Paleothea: the Ancient Goddess

I just got an email that brings up what I think is a very important point, and one that I give a great deal of thought to. Rather than attempt to summarize, I will include the email and my response in their entirety here.

From: JC
Subject: Goddess Aphrodite
To: ailiathena@yahoo.com
Date: Monday, August 18, 2008, 5:19 PM

I was very disappointed in your wording describing the most elegant and beautiful Goddess ( in my opinion), Aphrodite.  Although, the summary of her “life” is well thought out and the pictures are beautiful as well.

I began reading the  Marriage portion first and I was surprised, to say the least, that you used “low class” words such as;  “getting it on”, “pissed off”, “laughing their butts off”.  Needless to say I stopped at that point and had to write hoping you will replace the words to be suitable for the lovely and fair, Aphrodite.

I hope that when I return the Goddess Aphrodite can and will be proud.

Dear JC,

I think I appreciate where you’re coming from. It sounds - please correct me if I’ve misunderstood - that my descriptions seem to you to be disrespectful to Aphrodite and perhaps also to Her worshipers.

It is a difficult thing for me to respond to. On the one hand, the last thing I would ever want to do is insult anyone LEAST  of all a goddess. Furthermore, I certainly agree with you that Aphrodite is undeniably beautiful and classy. On the other hand, my choice of words is not unintentional, nor are my irreverent - or “low class” if you prefer - colloquialisms. I have a few different goals with this website, but one of the biggest is to engage younger and less informed readers. Secondarily, I seek to bring some of that ancient mythical world into the realm of possibility for contemporary readers, well-read or otherwise. And finally, obviously all of the myths that we have recorded come to us from aristocratic ancient Greek writers, but the deities, Aphrodite in particular, were by no means worshiped only by aristocrats. Remember that she is also the patron Goddess of prostitutes and not just upper class courtesans or priestess prostitutes, either. Remembering her as ONLY elegant is, I think, to lessen the profound impact that she had on her celebrants. Beyond that, if you read the myths in the original sources (check out the References page for more about where), I think it is clear that all was not cucumber sandwiches and croquet in many of the myths of Aphrodite (or, indeed, ANY of the Olympian gods).

I hope that you understand why I will not be changing my descriptions and accept my sincerest apologies if they have offended.

Yours,
Ailia

Yep, it’s that time again. Mahud of Between Old and New Moons has declared that this month’s synchroblog (due Sep. 1) will be about Journeying To Otherworld. He’s got a nice list of invites, but if you’re interested, comment here or on his blog so we all know to include you in the eventual list!

I still have no idea what the heck I’m gonna write about, but what’s the point if you don’t wait till the last minute anyway.

I’m actually not in Ecuador anymore and have successfully moved across the United States to my new home by the University where I’m going for my MA and then PhD. That’s why 1) I haven’t posted recently and 2) I may end up punking out on this blog. But here’s hoping I can keep up with it all and keep this baby running.

So anyway, back to the Ancient Greek Ladies. Sort of.

While I was visiting Quito, I encountered the very beautiful Virgin of Quito. I fell in love. This is a virgin who is also called “The Dancing Woman” and “The Woman of the Apocalypse.” It was the latter name that helped me put the pieces together: crown of 12 stars, check; moon under her feet, check; dragon, check; shiny clothes, check; eagle wings, check; this chick is straight out of Revelation! So I dug out my trusty old New Oxford Annotated Bible and read what it had to say.

One well-known version of the story tells of the goddess Leto, pregnant with Apollo [and Artemis, thank you very much], who is menaced by the dragon Python who pursues her because he knows that Apollo [geez, stop forgetting Artemis!] is destined to kill him. Here this material is reinterpreted in terms of Jewish traditions and expectations as the story of the birth of the Messiah.

So there you have it. I’m excited. I love stuff like this. Sychretism=my favorite.

P.S. Do that poll thingie. I don’t feel like this blog fits too easily into any one of those categories, but hopefully you’ll disagree and help me with registering this durn thing in other people’s lists.

I got home yesterday from Ecuador and the nicest thing I saw when I got back to my place was my dear old reference books scattered all over the floor. There’s a bunch I rely on. I keep meaning to review them in some form here, but I guess I’m not really much of a reviewer. If you’re interested in what I recommend, you should check out my Bibliography.

If not then you probably won’t be interested in what follows either, but I won’t let that stop me! Books I want to add to my collection include:

Female Power and Male Dominance: On the Origins of Sexual Inequality

Recommended to me by Carol Christ herself, and by an anthropologist (Peggy Reeves Sanday) that I respect.

Spartan Women

By the impressive Classicist Sarah Pomeroy, who I frequently refer to and quote liberally. Also, I know almost nothing about Spartan women, most of my ladies come from an Athenian perspective.

Trying Neaira: The True Story of a Courtesan’s Scandalous Life in Ancient Greece

Legal cases are crucial to our understanding of ancient Greek life, and of all the ancient Greek lives I could learn about, Neaira’s seems to be among the most fascinating.

Greek Religion and Society

Seems like a good place to start for me since my Classical background is so heavily literary and mythic. That’s the same reason I want to read Portrait of a Priestess: Women and Ritual in Ancient Greece and Finding Persephone: Women’s Rituals in the Ancient Mediterranean recommended to me via Anahita-L.

The Constraints of Desire: The Anthropology of Sex and Gender in Ancient Greece

I’m not sure why I didn’t read this in college, but I want to remedy that as soon as possible. Winkler founded this branch of Classical research in many ways.

Greek Nymphs: Myth, Cult, Lore

I’ve got Amazons covered, but I’m ready to learn more about these wily lovable women.

Lavinia

By favorite author Ursula K. LeGuin, this is actually a historical fiction about the silent princess from the Aeneid. Promises to be interesting - and you can even buy it at the airport!

I used to just buy the books with an interesting title, but I’ve learned the hard way that that doesn’t yield the best information. Recommendations are better. So recommend! Are there any other books you’ve read that were particularly relevant and accurate? Do you know anything about any on this list? Please comment and tell me about them!