Originally posted on Instagram 7th January 2022

So you’ve heard about Heracles and Thor and Rama. You’ve heard about the heroes who save the day and get the girl (or, in some cases, get the girl, then abandon her on an island, but he’s a hero so we don’t talk about that part…)

Except, maybe we should. In every mythology, there are powerful women who are more often than not mere plot devices for their male companions. But these women have stories too; stories that are often as engaging and interesting as the men’s.

To paraphrase Natalie Haynes, she’s in the damn story, so why not tell it?

Roles of Women in Mythology

A lot of mythologies have a mother figure, often one who created the world, or at least the human race.

There are also:

• Women who join male heroes on their quests (quite often to their misfortune)
• Female warriors and heroes in their own right!
• Enchantresses (or witches)
• Oracles

Some scholars think that the belief in mother-goddesses was once widespread, but it was replaced by patriarchal religions at some point in early human history.

Why retell Greek myths with women at the core? … because she’s in the damn story. Why wouldn’t we want to hear from her?

Natalie Haynes in ‘A Thousand Ships’

See also:

• Blog Post: The Morrígan
• Blog Post: Nüwa
• Bitesize History: Kundalakesi
• Reading Recs