Cult of the Captured Bride: How Ancient Women Took Power - Mary E. Naples

n nIn a society where men set the rules, a community of empowered women struck fear in their hearts... but nowhere was this male fear more evident than in the stories about the brutality of the Thesmophoria's citizen wives. From butchered men to the sacred knowledge of fertility, was there a moment in ancient Greece when women ruled supreme? Inspired by the Goddess Demeter herself and drawing on this Neolithic past, ancient women found a way to find power for themselves.n n nIn a society where men set the rules, could a feminine fertility festival have empowered women to the degree that it struck fear in men's hearts? At first glance, it seems absurd to suggest that an ancient Greek fertility festival should empower women let alone induce fear in the hearts of men---yet the Thesmophoria was not just any fertility festival. From butchered men to the sacred knowledge of fertility, was there a moment in ancient Greece when women ruled supreme? Inspired by the Goddess Demeter herself and drawing on this Neolithic past, ancient women found a way to take power for themselves.n n nIn a society where men set the rules, could a feminine fertility festival have empowered women to the degree that it struck fear in men's hearts? At first glance, it seems absurd to suggest that an ancient Greek fertility festival should empower women let alone induce fear in the hearts of men---yet the Thesmophoria was not just any fertility festival. From butchered men to the sacred knowledge of fertility, was there a moment in ancient Greece when women ruled supreme? Inspired by the Goddess Demeter herself and drawing on this Neolithic past, ancient women found a way to take power for themselves.n n nIn a society where men set the rules, could a feminine fertility festival have empowered women to the degree that it struck fear in men's hearts? At first glance, it seems absurd to suggest that an ancient Greek fertility festival should empower women let alone induce fear in the hearts of men---yet the Thesmophoria was not just any fertility festival. From butchered men to the sacred knowledge of fertility, was there a moment in ancient Greece when women ruled supreme? Inspired by the Goddess Demeter herself and drawing on this Neolithic past, ancient women found a way to take power for themselves.n n nIn a society where men set the rules, could a feminine fertility festival have empowered women to the degree that it struck fear in men's hearts? At first glann