Robert Graves’s The Greek Myths and Matriarchy
Robert Graves’s The Greek Myths and Matriarchy
The chapter discusses Robert Graves’s book The Greek Myths and his approach to Greek religion. In Graves’s opinion, all Greek myth deals with a universal female figure. She is seen as the goddess of a matriarchal cult, where all male figures are sacred kings. They are put to death after a brief reign. The essay analyses examples from the book and contrasts them with current and mainstream works on Greek religion and mythology. The essay explains Graves’s beliefs and interpretations, and considers the scientific discussion about matriarchy and gynaecocracy. Finally, it looks at modern feminist literature which is partly based on Graves’s beliefs.
Keywords: matriarchy, sacred king, Greek myth, goddess, cult, mother-right, gynaecocracy, feminism
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