In reading through caselaw lately, I’ve noticed a trend. In criminal law, we sometimes consider the motivation of a crime, and in several cases of late, the motivation has been a dispute over a woman. In one such case at a Christmas gathering, one man thought his girlfriend was eyeing another guest and subsequently started an argument with him which moved outside and escalated into a modern-day shoot out.
In considering this evidence of a woman’s influence, it reminded me of the role of women in old tales: such as the Aenead and the Odyssey. In ancient Greece, the woman was the muse or the femme fatale, a motivator driving the plot of the story and actions of the protagonist.
The Woman: Femme Fatale or Muse
You may have heard of the femme fatale in writing...
The female character, usually seductive and beautiful, that ultimately causes disaster for anyone who becomes involved with her.
Traditionally, the femme fatale archetype is intelligent, beautiful, and conniving.
While this role has intertwined with mystery, film noir, and romance films, some of the most epic stories with a femme fatale role are found in Greek mythology.
In Homer's The Odyssey, the protagonist, Odysseus is lost at sea, cursed to roam for ten years, seeking his way home after the Trojan War. Odysseus encounters many trials, but one of the most disconcerting is the goddess Circe, who entices all of Odysseus’ men into her home before turning them into pigs. At another point on Odysseus’ journey, sirens draw his sailors away with their song, only to drown them.
On the other hand, Greek mythology reveals the ability for a woman to inspire man. In the same breath, Homer tells how the sole reason Odysseus carries on through so many hardships is because of his deep desire to return home for his wife and child.
Another example of the feminine power of inspiration is the Greek character of the muse. Muses were divine embodiments of the arts, children of Zeus and the goddess of memory, and considered to be the source of poetry, songs, and myths. Authors and artists would invoke them at the beginning of their work, craving artistic inspiration.
Marble sarcophagus with the contest between the Muses and the Sirens, 3rd quarter of 3rd century A.D. Roman. Marble, Pentelic. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Rogers Fund, 1910. Credit: Public Domain
Needless to say the Greeks recognized the sway of a woman, and this trend continues through modern storytelling:
In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Darcy implies that Elizabeth influences him even against his own will, saying most famously in his proposition of love:
“In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feels will not be repressed.
You must allow me to tell you how ardently I love and admire you."
In Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, the lead female character, Anna, is known for her overpowering femininity, influencing men and women alike. In describing Anna’s influence, Tolstoy writes:
“[Vronsky] stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun,
yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.”
In Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, Cleopatra acknowledges Caesar’s weakness in the face of fate:
“My desolation does begin to make / A better life.
'Tis paltry to be [Octavius] Caesar; /
Not being Fortune, he's but Fortune's knave, /
A minister of her will” (V.2).
Note that Fortune or Fate is itself considered a woman, the ultimate femme fatale if you will.
In Latin, the word “Fortune” is often a proper feminine noun, Fortuna. In Medieval Poetry, Fortune was elusive and unreliable.
“The gifts she gives to me, she snatches away /
Truly it is said, Fortuna has a full head of hair /
But when your opportunity is there!—she is bald!”
Carmina Burana (Latin Songs of Beuem)
Notice that the feminine imagery continues with the “full head of hair.” Not only is Fortune feminine in medieval Latin, but it is also often made tangible in the imagery of a woman. While Carmina Burana is most famously a satire of the Catholic Church, the trend of personifying intangible forces as feminine continues within the Church:
In the Latin Bible, wisdom is feminine, sophia, and often personified, as in Proverbs 8:
'“Does not wisdom call out?
Does not understanding raise her voice?”
Proverbs 8:1
Both wisdom and fortune, powerful influences in mankind’s existence, are personified as women, which must beg the question: why?
Ever since Greek mythology, women have embodied powerful influences: from love (Aphrodite) to wisdom (Athena). Many Greek gods seem to be structured around the divine nature of the sexes. Women have an innate power in their femininity: a power of empathy, emotion, influence, and inspiration.
So consider this as a “great power, great responsibility” call. As Nia humerously says in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, “The man is the head, but the woman is the neck, and she can turn the head anyway she wants.”
So speak with wisdom and faithful instruction. Do not be fickle or fleeting. As it says in Proverbs 31, “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
