GREAT WOMEN OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY
A woman’s weak and timid in most matters. The noise of war, the look of steel, makes her a coward. But touch her right in marriage, And there’s no bloodier spirit.
Medea, Euripides, 265. Translated by Philip Vellacott
Where tenderness meets rage and sweet peace meets hideous war: this is where the women of Greek mythology find themselves, some proud, others deeply wounded.
The ancient Greek woman is mother, daughter and sister. She is loving and monstrous, reckless and ingenious; she lurks in the shadows of night and shines with the bright joy of the Sun. She stands at the side of the warrior men, but is also trailblazing and – when necessary –leads from behind. Along with the spirit of matriarchy of the Aegean, she gave birth to amazing characters that stand tall to this day in Greek literature and theatre, and feels more relevant now than ever.
Made by soil and sea, the mythological women of Greece are Earth itself.
Through Great Women of Greek Mythology , we present the most iconic women of our ancient history: Medea, Electra, Circe, Antigone, Helen, Ariadne and Medusa. And there’s more to come! With simple, comprehensible texts compiled and edited by a great team of writers, editors and scientists, we invite you to meet the famous daughters of mythology and their universe.
Elena Spandoni
Copyright: Read Panda Editing OÜ
Brainfood Digital Media and Publishing M.E.P.E
GREAT WOMEN OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY Medusa of the Gorgons
WRITTEN AND EDITED BY Mike French and Vittorio Mattioli, Read Panda Editing OÜ
COVER DESIGN Little Miss Grumpy
DESKTOP PUBLISHING LaSid
PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Nikos Chatzopoulos
SERIES EDITOR Elena Spandoni
Brainfood Digital Media and Publishing M.E.P.E. 28 Empedokleous Str., 12131 Peristeri, Athens, GREECE Tel.: +30 210 2514123, Email: contact@brainfood.gr www.brainfood.gr
March 2025
ISBN: 978-618-5427-88-7
All rights reserved. No portion of the book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.
GREAT WOMEN OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY
Medusa of the Gorgons
In Mycenae, Helen’s niece, Electra, is married to a destitute farmer and lives a life of misery. While her husband is honourable, she has only one pair of clothes, and she still cuts her hair short in a sign of mourning for the killing of her father, Agamemnon, after his triumphant return from Troy. The only reason Electra has not killed herself is because she is waiting for her brother Orestes to come and help her take revenge against Aegisthus, the usurper, and Clytemnestra, his lover and their mother, who betrayed Agamemnon and killed him.
In her book, it is Ariadne herself who shares her memories from childhood and into adulthood. Helen’s abductor, Theseus, appears here too, and we are taken from Minoan palaces on Crete, with the great labyrinth built by Daedalus for Ariadne’s brother, the monstrous Minotaur, to the deserted island of Naxos, where Ariadne is abandoned by the traitorous Theseus on his way back to Athens. We see how on the brink of death, she is saved by the god Dionysus, who takes a keen interest in her, and how they end up as a couple. We are told of her sister Phaedra and her fate at the court of Athens. We move on to a relation of Dionysus, Antigone, the daughter and granddaughter of Oedipus. After the discovery of Oedipus’ crimes, her family falls apart. With both her parents dead, her two brothers fight for
city in the war but also all but three of her offspring. Her sole aim becomes to protect them, and should she fail in this, to have her revenge on the Achaeans who have acted against her family.
Penelope also suffers due to the Trojan War. After finding a good match in her husband Odysseus, she is left alone on Ithaca when he goes to fight, and then for even longer when he is lost on his return home. But she is not alone for too long: local boys come to court her and won’t take no for answer. She must use her tricks to fend them off, all while trying to protect her son Telemachus, who seems to be pursuing his own schemes.
The story of Alcestis, princess of Iolcus, is a little different. She marries the noble Admetus, but tragedy soon strikes, and her husband becomes fated to die. Thanks to the help of Apollo, someone can offer themselves in his place, and Alcestis steps in. A series of unexpected and ironic turns lead to her being led from the underworld by Heracles – will that be enough to return her to the land of the living?
As with the first six books, these are a mix of adaptations and originals: Alcestis and Hecuba have plays telling their stories that we relied upon, while Medusa and Penelope are more original pieces, although still based on the ancient sources.
Vittorio Mattioli, Mike French – 2025
Prelude
Alchimache was busy weaving a new chiton. This one was white with a meandering ochre pattern across it. The coloured thread was much too expensive, so she had used it sparingly; but after years as a professional seamstress she had found ways to make a cheap garment appear much more luxurious than its materials might have suggested. She was in the early stages for this chiton. It would take a few more weeks before it was fully complete and ready to be sold, but she could already tell that it would fetch a good price, making her effort worth it. Nonetheless, she always felt a pang of guilt and regret when she parted ways with the garments she had made. She wanted to keep them for herself, but she could never afford to own what she weaved.
It was near lunchtime now. Her husband would be taking his break up at Athena’s temple to the south. He was a labourer, though he saw himself as more of an artist, since he was tasked with painting and whitewashing the tem-
She couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
‘There’s no such thing as monsters.’
‘I’m not crazy! I saw it with my own eyes.’ He shuddered. ‘It was vile. It killed Hipparchus.’ She saw a tear flow down his cheek.
Hipparchus was the old man in charge of the works. A feeling of dread lodged itself in her throat. Her mouth went dry. She tried to say something but couldn’t form words. She wanted to insist that monsters did not exist. She wanted to ask about her husband.
‘It transformed Hipparchus into a statue just by looking at him,’ continued the man. ‘And …’. He looked directly into her eyes and she felt her heart drop. ‘I am so sorry. It took your Cleitomachus. He rushed to help Hipparchus but saw that monstrous visage too.’
He launched into a rambling story of what had happened, but she could hardly understand his words and just stared at him in confusion. This couldn’t be true. Monsters, statues. She had just seen Cleitomachus early in the morning. He was fine. She could feel it.
‘He was caught mid-stride,’ the man finished. ‘The statue fell and he broke into pieces. I have brought proof. I thought it may bring solace to have a piece of him with you.’
He truly was insane. She let out a hysterical laugh and was about to scold him for what was obviously a deeply unpleasant joke when he reached down for a large, heavy-looking satchel at his feet. She hadn’t registered it before.
With some effort he brought out a stone ball the size of a human head. From behind, she could see the hair was carved incredibly intricately.
Slowly, he began to turn it around until it was facing her. The moment she saw Cleitomachus’ features, she knew no artist could have carved his likeness so accurately. She was facing her husband’s head.
Alchimache let out a scream and fainted.
