Natalie Haynes

In the many retellings of the Greek myths, the focus is generally on gods and heroes, but Natalie Haynes refocuses our gaze on the remarkable women at the centre of these ancient stories.

Women in the Greek Myths

Pandora's Jar

'Natalie Haynes is the nation's muse' Adam Rutherford The Greek myths are one of the most important cultural foundation-stones of the modern world. Stories of gods and monsters are the mainstay of epic poetry and Greek tragedy, from Homer to Virgil to from Aeschylus to Sophocles and Euripides. And still, today, a wealth of novels, plays and films draw their inspiration from stories first told almost three thousand years ago. But modern tellers of Greek myth have usually been men, and have routinely shown little interest in telling women's stories. Now, in Pandora's Jar, Natalie Haynes - broadcaster, writer and passionate classicist - redresses this imbalance. Taking Greek creation myths as her starting point and then retelling the four great mythic sagas: the Trojan War, the Royal House of Thebes, Jason and the Argonauts, Heracles, she puts the female characters on equal footing with their menfolk. The result is a vivid and powerful account of the deeds - and misdeeds - of Hera, Aphrodite, Athene and Circe. And away from the goddesses of Mount Olympus it is Helen, Clytemnestra, Jocasta, Antigone and Medea who sing from these pages, not Paris, Agamemnon, Orestes or Jason.

Lea Hi

When women take up space, there is less available for men. But it means we get a whole story instead of half of one.

Myths may be the home of the miraculous, but they are also mirrors of us. Which version of a story we choose to tell, which characters we place in the foreground, which ones we allow to fade into the shadows: these reflect both the teller and the reader, as much as they show the characters of the myth.

Julia Rutgers

And if history has taught us anything, it is that women making a noise - whether speaking or shouting - tend to be viewed as intrinsically disruptive.

If killing a man seems somehow less forgivable than killing a sea monster, we might do well to remember one story about Laius [ . . . ] that tells of him kidnapping a young man and raping him. Ashamed at what has been done to him, the young man, Chrysippos, kills himself with a sword. There is more than one kind of monster.

“Funny, sharp explications of what these sometimes not-very-nice women were up to, and how they sometimes made idiots of . . . but read on!”—Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid's Tale The national bestselling author of A Thousand Ships returns with a fascinating, eye-opening take on the remarkable women at the heart of classical stories Greek mythology from Helen of Troy to Pandora and the Amazons to Medea. The tellers of Greek myths—historically men—have routinely sidelined the female characters. When they do take a larger role, women are often portrayed as monstrous, vengeful or just plain evil—like Pandora, the woman of eternal scorn and damnation whose curiosity is tasked with causing all the world’s suffering and wickedness when she opened that forbidden box. But, as Natalie Hayes reveals, in early Greek myths there was no box. It was a jar . . . which is far more likely to tip over. In Pandora's Jar, the broadcaster, writer, stand-up comedian, and passionate classicist turns the tables, putting the women of the Greek myths on an equal footing with the men. With wit, humor, and savvy, Haynes revolutionizes our understanding of epic poems, stories, and plays, resurrecting them from a woman’s perspective and tracing the origins of their mythic female characters. She looks at women such as Jocasta, Oedipus’ mother-turned-lover (turned Freudian sticking point), who gouged out her eyes upon discovering the truth about her new relationship, and was less helpless than we have been led to believe. She considers Helen of Troy—whose face famously “launch’d a thousand ships,” but was decidedly more child than woman when she was accused of “causing” the Trojan war. She demonstrates how the vilified Medea was like an ancient Beyonce—getting her revenge on the men who hurt and betrayed her, perhaps justifiably so. And she turns her eye to Medusa—the serpent-like seductress whose stare turned men to stone—who wasn’t always a monster, and was far more victim than perpetrator. Pandora’s Jar brings nuance and care to the centuries-old myths and legends and asks the question: Why we were so quick to villainize these women in the first place—and so eager to accept the stories we’ve been told?

Riley

Lauren

'Funny, sharp explications of what these sometimes not-very-nice women were up to, and how they sometimes made idiots of . . . but read on!' – Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid's Tale The Greek myths are among the world's most important cultural building blocks and they have been retold many times, but rarely do they focus on the remarkable women at the heart of these ancient stories. Stories of gods and monsters are the mainstay of epic poetry and Greek tragedy, from Homer to Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, from the Trojan War to Jason and the Argonauts. And still, today, a wealth of novels, plays and films draw their inspiration from stories first told almost three thousand years ago. But modern tellers of Greek myth have usually been men, and have routinely shown little interest in telling women’s stories. And when they do, those women are often painted as monstrous, vengeful or just plain evil. But Pandora – the first woman, who according to legend unloosed chaos upon the world – was not a villain, and even Medea and Phaedra have more nuanced stories than generations of retellings might indicate. Now, in Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths, Natalie Haynes – broadcaster, writer and passionate classicist – redresses this imbalance. Taking Pandora and her jar (the box came later) as the starting point, she puts the women of the Greek myths on equal footing with the menfolk. After millennia of stories telling of gods and men, be they Zeus or Agamemnon, Paris or Odysseus, Oedipus or Jason, the voices that sing from these pages are those of Hera, Athena and Artemis, and of Clytemnestra, Jocasta, Eurydice and Penelope.

