Stories of Women in Greek Mythology Essay Example

Achilles, a heroic figure who was an adept war machine who killed thousands in the Trojan War and let hundreds of people die because of his pettiness. Odysseus, a war champion who slaughtered hundreds in his own home. To the Greeks, they were the definition of perfect, they were everything they idolised, ruthless and cruel. They were both revered and praised by the people, all while their murderous actions were ignored. There was absolutely no consideration towards the lives that were taken and ruined because of them. Hopefully, today we can see that people like these are not perfect but incredibly flawed, and they cannot be idolised or promoted as they aren’t the “knights in shining armour” that people think them to be but, horrible people instead. So rather than reading their stories, why not read the untold stories of women in Greek myth, who have only previously been footnotes to their tales of these men. Their stories can allow you to see these epic classics in a new light and see their prevalence today. You may think that stories of Gods, magic and fantastical beasts have no relevance today whatsoever, but these stories cover important topics like rape, misogyny, war and trafficking, which are all real problems that real people face today. I’m only going to cover 2 of these lesser-known tales, the story of Briseis and the story of Medusa. 

In many retellings of the Iliad, Briseis and Achilles were painted as tragic star crossed lovers who could never be together, but that certainly was not the case. During the Trojan War, her town was pillaged by the Greeks with Achilles at the helm of the charge. Her parents, brothers and husband were all butchered. Then, she was kidnapped, taken as a slave and bestowed to Achilles as a reward for leading the successful attack on her village. At this time Achilles was seen as the model and exemplar man. Later in the war, Achilles and his commander got into a quarrel, the result of it was Briseis being handed over to the commander, and now she was his. There was no thought towards Briseis in this decision that would primarily affect her. She was thrown around like a doll and was forced to live with it. She had also been referred to as a “prize” in some retellings suggesting that these savage men did not view her as a human with emotions and feelings but as an inanimate object, whose sole purpose was to serve and please them. Imagine if you had been taken from your home, forced to be a slave for murderers, including one who killed your loved ones, wouldn’t you feel utterly disgusted and horrified that your abuse was being seen as love? Briseis was not some love-stricken girl but a traumatised and vulnerable one. A girl who had everything she ever knew snatched from her and was hurled into an alien situation. I think that this can be equated to modern-day slavery, where 19% of all victims of modern-day slavery were forced into sexual exploitation. That’s around 4.8 million people, who have also had their whole life stolen from them. 

Now, you may know the popular story of Medusa. How she was malicious in character and grotesque in appearance, with a head of hair filled with snakes that could turn you into stone with a single glance—but do you know how she got this way? It was a punishment from the virgin Goddess Athena for sleeping with Poseidon in one of her temples. However, another version of events is that Medusa didn’t want to but was forced into having sex with him and was raped. Personally I believe the latter account. Poseidon was ill-tempered and an infamous womaniser. He had also raped and sexually assaulted countless other women, including his older sister. So him raping Medusa isn’t out of character as many people claim, but, if anything it’s in character for him to see a gorgeous woman, become infatuated and then not take no for an answer. Once Athena had heard what had happened, instead of blaming Poseidon and making him take responsibility for raping someone in a sacred temple, sole blame was placed on Medusa. She was condemned and faced the consequences even though she was the victim and the situation was completely out of her control. Athena cursed her and took her ability to interact with other people away from her, which was utterly unjustified. The victim being blamed was very normalised at that time, a renowned poet, Ovid even wrote how Medusa’s suffering was deserved. Medusa’s story is heart crushing but it’s not an uncommon one, in Greek Myths or real life. In 2019-20, Police Scotland received 2,343 reports of rape and attempted rape. This shows us that rape is a prevalent issue that has been around for millennia, and still is today, that needs to be changed and maybe we can start by learning from stories like these and not denounce victims.

Throughout history the stories of women have consistently been overshadowed by stories of men and that needs to be fixed. I believe that as a society, we shouldn’t just focus on the romantic and heroic side of these myths, but look for the real and darker meanings behind them. Yes, people read about these tales for escapism from the reality of this world, but it is still important to acknowledge that not everything is perfect and shouldn’t take a mindless approach to these layered and complex stories. Many people today look up to valiant and vicious men like Odysseus, Achilles and Poseidon and it’s harmful if they’re idolised. They cannot be placed on a pedestal. They were not good people, they were not heroes. Instead of looking to them, why not look for new voices and perspectives? Stories that do have significant relevance today? Stories that millions can personally relate to?