Goddess of the Week: Elpis

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Missy AKA Little Messy Missy asks for a goddess to "brighten or uplift one's spirit or mood." For her, we have another Greek one: Elpis, goddess of hope.

This story starts with fire. Prometheus gave it to humanity just to be nice, but Zeus was all, "No way! I never said they could have fire. Now they will suffer!"

So Zeus gets all the gods together to make the first woman: Pandora. (Her name is often translated to mean all-gifted because each god gave her a gift.) Pandora goes down to earth with this box -- really a jar. She opens the box and -- wham -- disease, pestilence, blah, blah, blah jump out and ravage us forever. Pandora puts the lid back on the jar and traps the one thing left: Elpis -- goddess of hope.

Now, let me tell you why I don't like this story. First of all, let's blame the victim! Humanity didn't ask for fire, but Zeus still took Prometheus's sin out on us. Totally unfair. Two, Let's blame the woman. Sure, she'll open the stupid jar. Everything's her fault! Three, what's with leaving hope in the jar? Does that mean hope's a prisoner in the jar and we have no hope? Does that mean hope was the last BAD thing left in the jar and hope is a bad thing? Is hope a good thing and can come and go from the jar? And what's up with a goddess being stuck in a jar in the first place? You can't stick gods in jars. They're not like lightening bugs. They'd totally shatter the jar and stick the pieces up your nose.

So, no. I don't buy it. Revisionist history all the way. (If you don't believe me read this.)

Here's what really happened, and here is why Missy AKA Little Messy Missy can trust in Elpis.

Pandora isn't made by the gods. She is the god. In fact, she is the Great Goddess, Mother Earth. Her name doesn't mean "all-gifted"; it means "all giving." She created life, and she reminds of this every year by giving us spring. Her jar isn't full of evil; it's full of blessings: renewal, beauty, love, life itself. It is these blessings she gives to humanity. Alas, as beautiful as these blessings are, they do indeed flee from us. We lose the people we love. Our beauty fades. Our bodies get weak. We die. These blessings are transitory because the greatest blessing we will ever know -- our own wonderful life -- is transitory. Only one blessing can spring eternal: hope.

Elpis stays in the jar so that hope can be given to us over and over again. When we despair, when we are depressed -- even when we are dying -- Elpis points us toward the light. Elpis tells us that in a world of constant change, we can have faith that the bad things change too, that things get better, that good news is possible. If Elpis can't lighten our moods, what can?

Channel this goddess: when you're feeling down, when blessings seem few, and when no one will publish your very superior novel.

Need a goddess: I got goddesses! Post a comment telling me what you need or would just like to know about, and I'll see what I can do.