Monstrous Women

Synopsis

A beautiful crafted and poignant comparison of the Gorgon and Medusa to other monstrous female deities in Greek Mythology

Based on years of research in classical literature, this book explores monstrous women in Greek myth and their entry into popular culture, highlighting the misogynist trope of ‘mad, bad and dangerous to know’ women.

Ancient Greek myths remain part of us, despite all the differences between their culture and ours. The Greek gods live on in our imagination no matter how Christians and others tried to dismiss them as frivolous and harmful.

Contemporary re-working and updating of Greek myths shows their importance in understanding ourselves. Myths relate the common assumptions about the shape of human experience. Myths are fluid and ever changing, they can be used by marginalised groups to contest the dominant group or to tell a story the ruling elites wish to disseminate

The trope of monstrous women is a fundamental core belief in patriarchal societies. The Greek myths form much of the basis of Western culture, whether we are aware of it or not. Examination of the roots of these beliefs helps to shed light on ongoing prejudices, situate them in a historical context and defuse them. Recent scholarship has countered traditional myths re-examining and retelling the story of these powerful and angry women, through the lens of the 21st century.

Monstrous Women will be based around those mythical women and goddesses who could harm the unwary and punish the guilty. They include: The pre-historic and Cretan Gorgon, the Furies, the Sirens, Hekate and the Witches, Corpse Stealers and Angry Ghosts, Persephone and the terror of Hades.