Rape In Greek Mythology

If one were to google ‘rape in mythology’, the first link to come up is “List of rape victims from ancient history and mythology” on Wikipedia. Of the sixteen listed references of rape in mythology in the article, nine are of Greek origin. While Wikipedia is not necessarily known for it’s accuracy, there are multiple sites that confirm this trend, exemplifying the relative multitude of rape stories in Greek mythology. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines ‘rape’ as, ”Unlawful sexual activity and usually sexual intercourse carried out forcibly or under threat of injury against the will usually of a female or with a person who is beneath a certain age or incapable of valid consent.” This definition will be the implied definition throughout the duration …show more content…
Humans, on the other hand, could be punished by death for committing the same crime. In current western religions, mimicking the characteristics of deities is ideal, but this cannot be assumed for the people of ancient Greece. If, however, ‘being godly’ was a sought after trait, and the most godly god was a serial rapist, does this trait of sexual assault tendencies follow the trait of being godly? So then, what is the purpose of rape in these stories? This brings up many questions such as: why does this dissonance exist? What does this say about the societal position of women? Were the women of ancient Greece significantly impacted by these depictions of mythical women? There are many possible reasons for these instances of discord to have existed; perhaps it just fit with the plot lines, an easy dramatic move to stun people. Perhaps it was a projection of male desire, manifested in a more colorful way to suit the production of the lores. Perhaps it was to teach moral lessons that are no longer