Overview
This post will discuss how Pandora was used as a scapegoat for the actions of Zeus, after he went head to head with Prometheus. By reviewing a few translations of the myth, one can better understand the mysogynistic narrative of Hesiod. Pandora’s unfair representation is explored through analysis and is supported by sources from various scholars. The unique relationship between the two femme fatales Eve and Pandora is also discussed through comparison of their origin stories. Moreover, this article will discuss how both women were created to justify patriarchal beliefs and the overall dislike towards all women. Grab some popcorn and prepare to get angry.
The Earliest Version of the Myth
Hesiod’s poem titled Theogony contains the earliest known version of the myth of Pandora (Powell, 2017, p. 26). It is difficult to determine the exact date of publication of Hesiod’s collection of poetry; however, some experts hypothesize that the creation of his works occurred during the seventh century B.C.E. Pandora’s conception is described in the Theogony, but Pandora’s name does not appear until the second section of his collection in his poem titled Works and Days. Of course, you may know these two poems as: (1) Women are Pure Evil and (2) Pandora Devises Evil Plans, Just Like Every Other Woman. This man really hated women and wanted the whole world to know it. Hesiod lived in about 700 B.C.E, he is the first Greek Poet to address himself in his work. The Theogony is our earliest recount of the history of the Gods, it is one of the most important creation myths to survive from antiquity (Powell, 2017, p. 21). Hesiod dedicates his epics to the Muses: “The Muses of Helikon – Let us begin with them” (Hesiod., Theogony., 1)[1]. The poet tells us that he once lived in the village of Askra, located at the bottom of Mount Helikon. One day, the inspiration for his poems came to him in a vision while tending to his flock of sheep. Hesiod describes a vision of the Muses, the divine influence behind the Greek poetry, offering him the staff of laurel and the voice of a singer. The Muses instructed him to sing for the gods and to tell their story to the world (Powell, 2017, p. 1-2). Oral poetry performances held great value in Greek Societies, often they would perform pieces written by others. The group rhapsodes were famous for their performances of classic poetry; through successive generations of performers and their audiences’ spoken words, Hesiod’s poems have survived (Devinney & Thury, 2017, p. 31).
[1] All translations are from Powell.
Pre-Pandora: Background Information
Hesiod describes five distinct eras of human history: the Age of Gold, the Age of Silver, the Age of Bronze, the Age of Heroes, and the Age of Iron. The Titan Prometheus, son of Iapetus, created the mortal race by mixing primeval earth and water. He is known as the god of fire and for being wildly clever. Often Prometheus is referred to as the ‘supreme trickster’; it is well understood that he enjoys deceiving those seeming more powerful than him. Although he is a god, he takes the side of humans and rebels against Zeus’ will. (Powell, 2007, p. 112-114). Before Pandora’s descendant to earth, Hesiod’s timeline places mankind in the Age of Gold. Under the rule of Titan Cronus, men lived harmoniously and freely interacted with them and the Olympians during their earthly banquets (Morford & Lenardon, 2003 p. 81). In Classical Mythology, Harris and Platzner describe this period as follows: “During this Age of Gold, aboriginal men lived in peace and enjoy the same freedom from toil or anxiety that the gods possess.” (Harris & Platzner, 2003, p. 84). Later scholars would mark Pandora’s arrival as the ending of this period and the origin of the divide between men and the gods (Kerényi, 2010, p. 218). At Meconê during the last banquet between the gods and men, mankind was tasked with presenting a portion of a sacrificial ox to the gods. Prometheus divided the meat into two portions; hoping to trick Zeus into eating the lesser of the two to give the better half to the mortals. He concealed the nutrient- rich meat by wrapping it with the repulsive stomach and hid the bones with glistening fat wrapping. Disgusted by the stomach exterior, Zeus chose the portion of bones. Prometheus succeeded in deceiving the gods; he tricked them into accepting an inferior sacrifice (Hes., Theog., 429-434). Prometheus’ trick angered Zeus and he retaliated by taking away the flames in trees created by lightning from mortals (Hes., Theog., 447-452). To save men from starvation, Prometheus stole fire for them by hiding it in a “hollow stalk of fennel” and tricked Zeus again (Hes., Theog., 453-454). The gift of fire allowed men to have a slight advantage over nature. When interpreting the story, scholars have come to understand that Prometheus ached for his mortals and stole fire to ensure their survival (Powell, 2007, p. 114). Not only did Prometheus trick the almighty Zeus once, but he also succeeded in deceiving the powerful god twice. Zeus deceived the cleverest god Cronus, his father, and was then proclaimed as the most powerful and cunning god. His ego was bruised after he had been outwitted by Prometheus; he was worried it would lead to an overthrow of his supreme ruling over mortals and gods (Powell, 2017, p. 26-27). Being outsmarted by Prometheus triggered intense anger: “he was angry in his heart, and anger overcame his spirit when he saw the white bones of the bull cunningly decked out.” (Hes., Theog., 444-445). To punish Prometheus and his beloved mortals, Zeus created Pandora and the female race (Hes., Theog., 456-457).
