The Enemy
The Enemy
This chapter considers Hera as the quintessential Enemy, willing to do anything to keep her rival from giving birth, even resorting to magic. It suggests that the Enemy is a way to confront the possibly fatal dangers of childbirth, or perhaps simply a name to give to those nameless fears that hover before the eyes of the Woman in Labor. The chapter also looks at other individuals who share with Hera the role of the Enemy in Alcmene's story. These are the Pharmakides of Pausanias, the Eileithyiai, and the Moirai.
Keywords: Hera, Woman in Labor, mythology, childbirth, enemy, Pharmakides, Eileithyiai, Moirai
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