Myths inform us about Gods and Goddesses around the world. From those myths, we learn what they like and don’t like, how they act and how to worship them. Or do we?
They say history is written by the victors. Mythology is much the same. The myths that are recorded are written by those in power, often to justify their power.
Myths reflect the values and ideals of the society and time in which they were written. The characters in myths are painted in broad strokes, making them larger than life stereotypes, so they can get their point across.
In the case of Gods, and especially Goddesses, these stories don’t necessarily reflect the truth of how they were worshiped. Hera is an excellent example of this. Revered as the Queen of Heaven, Her temples were among the oldest, showing she was present before many of the other Olympians.
For the cult of Zeus to reign supreme, Hera’s power had to be controlled. Patriarchy was establishing the dominance of men over women, so Goddesses became wives and daughters, subjects of their husbands and fathers.
Now, before any of you get your noses out of joint thinking I’m some radical feminist, I’m not suggesting that there was some golden age where women ruled supreme. However, I do believe there was a time when Goddesses had more reverence than their masculine counterparts, being the life-givers and all.
We can’t take myths at face value, just like we can’t judge people by the color of their skin, or their income, or their past, or their clothes, or… We make better choices when we know more, both about people, and deity. When we get to know them, we may find that the rumors aren’t the whole story.
Blessings,
Mary