The Image of Womanhood in Ancient History and Today

1743 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: changes in women's roles

*

I walked into a local shop here in Denver, Paris on the platz, ad was astounded by the ea of brunette girls, all looking the same. The modern goth movement is still prevalent on the west coast of the united states. Earlier I had been in Hollywood and saw a similar phenomena. Hollywood was in the 1980s was filled with blondes, it became stereotypical. The a change came over the scene, this new darker image took over to match the dyed hair color, dark mysterious, femme fatalistic.

Many very educated and spiritually evolved women that I know, veterans of the war of equality that occurred in the states in the 1900s seem to have taken on a new persona, a new image. Instead of the Sophia image that Jung prophesied of it has become an interesting archetype unto it's own. The process of individualization, the process of self empowerment, we have empowered ourselves to the point that we have forgotten to be compassionate, nurturing and merciful. The graces of the goddess have been replaced with the protectiveness of ancient images on the masculine gods.

Now we have women that are seemingly better than their male counterparts at being male. Was that the original purpose of the equality of right between the genders? We want women to have the same opportunities as men; to not be forced into a life of kitchen duties and childrearing against their will, to have the right to make up their own mind as to who they would vote for or against, to choose how they would benefit our society as per their own intuition and prerogative. This is a fairly new venture, one that has occurred in the last hundred years in the United States.

Often it seems that we are recreate the rules, the image of womanhood is being changed into something that is n...

... middle of paper ...

...ith however might prove to be a good spokesmen for the ancient city's women. Raw and primitive still, mothers and daughters owned the land that they, with the help of their male counterparts, worked to produce the sustenance of the gods and humans. There seems to exists a difference in the leadership of Inanna's town Uruk and Nintud's town Umma. In the grand scheme of things, that was their function, Victory and Mercy. In Enki and the World Order, Enki first chooses to bring the water of the Euphrates to Nintu, as the myths [break]

"Lillith, on the other hand, symbolize Raw Female Power, the Cave Woman who couldn't be dragged by the hair, another aspect of feminine power and assertiveness in the world Inanna had to conquer by her own choices and doing. What we have here are the fears and insecurities of a young goddess in search for her womanhood and queenship."

Show More
Related

  • Gender Roles in the Epic of Gilgamesh

    1137 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...y, as they are the characters that move the story forward. Shamhat’s seduction abilities, as well as Utnapishtim’s wife’s compassion, along with the help of Ninsun and Ishtar, the protagonists in the story moved forward. The women in the story display examples of feminine qualities and the overall strength women possess. The Epic of Gilgamesh shows that a women’s touch can tame even the wildest of men, and that a women’s wrath can send them spiraling. It also shows the nurturing and caring side of women, through their wisdom and compassion for others. Had it not been for these women and their places in society, Gilgamesh would never have accomplished all that he did.

    Read More

  • The Role of Women in Greek Mythology

    429 Words  | 1 Pages

    In considering the relationship between the meanings of myths and their representation of women, we learned that the major role in shaping the narratives was played by men. Myths reveal to us the experiences of women living in the patriarchal society and we gain the symbol value accorded to women and we come to realize what the term "Woman" meant to the ancient Greek man. Reading through the various stories on Goddesses and queens, monsters and more. Princesses, we learn that there are three major levels of women in Greek mythology. The first level is composed of the divine beings known as the goddesses.

    Read More

  • What Is The Similarities Between The Odyssey And The Epic Of Gilgamesh

    1574 Words  | 4 Pages

    Mortal and immortal women inspire many of the events that take place in The Odyssey and The Epic of Gilgamesh. For example, without the harlot, who “tames” Enkidu, the story of Gilgamesh would not be, as we know it. A chapter entitled, “Women in Ancient Epic” from A Companion to Ancient Epic by Helene Foley compares Ishtar in Gilgamesh to Calypso and Circe in The Odyssey. By comparing the role of immortal and mortal women in both The Odyssey and The Epic of Gilgamesh, one will be able to discern how the feminine figures have played a pivotal role in shaping the destiny of the epic heroes, as well as, understanding the interrelation amongst the female figures of both ancient epics.