The myth of Pandora: Hesiod’s Theogony
The story of Pandora’s creation initially appears in Hesiod’s poem Theogony; however, she is not referred to by name. After Prometheus stole fire from Zeus to gift to men, Zeus’ rage fuelled his desire to create “an evil for men, to balance out the fire.” (Hes., Theog., 456-457). Her fabrication slightly differs from how it is described in Works and Days; she is still fashioned from clay by Hephaistos, but the translator describes the accessories provided by Athena as seductive. An example can be found in the following quotation: “Athena placed garlands, the flowers of fresh-blooming grass, seductive.” (Hes., Theog., 462-463). Athena dresses the woman in beautiful silver clothing, paired with a golden band that was designed by Zeus. The band was then placed on her head (Hes., Theog., 459-465). She was gifted to Epimetheus, Prometheus’ brother, as his wife (Hes., Theog, 412). The perspective from which this version is told differs from that of Works and Days. Rather than being held responsible for the release of evil and anguish upon mankind, Pandora is viewed as the curse herself: “he made the beautiful evil as the price for the good” (Hes., Theog., 468-469). Moreover, Hesiod says that all women were Zeus’ punishment for mankind’s acceptance of fire because the biologically female sex began with Pandora. Hesiod states that “Zeus, who thunders on high, made women an evil for mortal men, conspirators in harsh deeds.” (Hes., Theog., 478-480). This telling of the myth pinpoints Pandora herself at the root of the events that led to the disruption of man’s paradise. Unique to this version, Zeus employs a sort of doctrine to accompany the creation of the female sex, and ensured the guarantee of suffering for any man who attempted to escape the evil of the female race. Zeus warned that if a man were to omit marriage altogether from his life: “then a wretched old age comes upon him, and no one to care for him. And although he lives with sufficient substance, when he dies distant relatives divide up his estate” (Hes., Theog., 482-484). Hesiod goes on to say that although a man may happily marry a woman he is in love with, evil will linger throughout the entire marriage. More specifically, women will forever be programmed with malicious intent, even if a man believes them to be kind. Zeus’ final rule states that “Whoever happens to have a troublemaking wife, he lives with the endless sorrow in his heart and his breast – this evil cannot be cured!” (Hes., Theog., 487-488). From this version, one can understand that Zeus refused to be deceived again by any god or mortal being. His creation of the female sex had an underlying motive; throughout all of mankind’s existence, no man should be able to escape Zeus’ retribution, and Pandora was sent to earth as Zeus’ punishment, inflicted upon mankind for all of eternity (Hes., Theog., 480-487).
