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Thursday, May 17, 2007

I Am Sparta





Glimpsing at a photo of Gerry in "300" and remembering the awkward time I had while viewing the film opening weekend. I thought about one of the themes in the movie in regards to the station of women in Sparta. How they were respected and not relegated as mere housemaids and baby incubators but expected to stand up when the time came and defend their home. Who could forget the one line (that frankly was my favorite in the whole film)

"...because only Spartan women give birth to Real men"

One of the few things aside from the cinematography, battle sequences and manly physiques I found interesting about the film and redeemable (Yes I have many a issue with the movie but I'll digress...it's not important to expand on).

Then I read an interesting theory recently. The idea that the widely passed on mythology of the Amazons in fact maybe true, of course not as literally as the stories we've all heard.

These women may not have been 7 feet tall leggy behemoths but simply free, liberated, cunning and fiercely capable fighters whose legacy possibly extended to the women of Sparta (and possibly beyond). Here's a quote from a Minnesota State University article on ancient civilizations:



Research concerning the Amazons and Spartan women is at best sketchy, however, it is evidenced by many historians that the Amazons did have some elements and influences in common with Sparta. Spartan women had much more political freedom than within other cities such as Athens. A Spartan woman was expected to be fierce and be able to defend her land. This can be exemplified in the goddess Artemis. The patroness of Sparta and of the Amazons, Artemis was the goddess of the wild hunt, protector of animals, protector of women, young girls, and youth, with a connection to adolescence and childbirth (The Amazons in later Hellenistic periods were associated with Dionysus the god of wine, as either his allies of his opponents.). Though the worship of Artemis was common throughout the Greek world, only in Sparta was a warrior spirit and sense of equality allowed to flourish among the upper-class Spartiate men and women.



I found this theory interesting. However, what really struck me is the correlation between the Amazons, Spartans (women) and Black women. The same edge associated with us and sense of independence, free-spirited and most importantly fierce battlers in regards to protecting and defending our own. The philosophies and social structure of an ancient civilization valued and revered those qualities in their women. However these qualities (today) do not garner the equal respect that the women of Sparta may have in those times and instead are same reasons used to disparage black women.

Just another Thursday musing, rolling around in my often capricious thinking that flutters from here to there on any given day.

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Posted by N. Mahana :: 10:49 AM ::
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