Female initiation and coming of age Flashcards
1
Q
Initiations
A
- There we know of female-only groups lead by an older mentor, with whom a strong sentimental bond and physical attraction could develop
- Women had emotional relationships with each other, sad when women got married they had to leave their friends
- Society uses strong relationship with youth of the group to reinforce values and solidarity – elite to be very close while the rest are left out
2
Q
Coming of Age of Athenian girls
A
Artemis:
- Main sanctuary on Eastern coast of Attica, Cult of Brauron - Cult also present on the Acropolis of Athens - Hero shrine in cave (now collapsed), of Iphigenia - Daughter of Agamemnon, he was commanded to kill her as sacrifice to allow his ships to sail to Troy - In sanctuary we find statues of young girls and boys, probably offerings after women had their children
-Another offering is the krateriskos vessel (made for ritual – bronze age vessel reproduction)
3
Q
Cult of Brauron: the Arkteia “Festival of the Bear”
A
- Arktos ‘bear’, not earlier than 5 and not later than 10 years old
- Girls had to spend a period of time in the sanctuary, wearing a yellow dress, taking care of the sanctuary, rituals, processions, dances and races
- Only select group of girls go, not big enough for everyone
- Finally took yellow dress off and left the sanctuary
- Ritual was an introduction to puberty and marriage
- Ancient medicine set puberty at 14, while initiation at Brauron was completed well before, at 10
- In this way, even individuals who reached their puberty earlier than the average had been initiated
4
Q
Foundation Myth of Arkteia
A
- Artemis sent a she-bear to the sanctuary where she was tamed and lived with the locals
- One day the animal wounded or killed a girl who was playing with her and she was killed by the girls’ brothers
- Artemis was offended and sent a plague
- As reparation for the death of the she-bear, young girls between 5-10 had to wear a yellow dress and imitate the bear or else they couldn’t get married
- She-bears are considered the best mothers of the animals
- Protect their cubs, good mother
- Can stand on 2 feet and aren’t too different from humans
- Social interaction
- According to Aristotle – bear most similar to humans, most caring mother
- Adolescents can be compared to wild animals – not fitting into a category of boy/girl or woman/man, they are in between = transition period, wild and must be tamed (still dangerous, like the she-bear)
- Young people are frequently represented as animals
5
Q
Story of Kallisto
A
- Arcadian heroin, who refused marriage and lived on the mountains hunting with Artemis
- Zeus seduced her with a trick
- Artemis transformed her into a she-bear (Artemis gets mad because she is no longer a child and should marry)
6
Q
Circle of goddesses
A
Artemis: birth, childhood, education
Aphrodite: marriage, sexuality
Artemis: delivery
Complementary opposition: *heroes who like Artemis usually dislike Aphrodite, vice-versa
Artemis (nature, wilderness, chastity, hunting)
Aphrodite (culture, civilization, sexuality, marriage, reproduction, family)
7
Q
Why a yellow dress?
A
- In Greek myth that flower and color is associated with sexuality, desire and myths with marriage, etc. - CROCUS flower
- Abduction scene with Hades and Kore (she was in a field of crocus flowers, picking them before he took her) – she was at her in-between age when Hades took her to a new life
8
Q
Offerings to the sanctuary of Artemis
A
- Clothes, including yellow
- Belts (belts come off when women have sex or give birth)
- ‘Red rags’
- Metal objects, especially mirrors
9
Q
Hereia of Elis
A
ritualized race of young women about to be initiated to the cult of Hera
-Sparta bronze figures (women running)
10
Q
Myth of Atalanta
A
- Abandoned by her father, she is raised by a she-bear on the mountains
- Becomes a great huntress devoted to Artemis
- Refuses marriage
- When forced by her father, she agrees to marry the only man who can outrun her on foot
- She defeats many, but one tricks her into a defeat: he has 3 golden apples given to him by Aphrodite
- Defeated and forced to marry, Atalanta is punished by Aphrodite and transformed into a lioness – lions have a hard time DOING IT
11
Q
Marriage in Athens
A
- ‘Pledge’ and ‘delivery’: a contract between the kyrios of the wife and the groom, including an agreement as the dowry (which was valid when the wife was given to the groom)
- Private
- Witnesses and standard form were customary
- At the age of marriage (15/16) for the wife and around 30 for the husband
- Men are older because they have enough money to start an oikos
- Inheritance of father (most dead when sons are 30)
- For women; child mortality rates high, start early to get as many children/heirs as possible
- As a result of marriage, the husband became the new kyrios of the wife
- The dowry could be used as capital and revenue was his but the dowry was not his full position until she died (her sort of insurance)
12
Q
Dowry
A
- Almost all wives were provided by their kyrios with a dowry (proix), sometimes with the help of a 3rd party
- Dowry was in cash, but could include real property, slaves, furniture
- Difference between a wife and concubine – is that wife has dowry
- Separated from the dowry were clothing, jewelry, and gifts from the groom
- Dowry had to be returned in case of divorce, death of the husband or wife before the birth of kids
- In case of re-marriage, dowry will be passed to new husband
13
Q
Dissolution of Marriage by Divorce or death
A
-Husband could simply dismiss his wife from his house
- Wife/kyrios had to file a written notice of divorce with the archon
- In case of divorce, dowry had to be returned, and the wife went back to her house
- In case of death of the husband, if there was a son, the wife could stay in the oikos under the authority of the son, if he was adult or his guardian, if he was a minor
- If there were no kids, she would return to her original oikos
- Frequent for husbands to make provisions for the re-marriage of his wife – usually with a close relative