The Myth of Pandora: Hesiod’s Works and Days
The most famous version of Pandora’s myth is derived from Hesiod’s Works and Days. (Hes., Theogony, 429-434). Hesiod tells us that Pandora was the first mortal woman to walk the earth. Zeus was the predominant force behind the creation of Pandora, he curated every detail of her being with intent. (Hesiod, Works and Days, 56-60). According to Greek mythology, Zeus created Pandora to unleash evil onto humans after Prometheus had stolen fire from him. Driven by sheer anger, Zeus commanded Hephaistos to create the first mortal woman from earth and water. He ordered Athena to teach her the skills of craftsmanship, to ensure she was capable of weaving incredibly detailed cloths. Athena was also instructed to dress Pandora in beautiful clothing, along with a crown fashioned out of spring flowers. The goddess Peitho is the personification of the persuasive skill against lovers (Powell, 2017, p. 112). Peitho was ordered to decorate Pandora with golden jewelry (Hes., Works and Days, 70). Aphrodite was given the role of bestowing Pandora with the beauty and graces of the immortal goddesses, as well as the “cruel desire, and care that devours the limbs.” (Hes., Works and Days, 50-63). Hermes was ordered to “put in her the mind of a bitch and a scheming nature.” (Hes., Works and Days, 65). Pandora was fabricated as a “gigantic evil”; she was created purposely to unleash all hardships onto humanity (Hes., Works and Days, 54). Before her, the world had not known poverty, disease, or any other sins (Morford & Lenardon, 2003, p. 85). Zeus wished to create an exquisite maiden, who no man could ever resist and who would be held responsible for the newly introduced evils (Powell, 2007, p. 120-121). Once she was created, he chose to name her Pandora “because all who live on Olympus had given her a gift, an evil for men who devour grain.” (Hes., Works and Days, 76-77), and the name Pandora means “all-gifted” in Greek.
Hermes was instructed to deliver Pandora to the Titan Epimetheus, brother of Prometheus, as a gift from Zeus. Epimetheus had forgotten that his brother had warned him to decline any offerings from Zeus; instead, he fell in love with Pandora and made her his wife. As a wedding gift, Zeus had sent Pandora with a jar filled with all things evil: misery, strife, disease, toil, and every other ill that was known. She opened the jar, allowing its contents to escape and disperse immense pain throughout mankind (Hes., Works and Days, 78-89). Hesiod wrote that “Hope alone remained within in the unbreakable house beneath the lip of the jar, and did not fly out the door.” (Hes., Works and Days, 79-89). Zeus intended for the potential of overcoming the evils released to be out of mankind’s reach; therefore, Pandora closed the lid before Hope could escape. (Hes., Works and Days, 87-89).
The Myth of Pandora: Aesop’s Fables
The myth also appears in one of our oldest collections of morality tales: Aesop’s Fables. Aesop published these stories during the mid-late 6th century BCE. His fables were intended for a juvenile audience and were created to help teach children important life morals (Gibbs, 2008, p. 1-5). A version of Pandora’s myth is told in Aesop’s fable Zeus and the Jar of Good Things, but it is drastically different from Hesiod’s versions. In this fable, Zeus had a jar filled with “all the useful things” and gifted it to mortals (Aesop, Zeus and the Jar of Good Things, 1)[3]. Instead of Pandora being the one to remove the lid, a man released the jar’s contents for all of humankind to receive. Aesop described that man as having “no self-control and he wanted to know what was in the jar” (Aesop, Zeus and the Jar of Good Things, 2). Like the other versions, Hope is left in the jar after it is opened. In this version, Hope is personified as a person: “Hope Alone is still found among the people, promising that she will bestow on each of us the good things that have gone away.” (Aesop, Zeus and the Jar of Good Things, 4-5). The story is written from an optimistic point of view since it clearly states that humans are promised to receive blessings from Hope. Rather than placing the blame on Pandora, man is the one who bears this burden. Interestingly, in this story for children, the creation of women is not accused to be the origin of all evil.
[3] All translations are from Gibbs.
