Heroic Women ARCH 0412 From Gilgamesh to Hector: Heroes of the Bronze Age Kathryn McBride, JIAAW Friday, April 8th, 2016 Mesopotamia and Egypt: Goddesses of Love and War Cylinder Seal of Ishtar Sekhmet Greece and Rome: Virgin Warrior Goddesses Athena Artemis Amazons in the Greek Imagination • Began with a royal women who excelled in courage and strength, raised an army of women who subdued neighboring lands • Assigned men the women’s tasks, maimed the bodies of men so they couldn’t fight • Cauterized right breast of young girls a mazos “without breast” • Followers of Ares and Artemis • Wild, barbarian, not really Greek (none of this is actually true. blame Herodotus.) Penthesileia • Amazon Queen, sister of Hippolyta • Fought in Trojan War against the Greeks • Killed by Achilles • At the moment of her death, Achilles instantly fell in love with her Scythian Kurgans Medea (and Jason) Caveats! • Keep in mind the timeline This is NOT the Bronze Age • Several versions of this story Hesiod (8th century BCE?) Euripides, Medea (5th century BCE) Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica (3rd century BCE) Ovid, Metamorphoses, Heroides (1st century CE) Seneca, Medea (1st century CE) Jason and the Argonauts • Pelias (Jason’s uncle) becomes king of Iolcus (city north of Athens) • Because of a prophecy, Pelias becomes suspicious of his nephew, sends him on an impossible quest • Pelias orders him to obtain the Golden Fleece • The Argo (swift), Athena attaches a piece of sacred prophesying timber • Jason gathers the heroes of Greece including Orpheus, Castor and Polydeuces, Heracles, and Theseus • What does this quest potentially signify? Journey to Colchis (the Quest) • Lemnos Heracles convinces them to leave • Contest with Heracles Jason wins by default • King Amycos Polydeuces wins • Phineus and the Harpies Calaïs and Zetes win • Wandering rocks- Symplegades Phineus helps Lemnos Heracles and Jason Phineus and the Harpies The Symplegades Adventures in Colchis (the Challenge) • Colchis = modern day Georgia • King Aietes’ tasks Yoking bronze-footed, fire-breathing bulls to plow a field Sow the teeth of a serpent, fight the resulting warriors Retrieve the fleece • Medea, daughter of Aietes Niece of Circe, devotee of Hekate (goddess of witchcraft) • Medea makes Jason swear an oath to the gods that he will never betray her • Jason asks for Medea’s help • Medea gives him a salve, knowledge, and a potion • The Argo sets sail at night The Serpent Jason and the Golden Fleece Homeward Bound (the Return) • Aietes pursues Jason and Medea • Medea murders her brother, Aietes falls behind • Sirens helped by Orpheus • Charybdis, Scylla, Wandering Rocks helped by Thetis, the Nereids, and Hera • Talos of Crete, “bronze man” killed by Medea The Death of Talos Death of Pelias and Exile in Corinth • Jason’s father’s renewal • Jason returns, gives Pelias the fleece Pelias retracts his promise • Jason asked Medea for help (again…) • Medea tricks Pelias’ daughters Jason and Medea are forced into exile at Corinth • Creon (king of Corinth) wanted to wed his daughter to Jason Jason decided to put aside Medea Medea’s revenge The End of the Tale • Medea escapes (many variations) Driven out of Thebes, then Athens Returns to Colchis to reunite with her father Travels to the Iranian plateau with her son Medus (Medes = Persians) • Jason’s death • Who is the hero in this story? Who has agency? Can someone do terrible things and still be a hero? Hero vs Antihero Themes? • Women in Greek tradition can only be heroic if: They’re virgins taming of wildness/sexuality by marriage They’re foreigners, barbarians, sorceresses • No real place in Greek mythology for heroic Greek women (who aren’t chaste) • Exceptions? Perhaps Demeter in the story of Hades & Persephone Modern Interpretations .