Years ago I read Taylor Caldwell's Glory and the Lightning, biofiction which first sparked my interest in Aspasia. Caldwell did a throrough job researching her and the era. People are still reading the novel today even though it was first published in 1974, a testament to Aspasia's enduring appeal and Caldwell's masterful writing.
It seems worth mentioning the very structures of ancient Greece rested on Ionic and Corinthian pillars, both orders based on the proportions of the female human body.
Aspasia is awesome! By the way, it's likely that Diotima is a codename for Aspasia. The name means "she who honors the god" and at that time Pericles was (perhaps tongue in check) called "the god" because of his dominant role in Athenian society.
Divine reason (Greek: λόγος) — implicit in the universe and giving the universe both form and meaning — is equally accessible to both males and females. What I find intriguing is that divine wisdom — (Greek: σοφία [sophia]; Hebrew: חָכְמָה [chokmah]) — is feminine, while also being equally accessible to both women and men. I wonder if reason / λόγος (logos) is masculine. Just wondering as I allow my mind to wander. Maybe wisdom and reason are completely unified.
Personally, I've always viewed reason as more masculine but I think that's due to social constructs. Women, in general, are raised to be more emotionally empathic beings (dolls, playing house, etc.) while boys are generally raised to be more logical (playing with blocks and building things, playing sports from a young age, etc.). Most of what little girls are taught to play with are fantastical, like unicorns and mermaids. This gives way to imaginative play in their brain that can take on an ethereal feel. Boys' toys are based in the real world (soldiers, fire trucks, etc.). This dynamic naturally sets up the more ethereal divine wisdom to take on a feminine mask while the rooted, earthly reason will have a more masculine mask. I think both men and women can utilize reason, if they so choose to. It's interesting, I have always viewed divine wisdom as masculine as well. That could be due to my Judeo-Christian upbringing. I totally agree, wisdom and reason are a pair. One without the other leaves a thinker wanting. When combined, the mind is set free.
The writer of the Book of Proverbs — supposedly King Solomon, called “the wisest of all men” (for his time?) — personified wisdom as feminine saying, “Prize her…embrace her…” “Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will guard you. Wisdom is supreme; so acquire wisdom. And whatever else you acquire, gain understanding. Prize her, and she will exalt you; if you embrace her, she will honor you. She will set a garland of grace on your head; she will present you with a crown of beauty.” — Proverbs 4:5-9
On the other hand, maybe it’s wise to not assign gender to divine ideals or Platonic eternal forms.
You make excellent points about imaginative play & culture and the toys of boys & girls.
That's a beautiful passage from scripture! They skipped over this one at my school I attended, I suspect because wisdom is referred to in the feminine. That's a beautiful interpretation of wisdom and I think I would appreciate it whether it was in the feminine or masculine because of its poetic and philosophical merit. I don't mind if things are gendered at times as long as that's not its most interesting feature, and as long as it's done like this, with some type of creative technique applied to it. Does that make sense? I may be being a bit too stubborn and murky with that lol! Thank you for sharing this! I always love a good biblical excerpt :)
“I don't mind if things are gendered at times as long as that's not its most interesting feature, and as long as it's done like this, with some type of creative technique applied to it. Does that make sense?” Absolutely! 😊
We don't know if it was a way of listing someone who couldn't be as easily verified in that era. Unfortunately when it comes to ancient Greece records are kind of spotty because of the passage of time and several intervening groups with their own agendas determining what got passed on--Plutarch was writing 700 years later. I certainly don't think it's impossible: Sappho was known for her poetry after all, and hetairae were supposed to have conversational and musical skills. Even in far more patriarchal Imperial China the famous official Zhuge Liang supposedly picked his wife for her intellect. (He was mocked for this.)
You do have the *salonnieres* of the Enlightenment and so on; their influence is well documented. So...maybe?
At most I'll give it a maybe. Women who went against the grain were often given types of sexual labels to discredit them intellectually. They also often entered into these types of relationships due to societal controls of women versus by way of truly voluntary means. So, it could be a yes, could be a no 🤷♀️
Years ago I read Taylor Caldwell's Glory and the Lightning, biofiction which first sparked my interest in Aspasia. Caldwell did a throrough job researching her and the era. People are still reading the novel today even though it was first published in 1974, a testament to Aspasia's enduring appeal and Caldwell's masterful writing.
