The Goddesses’ Mirror by David Kinsley, displays goddesses from various distinct cultures. Every single goddess is known due to unique and special attributes. Many goddesses are associated with the earth and the fertility linked with the earth. Three of the goddesses focused in this book are from the Hindu tradition (Durga, Lakshmi, and Sita), while the other two are from the religious tradition of Mesopotamia and Egypt (Inanna and Isis) respectively. All these goddesses have distinct factors, but the real questions are; what characteristics make them the goddess and does those who share the same characteristics also a goddess? This paper will be focusing on the numerous factors that make a divine feminine, a “Goddess,” and how the goddesses …show more content…
Not necessarily. There are some goddesses who fall prey to this view of patriarchal culture. There are pieces of evidence in Kinsley’s textbook to support this idea. To begin with, Inanna, who is a Mesopotamian goddess, a goddess of love, beauty, sex, desire, fertility, and political power. Even though she has so much power, she is still seen as a submissive character, for example, when she offered Gilgamesh everything in return for his love, she is insulted for being outspoken, and her character was questioned. On the other hand, Indian goddesses such as Durga, Kali, Lakshmi, and Sita are central even in the patriarchal culture. Durga and Kali are even considered to be powerful and independent than the male deities, and they can easily dominate them (xvii). Hinduism seems to teach that goddesses are essential and does not necessarily imply sexual equality. Besides, female power, creativity, and authority in the religious domain do not necessarily suggest a higher female status. Indeed, sometimes the same text can contain an elevated goddess theology and a low estimate of women’s status. For example, the author of the Devi Bhagavata Purana, a text that praises the “Great Goddess" above all other deities, and interestingly also despises women
In all areas of life and society the treatment and well being of women have always been challenged. In many religions the role and status of its women are usually overwhelmed by the actions and roles of its men this inequality of religions between male and female allows these feelings and ideology of which sex is superior or inferior to bleed into a society’s culture thus shaping their treatment of their men and women.
The Role of Gods and Goddesses and Their Connection to Humans An inordinate length of time every culture many people believed in the guidance of beings with powers beyond those of humans. Occasionally, such individuals worship these beings as gods. In addition, in their time of need, they express their independence on the supernatural beings. On reading idomeis “Odyssey” the role of gods and goddesses and their connections to human become clear.
Despite, Article C carrying partial accuracy it maintains that the being of supernatural powers or attributes is characteristically male, reflected in “especially a male deity”. As a consequence, this hinders the truthfulness of the definition for certain religions do not place high regard on the gender of their deities or gods.
In Greco-Roman Culture, humans imagine the deities of mythology to be and act certain ways, due to the needs they must fill. People invented certain deities for reasons that align with what they needed from them. To examine how a deity has a certain purpose, one must first examine what they are like. Athena and Ares are examples of deities invented for very specific purposes. One must first look at Athena and Ares’ similarities and differences in relation to their characteristics, their sexuality and physical appearances, as well as their different powers and how they are worshipped, to discover why they were created.
the role of the female gender and its relation to biblical teachings. This paper seeks to discuss the
<br>Another of Zeus's sisters, Demeter, also known as Ceres, was one of the two supreme deities on Earth. (Hamilton 53) She was the Goddess of Corn, Goddess of Fruits, and Goddess of the Riches of the Fields. (Hamilton 53; Guirand 174) Her temples, called Megaras, were found in the forests. (Guirand 174)
As history has shown, life cannot be sustained without a female presence. Religion of this time took that into consideration as women were the center of worship and ensured that proper rituals and ceremonies were upheld to please the gods. In both Greek and Roman religion, most deities were of female gender due to their connection with the cycle of life as well as having a nurturing demeanor. These female goddesses stayed consistent in both societies, under different names. For example: The goddess of hearth and home was known as Hestia in Greek mythology, and Vesta in Roman; Aphrodite is the goddess of sexual attraction and love in Greece, with her equal Venus in Rome. Female goddesses followed the skill sets of women in this time – the bearing of children as well as all life, keeping of
She did not approve, but sought to set an example for gods, goddesses, and mortals alike and stayed in he role as Zeus’ wife. It addressed there being seven gods and five goddesses, and how this was unfair in terms of issues related to women because they would always be outvoted. The positions of the other gods and goddesses were also described, including The Greeks were able to learn about the role of each god and goddess and what role they took in impacting the world around them. It also demonstrated that there was a hierarchy that must be respected among the gods and goddesses; not only should mortals understand and respect this in the heavens, but they should respect the hierarchy within their mortal society as well and submit to it, even it those at the top are not always perfect. The story also reminded the average man that though the gods and goddesses had their own lives to deal with, they were always above, watching over what was happening
They run households, businesses, and take up various role as teacher, doctor, nurse, artists, engineers, etc. In earlier era, women were considered as an idol of worship. Even in modern era, women who were given the image of goddesses. In many cultures, people worship goddesses but in real life women were not treated equally as men. Gender discrimination leads to exploitation of women and prevents them from exercising equal rights as
The influence of the Hindu goddesses of feminism in India is a widely argued topic. On one hand, the the Hindu goddesses act as powerful role models for Hindu women by setting an example of how the ideal Hindu women must be. If you look at a lot of the reading we have read so far, most of the Hindu goddesses such as Devi and Parvati were consorts of male gods. These goddesses inspire women to diligently serve their husbands while still following their respective dharmas. These goddesses were also shown as beautiful, charismatic and even graceful. There are also many different festivals such as Navratri where these female deities are worshipped either separately or collectively as females due to their grace and power. Growing up with the religion,
Nonetheless, within the Hindu religion, women’s roles have evolved over time and women are going against the social norm of their tradition and their way of life in hopes of being treated in the same manner that Sikh women are within Sikhism (Desai, et al., 1995). Hindu women’s traditional roles in the household in India have changed over the past century. The influence of Western scholars as well as Sikhism views on women has brought change to the overall status and role of women in Hinduism so that Hindu women can be recognized in the same way that Sikhism women are. Western scholars who have studied Hinduism have written many books and articles on the sacred scriptures including reviews on the Vedas (hymns and ritual texts) and other religious scriptures that at one point were restricted from Hindu women.
In the Vedic period there were as many as twenty women among the authors of the Rig Veda, known as brahmabadini. They were the composer of Vedic hymns. They were ‘seer’ to whom the Vedas were originally revealed through states of higher consciousness. They were: Ghoshsha, Godha, Vishwara, Apala,
For instance, the burning of brides is a common issue that takes place. When a female does not meet the requests of her demanding husband she may suffer by being publicly burned alive for everyone to see. This is a rather crude way to treat the wife, but in the eyes of many Hindu husbands they must suffer the consequences. The common problem for such a drastic result is often the offspring that the wife produces. The demand of a male offspring is of high request. More commonly the child is brutally injured or murdered. Many Hindu texts discuss the significance of the Hindu women and their values. Yet, many of their important factors are not often taken heed of. By analyzing sacred text, you will then see that there was equality of the male and female gods and goddesses. This brings about the curiosity as to why females are treated so
First I will discuss how higher spiritual beings (or something that is held sacred in a religion) relate to gender inequalities. In Judaism, G-d is neither male nor female. Though the decision is very personal and there is no right answer. People who practice Islam worship Allah, god that many think of as a male. Hindu’s worship a singular god but in many forms. This is a polytheistic religion. Some forms of this ultimate divine god are female. In Christianity, the trinity is a set of three figures all considered male. In Christianity, Mary is a figure of power.
Once Gautama responded to one of his disciples questions about women by saying: "Women are soon to be angered, Ananda; women are full of passion, Ananda; women are envious, Ananda; women are