ultimately good that Pandora was able to preserve hope for all mankind, she is still the scapegoat at whose feet the blame is laid for all of the evils of the known world. Comparisons can be drawn to the Biblical tale of Adam and Eve, which similarly paints a woman as the cause of all the world’s woes. Born of Adam’s rib, Eve is also, from birth, seen as subservient, a product of a man rather than an equal partner. Meehan refers to the role painted for Pandora as the result of this female inferiority complex, saying her “depiction as weak, deceptive, and the downfall of man correlated with male oppression and isolation of elite women in the Greek world….Hesiod attributed all evil and darkness to the actions of one woman; because of this, he urged the rest of mankind to control the women in their lives so nothing of the like might happen again”, quoting Helen King: “‘kalon kakon; an evil because she is undisciplined and licentious, lacking the self-control of which men are capable, yet necessary to society as constructed by men, in order to reproduce it’” (Meehan 9).

Immortal women weren’t immune to this sort of regular degradation. Even Aphrodite, goddess of love and sexuality, born of the seafoam created by the falling blood of Uranus, was regularly cast in an unflattering light. Meehan notes that Aphrodite is “relatively consistently represented as scheming, untrustworthy, and cunning”, even positing that “[her] depiction as manipulative, deceitful, and promiscuous influenced men’s treatment of women by applying the same characteristics as part of a woman’s nature” (Meehan 11–14). Aside from myriad illicit affairs — including one with her brother Ares that she carried on in her married home with Hephaestus — Aphrodite is often shown blatantly using her sexuality to trick men for her pleasure, both mortal men and gods alike.

One specific myth shows her seducing a mortal man, Anchises, while concealing her true identity as a goddess. Upon stumbling upon Anchises, Aphrodite becomes enraptured and presents herself to him, disguised as a maiden. Anchises saw her and immediately took her for a goddess, offering her sacrifices and gifts. “Then Aphrodite, daughter of Zeus, answered him: ‘Anchises, most glorious of earth-born men! I am no goddess. Why do you liken me to the female immortals? No, I am a mortal. The mother that bore me was a woman’” (Nagy 107–110). Her lies lead to two weeks of lovemaking, and then only months later does she reveal her true identity to her mortal lover, presenting him with their child Aeneas. She makes him promise not to brag about their affair, for if he does he will be struck by Zeus’s thunderbolt. He does indeed brag, and is subsequently struck down. This story is one of many that positions Aphrodite as a flippant, sex-obsessed, dishonest and mischievous woman that sets her male “victims” up for despair, yet another example of Grecian societal misogyny carrying over into its mythology.

Both aforementioned women’s stories contain distinct similarities. They are both portrayed as troublemakers, with Aphrodite wielding her sex appeal and lust like a sword while Pandora was created for the specific purpose of punishing men. They also paint women as the direct cause of any misfortune to fall on the men who act opposite them in their relevant story, with no room for interpretation from the reader. They also contain numerous differences, both in the way their stories are told and in their origins. To start, one is a goddess, the other a mortal woman, so despite sharing a gender, the remaining circumstances surrounding the lives of these women are notably separate. Aphrodite was also, therefore, born to gods, and inherently commands more respect and reverence than Pandora.

Another significant difference is that even thought she is shown fairly consistently to be a provocateur, Aphrodite is occasionally shown to be a benevolent goddess capable of transforming one’s life for good. In the story of Pygmalion, Aphrodite grants the title character his wish to find the love of his life, in turn bringing him eternal happiness and breaking the cycle of loneliness and revulsion he felt towards women prior (Ovid 10.243 ff). Pandora, however, is only shown in a negative way, firmly establishing her as the sole person to bear responsibility for the result of her actions, fated though they may have been. As Meehan notes, “In neither Theogeny nor Works and Days did Pandora ever respond to the allegations and blame against her; her guilt was just accepted by the male readers, intended as a warning against allowing women power or independence” (Meehan 21). This is significant, as it shows that mortals were always regarded as lesser than the gods, and as such, Aphrodite was more redeemable a character than Pandora.

That’s not to say that there were never any positive portrayals of women in Greek mythology; on the contrary, Mark Cartwright notes that among “ancient cultures where agriculture was crucial to the community, female fertility goddesses were extremely important and particularly venerated — Demeter and Persephone being the most revered for the Greeks” (Cartwright 3). He also notes that the Muses were positive representations of women in mythology, as they were “celebrated not only for their physical beauty but also their wide-ranging skills in the arts” (Cartwright 4). The nymphs of Crete raised Zeus into a strong, healthy young man, rearing him among the beautiful scenery and plethora of animals and wildlife that surrounded the cave in which his mother placed him. Though not always shown, women undoubtedly had a place of reverence in the Greek mythological universe, as limited as it may have been.

It is crucial, though, that the pervasive misogynistic tendencies of ancient Greek life be consistently held up next to those stories, as they are a direct reflection of the time in which they were conceived. Through careful examination of the myths mentioned above and many others like them, it is clear that women were often framed as “devious, manipulative, hazardous to men, and deceitful” (Meehan 21). The men of ancient Greece, then, would use these texts as justification for their mistreatment and suppression of women, in attempts to retain power in society. Though social norms would inevitably shift, the social climate of ancient Greece was directly reflected in and responsible for the portrayal of women, both mortal and immortal, in Greek mythology.

Andrew Van Buskirk

Written by

All things New York sports and I guess Philly too.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade