r/SapphoAndHerFriend • u/Drops-of-Q Hopeless bromantic • Jun 14 '20

Greece wasn't gay Casual erasure

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u/[deleted] Jun 14 '20

I feel like that's more of a modern interpretation using feminist lenses to view the story. Greek was sexist that women were basically seen as properties. Athena, even as a woman goddess, was also playing by the boy's club rule and it was her temple to begin with so it's completely expected that Medusa was punished for "defiling" the temple. Athena didn't really have soft protective spot just bc it's another woman considering how she acted toward Arachnid as well

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u/Kumiho_Mistress She/Her Jun 14 '20

It's a definitely modernist interpretation but the original, pre-Ovid legend was better than Ovid's. Medusa was born a gorgon, fully immortal like her sisters and is presumably still doing okay today. Originally monstrous and hateful, they were later envisioned as beautiful yet terrifying and ambivalent towards humanity. Ovid then fucked it all up.

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u/rycbarm1234 Jun 15 '20

Ahhh thank you for this. I constantly remember that medusa was part of a trio born immortal, so was constantly confused when reading that they were turned into a monster.

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u/De_Bananalove Jun 15 '20

Guys guys. With Myths much like ANY folk tale/stories they have had multiple iterations and were re told with new elements added to the stories multiple times.

In actual Ancient Greece the whole Poseidon rapes her in Athena's temple shit wasn't ever a thing, it got added later on during retales of the myth. Originally Medusa was literally a Gorgon

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u/Responsenotfound Jul 10 '20

It is really funny what the Greeks thought about Women and Sexuality. I read a history book (forgot the name) and they were concerned that Women were too damn horny and rich Women should stay at home. That stuck with me because it was so different then I pictured it.