In ancient Greece there was once a matriarchal society. We know this because it is evident in the literature that has passed into our hands and from the religions of these ancient peoples. While this evidence is before us the reason for the change to a patriarchal society is not so evident. Very little information exists on the subject, possibly because the change was so violent in some cases.
             Robert Graves tells us "ancient Europe had no gods." The Great Goddess was regarded as eternal and unchanging. Fatherhood held no meaning for these peoples because it was at a later time that they discovered that a man was needed to produce a child. All over the world we can encounter these mother goddesses. The women were considered omnipotent and the priestess of a village was usually the queen. She took lovers for pleasure, not for a father for her children, as the children of a community were considered sacred gifts from the goddess. "Men revered and respected the marvel and power of women and adored the matriarch, her hut or temple being the earliest social center. Thus the first victim of a Greek public sacrifice was to Hestia. Hestia was goddess of the hearth and it is her decree that suppliants must be protected in her name (Graves 75)". She is most often depicted as the raised white mound of ash that protects live coals without producing smoke. This great goddess was !
             instilled in every facet of the Greek household.
             The goddess is also depicted as the moon as well as the sun. The moons phases of new, full, and old recall the matriarchs' phases of maiden, mother, and crone. The sun also runs its course of spring (maiden), summer (mother), and winter (crone). Thus the goddess became associated with animal and plant life through these natural phenomena. The moon controls the tides and migratory sea animals while the sun controls the harvest and the hibernation periods of many animals. The goddess's li...