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Ilia d I steps between the confrontation of Agamemnon and
Achilles and argues for reconciliation and unity against the
Trojans. Isocrates' panhellenic speeches aim to reconcile the
Greeks in order to unite them against the Persians. And there w ill
surely be more instances outside Graeco-Roman rhetoric of nonconciliatory stances. Yet K's argument will stimulate interest in
comparative rhetoric, as he hopes, and has raised questions to
which there will be some very interesting responses, perhaps from
the cultures chosen for comparison, certainly from those already in
the Western tradition. As the author says in the concluding
chapter, he has no wish to impose Western rhetoric on other
cultures, rather to modify Western notions by comparison w ith
other traditions in the interests of coming to an understanding of
rhetoric as a more general phenomenon of human life.
Vivienne Gray
University of Auckland
DEBORAH LYONS Gender and Imm ortality: Heroines in Ancient
Greek Myth and Cult (Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press
1997); xvii plus 267; ISBN 0691 Oil 001, $US 39.50.
In this book Lyons (L) makes a fascinating and sophisticated
study of the role of heroines in myth and cult. Arguing that not
only was there a distinct category of hero/ine, but also th a t
heroines had a place generally denied them 'within the category
of heroic beings', she starts from the general working definition,
developed in chapter one, of a heroine as a 'female figure in epic,
myth, or cult.' Throughout the rest of the book, L goes on to refine
and complicate this, finally concluding that heroines along w ith
heroes acted as intermediaries between gods and mortals.
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L claims that, despite their close association with heroes,
heroines also had characteristics which were more pronounced
than in heroes, particularly their propensity for metamorphosis.
While some heroines effected physical transformations (for
example, Io becomes a cow and Kallisto a bear), others were
apotheosised, and, unlike their hero counterparts, were given a
new name (Semele, for instance, becomes Thyone, and Iphigeneia
is transformed into Hekate). Significantly, the myths dealing
with these metamorphoses are associated with transitional
moments, particularly in the life of women, and in these myths
the heroines' dealings with the gods are usually disastrous:
Kallisto is turned into a bear after being seduced by Zeus; Semele
is killed and apotheosised when pregnant with Dionysus.
L also investigates the gender relations between gods and
heroes, gods and heroines, and goddesses and heroines,
culminating, in chapter four, in a study of the special relationship
between Dionysus, heroines, and women. L argues that while
Dionysus has attributes which make him more available to
women, his special association with heroines enhances his
accessibility.
'Ritual antagonism' (where a hero or heroine who appears
mythically in conflict with a god may co-exist with the deity in
cult) is another theme which is suggested in chapter three, and
then worked out more fully in chapter five. Here, by looking a t
the special relationship between Artemis and Iphigeneia (in
myth, Iphigeneia is often in conflict with the goddess, whereas in
cult they can be identified with each other), L discusses how
Iphigeneia 'acts as a half-way figure' and allows women through
her own marriage (although posthumous) and death to relate to
the maiden and deathless goddess. Finally, L shows how there
can be a reciprocal relationship between gods and heroic figures
which cuts across the barriers of mortality and divinity, so th a t
while Dionysus and Artemis gave immortality, the heroines
associated with them gave to the first his female characteristics
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and to the second her cult. L also includes a 60-page appendix
listing all heroines in the ancient sources.
L's argument is complex and her material is difficult; but
while her exploration of various themes and possibilities is
comprehensive, it is not always clear, and more pointers as to the
direction of the argument are needed to help the reader through
the sometimes opaque web of detail. And although the scope of
the work is impressive and suggestive, L does not always draw out
all the apparent implications for gender relations and cult, and
questions are sometimes left hanging. For example, she also does
not consider what, given the roles of heroines in relation to
immortals, we can infer about the gender relations of women and
men in cult. Do heroines provide a means for men to express in
divine terms their relationships with women? Or do heroines
simply facilitate women's access to the gods?
Nevertheless, this is a stimulating and interesting book. It
deals with a wealth of material from a variety of sources with
skill and assurance. Although explicitly feminist in approach,
the theory does not obscure the scholarship, and the conclusions
are deeply rooted in argument from the sources. The implications
of this study are also far-reaching, and it tells us just as much
about the role of heroes and their place in myth and cult as it does
about the heroines themselves. This is a book which raises many
questions, and, although it does not answer all, it provides
thoughtful, and thought-provoking, responses to many.
Lynette G. Mitchell
Oriel College, Oxford