Thank you for this recommendation! I will definitely be adding that book to my list to read.
It seems worth mentioning the very structures of ancient Greece rested on Ionic and Corinthian pillars, both orders based on the proportions of the female human body.
Thank you for sharing this nugget of wisdom! That's pretty cool :)
So enjoyed reading this. I love to muse about what it must have been like for non-conforming women in antiquity.
Same! I love finding the stories that challenge the narrative that women had no agency in antiquity.
Aspasia is awesome! By the way, it's likely that Diotima is a codename for Aspasia. The name means "she who honors the god" and at that time Pericles was (perhaps tongue in check) called "the god" because of his dominant role in Athenian society.
I have seen that theory as well! Very, very interesting. Thanks for reading!
Divine reason (Greek: λόγος) — implicit in the universe and giving the universe both form and meaning — is equally accessible to both males and females. What I find intriguing is that divine wisdom — (Greek: σοφία [sophia]; Hebrew: חָכְמָה [chokmah]) — is feminine, while also being equally accessible to both women and men. I wonder if reason / λόγος (logos) is masculine. Just wondering as I allow my mind to wander. Maybe wisdom and reason are completely unified.
Personally, I've always viewed reason as more masculine but I think that's due to social constructs. Women, in general, are raised to be more emotionally empathic beings (dolls, playing house, etc.) while boys are generally raised to be more logical (playing with blocks and building things, playing sports from a young age, etc.). Most of what little girls are taught to play with are fantastical, like unicorns and mermaids. This gives way to imaginative play in their brain that can take on an ethereal feel. Boys' toys are based in the real world (soldiers, fire trucks, etc.). This dynamic naturally sets up the more ethereal divine wisdom to take on a feminine mask while the rooted, earthly reason will have a more masculine mask. I think both men and women can utilize reason, if they so choose to. It's interesting, I have always viewed divine wisdom as masculine as well. That could be due to my Judeo-Christian upbringing. I totally agree, wisdom and reason are a pair. One without the other leaves a thinker wanting. When combined, the mind is set free.
The writer of the Book of Proverbs — supposedly King Solomon, called “the wisest of all men” (for his time?) — personified wisdom as feminine saying, “Prize her…embrace her…” “Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will guard you. Wisdom is supreme; so acquire wisdom. And whatever else you acquire, gain understanding. Prize her, and she will exalt you; if you embrace her, she will honor you. She will set a garland of grace on your head; she will present you with a crown of beauty.” — Proverbs 4:5-9
On the other hand, maybe it’s wise to not assign gender to divine ideals or Platonic eternal forms.
You make excellent points about imaginative play & culture and the toys of boys & girls.
That's a beautiful passage from scripture! They skipped over this one at my school I attended, I suspect because wisdom is referred to in the feminine. That's a beautiful interpretation of wisdom and I think I would appreciate it whether it was in the feminine or masculine because of its poetic and philosophical merit. I don't mind if things are gendered at times as long as that's not its most interesting feature, and as long as it's done like this, with some type of creative technique applied to it. Does that make sense? I may be being a bit too stubborn and murky with that lol! Thank you for sharing this! I always love a good biblical excerpt :)
“I don't mind if things are gendered at times as long as that's not its most interesting feature, and as long as it's done like this, with some type of creative technique applied to it. Does that make sense?” Absolutely! 😊
We don't know if it was a way of listing someone who couldn't be as easily verified in that era. Unfortunately when it comes to ancient Greece records are kind of spotty because of the passage of time and several intervening groups with their own agendas determining what got passed on--Plutarch was writing 700 years later. I certainly don't think it's impossible: Sappho was known for her poetry after all, and hetairae were supposed to have conversational and musical skills. Even in far more patriarchal Imperial China the famous official Zhuge Liang supposedly picked his wife for her intellect. (He was mocked for this.)
You do have the *salonnieres* of the Enlightenment and so on; their influence is well documented. So...maybe?
At most I'll give it a maybe. Women who went against the grain were often given types of sexual labels to discredit them intellectually. They also often entered into these types of relationships due to societal controls of women versus by way of truly voluntary means. So, it could be a yes, could be a no 🤷♀️
Too true. So sadly we'll never know.