Women pervade nearly every genre of classical literature, yet as good evidence as this may seem, the reader must keep in mind that the literature was written by males and there is more than likely a bias present and with this bias, a taint of misogyny. Religion is indicative of the standing of women in any given society. Mythology is often the subject of classic literature and therefore it is a good place to study the ideal role of women in Ancient Greek society.

A myth can be defined as an “imaginative, traditional tale transmitted orally over generations, which typically involve super human forces and deal with fundamental human concerns.” It consists of stories that have existed, in various forms, for years immemorial. Therefore, classical mythology provides the earliest glimpse of male-female relationships in Greek civilization. Though myths may not be factually true, they are often symbolically true as well as sociologically true.

Religion can be defined as “an acknowledgement of an obligation to a god or gods; a practical piety; devotion; any system of faith and worship. It may be based or explained by myth but myth and religion are not the

A discussion of the myth themselves, must begin with a discussion of the major players in it. There are twelve major gods and goddesses in the Greek pantheon known as the Olympians. These gods and goddesses were Panhellenic, that is all people over the Greek world would worship these same gods. These gods and goddesses represent characteristics that each person in Greek society should have. The Olympians include Zeus, Hera, Demeter, Hestia (later replaced by Dionysus), Apollo, Artemis, Athena, Aphrodite, Poseidon, Hades, Hephaestus, and Ares.

Greek women were valued for their virginity and this was reflected in the fact that three out of the six Olympian (discussed later) goddesses remained virgins. Chastity was seen as a virtue only in women. A Greek wife did not even eat with her husband, but monogamy placed enormous power in her hands yet also isolated her in a way unknown in other societies where the numerous wives were able to socialize with each other. Though girls were not as valued in Athens as they were in Sparta, responsible fathers in Athens would not raise a female baby unless they were able to provide a proper dowry for her upon her marriage.

To begin to look at the role the women represent in myth and religion, we must first take a look at what everyday life was like for a woman in the Ancient Greek world. Although we consistently know more about the aristocracy than about the lower classes, we can say that Greek women lived very sheltered lives in general. Scholars have also noted similarities in the behavior of aristocrats in the various cities across the Greek world, so we can generalize that the lives of women would vary across this area. There were very different roles for the genders in Ancient Greece, the men were ideally warriors and the women were child bearers. This was true for all periods, regardless of specific location or the diversity of the social and political structures that were found throughout the ancient Greek world.

Zeus also reflects the attitudes of ancient Greeks towards women by having affairs with many different women despite the fact that he was married to Hera. In their culture, men were allowed, if not encouraged, to have affairs with prostitutes or hetaera. Hetaerae were paid companions who were often educated and there for could amuse the

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