XPost: alt.magick, alt.religion.wicca, alt.native   
   XPost: alt.recovery.adult-children   
   From: troia.legata@gmail.removethiscom   
      
   oldwifetale wrote:   
   > On Jul 4, 9:24 am, Midwinter  wrote:   
   >> oldwifetale  wrote:   
   >>> I don't know about only female 'muses' or 'goddesses'. Men can be very   
   >>> inspiring.   
   >> That's as maybe.  But there's a difference between 'someone who is   
   >> inspiring' and a Muse.  The latter is a very specific concept from Greek   
   >> mythology, and they were indeed all goddesses or female spirits.   
   >>   
   >> --   
   >> Midwinter   
   >   
   > Yes, true (and i don't know how i got caught up in the flow of this   
   > thread). Hmm. But i was under the impression that she (arewhanariki)   
   > was not speaking of a muse in that sense, but rather as a human who   
   > would inspire her in some way. And honestly... whenever i have read   
   > about greek muses, they seem mostly to be there as 'female spirits'   
   > for men. It has always struck me as odd... that 'male spirits' would   
   > not appear prevalent in greek mythology for the inspiration of women.   
   > Where is the balance? I think it is also true that most greek   
   > mythology was written or 'recorded' by men.... so of course they could   
   > only write what they knew - from their own male experiences. As women,   
   > perhaps we should mostly write what *we* know. Maybe there has been   
   > something missing... or even suppressed... in the 'mythology'. I   
   > respect and recognize the validity of ancient 'myth' in all cultures-   
   > so i discount very little (if anything) as 'false' - but i also know   
   > that much of it has been filtered down through millenia of patriarchal   
   > societies. Just something i have pondered about from time to time...   
   > Is it not possible?   
   >   
      
   I'm not sure I can see why you interpret it as "filtered down through   
   millenia of patriarchal societies" when it is so patently the product of   
   a patriarchal society in the first place.  If anything, I'd guess that   
   it has been -softened- in that respect over those years.   
      
      
   -- Troia   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)