Divine Might

November 13, 2023
In this zippy study, Haynes (Pandora’s Jar), a novelist and classicist, opines on depictions of Aphrodite, Artemis, Demeter, and other Greek goddesses in literature and pop culture. For instance, she pushes back against Ovid’s portrayal in Metamorphoses of Hera, Zeus’s wife, who holds captive one of Zeus’s paramours whom the god turned into a cow in a vain attempt to disguise his adultery, as a “pathologically jealous wife.” Haynes instead suggests Hera’s response is justified and represents the concerns of fifth-century BCE Athens women who had no legal ability to initiate divorce but could be left by their husbands for other women. According to Haynes, Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, is defined by her unflappability in the face of attempted humiliation, as seen in a story from Homer’s Odyssey in which Aphrodite shrugs off getting caught cheating on her husband with Ares. The lighthearted tone and humor will keep even those already familiar with Greek mythology entertained through lengthy recaps of various legends (“I didn’t start this book expecting to compare Arnold Schwarzenegger to the goddess Artemis,” Haynes writes, “but we are where we are”), making the stories fresh and accessible for a new generation. The result is a fun take on Greek myth.