Hetairai
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i tot for quite long, dunno where to post this.......eventually i decided for it to be here cos it's somewhat a cross between psychology and philosophy....even mythology.......we'll jus put the religious part aside for this.....
http://www.grecoreport.com/Hetairai.htm
an interesting (and educational) read tt came up when i was researching abt "temple wh0res" for a write-up about liberation of women (and sex in general)
i din wanna put in Bar bcos it would attract the wrong kinda attention and i doubt the blokes there have the patience to go thru the whole article.....
enjoy and comments are welcome......
and i swear this isn't feminism
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Interesting article.
In ancient Greece, women had neither political nor legal rights, only slightly better than slaves. They received no former education and they spent most of their time at home in the womenÂ’s quarters.
According to a story, the ruler Hiero who was taunted by an opponent for having bad breath asked his wife why had she not told him so. ‘I thought ALL men smelled like that,’ she replied naively.
On the other hand, the hetairai were successful women in a manÂ’s world. They were usually beautiful, talented, witty and knowledgeable. One main reason being they were allowed to join their clients at the supper table - a good source to pick up knowledge on cultures and public affairs i.e. allowing them to sustain intelligent conversations with their clients. A wife seldom dines with her husband and never if he had any guests with him.
The hetairai used both the quality of their minds and beauty, a combination that most men find hard to resist.
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Interesting... it sound alot less crass then what we have in modern societies nowsadays...those women were really empowered in their own unique ways!! wouldnt see that happening now would we?
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totally inspiring......haha.......
i feel that they are more modern than us.......
and i think the closest match would be our mamasans -
Actually I agree with the article that 'The geishas of Japan probably represent the closest modern equivalent to the hetairai of ancient Greece.'
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AgreedOriginally posted by DeadPoet:Actually I agree with the article that 'The geishas of Japan probably represent the closest modern equivalent to the hetairai of ancient Greece.'