Pandora as a Villain
The following section will explore how Pandora was wrongfully represented as the villain to be used as a scapegoat for the wrongdoings of men. Greek myths are “stories primarily concerned with the gods and humankind’s relations with them.”, they have been heavily influenced by Greek civilization and their society’s inner workings (Mordford & Lenardon, 2003, p. 3). Ancient Greece was a patriarchal society, with men dominating the more active sectors of the community and women being restricted to the domestic sphere. Men governed the social, economic, political, and military organizations within Ancient Greek societies (Hansen, 2006, p. 107-113). This male-dominated hierarchy was a result of the Greeks’ misogynistic views toward women: women were categorized as submissive and inferior to men. Consequently, these patriarchal views heavily influenced the portrayal of women in Greek mythology, seeing that mythology was often used to promote patriarchal beliefs. We see this happen to Circe, Medea, and Medusa. These misogynistic ideals can be found in an abundant number of sources, such as Aristotle’s Politics: “In addition, the relation of the male to the female is by nature that of better to worse and ruler to ruled.” (Aristotle, Politics, 1254b2).[4] Such misogynistic themes are also prominent in Hesiod’s poems, which are used to justify the hatred of all women. The following quotation offers insight into the underlying misogyny:
“As when bees in roofed hives feed the drones, always up to their evil deeds— the bees are busy by day, and all day long until the sun goes down they lay out the white honeycombs while the drones stay inside the roofed hives and gather the labor of others into their bellies— even so Zeus, who thunders on high, made women an evil for mortal men”
(Hes., Theog, 475-479).
Here Hesiod is comparing the female race to the drones, characterizing them as useless, contributing nothing to society, and consuming the food from the hard-working men’s labor. Comon… this metaphor isin’t even correct. Surely enough, you’ll have men quote this ‘wise’ man’s work. The order in which Hesiod presents his collection of poems heavily influences the reader’s interpretation of Pandora. In Theogony her creation story is less detailed than in Works and Days; however, the reader is provided background knowledge on who Pandora is. Hesiod’s misogynistic narration tells the reader that she is the source of all evil in men: “From her comes the race of tender women, who dwell among men as a great affliction for mortals” (Hes., Theog, 473-474). Already the reader is convinced that she is the reason behind all the pain that men have endured. When they read the second poem Works and Days, their interpretation is heavily biased from the opinions formulated while reading Theogony.
In Greek myths, women were often unjustifiably painted as the villain and, in the case of Pandora, as the root cause of the downfall of men. Her creation story is one of the oldest existing tales of misogyny, particularly in Hesiod’s version: “the whole distrust of women (‘misogyny’, hatred of women, seems an exaggeration) has a special place in Greek poetry from Hesiod onwards” (Dowden, 2005, p. 117). Pandora was used by misogynistic men to promote patriarchal beliefs in Greek civilizations; she filled the role of the first beautiful and deceitful woman. Moreover, it was written that she would produce Zeus’ everlasting punishment for men: women. In Works and Days, Hesiod clearly states that Zeus orchestrated the creation of Pandora in response to Prometheus stealing fire from him; Pandora was purposefully designed as a means for Zeus’ retribution to punish men for all of eternity:
“In anger Zeus the cloud gatherer spoke to him: “O son of Iapetos, who surpasses? all in cunning, you rejoice because you have stolen fire, because you have deceived my mind, but you have contrived for yourself and for men to come a gigantic evil. I will give them in retribution for the fire an evil in which all will take delight in their spirit while embracing their own evil.”
(Hes, Works and Days, 51-56).
Before she descended to earth, Zeus strategically crafted Pandora to be alluring to all men and to have a deceitful nature; she was already programmed with the desire to punish men for Zeus (Hes., Works and Days, 73-74). Rather than Zeus bearing the blame for the release of evil upon men, Pandora is the antagonist in the myth. She would continue to be held responsible for Zeus’ actions that destroyed mankind’s peace:
“[Aion (Time) addresses Zeus :] ‘But, some may say, a medicine [Hope] has been planted to make long-suffering mortals forget their troubles, to save their lives. Would that Pandora had never opened the heavenly cover of that jar–she the sweet bane of mankind!’”
