why not the women?

Question

if Achilles and Ulysses can be considered heros of Greek mythology why not Helen or Cassandra? is it simply a matter of no-one telling their story?

Answer 1

I am sure you are aware of this, but Marion Zimmer Bradley wrote Storms over Troy (At least, I think that is what it is called, I only read a translation in my own language) about the Trojan War, and the heroin of the book is Cassandra. It sort of tells the story through the eyes of the women. Very interesting, I thought, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were too girlie for a man, or maybe difficult to place yourself in the shoes of the heroin.

Answer 2

Umm, how exactly do you know about "The Face that Launched a Thousand Ships and Toppled the Towering Walls of Troy" and her sister-in-law, the "Prophet never believed in her own land"?
Frankly, both Helen and Cassie are pretty much tools: Helen given away as a prize in a beauty pageant and Cassie (who spurned Apollo) given the gift of true prophesy and the curse that she would never be believed. Not terribly heroic. And both are in the tales with the greatest Greek and Trojan Heroes (although I think Achilles was a bit of a murderous, self-centered, evil *******).
So no, it's not that no one is telling their story (Homer saw to that), rather that they are not heroic. Other women in the Greek plays can be rather more heroic and are regarded as heroines, if not in the same league as Achilles, Ulysses, Heracles, Theseus, etc.

Answer 3

Do YOU know their story? Is it in any way comparable to that of AChilles or Ulisses? Helen was the wold's most beautiful woman who betrayed a loving husband and caused a ten year war and Cassandra a woman who promised Apollo to sllep with him if he gave her th gift to fortell, when he didi, she refused to "pay" for the gift, tha God spat in her mouth and from then on she fortold only unpleasant things. What's noble about these women? What's aspiring? THey"re both tragic figures of lesser inportance.

Answer 4

'hero' in greek usage had the highy specific meaning of 'a person who has one divine parent and one mortal one'.

achilles was the son of peleus (a mortal) and thetis (a goddess). aeneas' parents were anchises and aphrodite - so was another true hero.

helen and clytaemnestra also had the god / mortal lineage (they were sisters born of zeus' rape of leda).

odysseus on the other hand was a great man, but since his parents were both mortal (laertes, anticleia) no hero.

....

there are certainly women who do great things in greek mythology. antigone is the backbone of sophocles' 'oedipus' plays, and hecuba comes over as a strong woman both in euripides' 'hecuba' and in 'the women of troy' (in the second play helen herself comes across as a very forceful character).

medea is the darkest of heroines in her eponymous play.

there are more heroic men than heroic women in greek mythos - but then men were by far the dominant sex by classical times (when most of the ancient stories were codified).

and of course none of the women in the bible are either good or even respectable (rebecca, leah, lot's wife, eve, bathsheba).

Answer 5

Yes it's a matter of no one telling their story, because the greek mythology is male dominated like so much else.

Answer 6

There are myths focusing on women. Arachne, Artimes, and such.
Most of these were written by males, in a male run culture. The same thing happened when the books of the bible were condensed and edited. Chicks got the down play.

Answer 7

Read "The Firebrand" by Marion Zimmer Bradley. It's pretty good. I know, I know, it's not an "Ancient" myth, but it is well written and tells of the fall of Troy from the perspective of Kassandra.

Answer 8

Helen doesn't need to be a heroine. She's a demi goddess. Zeus and Leda's daughter. Her sister is Nemesis.

Answer 9

It was a male oriented society; men protect women. Besides Helen was a sissy. Jeez, she frikkin started that whole war. Well, Paris started it by taking her but she could have refused...

Answer 10

Because women weren't suppose to be heroes,they were(and still are to most of men)just an object of pleasure,sad as it is...