Filed under: Prophets
[Now with illustrations!]
Understanding societies of a different time and place is further complicated by the impossibility of “translating” culture and values between what one knows and what one is studying: some things have no simple parallels.
In Classical Athens, what many people think of as the most liberal polis of the era, women were very much marginalized. They were housed separately within living quarters, limited in their permission to be in public spaces, and absolutely devoid of political power. Certainly there are differences between how women were treated in different societies of that era, and within the legends and myths from that era, but we must note the differentiation between reality and fantasy. The powerful women from Homeric epic may have been acceptable as characters within an epic poem, and perhaps well loved in such a role, but do not mistake that as an acceptance of them into an actual society.
So, hopefully, I’ve established that within the Greek society, women were marginalized to begin with, despite being half the population.
Here’s a list of characteristics that marginalize the Sibyl and the Oracle:
Women. (i.e. Not a man.)
Having no father/husband.
Living in a cave (apart from society).
Powers of prophecy (only through possession by (usually male) gods).
Political clout (via men).
In the Latin tradition, many of these rules still apply, since the Aeneid is set in the ancient past, more within the time frame of the Homeric subjects than within early Imperial Rome.
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I agree with you there. So we can say that the female prophets are marginalized to a degree higher than they were already marginalized. I also have to say i am a big fan of your illustrations!!!
Comment by Alicia 11.12.06 @ 12:46 pmI agree with what you said Wynn, in addition to loving your imaginative drawings/illustrations. I definitely see how the heroines of epic stories can act somewhat out of the norm, since they are story characters and can do so for plot device, etc. The fact that women of the actual periods were restrained is something that I temporarily forgot when reading these texts, especially with a modern mindset.
With the social constraints of women, wasn’t it true that women in Rome had more lax rules than Grecian women? Somewhere I thought I read/heard that there were even some women lawyers, but that might be too far of a stretch. I am not too versed in the condition of women, unfortunately (I guess I should have taken Women in Antiquity).
Comment by Midori 11.12.06 @ 6:06 pmIt’s true that women in the Roman era weren’t as contrstrained than Grecian women. There are examples of women owning large properties, entering into business contracts, donating public works, etc. But since we’re talking about the Aeneid, the culture and values in the text are more reflective of an older past and not as similar to the era that Virgil actually lived in: the Sibyl is still very much marginalized.
Comment by W. 11.12.06 @ 6:42 pmI’m terribly sorry that I missed Friday’s discussion, and this may already have been addressed but I thought I would chime in.
Perhaps an interesting correlation might be made between the Sibyl and Cassandra?
Their virginity to some degree marginalizes them from the community of men and of other women, no? As the mouthpiece of the god, they are untouchable; at the same time, they are the wombs, if you will, of the god’s word, and therefore set apart from other women in terms of social function (motherhood, particularly). In fact, it is the penetration of the god–the spiritual penetration rather than the physical–which defines their sexuality, such as it is. [Agamemnon violates this, by the way].
In terms of political and social integration, these priestess oracles also stand apart. Cassandra is not believed (the political implications of this are, I suspect, obvious); the Sibyl never dies (she is socially unintegrable into any one community, for which dying and burial are integral).
Comment by Angela 11.20.06 @ 3:03 pmLove the illustrations, W.!
And thanks for pointing out “enthusiastic” nature of the priestess
“entheos”-=a god within
“enthousiazdo”: to be inspired or possessed by a god
“enthousiastikos”: divinely inspired
Read Plato’s Ion if you’re interested!!!
Comment by Angela 11.20.06 @ 3:59 pm