    Read More

  • Women And The Role Of Women In Classical Mythology

    1197 Words  | 3 Pages

    The society in which classical myths took place, the Greco-Roman society was a very patriarchal one. By taking a careful gander at female characters in Greco-Roman mythology one can see that the roles women played differ greatly from the roles they play today. The light that is cast upon females in classical myths shows us the views that society had about women at the time. In classical mythology women almost always play a certain type of character, that is to say the usual type of role that was always traditionally played by women in the past, the role of the domestic housewife who is in need of a man’s protection, women in myth also tended to have some unpleasant character traits such as vanity, a tendency to be deceitful, and a volatile personality. If one compares the type of roles that ladies played in the myths with the ones they play in today’s society the differences become glaringly obvious whilst the similarities seem to dwindle down. Clearly, and certainly fortunately, society’s views on women today have greatly changed.

    Read More

  • The Changing Role of Women in Ancient Civilizations

    2426 Words  | 5 Pages

    Henrik Ibsen once said, “A woman cannot be herself in the society of the present day, which is an exclusively masculine society, with laws framed by men and with a judicial system that judges feminine conduct from a masculine point of view.”(Notable Quotes) Ibsen’s statement exemplifies what life was like for women during ancient times. In many of the organized ancient civilizations, it was very common to find a primarily patriarchal civilization in government as well as in society. The causing factors can be attributed to different reasons, the main being the Neolithic Revolution and the new found dependence on manpower it caused. As a result of this, a woman found herself to be placed into an entirely different view in the eye of society. In comparison to the early Paleolithic matriarchal societies, the kinds of changes that came about for women due to the introduction of agriculture are shocking. Since the beginnings of the Neolithic era, the role and rights of women in many ancient civilizations began to become limited and discriminatory as a result of their gender.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In Society Essay

    605 Words  | 2 Pages

    Let’s travel back in time to about the 1700s and the 1800s, back when women had absolutely no rights as an individual and men were considered superior to women. A time where women couldn’t be anything but a housewife and do anything beside house chores, reproduce, and take care of the kids. Meanwhile, men would go out to the world and work. However, throughout the centuries, women fought for their equal rights until they finally succeeded. Back to the present day, women today outnumber men in graduating college, and in professional programs. Gender roles today took a complete twist compared to how it was back then.

    Read More

  • Ishtar's Role Of Women In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

    1118 Words  | 3 Pages

    Women in The Epic of Gilgamesh plays a very significant role. Women were not considered as the most powerful gods nor the strongest or wisest of all humans but they still had great influence over others around them, at that time of Mesopotamia. Though the main characters of the story, Gilgamesh and Enkidu were men, women did not necessarily play a minor role. The roles of women in The Epic of Gilgamesh were mixed. Women are represented as harlots (Shamhat), wise (Ninsun) and as gods (Ishtar. In the epic of Gilgamesh, it can be seen that while men were considered to be the most powerful and wisest humans and gods, women had the power to significantly influence these men. Several women mentioned and described in the Epic of Gilgamesh carried roles that had important effects on the men they encountered. One woman I found very interesting is Ishtar, the goddess of love and fertility. I will discuss how women were being portrayed in the story using her character to support my analysis and how the creators of this epic portrayed women in Mesopotamia through this character.

    Read More

  • Women in the Iliad

    887 Words  | 2 Pages

    Women in this epic had many different roles in this epic, from dominant kind with power like the goddess of the story, or in captive as a damsel in distress type as a human, women were explained in many ways. The difference between the two genders is very distinguishable but to scorn females is out of the equation. Men do have a commanding influence in the story serving for their land by going to war, and protecting the people. But it is the women who are essential with their role of civilizing the men providing the plot of the story with their roles unintentionally initiating the males to take action.