Teresa Bonifácio

Natalie Haynes makes a beautiful description of the women in the greek myths. You are able to get to know more and to understand that most of the times they are not the “demons” history made of them.

Katie Guo

Must read for Greek mythology enthusiasts

(Re-read) This remains required reading for ex Percy Jackson girlies and/or Greek mythology enthusiasts who have many many bones to pick all of the time.

Francesca

This is not really a book with a story, it's more like a book to look up the story of specific mythological women and its different versions. Not bad, just not necessarily what I expected.

sharkie

Valentina

Beautiful book that discusses the women in Greek myths. These women are often overlooked and diminished to footnotes in their ancient stories, here Haynes offers a new perspective on these women. She offers a well researched nuanced conversation of their beliefs, emotions and even their motives for their actions. Very insightful as Haynes pulls from a variety of source material as well as modern versions to fully showcase these women. It is very well written! Highly recommend for anyone interested in classical greek literature as well as feminist literature.

i greatly enjoyed this. i think the act alone of putting the spotlight on women in greek mythology can be feminist on its own but i think the diligence with which natalie haynes digs through classical text to make the case for them is where her work truly shines. treating them with nuance truly gives these women (female characters if you will) the voice and dignity that many a tellings and retellings have instead granted their male counterparts. (i am sorry, i am still not over my horrid experience with 
  lore
.

i also liked that haynes did not shy away from discussing less "savoury" women like phaedra and clytemnestra (even though clytemnestra was totally right, for me, personally); i am a firm believer in the importance of depicting women falling on variety of spectrums of morality. 

if there was one area where i think the essays could have delved deeper it was when it came to more contemporary depictions of the women selected for the book. while it was certainly interesting to have the instances across different media pointed out even as a catalogue, i do wish that they had been expanded upon a bit more. i understand this might have not been possible, sometimes limited by the format, sometimes by the material itself, but i feel it would have further strengthened the thesis of the book that "myths exist in multiple timelines - the time they are set, the time they were first told, and every retelling after".

The book breaks down into some commonly-known female characters of Greek Mythos, and gives a refreshing perspective about how women are commonly villainized within these mythologies, and how we may reconsider them going forward. 

I really enjoyed how Hayes referenced a variety of different sources for each of the women’s tales. You learn about likely origins of the myths, and how they were retold over time, with additional perspectives provided by Hayes herself (Madea was stand-out for this in particular)- you’re provided with all the information, to make your own conclusion, to inform your own mythological retellings. 

This read was so impressionable to me that I’ve added all of Natalie Hayes’ works to my TBR, the perfect blend of informative and entertaining. Brilliant!


Caitlyn Baldwin

Haynes delivers 10 chapters highlighting women who serve as some of the lesser recognized star players of Ancient Greek mythology. I like how she talks about different iterations of these characters as they appear in works and even makes comparisons to contemporary culture.

Chloe Subitte

A gorgeous analysis of classical greek tales with a feminist spotlight on the women often lost or overshadowed by the larger story. A great read for anyone who loves ancient history, feminism and the subverting (much needed!) of male-centred stories. 

Abigail Auvray

amazing show stopping life changing brilliant incredible

Vitor Augusto Dal Molin 

Bethan Northwood

“When people ask why tell the stories that we know best from the Odyssey from Penelope’s perspective, or Circe’s perspective, they presuppose that the story ‘should’ be told from Odysseus’ point of view.”

I really enjoyed this book. I have a minimal understanding of greek mythology and found this book easy to read. The book is well written and I enjoyed the stories that make up the book. Anyone interested in mythology should read this!

I look forward to buying more of Natalie Haynes’ books.

Erin.

Natalie Haynes works magic in this modern, feminised retelling of classic Greek myths. It's important to note that while women are centred in the retellings, it is not done in any way that's gimmicky. Haynes makes a compelling case in each and every case as to what these stores might mean if only we bothered, or were graced with the opportunity, to look at them from a different perspective. Each chapter is riveting and accessible and thoughtful and hilarious. A brilliant book. 

Beautiful book that discusses the women in Greek myths. These women are often overlooked and diminished to footnotes in these ancient stories, here Haynes offers a new perspective on these women. She offers a well researched nuanced conversation of their beliefs, emotions and even their motives for their actions. Very insightful and well written! Highly recommend for anyone interested in Classical literature as well as feminist literature. 

Nynke Elise

A very informative book, sometimes a little slow to read. I loved Haynes' remarks.

Pandora's Jar Women in the Greek Myths

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