Greek Imagery and the Woman’s Womb

Greek Imagery and the Woman’s Womb

Imagery which refers to a woman’s womb, is recurrent throughout Greek literature, but especially in Hesiod's Theogony and Works and Days. The image of the woman’s womb is vital to understanding the underlying meaning of the seemingly simple stories we have from the ancient Greeks. Both the Theogony, and Works and Days provide a systematic genealogy of either the gods or of men. The Theogony is full of illusions to the mothers’ womb due to its context. It would be difficult to discuss a specific lineage without the beginning birthplace being brought up.
The first image of a mother’s womb can be found on page six of the Theogony, “First came the Chasm.” (Hesiod, Theogony, pg. 6) The Chasm is the primordial womb. It is the womb of the universe, and from it comes the “broad breasted earth.” (Hesiod, Theogony, pg. 6) The Chasm can be imagined as a gap, an opening, or perhaps a void. Out of this void or gap, comes the earth...