Roles Of Women In Greek Mythology Essay

The tales told in mythology have endless themes, moral, and motifs, but nevertheless, they can all be tied together through classification systems. According to Myth and Knowing, the classifications of male and female characters are vastly different. Men can be classified through types such as Kings, Shamans, Tricksters, and Lords of Destruction, while women are more simply categorized by their desirability and actions. Pe-le, the destructive Fire Goddess, is unique and tricky in her own way. She obviously embodies the Goddess of death archetype, but throughout the story she proves to be a trickster as well.
The archetypes of women in mythology typically are broken up into four different classification types. The first and most basic is the triple goddess. She will often be depicted as a virgin/mother/crone, which represents the three phases of a woman’s life. These women are also defined throughout the story based on their worthiness to men. The next type is …show more content…
They include kings and judges, tricksters and shamans. saviors and sages, and lords of destruction in the underworld. Unlike the female archetypes, the males are categorized in pairs, distributing their power. Kings and judges project male potency as political power and assure there is an orderly society. Tricksters and shamans are an ambivalent force of nature. Tricksters can be portrayed as animals or humans, and their attitudes differentiate completely. Shamans are masters of the spiritual realm, and are not only found in mythology, but also in primal civilizations that are dependent on their religion. Saviors and sages project male potency as the power to protect and the power to save us from ourselves. They’re symbolized by fighting weapons and sacred knowledge. Lords of destruction and the underworld are represented by what humans fear the most, death, disease, and misfortune. They often dress in dark clothes and