(Nonnus., Dyonysiaca, 7.55)[5].
The above quotation is derived from the poem Dyionysiaca which was written by Nonnus in the 5th century C.E. It depicts a later instance in literature in which Pandora is unfairly represented as a villain (Rouse, 1984, p. 2-5). Despite that, the ultimate cause for the rupture between mortals and gods is a conflict between two gods, Prometheus and Zeus, neither one of them was held responsible. Of course, gods can get away with doing anything they want. Pandora was simply a pawn in Zeus’s game of chess against humanity. In the end, she is just as much of a victim as humankind was by carrying centuries worth of blame: “Since Pandora opened the jar of evils, humans have had to work for a living.” (Powell, 2012, p. 97). Hesiod’s villainization of Pandora persists in his other version of the myth: Theogony. Zeus is excluded from any negative characteristics or accountability for the disruption of the Golden Age. Although she is not mentioned by name, Pandora is depicted as the monster in the story and is portrayed as the origin of all evil, the female sex. The following quotation supports the previous statement: “From her comes the race of tender women, who dwell among men as a great affliction for mortals (…)” (Hes. Theog., 473-474). Once again, neither Zeus nor Prometheus is held accountable for the creation of the female sex.
[4] All translations are from Simpson.
[5] All translations are from Rouse.
Pandora and Eve
The two myths of Pandora and Eve share striking similarities; unfortunately, many of these are related to the misogynistic motifs present. Both creation myths are “the two most influential forces in shaping the modern Western consciousness” (Harris & Platzner, 1995, p. 80). Pandora’s origin story can be viewed as the Greek human creation story, while Eve’s serves as the Judo-Christian human creation story. The story of Eve is told in the biblical book of Genesis, and is more commonly known as the story of Adam and Eve (Leeming, 2010, p. 367). Eve’s conception is as follows: “Lord God cast a deep slumber on the human, and he slept, and He took one of his ribs and closed over the flesh where it had been, and the Lord God Built the rib he had taken from the human into a woman” (Moses., Genesis, 2:21-23)[6]. In both tales, Pandora and Eve are the first women to be fashioned by their male creators. Similarly, both women were created in relation to a man, whether as a form of retribution or to serve the man.
(Moses., Genesis, 2:21)“This one at last, bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh,
This one shall be called Woman,
for from man was this one taken.”
“And in her breast the messenger, the killer of Argos, fashioned lies and wheedling words and a thievish nature through the will of loud-thundering Zeus. And the messenger of the gods placed in her a voice, and he named the woman Pandora, because all who live on Olympos had given her a gift, an evil for men who devour grain.”
(Hes., Works and Days, 72-77)
One can conclude that God is the biblical version of the Greek god Zeus, while Adam is a role parallel to Epimetheus.
“And the Lord God said, “It is not good for the human to be alone, I shall make him a sustainer beside him.” (…)
Therefore does a man leave his father and his mother and cling to his wife and they become one flesh. And the two of them were naked, the human and his wife.”
(Moses., Genesis, 2:18-26)
“and scatterbrained Epimetheus, who from the beginning gave birth to evil for bread-nourished men. For he first received from Zeus the molded virgin as his wife.”
