This was originally posted on July 30, 2012
The first “Olympics” were races of girls of various age-groups around a 500 foot stadium in ancient Olympia. The races of girls were held every four years on the new moon of the month of Parthenios (September/October). They were dedicated to Hera Parthenos who renewed her virginity in the river Parthenias. The winners of the races wore olive crowns and feasted on the flesh of Hera’s sacred cow.
These “Olympics” for Hera and for girls came before the more celebrated Olympics for men that were dedicated to Olympian Zeus. The temple of Hera at Olympia is older than the temple for Zeus and the girls’ Olympics were tied to the more ancient lunar calendar.
What did the girls’ Olympics celebrate? A clue can be found in the ritual of Hera renewing her virginity. According to myth, Hera herself bathed in the river Parthenias and emerged “renewed” or “virgin.” The myth points to a ritual. The most ancient statue of Hera at Olympia was made of carved wood and clothed with intricately woven robes made by women who were chosen for this sacred task. (Think of the robes with rich red and purple threads woven with gold worn by priests.) Every four years the statue was undressed and taken to the river and washed. It was then brought back to the temple where the new robes were dedicated.
What is the meaning of this ritual? We are told that through it, Hera Parthenos renewed her virginity. Parthenos is generally translated “virgin” but its earlier meaning is “girl.” We are most familiar with Hera as the unhappy wife of the rapist and womanizer, Zeus. The worship of Hera Parthenos suggests that Hera was the name of a Goddess whose history did not begin with her marriage to Zeus. Archaeologists believe that Hera was the name of the most widely worshipped pre-Indo-European Goddess of the Peloponnese area of Greece.
When marriage became a patriarchal arrangement, parthenos also came to mean “not belonging to a husband.” Though virginity in the sense of not having been penetrated by a penis came to be expected in patriarchal marriage, we can imagine a time when girls and women were free to choose their lovers. Parthenos is a pre-Indo-European word. Many of the traditions surrounding Hera Parthenos (and Athena Parthenos) must have pre-dated the arrival of the patriarchal Greeks and their God Zeus into the Peloponnese. (Many of the rituals to Athena also involved girls.)
What did it mean for Hera Parthenos to renew her virginity, or more accurately, her girlhood? Archaeologist Frances Cornford* suggests that the ritual and festival had to do with the renewal of the year. Hera’s renewal would then be related to the later story of the New Year’s Child who drives out Old Man Time.
Why was the New Year in the fall? In many cultures especially those where the summers are hot, the New Year begins with the autumn rains that refresh the parched earth.
Why every four years? The lunar cycle is an eight-year cycle, with the celebrations at its beginning, middle, and end. When Hera was renewed, she became young again, ensuring that renewal would follow birth and death. The end is also the beginning.
Why girls? Girls who have not yet given birth are a powerful symbol for the power of life to renew itself. In the normal course of events, girls will give birth and die, but as girls, they have not yet entered into the cycle of birth that will lead over time to death. The olive crowns they wear celebrate the power of life they hold within them.
Why races? Because life, like a race, is a movement through time and space. The “winners,” the fastest girls, symbolize the life force itself. They are fed with the meat of the sacred cow to give them strength to run the race of life.
In the days when Hera was unmarried and girls chose their own lovers, girls were not controlled by their fathers and husbands. They ran free. When the Olympic Games dominate the airwaves again, let us remember that there was a time when the Olympics were a celebration of the renewal of life. Let us remember Hera Parthenos. Let us celebrate the strength of girls!
*See “The Origin of the Olympic Games,” contributed by Francis Cornford to Jane Ellen Harrison‘s Themis.
This is dedicated to Hannah and Sarah.
BIO: Carol P. Christ (1945-2021) was an internationally known feminist and ecofeminist writer, activist, and educator. Her work continues through her non-profit foundation, the Ariadne Institute for the Study of Myth and Ritual.
“In Goddess religion death is not feared, but is understood to be a part of life, followed by birth and renewal.” — Carol P. Christ
feminismandreligion.com 
This makes me think of Artemis who ran free in the forest and Aphrodite who was free to select her own lovers. Interesting read into the pre-marriage history of Hera.
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This must be one of the first posts on FAR from Carol, back in the days before more women (and a few good men) were invited to post regularly. Hooray for our history! Both a decade of FAR and thousands of years of women and girls. As always, Carol did excellent research and wrote memorably. What a gift she gave us every month.
BTW, several years ago, I began using the word “hera” to describe feminine heroes. We don’t need to be classified with the guys, right?? Let’s all use “hera” in this sense to celebrate the goddess before her marriage to that rapist.
Carol–wherever you are, rest well and come back when you’re ready. Bright blessings!
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I refuse to call females heroes – I use heroine – what happened to that word anyway?
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I think this idea of renewing virginity as one’s commitment to being authentic is a wonderful way to celebrate the summer solstice – a peculiar and disquieting time – the sun casts no shadow – and my gut sense says so much of this is male oriented.
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