Why couldn't Greek heroes do without Goddesses?
In Ancient Greece, hero adoration was a strong cultural institution, and there is reason to speak of hero cults. In patriarchal Greek society, heroes were obviously always men. The hero cult did not originate in Greece, but rather the Greeks' ancestors - Indo-European nomads who wandered into Southeastern Europe from the steppe around 3200 BCE - brought a cult with their own soldiers to Hellas, their new homeland. Heroes were strong and omnipotent and aimed to achieve a reputation that would outlive them. They keenly hoped that poets would relay their accomplishments for generations after they were gone. This way, they could become immortal.
Vase painting of Hera suckling Hercules.
Heroes had only one weakness: they feared an early grave. If a hero were to perish in his first battle, no-one would remember his heroic deeds, and he wouldn't achieve immortality. The hero candidates resolved this problem by finding protectors. Instead of turning to strong deities such as Zeus, father of the gods, or Ares, the god of war, they sought out female patronesses and the protective embrace of strong goddesses. A vase-painting depicts the goddess Hera holding Hercules and breastfeeding him. Of all the goddesses, Athena was the most popular protectress. Hercules and Athena became invincible companions in battle, and they fought triumphantly side by side against the Giants.
What did Greek men think about women warriors, for example the Amazons? Did they appreciate their skills and reputation? In principle yes, but only in adversarial roles. They were taken seriously as enemies. There are stories about Greek heroes fighting the Amazons, and a certain duel became world-famous through Homer's storytelling. In the Iliad, Homer stages a great battle between Achilles and Penthesilea, queen of the Amazons, which grows to epic proportions. Penthesilea is the most skilled warrior of all the Amazons, but Achilles still ends up winning and kills the brave warrior queen.
The struggle between Penthesilea and Achilles is an example of the Amazons' roles in Greek mythology. In these stories, Amazons systematically lost to Greek heroes. This was the only possible outcome in order to preserve the Greek mens' self-esteem and sense of superiority. In other words, the only good Amazon was a dead one. If the outcome was ever anything else, it was not mentioned in the myths. Apparently it never occurred to the male heroes that they could have chosen the Amazon warriors as their comrades and fortified their strength in combat. Only in mythical stories such as those of Hercules and Athena did male and female characters cooperate with each other.
Harald Haarmann and Virpi Lehtinen
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