(Hes., Theog, 410-412)
Pandora’s arrival is associated with the ending of the Golden Age, Eve’s is similarly associated with the end of man’s paradise. Throughout history, these women have been characterized as the origin of all ill manners and misery. Each has been distinguished “as the feminine agent responsible for all of our subsequent misfortunes, Pandora serves the same mythic function as Eve in the Genesis story of Eden.” (Harris & Platzner, 1995, p. 80). Judeo-Christian religion appoints Eve as the one responsible for the “Original Sin” that led to the fall of mankind: eating fruit from the forbidden tree of life. Although it had been Adam who was told not to eat the apples and was supposedly in charge of controlling his wife, scholars concluded that Eve was to be held responsible for committing the crime due to her deceitful nature (Harris & Platzner, 1995, p. 80). Since Eve was the first woman on earth, the Judeo-Christian religion believed that the female sex inherited Eve’s sinful nature. These beliefs are evident in the witchcraft treatise used during the Western Europe ‘witch craze’ of the 16th and 17th centuries: the Malleus Maleficarum (Mackay, 2009, p. 1). This is further supported in the following quotation from the Malleus Maleficarum: “For it is true that in the Old Testament the Scriptures have much that is evil to say about women, and this because of the first temptress, Eve” (Kramer & Sprenger, Malleus Maleficarum, p. 44)[7]. The previous quotation depicts later scholars continuing to identify Eve as the culprit of the Original Sin; this is simply not true. In the original story, Adam alone was initially instructed by God himself to not consume the fruit from the tree of life. Eve’s arrival came later, she did not receive direct instructions herself. Instead, she was tricked by the serpent to eat the fruit. Adam disregarded God’s direct instructions and ate the fruit. In contrast, Pandora was held responsible for opening the jar in Greek religion. The myth clearly describes Zeus creating Pandora with a malicious nature; this would later drive her to release evils onto mankind from the jar that Zeus would later send. From her, the female sex was created to punish mankind due to the evil that resided within them.
“And the Lord God commanded the human saying, “From every fruit of the garden you may surely eat. But from the tree of knowledge, good and evil, you shall not eat, for on the day you eat from it, you are doomed to die.”
(Moses., Genesis, 2:16-18)
“And the serpent said to the woman, “You shall not be doomed to die.” (…)
And the human said, “The woman whom you gave by me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.” And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?””
(Moses., Genesis, 2:5-13)
“And he urged Hermes the messenger, the killer of Argos,° to put in her the mind of a bitch and a scheming nature. (..)
But only after he had taken it, when he already had the evil, did he understand. Before this the tribes of men lived on the earth separate and apart from evil and apart from harsh labor and grievous sickness, which brings death upon men; for in misery men soon grow old. But the woman took off the great lid of the jar with her hands and scattered its contents abroad, and she devised terrible pains for humankind.”
(Hes., Works and Days, 63-87)
The pair have been defined as anti-role models for generations of women, due to their representations as deceitful, manipulative, and sinful. Pandora and Eve were used as justification for men to perceive women as inferior. In the myth of Pandora and the story of Adam and Eve both women were used as scapegoats for the mistakes of men: the fallout from Prometheus and Zeus’ conflict and Adam eating from the forbidden tree of life. The two women were similarly accused of a man’s deed, while the men did not receive any consequences. They were blamed for the separation of men and innocence. When analyzing their relationship, one cannot deny that the myth of Pandora may have been influenced by the Judeo-Christian book of Genesis. The myths are “the two most influential forces in shaping the modern Western consciousness – the Greek and Judeo-Christian traditions – agree in regarding women as the catalyst of humanity’s historical decline.” (Harris & Platzner, 1995, p. 80).
[6] All translations are from Alter
[7] All translations are from Summers.
Conclusion
The myth of Pandora has various existing versions, some with severe misogynistic beliefs. The versions discussed portray Pandora as a deceitful and evil woman, parallel with how women were perceived in Ancient Greek societies. The biblical story of Eve and the tale of Pandora have a unique relationship: “The Bible and the Greek myth similarly blame female curiosity (intelligence) for breaking the divine-human connection that prevailed when man existed alone with his patriarchal deity.” (Harris & Platsner, 1995, p. 81). Both have overlapping features in their plotline, indicating that the Genesis human creation story may have served as a prominent influence for the Greek human creation story. Pandora and Eve were both victims of misogynistic narratives; both served as the men’s scapegoats. Now I know that this may not seem that important for present-day society to re-read ancient literature, but it’s the exact opposite. It is important to revisit myths to debunk the unfair representation of women throughout history, and to improve all existing and further research.
