Greek Mythology: The core of reality? But what an awful reality!

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       Camille Hilary P. Toledo

        III-2 BEE

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        To the Greeks, their mythology was not regarded as something that is fictitious. According to Brown University (2008), their "mythos was the core of reality" in ancient Greece. If that was the case, then what an awful reality it is! A world ruled by gods and goddesses who were no better than the humankind themselves? It sounds outrageous, but it is indeed relevant. Reality is no sunshine and rainbows, after all, and the Greek mythology reflected issues in humanity that are still evident up to now.    

            Let's have a look through these issues in connection to the Philippine context and some of the questions that I have for Hesiod's theogony:


INCEST

https://www.thecollector.com/incest-ancient-greece-rome/


    Though not all conception in the Greek mythology was done through incest and some are parthenogenetic (starting from Chaos), was it understandable that they have to multiply hence the need for mating their own family members? Is it understandable because they also bore to different beings, such as Heaven and Earth, whose existence are essential?

    Let us change the context from the ancient Greek's time to the Philippines today. On average, a person is raped every hour and 33% of rape cases in the Philippines are incest rape (Mendoza, 2021). These are only the reported cases and there are still unreported ones. Now, I ask, is incest understandable? 


MISOGYNY AND PATRIARCHY

[590] For from her is the race of women and female kind: of her is the deadly race and tribe of women who live amongst mortal men to their great trouble, no helpmeets in hateful poverty, but only in wealth.

    Etymologically speaking, according to Oxford languages, misogyny came from the (surprise!) Greek word, misos which means hatred and gunē  which means woman. If you read the line above from Hesiod's theogony and say that it is not misogyny, then I do not know what is. Pandora made a mistake of opening the box, thus resulting to women being called a curse. But was that an excuse? Zeus had many affairs with mortal women and immortal beings—was he badmouthed? Do you want me to list his love affairs in Hesiod's theogony?

    Metis, Themis, Eurynome, Demeter, Mnemosyne, Leto, Hera, Tritogeneia, and many other mortals and immortals more.

    Men had the upper hand (from Uranus, Zeus, Aidoneus) but fortunately, women here in the Greek mythology also know how to put up a fight by having revenge (e.g. castration).

    In the Philippines, women are underrepresented especially in the government and politics. On March 2020, the Gender Diversity Benchmark for Asia forum at the Thomson Reuters office released their study results. It showed that 56% of women make up the total workforce in the Philippines. However, views on women remains the same—if not gaslit, objectified; if not respected, unrepresented. These issues did not get any better especially under the administration of a misogynist.


FAMILY FEUD

    Vengeance, violence, and drama. Not only in Philippine teleseryes but also in the Greek mythology. Not only the greed for power, but also of avenging oneself or a family member proves to be a recurring theme in Hesiod's theogony. From castration to overthrowing out of power, it reflects how even gods also have greed and ill will when pushed.

    Does it happen in the Philippines, too? Yes, not only from the teleseryes or telenovelas but also in real life. Mostly from political and powerful families in the Philippines, which is not far from the characterization of powerful gods and goddesses.


https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-europe/greek-gods-0012623

        To be aware is to be uncomfortable in the reality. No matter how brutal, no matter how outrageous and scandalous the Greek mythology is, we cannot deny that it reflects the weaknesses or shortcomings of humankind as well. I don't think the Greek mythology influences the way we view life and the way we act—it simply reflects the ugly truth of it.


References: 

Brown University. (2008). Myth as reality: the close relationship between human and divine forms in     Greek art. https://www.brown.edu/Departments/Joukowsky_Institute/courses/intimatestories/7206.html

Theoi.com. (n.d.). Hesiod, Theogony. https://www.theoi.com/Text/HesiodTheogony.html?fbclid=IwAR2vl3KvFgMM8NeKsSCdCe5T6aajT01gXTTRwowGRktyPXMYbtdf6MxCl58#10

Mendoza, B. (2021). Incest cases in the Philippines: Why do victims rarely find justice?. The Asian Parent Philippines. https://ph.theasianparent.com/raped-relative-incest-happens-think-philippines

PhilStar. (2020). Misogyny keeping more women out of government. PhilStar Global. https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/03/08/1999098/misogyny-keeping-more-women-out-government


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