We Need New Myths

We Desperately Need A Vision Beyond War And Destruction

Art by Fernando Cortes on Canva

Our stories shape who we are.

Every aspect of our lives — our humanity, or we can argue our lack of it — is a reflection of the stories we have weaved over the millennia we have existed on Earth. The stories that have influenced, and which continue to influence Western thought the most, are the Greek myths. Think of the symbols, names and images that form our culture: the Olympic Games; brand names such as Pandora, Hermès, Nike; the Apollo Space Program; the Zodiac astrological symbols; names of sports teams around the world; movies like Hercules, Spartacus, Clash of the Titans….and much more, are all derived from Greek mythology.

Photo by Kristian Egelund on Unsplash

The patriarchal mindset of Ancient Greece, that women were for marrying, bearing children and keeping house, has therefore greatly influenced how we view the world now. Yes, Greek Goddesses were plenty, but for all their immortality and power, they too were oppressed. But what does any of this have to do with war?

If we think of generally accepted masculine and feminine traits, we obviously see the clear delineation that defines how we view men and women. Women are seen as gentle, empathetic and sensitive while men are seen as strong, brave, assertive and importantly — as leaders. War is the assertion and force of one over another. Ares, the Greek God of war, was known to be brutal and bloodthirsty, embodying the most terrifying aspects of war.

This mythology was written by men, for men, in their pursuit of asserting themselves as superior, assertive leaders. The mythology inevitably contains the suppression of women and in turn, the feminine traits of empathy and compassion.

Photo by Kevin Malik on Canva

Would our world be different if our myths were written by women? Would stories of compassion and empathy shape a very different world to the one we share now? Would women as leaders, the bodies through whom life is birthed, pursue widescale death?

In Roman mythology, which is some one thousand years younger than Greek mythology, Mars is the God of War. Mars was known for taking a more measured approach to warfare than his Greek counterpart. Still, to Romans, the God of War was seen as second only to Jupiter, the king of all Gods.

Art, as always, provides us with hope. Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée, an 18th century French artist, gifted us a beautiful ray of hope in his rendition of Mars et Vénus, Allégorie sur la Paix (Mars and Venus, Allegory of Peace). In Roman mythology, Venus is the Goddess of love, sex, beauty and fertility — her Greek counterpart being Aphrodite. These Goddesses represent the beautiful Feminine, the embodiment of every Feminine virtue.

Mars et Vénus, Allégorie sur la Paix Source: Wikimedia Commons

Lagrenée depicts Mars and Venus as having made love. As Mars draws the drapes to let in the light, he gazes at Venus, enthralled by her beauty. His sword, shield and helmet lay on the floor. Mars, and the accoutrements of war, have been conquered by Venus’s love. Two doves, symbols of peace, build a nest in Mars’s helmet.

This is the power of the Feminine and the power of the love embodied by the Feminine. This is the power that has been suppressed and which now needs its voice to be amplified. How can we do this? How do we write new myths that shape who we are?

We, men and women, do that by firstly acknowledging that there is a dire need for change. Then we become agents for that change in actively unlearning the stories we have been told. We begin by unlearning every aspect of our conditioning that has ensured we see ourselves as separate from one another. Importantly we need to cease seeing ourselves as embodying opposing characteristics depending on our gender. We begin by understanding that each gender embodies both masculine and feminine traits but that the expression of these traits — particularly that of the Feminine in men — has been heavily suppressed by societal conditioning.

We have been nurtured on patriarchal myths, but it would be a mistake to replace them with matriarchal ones. Either extreme is not helpful.

Can we imagine a future where masculine and feminine traits are perfectly balanced in each of us? Can we imagine a world in which each of us understands when empathy and compassion is necessary and when assertiveness and leadership must be pursued? And importantly, can we imagine a world where assertiveness and leadership do not forsake compassion and empathy? Perhaps this is the ultimate goal of our evolution as a species but as with all growth and change, our path there is very messy.

We need this change now and we create that change by telling ourselves new stories. We are in control of the stories we choose to believe. Let us write new myths now.

Nandini Gosine-Mayrhoo is a freelance writer and ghostwriter who uses her words to shift the current paradigm. You can read some of her musings and contact her at www.giveyourwordswings.com