Gender roles have influenced power dynamics in societies throughout our entire histroy; consequently, women have had the short end of the stick. The amount of history that has been covered up because of misogyny is overhwelming. Everyday, I come accross something new. While conducting my research, I was shocked at how similar Pandora and Eve’s creation stories were. Not only are their plotlines almost exact replicas, but their character blueprints are also eerily similar. I couldn’t stop talking about how similar these two were. It was as if it was the juiciest piece of gossip I had heard all year, and I couldn’t keep it to myself. Everyone needed to know how unoriginal these authors were; reusing the same character molds to justify their hatred toward women, only with different names. Think of how many decisions are supported by religious beliefs, especially in politics. Do any modern major events ring a bell yet? If you’re anything like me, you probably thought of the recent headlines that made you so angry you screamed at your phone or television. The specific example that pops into my mind is the United States Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Roe v. Wade case in 2022. This decision allowed individual states to regulate their abortion laws. Many have gone completely backward, criminalizing abortion, restricting or discontinuing abortion care, and have implicated severe consequences for those choosing the abortion route. By the way, everyone has the right to choose what they do with their body. Not some man who supports his decision with their personal religious beliefs. Get a life and give us our rights. If this is not enough, think of the sexist comments that continue to be accepted in society. Feminsts continue to be labelled as ‘outrageously overmeotional crazy women’ by society, when this is just simply not true. We just want equality, we aren’t the problem here. In profesional settings, my contributions are frequently overlooked or overshadowed by a man’s because I am not offered the same respect. No volume is loud enough for me to speak at to be heard over a man’s sexist views towards women. This is why it is crucial to re-visit these popular myths and stories; to stop this recurring misogynistic character mold that exists to promote outdated beliefs. Modern re-interpretations help us detach ourselves from these patriarchal beliefs, by taking a closer look at our beloved childhood myths and stories. Thankfully, more and more experts are doing exactly this. Podcasts are an incredible source to help share insightful analysis’ of ancient literature and to put an end to these patriarchal narratives. Hopefully, you are just as angry as I am and are ready to dive into your own analysis.
References
Aesop, (first), and Laura Gibbs. 2008. Aesop’s Fables. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Aristotle, and Peter Simpson. 1997. The Politics of Aristotle. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
Dowden, Ken. 2005. The Uses of Greek Mythology. London: Routledge.
Foxhall, Lin. 2013. Studying Gender in Classical Antiquity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hansen, Mogens Herman. 2006. Polis: An Introduction to the Ancient Greek City-State. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Harris, Stephen L., and Gloria Platzner. 1995. Classical Mythology: Images and Insights. Mountain View, Calif: Mayfield Pub. Co.
Hesiod, and Barry B. Powell. 2017. The Poems of Hesiod: Theogony, Works and Days, and the Shield Herakles. Oakland, California: University of California Press.
Kerényi, Karl. 2010. The Gods of the Greeks. London: Thames and Hudson.
Kramer, Heinrich, and Jakob Sprenger. 2007. The Malleus Maleficarum. New York: Cosimo.
Mackay, Christopher S., and Heinrich Institoris. 2009. The Hammer of Witches: A Complete Translation of the Malleus Maleficarum. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Morford, Mark P. O., and Robert J. Lenardon. 2003. Classical Mythology. 7th ed. New York: Oxford University Press.
Nonnos de Panopolis, William Henry Denham Rouse, Herbert Jennings Rose, and Levi Robert Lind. 1984. Dionysiaca. Cambridge, Mass. London: Harvard university press W. Heinemann.
Powell, Barry B. 2007. Classical Myth. 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Thury, Eva M., and Margaret Klopfle Devinney. 2017. Introduction to Mythology: Contemporary Approaches to Classical and World Myths. Fourth edition. New York ; Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Women in Antiquity 