    Read More

  • Role Of Women In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

    1106 Words  | 3 Pages

    A goddess in ancient Mesopotamia is considered a woman who is of the highest ranking and deserves the highest respect to be considered by men (Thompson). Ishtar, the goddess of love and war, has a small, destructive role in the epic. She essentially lets all fire and brimstone loose, which leads to a battle with Enkidu and Gilgamesh, which in turn leads to Enkidu getting the death penalty from the gods, which sends Gilgamesh off to his failed quest for immortality (shmoop). One more

    Read More

  • The Many Faces of a Woman: An Essay Exploring the Challenges Faced by Womankind

    1066 Words  | 3 Pages

    Feminism was at its nadir in the mid-twentieth century; cries of women's liberation, freedom, and independence resonated from all parts of the world. This era is perhaps best perceived as one, which was replete with images of women burning their bras. Armed with gainful education, women from different echelons of womankind were seen fighting adversities to assert and establish their rights. Margaret Laurence in "The Diviners" illustrates this phenomenon and delineates the status and challenges faced by the women of this era, by relating the story of its protagonist Morag Gunn, and the people responsible for mapping the course of her life.

    Read More

  • Women Deserve the Same Rights as Men

    1285 Words  | 3 Pages

    Women Deserve the Same Rights as Men From the beginning of time, women have played a powerful role in the shaping of this world. They have stood by idly and watched as this country moved on without them, and yet they have demanded equal rights as the nation rolls along. Through the years, the common belief has been that women could not perform as well as men in anything, but over the years that belief has been proven wrong time and time again. So as time marches on, women have clawed and fought their way up the ladder to gain much needed equal respect from the opposite sex. However, after many years of pain and suffering, the battle for equal rights has not yet been won.

    Read More

  • Women's Gender History

    1014 Words  | 3 Pages

    With the change of the society from the primitive period to technological globalized world, people tend to believe that men and women have the equal rights in workplace or domestic life. But it does not happen so. Women have always been the second class to the man because of the inequality in wages, workplace and domestic life. Women movement started after the late 19th century and early 20th century but the involvement of women in the political events in the past goes far beyond the history. Most of the chronological event of the history is written in the male’s perspective. That’s why feminist historians tend to focus only women in women’s history.

    Read More

  • Treatment of Women in Ancient Literature

    2408 Words  | 5 Pages

    Women were often subjects of intense focus in ancient literary works. In Sarah Pomeroy’s introduction of her text Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves, she writes, “Women pervade nearly every genre of classical literature, yet often the bias of the author distorts the information” (x). It is evident in literature that the social roles of women were more restricted than the roles of men. And since the majority of early literature was written by men, misogyny tends to taint much of it. The female characters are usually given negative traits of deception, temptation, selfishness, and seduction. Women were controlled, contained, and exploited. In early literature, women are seen as objects of possession, forces deadly to men, cunning, passive, shameful, and often less honorable than men. Literature reflects the societal beliefs and attitudes of an era and the consistency of these beliefs and attitudes toward women and the roles women play has endured through the centuries in literature. Women begin at a disadvantage according to these societal definitions. In a world run by competing men, women were viewed as property—prizes of contests, booty of battle and the more power men had over these possessions the more prestigious the man. When reading ancient literature one finds that women are often not only prizes, but they were responsible for luring or seducing men into damnation by using their feminine traits.

    Read More

  • The Role of Women in Society

    374 Words  | 1 Pages

    Women have always been essential to society. Fifty to seventy years ago, a woman was no more than a house wife, caregiver, and at their husbands beck and call. Women had no personal opinion, no voice, and no freedom. They were suppressed by the sociable beliefs of man. A woman’s respectable place was always behind the masculine frame of a man. In the past a woman’s inferiority was not voluntary but instilled by elder women, and/or force. Many, would like to know why? Why was a woman such a threat to a man? Was it just about man’s ability to control, and overpower a woman, or was there a serious threat? Well, everyone has there own opinion about the cause of the past oppression of woman, it is currently still a popular argument today.

    Read More

  • Iliad And Odyssey Essay

    1030 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Iliad and Odyssey present differently not in themes but also of ideal women. Goddesses, and how they are presented as ideal women, differ in Homer’s two epics. Their roles are largely in both epics depicted as helping men to achieve their goals. One example is in book III of the Iliad when Pandarus shoots an arrow at Menelaus… "took her stand in front and warded off the piercing dart, turning it just a little from the flesh, like a mother driving a fly away from her

    Read More

More about The Image of Womanhood in Ancient History and Today

Open Document