In Greek mythology, there are numerous stories about divine vengeance and mortals. The gods penalize humans for various reasons and impose different punishments on offenders. Powell provides many examples in the book of the gods’ wrath and their different punishment styles based on their gender. Male gods tend to prefer a prolonged and torturous style of punishment rather than a quick and easy death for male offenders. On the other hand, female gods opt for a quick and destructive punishment that affects more than just the offenders themselves.
The pattern that arose from myths featuring male gods punishing both male and female wrongdoers involved a relentless and everlasting punishment. These punishments were not only never-ending, but also exceedingly harsh and unvarying. An instance illustrating this is when Zeus penalizes Sisyphus for his deceit in outwitting death. Despite being imprisoned in the underworld, Sisyphus cunningly deceives Death, rendering him captive while he liberates himself and returns to the mortal realm for another existence.
Zeus retaliates by sending Sisyphus back to the underworld, where he is forever condemned to exert all his strength pushing a boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll back down. The Danaids, who were the fifty daughters of Danaus, also suffer a similar fate. They were supposed to marry the fifty sons of Aegyptus, but instead they refuse proper marriage and pregnancy, and all but one of them kill their husbands on their wedding night. As punishment, they are sent to the underworld where Hades condemns them to an eternal task of filling a trough with water using broken jugs.
The myth of Prometheus is well-known for its depiction of a brutal and repetitive punishment. In this tale, Zeus decides to deprive humans of fire. However, Prometheus, who acts as the guardian of mortals, cleverly manages to steal fire by concealing it in a fennel stalk and returning it to humans. Zeus eventually discovers this act of defiance and becomes extremely angry with Prometheus. Not only has Prometheus disobeyed him, but he has also outsmarted Zeus and made him look foolish. As a consequence of his crime, Zeus binds Prometheus to a pole and sends an eagle to devour his liver each day. Remarkably, the liver regenerates overnight only to be consumed again the following day, perpetuating an endless cycle of torment.
One example of eternal punishment is the story of Atlas and Zeus in the Titanomachy. Atlas foolishly chooses to side with the titans during the war. As a result, Zeus and the other gods defeat the titans and Zeus condemns Atlas to bear the weight of the world on his shoulders. While the punishments of male gods are typically everlasting, there are occasions when they show mercy to their offenders, resulting in less excruciating punishments. The tale of Cronus and Uranus exemplifies this idea. Cronus harbors hatred for his father because he refused to let Gaea’s children, including Cronus’ siblings, leave her womb.
Therefore, Cronus wields a sickle, castrating Uranus and severing him from the earth, propelling him skyward for eternity. Though an eternal condemnation, this punishment demonstrates the gods’ comparative mercy. Conversely, female deities employ a distinct approach in dealing with transgressors. The retribution of female gods is swift and all-encompassing, differing from the prolonged and perpetuating wrath of male gods. They opt for a more expeditious yet profoundly devastating form of chastisement that affects not only the offenders but also beyond.
The myth of Hera and Semele illustrates an example of punishment. Zeus, who had many lovers, impregnated Semele, which angered Hera. In order to persecute Semele, Hera disguised herself as an old woman and visited her. She questioned Semele about her pregnancy and planted doubts in her mind about Zeus’s authenticity. Hera knew that Semele would ask Zeus to prove himself, and when she did, he appeared in his divine form, causing Semele to be incinerated.
Once Hera had dealt with her, she moved on to Ino and Athamas, who were Semele’s sister and brother-in-law. She drove them insane and as a result, they killed their own children before ending their own lives. The tale of Aphrodite and Metharme also serves as a prime example of female deities employing extremely destructive punishments. Metharme suffered greatly due to her arrogance towards the goddess. She boldly claimed that her daughter, Myrrha, was more beautiful than Aphrodite herself. Unfortunately, this declaration led to the premature demise of both her daughter and her husband, Cinyras.
Aphrodite responded to Metharme’s claim by causing Myrrha to develop feelings for Cinyras. This led to confusion, resulting in twelve nights of incestuous relations between Cinyras and his own daughter. Eventually realizing the gravity of his actions, Cinyras attempted to kill Myrrha, but she was instead transformed into a myrrh tree. Distraught, Cinyras then took his own life. Despite not directly harming Metharme, Aphrodite effectively took away everything dear to her, devastating not just Metharme’s life but also that of her husband and child. Another instance where female deities punish not only the transgressor but also those connected to them is the myth involving Athena and Ajax the lesser.
While committing rape, Cassandra cries out to Athena for assistance, prompting her to retaliate against Ajax’s crime by conjuring a storm that destroys his entire fleet. Another example of Athena employing this form of punishment is seen in the story of Arachne. Arachne declares her weaving skills to be on par with Athena’s and dares to challenge her to a competition. Athena agrees, but when Arachne’s creation proves flawless, her anger gets the better of her and she directs it towards unfortunate Arachne.
In Greek mythology, divine retribution is a prominent theme that results in the transformation of individuals and their progeny into arachnids. The tales often culminate in mortals experiencing the tragic consequences imposed upon them by the deities. While both male and female gods inflict harsh punishments on humans, each gender demonstrates a distinct preference in their approach to extracting retribution. Males derive satisfaction from witnessing protracted and wearisome suffering, while females derive pleasure from penalties characterized by widespread devastation and numerous doomed fates.
