Roles of Women in Myth and Society free essay sample

Throughout history men have always been shown to be the dominate force in any one culture and are always the ones being praised for their great actions and accomplishments, but what we do not see is that women also played key roles in making a society function. In many cultures women were to stay at home, cook dinner, tend to the farms, etc. while the men went off to fight in wars or raid other villages.The men were the front of many cultures and are usually what we see and study, but in almost every culture women are the backbone that keeps the culture from falling apart and they ultimately keep it functioning. Without women, men would not have a clean place to sleep, food to eat, or someone to look after their children when they were away. Though every culture has their own way of viewing and treating women, it cannot be denied that women served a key role in keeping that culture from crumbling and falling apart. We will write a custom essay sample on Roles of Women in Myth and Society or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Many myths from cultures were based around the great warriors and the great tasks they achieved, but in many of those myths women lend a helping hand in getting the task done but get no recognition for it. Myths are an excellent way to learn about a cultures society and what they were like, almost every myth involves at least one woman and she usually is always helping the men out to achieve what they set out to accomplish. Women play a key role in every culture, whether it be their culture or their cultures myths, and are the backbone to why that society functioned.Without a doubt women are the key to a successful and functioning society, without women society would not be here today. The first culture that I will be looking at is the Chinese, they thought that women should be subservient to their husbands and do whatever they were told. Women were so low that their husbands could even kill them if they did not want to be with them anymore and if they got a divorce it was the woman who got looked down upon for it, not the man.What many people don’t know is the key role that women played behind the scenes in China, they took care of orchards, spinning, weaving, embroidery, periodic farm work, sharpening and drilling needles, made cloths, and gathered tea-plant leaves. The behind the scenes work that women did was very important for the culture to even be able to function, without them there woul d be no food, clothes, home, weapons, etc.Even though women are low class within the society itself, some of the myths that are told show women as a strong force that dominates over man. Concubine is a prime example of women being powerful in ancient China because it is told that she would have any order that she gave fulfilled because she had such beauty and charm, which she used to gain political and economic power. One woman in Chinese myth that plays a huge role is Hua Mulan.Mulan is a disney movie and they modernized the story quite a bit, even though it is an entertaining movie it is not the real story, the real Mulan was a skilled warrior and that had many different weapons that she would practice daily. There is some truth to movie that links it to the myth, Mulan did choose to enlist in her fathers army by pure will, she was a skilled warrior and gained 12 ranks over the 12 years that she battled. Another huge figure in Chinese mythology was Nuba, her proper name is Ba.Nuba is an important Chinese goddess because she is the goddess of drought, one of the only stories that involves Ba is with her father while he was battling Chi You, but Chi You played dirty and summoned a wind and rain god, Feng Bo and Yu Shi, so Ba was brought down to cause a drought so that the wind and rain would no longer work. She is a very strong female figure in Ancient Chinese culture, she was often associated with being a demon because after descending from Heaven to aid Huangdi at Zhoulu, she just walked the earth and caused a drought wherever she would walk. Even though women in the society may be looked down upon and treated badly, they hold the foundation together and keep the society moving and play the biggest key role in why China is still here today. Women may not be the strongest in the society of Ancient China, but the women goddesses and warriors told about in myths are feared because of the things that they can do and how strong women can actually be. In Native American culture women have a very strong role, they are viewed as equals to the men and in some tribes they are even treated greater than men.Women played a key role in the society but they also played a key role in the myths of the tribes and people. Within the society women were mothers, builders, farmers, warriors, and craftswomen, if the women wanted to survive in the tribe they had to show that they were just as strong as the men were. The most important task that the women had was that they were gatherers, they would gather stuff to build homes then build the home s. Women provided the structure and many of those comfort things that we as humans need to survive. Also they crafted tools and weapons out of animal bone which were essential for the tribe to even survive and defend against attacking tribes or animals. In most Native American tribes there was a medicine man who was believed to be able to heal you if you were sick, but not many people know that there were also medicine women who were said to have had greater powers and better healing ability. But women did not only show a predominant role in the society, they also played a key part in the myths that were told by their tribes.In many other cultures women were bossed around and never really did much in myths besides be associated with death or despair, like Nuba in Chinese mythology or Demeter in Greek mythology, but in Native American mythology women stand up and argue, they go on journeys, find special items, give special gifts to people in need, and even give aid to the heros who otherwise could not complete their impossible task. Sedena is a good example in myth of how strong the Native Americans thought women were.Sedna is the sea goddess of the Arctic tribe, she was said to be the most beautiful woman in the world, but one day the King of the Birds tricked her and throws her into a giant nest. After a while her father tries to come and rescue her but it’s no use he is attacked by birds, cowards out of saving her, and throws her into the water. When her father throws her into the water she tries to hang onto his canoe but he chops her fingers off and this is how she becomes goddess of the sea.They believe this is true because the sea seems fickel, like a woman is sometimes viewed, but it is very generous and if you’re kind to it, it’ll be kind to you. Whope is another Native American goddess who had a key role in the Native American mythology and culture. Whope is said to be the daughter of Sun Wi and Moon, one day when she visited earth she ran into the Dakota indians (Sioux).After running into the Sioux tribe she gave them a pipe to resemble peace and that she meant no harm, this is how the peace pipe was brought about in their tribe. The Lakota tribe later named her as their White Buffalo Calf Woman. Every tribe has their own goddesses and gods and their own way of living, but even though they are different many of their myths are the same or relatively the same and almost all the tribes treat their women with respect. Women played a huge role in Native American cultures and their myths. Inca, Mayan, and Aztec women all have very similar roles because they are all so close in proximity to each other. Inca women were viewed as a very valuable source within the society and they needed the women to help them carry out political, religious, and economic responsibilities. Women within the society were equal to men but they were subordinate to men that had a lot of power within the society.