A Study on the Female Images in Ancient Greek Mythologies – Essay – danniqian13
Search
Essays
Sign up
Sign in
Contact us
Tweet
Index
/Literature
A Study on the Female Images in Ancient Greek Mythologies
A Study on the Female Images in Ancient Greek MythologiesClass: 1-14Name: 钱丹妮Student’s Number: 140110128Abstract The ancient Hebrew civilization and the ancient Greek civilization are worldly acknowledged as the sources of the spirit of Western civilization. The ancient Greek mythology serve to show us that although the world and our knowledge of it may change, humanity remains the same by narrating different stories of numerous gods, goddesses and heroes. And goddesses are well distinguished by their mercurial and glamorous personalities in spite of those strong and mighty male gods and heroes. Nowadays, issues like feminism and women’s social status are attracting global attention. The modern perception of women can be traced to the ancient Greek mythology, there is no doubt that those female images in the ancient Greek mythology directly effect our basic understanding towards women now. The acknowledgment has been widely accepted.Key Words: ancient Greek myths; female goddess; women consciousnessâ… As the Chinese proverb holds — “women hold up half the sky.” This is quoted all over the world and women have a special role in worlds history and present. There are six female goddesses in the Olympian gods, from which we can see female images play significant role in ancient Greek mythology. Each of them has unique, mysterious background and distinctive personality. For instance, Hera, the goddess of marriage and protector of married women, was petty and cruel and is most often shown administering some sort of revenge on one of Zeus’ lovers; Athena is the goddess of war and Wisdom, she was always giving precious advice and stood by on any danger. Athena protected the heroes as they went out to war and saved them on their coming back; Demeter was a peace-loving deity and the source of all growth and life, she was most appreciated for introducing wheat to mankind, making man different from animals; Aphrodite may have been the most attractive goddess, but according to the Iliad (the famous poem by Homer) , she was a rather weak, frightful goddess; Hestia was a kind, forgiving goddess and had a discrete character. She never left her residence, the sacred mountain of Olympus and never participated in any disputes or wars. Those characters make those goddesses less divine but more humanized. They are like miniatures of modern women.â…ˇPeople regard Greek mythologies as the representative of the patriarchal society. The bodies and the images of women have been materialized and sexualized as objects that men pursued and manipulate. Even they were denigrated as the embodiment of evil because of their mysteries and beauty. Helen of Troy was one of the most important females in Greek mythology. As the fuse of the ten-year Trojan war, Helen became the prototype in the art and literature creation. In the traditional literature, the image of Helen is full of contradictory. On the one hand, some people thought Helen was shameless and unfaithful, they used “Helen of Troy” to substitute dangerous. The Greek poet Alkaios said Helen violated the moral standard of Greek women and she should take all the responsibilities of the war. On the other hand, Helen has incomparable beauty of body. She satisfies all the fantasies towards women and inspires loads of poets and writers.
Continue for 2 more pages »
Read full document
Download as (for upgraded members)
Citation Generator
MLA 7
CHICAGO
(2016, 06). A Study on the Female Images in Ancient Greek Mythologies. EssaysForStudent.com. Retrieved 06, 2016, from
“A Study on the Female Images in Ancient Greek Mythologies” EssaysForStudent.com. 06 2016. 2016. 06 2016 <
"A Study on the Female Images in Ancient Greek Mythologies." EssaysForStudent.com. EssaysForStudent.com, 06 2016. Web. 06 2016. <
"A Study on the Female Images in Ancient Greek Mythologies." EssaysForStudent.com. 06, 2016. Accessed 06, 2016.
Essay Preview
By: danniqian13
Submitted: June 23, 2016
Essay Length: 668 Words / 3 Pages
Paper type: Essay Views: 454
Report this essay
Tweet
Related Essays
Greek Mythology
The Greeks believed that the earth was formed before any of the gods appeared. The gods, as the Greeks knew them, all originated with Father
312 Words  |  2 Pages
The Ancient Greeks and Democracy
Democracy is Power of the People. This was defined by the Greeks who first thought up democracy. The meaning we use now is, a government
668 Words  |  3 Pages
Greek Mythology in Ancient Times
In Greek society, poets played a vital role, in a variety of ways. Back in these days, they didn’t have cell phones, televisions, and a
836 Words  |  4 Pages
A Study on Icarus Legend in Greek Mythology and Its Cultural Influence
A Study on Icarus Legend in Greek mythology and its cultural influence Background/ the mythology Ancient Geek mythology, Icarus is the son of famous and
776 Words  |  4 Pages
Similar Topics
Detailed Summary On Greek Mythology
Influence Ancient Greek Words On
Get Access to 89,000+ Essays and Term Papers
Join 209,000+ Other Students
High Quality Essays and Documents
Sign up
© 2008–2020 EssaysForStudent.comFree Essays, Book Reports, Term Papers and Research Papers
Essays
Sign up
Sign in
Contact us
Site Map
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service
Facebook
Twitter