Lilith, Medusa, Circe - See a Pattern?

I have a deep fascination for the demonized women of history for there is very much a pattern here.

I think I gained a fascination for Lilith in university many (okay, more than many) years ago as the original feminist. If you're not aware of the story, it's basically that Lilith was actually the first woman, created from the same dust as Adam, and was cast out or fled the Garden for refusing to submit to the will of Adam.

I especially adore this quote:

We are equal to each other inasmuch as we were both created from the earth.

As you can imagine, not well received by a man. That theme continues.

The story of Medusa has a few variants, but when you consider that she had chosen celibacy and wanted to avoid the touch of men, Athena's "curse" was actually a gift. For Medusa, violated by Poseidon in the Temple of Athena, being unapproachable and feared by men is a gift of protection. Yet, as the tale of men will tell you, she was a monster to be destroyed.

Finally Circe, perhaps the most famous of all Witches. Circe demanded respect and when she was spurned or mistreated, she took her revenge. Banished to the island of Aeaea, she perfected her craft and became the legend that she is known for. It was also here that she turned half of Odysseus' men into pigs as punishment for their excesses. Odysseus, protected by an herb called moly, could not be turned into an animal and ultimately became her lover.

The pattern that stands out, and is not limited to these stories, is the pattern of powerful and self-possesed women being demonized for those traits. Lilith refused to be subserviant to a man and the man hated that. Medusa refused the touch of men and men hated that. Circe refused to accept disrespect and mockery and men hated that. It's a tale as old as time: men will demonize women that do not submit to them. 

Nevertheless, while men originally got to write these tales, their stories are now being reclaimed and viewed through a different lens. It's well over due.