Notabilia: Symbols of Who Holds the Power Over Narrative
Looking at ancient mythological characters as a modern wake-up call for those who have found power in our capitalistic and patriarchal society.
Over on Instagram, a Classics account I follow encourages creatives to post characters from Greco-Roman mythology each day in October in what she calls #Classicstober.
Each day is assigned a specific character, but with Cassandra from the Trojan War and Medusa on days one and two, I decided to wait to participate until day 3 with Asterion. The minotaur, a half-man half-bull, seemed like safer ground than two assault victims.
You know me, though, I love to look at ancient mythological figures and see their relevance in the modern world, but thinking too deeply about these two women felt too relevant.
Cassandra and Medusa back to back made me feel exposed—like peeling a wound one day and picking at the scab the next. But I won't disregard them, as a particular Father's Daughter goddess does.
I originally posted a shorter Instagram post about these two characters, but since there’s so much to say about them, I decided they would be the subjects for the first Notabilia post. Cassandra and Medusa are certainly well worth noting.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Rewriting Myth to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.