April 9: Mature Women's Day

In the ancient Greek society, self respect was a luxury that girls couldn’t afford. They were expected to be obedient, and their brother would always come first. Quite in contrast with the world of the divine, where goddesses were equally revered as gods. Man nor god would dare to ignore a ruling of Hera, question a proposition of Athena, restrain the freedom of Artemis or prohibit Nike from driving a chariot. Goddesses displayed the independence that mortal women could only dream of. Where for them, disdain was part of daily life, a goddess wouldn’t stand for any disrespect. Even kind hearted Demeter, goddess of harvest, didn’t hesitate to take drastic action when she felt treated inappropriately. She had been travelling for months, when she stopped in a village and asked for some water. She drank so thirstily, that she spilled some drops, and a young boy mocked her for it. Without blinking an eye, she turned him into a lizard. I can imagine that Greek girls and women desperately tried this at home.

Ceres at Hecuba's Home, Adam Elsheimer and workshop, Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain

Ceres turns a boy into a lizard, Francesco Slater, Moor Park, Hertfordshire, UK