Partheneia
Ancient Myths for Modern Life
"The greatest glory of a woman is to be least talked about by men, whether in praise or blame."
-Pericles
Except... no. Obviously, no.
Art by Dawn Murphy
What is Partheneia?
(spoiler: it's Greek myths, with a mission)
Everything we know about Greek mythology comes from a handful of male writers who lived in a deeply patriarchal society. It's no wonder, then, that the women and girls in their stories are presented the way they are: spiteful, petty, silly, weak, evil, corrupt, or in some other way The Problem.
But we as modern readers need to remember that the portrayal of these characters' actions and motivations were heavily influenced by the societies that both created and received them... societies in which women were explicitly viewed as less than men. The treatment of women in the myths was, if anything, even worse in later retellings and translations, which added further layers of misogyny that weren't actually present in ancient sources.
The Partheneia Project is an ongoing body of work that interrogates and reframes the stories of Greek myth in order to give girls, women, and goddesses a fair shake and the benefit of the doubt for once in ancient history. Through essays, journals, group discussion, live workshops and more, Partheneia invites women to flip the script—not only in ancient stories but in their own lives.
Two spears with one target...
The ultimate goal of The Partheneia Project is not only to uncover hidden wisdom in the myths but help readers flex the muscles of narrative discernment—to become more powerful by becoming harder to manipulate.
Retellings
Every month, subscribers receive anywhere from 1 to 3 Greek myth retellings as short stories. These stories feature both lesser known myths with a spotlight on female characters and common myths with an uncommon spin, demonstrating how the story changes when the pen changes hands..
Discussion
Each Partheneia myth retelling is accompanied by an essay unpacking what is most commonly presented as the "real" or original version, as well the ancient source material and my own narrative choices. Last but not least, these essays touch on how the myths influence modern life.
Support the Partheneia Project on Substack
What is Substack?
Substack is a platform that allows readers to get their reading material delivered to them via email.
From the creators: "On Substack, writers and creators can publish their work and make money from paid subscriptions while supporters can directly sustain the work they deeply value."
What does it cost?
Substack offers writers and readers the flexibility to choose what they pay and how they pay it. The Partheneia Project currently offers 3 options:
Yearly ($50)
Monthly ($5)
FREE
What will I get?
Free subscribers receive a myth retelling every other week. Paid subscribers go deeper with myth and narrative analysis, looking both at the ancient source material and Partheneia's narrative choices.
Paid subscribers also get deeper access to prompts and exercises to apply the insights from Partheneia to their own lives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these the real myths?
Well, that depends. Whose version is the real one? Ancient writers frequently disagreed with each other, and even with themselves. These stories were told and retold for hundreds, even thousands of years. There's a well-established tradition of artistic license, especially in the plays written by the greats like Aeschylus and Euripides. The changes I've made are similar in scope to those made by ancient writers.
Are you trying to "fix" the ancient versions?
In a word: No. The point of this project is not to read modern values into ancient works or imply that "this is what women back then would have thought." The point of the Partheneia Project is to model the process of narrative discernment and construction, and to witness how stories change when the pen changes hands..
But why change anything at all?
These myths have always shifted and grown. I firmly believe that we shouldn't try to stop it. As a certain Disney princess tells us, legends are lessons. I want to make sure that women have legends that teach us survive, resist, and ultimately thrive in a world that wants us to yield. There's no reason such stories can't exist alongside the ancient texts. Ancient works both revealed and influenced the culture that created them, and the same is true of new versions today.
Is Partheneia appropriate for young girls?
That is entirely at the discretion of the parents of said young girls, but this work is aimed primarily at ladies of about 14 and up. Although there are no graphic descriptions of sex or violence, I felt very strongly that the stories should not obscure the reality of what was happening to these women. Zeus did not "fall in love" with his mortal victims. He raped them. The ancient sources made no bones about it, and neither do I. These stories, tragic and ugly as they can be, have much to say that is urgently relevant to women today. I've written the stories in such a way as to prompt reflection on issues like consent, sexual agency, victim blaming, gossip, and more.
Is there Partheneia content geared specifically for children?
I do have some homeschool resources geared toward young(er) children. I'm also working on some live workshops for mothers and daughters. Subscribe to Substack to make sure you're the first to find out when that's ready to go!
Meet the Author
A graduate of the Sunderman Conservatory at Gettysburg College, I grew up telling stories through both music and prose. I've since worked primarily as an essay coach and tutor, occasionally moonlighting as a folk musician. These days I mostly spend my time chasing down a feral toddler and writing in moments oh-so-delicately slipped from that toddler's sleepy, sticky grasp.
My daughter is the inspiration behind the Partheneia Project. Her birth forced me to confront something that I had been mostly trying to ignore for years: Greek mythology sucks for women. There's just no way around it. The child-friendly retellings romanticize or ignore a lot of problematic stuff, and the ancient versions are absolutely not something I would want to share with a young girl.
At best, the ancient stories require significant parental guidance and, even then, girls are still left mostly with the impression that, "Wow, being a woman is terrible." Not only because of how they're treated in the stories (assaulted, enslaved, murdered), but because of how they're portrayed (jealous, spiteful, cruel, mad, or just stupid). I want my daughter and women everywhere to be able to experience the magic of Greek myth and take away lessons that serve them, not those who benefit from their silence and shame.