Maiden, Mother, Corpse: Greek Goddesses’ Dominion Over Life and Death in Myth and Literature

Fertility and death are two opposing concepts that occupy the consciousness of every person, culture, and civilization in the world. While there are ways to affect both concepts, they are ultimately beyond human control, and so mythology is one means in which people cope with that reality. Four of Greek mythology’s central deities were called upon in order to intervene, and in the stories and cult practices that included these deities two patterns consistently emerge. The first is the association with the feminine, and the second is the way two opposite concepts are so frequently aligned, which is based in the way Greek deities were multi-faceted, dual beings. In this thesis I explore how these patterns emerge in mythology, literature, ritual, and art focused on the goddesses Aphrodite, Demeter, Persephone, and Artemis.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (MA)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Greek & Roman Studies

Grantor

Arts

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Hopkins, Holly

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Rutherford Hume, James

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Rutherford Hume, James
• Joseph, Clara
• Toohey, Peter
• Maynes, Craig

• Mythology
• Death
• Fertility
• Motherhood
• Women
• Literature

Statement dc:rights

• Unless otherwise indicated, this material is protected by copyright and has been made available with authorization from the copyright owner. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/49999

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:1880/122406