Gender and Immortality

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The book explores the often-overlooked role of female figures in ancient Greek hero cults, arguing for the recognition of heroines as a distinct category within Greek religious ideology. Deborah Lyons examines various forms of evidence, from Homeric epics to vase paintings, to highlight the interconnectedness of male and female, mortal and immortal. She posits that heroines possess unique abilities to navigate these boundaries, providing insights into essential Greek concepts of relationships between mortals and immortals.