From the Iliad - Again

Man, the Iliad really looks down on women.

"...me, who am a nasty bitch evil-intriguing, how I wish that on that day when my mother first bore me the foul whirlwind of a storm had caught me away and swept me to the mountain, or into the wash of the sea deep-thundering where the waves would have swept me away..." -- Helen, p. 162, book 6

Okay, Helen... you're a total hottie, there's a war being fought over you, and all you can say is "I wish I'd died so men wouldn't fight over me"? For reals? You could have, um, not slept with Paris... but no matter. I doubt she really thought that of herself; no woman I know would be that self-deprecating in her situation. I mean, we're all self-deprecating sometimes, but most of us usually stick with calling ourselves bitches - which we, as self-respecting, intelligent women, have been told by society that we are.

It's a little sad, I guess is what I'm trying to say.

And later on -- see this post: http://talkingstove.blogspot.com/2008/09/notes-to-self.html -- Andromache falls all over the place telling Hektor/Hector how FUCKING AWESOME he is. Gross. C'mon, ladies. Respect yourselves.