![]() When we view the images and art of Greek Gods, we see strength and wisdom but fail to acknowledge the history and sexual violence behind these mythological stories and artworks. These survivors, too, are isolated and silenced. Every time a survivor is asked, “Why was your dress so short?” or “Why did you leave the party with him?”… Every time a case goes to trial and the perpetrator is let go… or when a rape kit is left on a shelf and not tested, rape culture is perpetuated and reinforced. ![]() We can take the story of Medusa and apply it to several current cases pertaining to sexual assault. These same themes are part of rape culture in today’s society. In fact, the gods committing sexual violence against women is glorified and seen as their divine right. These acts are never seen as unacceptable. Victim blaming is the central outcome of these stories in Greek mythology. There are several other pieces of art throughout history we could study that focus on themes of sexual violence. Often times when viewing these works you would not recognize that rape was the central theme unless you read the story behind it. These scenes of rape take on an almost romantic view and mask the truly heinous crime committed. The hero(s) of the story claim victory over land and in turn also claim their opponents: women. In fact, it was such a sought after theme that the term “heroic rape” was applied to these narratives. Art depicting rape and war was often the focal point and popular subject in Greek, Roman, and post-renaissance western European art. Rape has been a central theme in art history since ancient Greek times. Often times these male gods would take on the form of a beautiful animal, for instance, a swan (Zeus taking on this form to rape Leda), and other times in the form of wind (Boreas the North wind assaulting Orithyia). Zeus (which we have several accounts of his assaults on women) came to Danae in the form of a shower of gold and assaulted her. Hades – god of the underworld raped the goddess of spring Persephone and fed her pomegranate to force her to spend 6 months of the year in the underworld. Looking at other stories, there is a common theme of male gods raping women. This is not the only story depicting sexual violence in Greek mythology. As a powerful male god – one of the most powerful, it is expected of him to take what he wants. So you’re probably asking what was Poseidon’s punishment? None. She is isolated and banished from all society. Athena, hearing of the incident, punished Medusa by banishing her to an island, turning her hair into snakes, and making her facial features so unattractive that it turned anyone looking at her to stone. These laws or rules as you would call them also symbolize that women in ancient Greece were considered property. In doing this Medusa is no longer eligible to serve the goddess or legitimately marry. Along comes the god of the sea – Poseidon who rapes Medusa in Athena’s temple – the Parthenon. Medusa had to swear to an eternal vow of chastity and be recognized as a symbol of purity. ![]() In fact, she was the goddess of war’s favorite. According to several scholars, Medusa was once a beautiful priestess in the goddess Athena’s temple. For most of us, our high school mythology class did not touch on how Medusa became a hideous woman with snakes on her head. So there is your cliff notes version….There are different versions of the Medusa myth but this seems to be the most widely accepted. After using it as a weapon, he gave it to the goddess Athena to adhere to her shield. After hundreds of attempts by warriors and men of Greece to kill Medusa and steal her head (for its ability to be used as a weapon to turn onlookers to stone), Perseus finally beheads Medusa. ![]() If you took mythology in high school, then you probably learned that Medusa was a hideous woman with snakes on her head that turned men to stone. Examining Rape in Art History By: Katie Michael ![]()
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