Author Archives: ai.oikoshi

Unlike any other Greek mythology which focus on characteristics, sexuality and emotional difference between women and men, Ramayana is a beautifully written classical prince/princes story. Rama’s journey of being king is not an easy one; however, everything seems happened for a reason for him to become a role model. Rama’s father Dasharatha, King of Aydohya wants Rama to take his thorne; however, Dashartha’s second wife wants her son to rule so she traps Rama and banishes him in the forest for fourteen years. As he goes to the forest, Sita follows him which shows what a wife should be like because as a wife Sita accepts Rama’s life journey and respects it submissively. A bad thing turns into a good thing. Living in the forest is not easy; however, Rama manages it and feels even confortable living in there until Sita is in danger. Ravana who is ten-headed and also the king of Lanka tries to seduce Sita. He takes her to his kingdom while Rama is gone. Luckily, Rama saves Sita. After Sita proves her purity, Rama finally becomes a King. Ramayana’s story line should be familiar to everyone, but it timelessly tells us about being a role model in the society.

Gilgamash is the king of Uruk. Despite his age, he holds everything what he wants such as knowledge, power and fame. Even town people mutter “Gilgamesh sounds the tocsin for his amusement; his arrogance has no bounds by day or night. No son is left with his father, for Gilgamesh takes them all, even the children; yet the king should be a shepherd to his people. His lust leaves no virgin to her lover, neither the warrior’s daughter nor the wife of the noble; yet this is the shepherd of the city, wise, comely, and resolute.” (Gilgamesh 13) However, god is fair enough to give him a little life journey instead of always giving him what he wants. Anu, the god of Uruk creates a strong superhuman Enkidu who will soon become a Gilgamesh best friend. Gilgamesh and Enkidu go to the forest journey, fight with demon Humbaba and kill him. The chief gods decide that someone should pay for killing Humbaba. Enkidu is punished and dies.

This incident teaches Gilgamesh a life lesson. Gilgamesh in this picture looks sad and confusing because as a king, he has never dealt with losing something very important to him. Throughout the experience, Gilgamesh must learn being humble and sometimes it is important as a king to show some respect submissively. No matter who you are or where you come from, it is always true that the overcoming such a great pain makes us bigger as a human being.

In this picture, there is Io the heifer and Jove the cheater. In this story, Jove tries to hide the fact that he rapes Io behind his wife Juno’s back. He is so afraid that the fact is revealed so he changes his lovely Io into a heifer. What is interesting in this story is what happens right after Io transforms into a cow. Jove’s wife Juno actually feels suspicious about this beautiful but strange heifer and begins to notice that her husband has done something behind her back.

Like Medea’s typical emotional outburst as a woman, Juno also shows a typical reaction as a woman when something is wrong which is called woman’s instinct. In this picture, Juno looks suspicious about the heifer and the relationship between her husband and the heifer. She observes what is going on from outside of the circle, tries to capture the sense of being wronged. Juno follows her instinct and hires Argus who has a hundred eyes to watch this heifer. This story is not as intense as Medea; however, the story is very much like what is happening today’s society. The relationship between men and women has not been changed regardless of what generation you live in. Men are still doing what they are doing and women are still emotional about what is going on in their world.

Here is the famous angry woman Medea in Greek mythology. In this picture, Medea stands up powerfully with having all anger towards her husband Jason. She is clearly obsessed with anger towards not only her husband, but also herself because of the fact that she somehow trusts what she has in her life yet she can no longer rely on nobody’s royalty and feels helpless. Being her role as a wife establishes her personality and brings meanings to her life. She sees her life actually collapsing in front of her because of her husband dishonesty and betrayal and she becomes desperate. Poor angry woman has nowhere to turn into and ends up killing her husband’s new bride, bride’s father who is the king of Corinth and Medea’s own children.

Killing her own children is such an intense ending; however, I somehow understand her frustration as a woman. This picture illustrates that she has nothing to lose or to look back. She loses what she has believed in, loved and trusted so much that she has to do anything which includes killing her own children to fulfill her emotion that has been taken away from her. Greek methodology always contains some philosophical messages for us to tell. Medea apparently tells emotional side of womanhood which tells us the fact that women generally are emotional creatures and this fact has not been changed since 430 B.C. up until today.