The Snake Goddess - 1440 Words

The Snake Goddess The Snake Goddess, a voluptuous, divine figure with bare breasts, and snakes in both hands, is one of the most well known female deity’s and faà ¯ence figurines in Minoan culture (Patron). The actual representation of the Snake Goddess is unknown; however, a majority of perceptions would all agree that the Snake Goddess is an important female deity in Minoan civilization. By analyzing the importance of symbolism, the role of women in Minoan civilization and The Snake Goddesses role in Minoan culture, it will become evident that The Snake Goddess plays a significant role in Minoan art, religion and society (Witcombe). Discovered in 1903, by British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans, at The Temple Repositories, The Snake Goddess†¦show more content†¦Women acted as priestesses, made official decisions in and amongst the community, and were responsible for organizing commune functions (Witcombe 10). These responsibilities and duties were not often jobs of men in Minoan civilization, â€Å"Moreover men are rarely seen in commanding positions, despite attempts to identify them in such positions† (Witcombe 10). It is suggested that the reason why women played such a huge role in Minoan civilization was due to the fact that in Minoan religion they worshiped goddesses and they were greatly influenced by them. It is believed that The Snake Goddess was an important figure in Crete at this time, and was worshiped along side of the Huntress, and The Mountain Mother. Mainly focusing on The Snake Goddess she represented a strong, powerful female deity, who overall acted as an icon for women. The i nfluence The Snake Goddess had on women was substantial. Women became more than just members of the community, and gained a place in society. It was no longer a man’s world but a world run by women. Even ancient frescoes and other forms of Minoan artwork provide evidence of women being more vital than men, because depictions of women were more common than men (Witcombe 10). After examining women’s key roles in Minoan civilization it becomes apparent that The Snake Goddess influenced women in Crete in many different ways and played a significant part in Minoan civilization. Just likeShow MoreRelatedThe Acropolis Of Athens And Athens Essay1592 Words   |  7 PagesMycenaean ages, the residents chose to live there because it was fairly easy to defend since they could see all of the land around it for miles. After centuries of living on the Acropolis, many buildings and structures relating to Athena, the Greek Goddess of wisdom, war, and craft, were designed to help protect the city. However, these complexes were demolished numerous times in the early 400’s BCE by the Persians. Once the Acropolis and the city of Athens were ruled by Pericles, it became the eminentRead MoreA Summary Of Coatlicue1329 Words   |  6 Pagesas dangerous to worship. Furthermore, the large amount of serpent imagery, while sacred to the Aztecs, was seen as devilish traits. After all, the snake was the animal that tricked humans to be ousted from Eden in Christian ideology. Compounded with the fact that Coatlicue showed references to human sacrifice, the Spanish saw the st atue of the goddess as devil-worship and a sign of paganism, as contrasted to what they thought as the superior religion of Christianity. However, just as the Aztecs conqueredRead MoreThe Legend of Medusa907 Words   |  4 PagesThe Legend of Medusa As we all probably know medusa started off as a beautiful girl with beautiful golden curly hair. And ended up like a hideous monster that had venomous snakes for hair and could turn any man to stone by just looking into their eyes. But do you know how that came to be? Do you know the story of medusa? Most legends how they are stories and not fact have been changed drastically. And now there are many different interpretations. I have shortened the list to 2 very different interpretationsRead MoreCauses Of Minoan Civilization993 Words   |  4 PagesMinoan’s are enigmatic people who worship one or more female deities called snake goddess. However, Sir Arthur Evans, a British archaeologist responsible for the first major excavation on Crete in the early twentieth century, and who also uncovered the Minoan palace identified images of the Cretan goddess as â€Å"Mountain goddess,† â€Å"Dove goddess,† Goddess of the Caves,† Goddess of the Double Axes,† Goddess of the Sports,† and Mother goddess,†. According to Sir Arthur Evans theory of Knossos and discovery, KnossosRead MoreThe Differences Between Religion And Economy1177 Words   |  5 Pages one of whom is larger than the others. She most likely represents a goddess, as she is associat ed elsewhere in Minoan artefacts and generally accompanied by mythical animals, such as a Griffin. As indicated by Richard Hooker, this implies that the head of the Minoan pantheon was an almighty goddess who dominated and controlled everything in creation. This allows no doubt for the supreme deity in Minoan society to be a goddess, which would have been a substantial influence on the overall statusRead MoreAncient Egyptian Art : A Visual Analysis Of Bastet And The Menat Of Taharqo1267 Words   |  6 Pagesin Ancient Egyptian Art: A Visual Analysis of Bastet and the Menat of Taharqo: the King Being Nursed by the Lion-Headed Goddess Bastet The ancient Egyptians are known for their fondness for animals, and the cat was a favorite household companion. Cats were common in ancient Egyptian art that depicted domestic scenes since they were greatly appreciated as killers of rodents, snakes, scorpions, ect. Typically homes with cats had less sickness, and fewer deaths. But beyond these roles, cats were cherishedRead MoreWho Is More Moral: Hercules or Perseus918 Words   |  4 Pagesbrother, Iphicles, and they were 8 months old, Hera sent two giant snakes to attack Hercules, when Hercules’s brother saw the snaked he started crying, but Hercules grabbed both snakes and choked them with his bare hand and killed them. Iphicles was a normal human, conceived from Alcmene and her husband, but Hercules was a demi-god, from Zeus and Alcmene. Alcmene had difficulties in childbirth, myths say that Hera sent the goddess of childbirth to sit cross-legged in Alcmene’s room, to prevent herRead MoreZeus The man the Myth the Le gend1577 Words   |  7 Pagesof life, decide on its end and cut it. Zeus, in all his glory, was virtually powerless to their influence. His third wife, Evrynomi, was the sister of Mitis. She would give birth to the three Graces, beauty, gentleness, and friendship. Mnemosyne, goddess of memory, would give birth to the nine Muse (Stone 56). Finally, there was Hera. Hera would be the primary wife of Zeus throughout his reign as king of the gods. However, this did not suppress his unquenchable thirst for lust. Hera was the sisterRead MoreImportance Of Myths In Greek Myths941 Words   |  4 PagesGreek mythology is the myths and legends that the Greeks built their lives around. Hermes is the goddess of herds, flock, traveller, hospitality roads, trade and laws. He was born in a cave at dawn, and his mother wrapped him in swaddling wraps. Sirens were creatures that had a head of a woman and body if bird. Tiresias lived for seven to nine years, and in those years he lived as man and woman. Hermes, Sirens, and Tiresias are important in Greek mythology because they reveal the values of GreekRead MoreThe Statue Of Athena Parthenos1720 Words   |  7 Pagesto make the temple. At the temple, for the first time in history people were depicted as individuals. Every citizen played an important part in the making of the temple. In 5th century C.E, the temple was converted into a church. Athena is the goddess of wisdom and war. She is the daughter of Zeus and Metis. She was born in an interesting way. Zeus knew that if Metis had a son, there were chances the son would be stronger than him. So he tricked her into becoming a fly and he swallowed her to eliminate