An even better title for this post may be “Why goddesses should ignore their philandering husbands.” Have you noticed how many women are attacked by goddesses and turned into an animal or hideous monster? A punishment for usually unwilling maidens seduced by the gods ranges from the well known Medusa to the lesser known Io.
Io had frightening dreams of Zeus coming and stealing her maidenhood to which she brought her father’s attention. Inachus (Io’s father) went to the oracle to ask about these premonitions where the oracle told him that if the King of the Gods was not satisfied he would send his wrath down. So in fine male form Inachus sent his innocent daughter out of his protection and into the wilderness.
Zeus came upon the maiden walking aimlessly as she had no where to go. While flirting with the girl his wife, Hera, approached and before she could catch him in act of being unfaithful, if only in intention, Zeus turned Io into the first cow. Seeing the magnificent animal he had created demanded that she be given the cow as a gift to be guarded by the monster Argus who was of the hundred eyes.
Hermes, the messenger of the gods, came to Zeus with a plan to distract the monster long enough to free the cow. He would play music to lull the monster to sleep. When this did not work frustrated Hermes picked up rocks and threw them into the monsters eyes. When Hera came upon the eyes she was loathe to be rid of them so she planted them in the tail of her favorite animal the peacock.Io was freed but remaining a cow, Hera sent a fly to annoy her. So Io kept wandering the vast land trying to move away from the fly. When Io, the cow, finally arrived in Egypt she gave birth. Hera who was the goddesses of childbirth saw this act she granted the girl a reprieve from her torment and turned her back into a human.
The wives of the powerful gods seemed to always take their anger at their cheating husbands out on the poor women chosen. Perhaps it was because they had no power in which punish their husbands?
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I do find a lot of Greek Mythology interesting but it does seem to be quite negative towards women!
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You have to think of the time period in which these were thought up. A time of women being fulled suppressed, so I think women getting their justice on their husbands is nice. But did they have to punish the innocent victims as well?
ReplyDeleteI love Greek Mythology (my favourite is Hades and Persephone) and you are so right! Why don't they do something to the husbands. DUDE! even if he is the king of the gods (Zeus is such a sleaze) there has to have been something that she could do...grrr.
ReplyDeleteLoved the post.