Scarlett Watters
extend the psyche to invade the mind
Fiction and Creative Nonfiction
Coming Soon: Excerpts From the Novel I am Slowing Typing Away At:
The Year Without You
Look for it shortly . . .
An essay I wrote for my goddesses/ancient women course. It's not exactly polished, but I feel her message is important:
I Dreamed of Hipparchia
I dreamed of Hipparchia, the first female philosopher. She was from the Greek times of 300 BCE, but we had a modern acquaintance and discussed her life over coffee. Hipparchia told me her story which she felt had been lost.
“I married Crates because I was in love with the logos of the Cynics. In Greek society women could not change their social status unless they married into another. I loved what the Cynics stood for. They practiced extreme asceticism, shamelessness, and rejected social norms. Normally Cynics do not marry, because it is a social convention normally rejected, but when I married Crates it was an act of utmost Cynic value since it went against the current thinking of the Cynics. We helped to change the views of the Cynics . . . rejecting conventional norms is a fundamental part of Cynic philosophy and by marrying Crates we changed the standards for future Cynics.”
I looked out the window deep in thought. The sky was a strange purple hue and it was raining up. I was curious as to why she was attracted to the Cynic lifestyle; living with little more than the clothes on your back and (sometimes not even that) avoiding happiness and pleasure did not sound ideal to me.
“My parents did not want me to marry Crates. They begged me not to, but I would not have it any other way. They even came to Crates and told him to dissuade me from marriage. I had many young attractive suitors, but I refused them all. Crates obeyed my parents’ request and attempted to dissuade me from marriage. He was an old man when we married. He came to me one day before marriage and removed his robe. He said to me ‘“this is the groom, and these are his possessions; choose accordingly.”’ (qtd. in Gram, sec. 1). I chose accordingly.”
I sipped my coffee it felt airy. Hipparchia held a far off yet determined look, her prominent features fixed in gaze. I still did not understand her choice; not only did she commit to a life devoid of comfort she committed her life to an old man. I wanted to ask her why, but at that point I could not put form into words. My thoughts seemed to sit in my cup incubating in a womb of ideas.
“Anadeia is the Greek word for shameless. Sex in a private setting is no different from sex in a public setting; it holds its power no matter what the circumstances. I am known for consummating my marriage with Crates on our porch. Sexual desire should not be inhibited by social convention. When the desire comes we act upon it. When Crates and I consummated our marriage in this way I did not know that I would be known for this act throughout history. Later Cynics deemed it the primary example of anadeia.”
I took another sip of my coffee and I felt the incubated ideas seep through the wall of my mouth. I saw them travel through each crevice of my brain with bursts of light along the way. In the bursts I saw Hipparchia and Crates on their porch as spontaneous flames and I understood the natural beauty of their ways. Yet my new born thoughts were not yet ready to take form.
“I attended the symposiums with my husband and was heavily criticized for it. Women of my status spent their time weaving and were not to concern themselves with philosophy or letters. It was unusual for my time that I chose education over the loom. I wrote many papers including humorous ones, but I have seen that they have been lost. Many Greek men did not approve of my choice to become a philosopher as it was seen as an occupation solely belonging to the man. I believe this was the reason that my writings were not preserved like the ones of the male philosophers such as Plato. Greek women were much suppressed during my time. This was one of the reasons I chose to marry a Cynic and adopt the Cynic lifestyle. Cynics rejected societal norms so the conventional status of women was also rejected by the Cynics. When I became a Cynic I did not have to apply the Greek expectations of a traditional woman to my self which permitted me to concentrate on my education, writing, and philosophy.”
As she spoke light emanated from her words and into mine as true wisdom. She was truly the first female philosopher, but possibly the first feminist. It made sense that she sought equality in asceticism. I gazed through tinted glass into the street and lavender streaked sky. Women danced in the rain without umbrella, cover, or shame; they bled one conscience that was neither male nor female.
“Crates and I had one son. I rejected the idea that women must rest during pregnancy and I continued work of my body until labor. My labor was easy and less painful than most women’s because my body was prepared for birth. We called him Pasicles. He was raised a Cynic and so was raised in asceticism. He slept in a tortoise shell and I bathed him in cool water. He was never fed more than he needed. I wanted Pasicles to understand the simplicity of our lifestyle.”
Her infant son lay in a water soaked umbrella just outside the window; next to the infant stood a young, nude Pasicles. They were eased by austerity. I took another sip and found that we were no longer drinking coffee, but water from large snail shells. The rain continued in an upward spiral.
“I have observed philosophy in its current form.” She continued. “Not only does it seem that very little is known of me, but also that women have yet to obtain considerable status in the realm of philosophy. This concerns me and is my reason for speaking to you tonight.”
The rain continued to poor upwards. I realized that we were both without clothing, but also without shame. I understood that she wanted me pass on her message.
My room was chilly when I woke up. I had left the window cracked and rain had soaked through the screen.
Bibliography
Audi, Robert., ed. “Cynics.”
Grams, Laura. “Hipparchia (fl. 300 BCE). The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 26
Sep. 2006 <http://www.iep.utm.edu/h/hipparch.htm>.
Leon, Vicki. Outrageous Women of Ancient Times.
