Goddess Flora

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the statue of Flora embodies Roman contradictory attitudes towards female fertility and sexuality; sexuality was desirable for familial propagation, but female liberality in the sexual sphere was something Roman society wished to contain. The author points out that Flora, like most Roman deities, has a counterpart in Greek mythology called Chloris, who was mainly known as the relatively minor wife of the West Wind Zephyr, but Flora, who became much more important than the West Wind in Rome, was not Zephyr's wife, but his consort. The paper relates that the connection between sowing and open sexuality might be why prostitutes adopted Flora's festival as their own because, in an interesting twist, at an agricultural festival meant to honor the flowers, land, soil, and toil of farmers, part of the festival honoring Goddess Flora was held during the night, so prostitution became a more important component of the celebration.

From the Paper:

"Flora wears a transparent-like garment that emphasizes and conceals the nudity of her figure in its artful drapes and beckons the gazer in a friendly and alluring way. Her palm turned open, as if making an offering. She wears a garland of flowers in her hair, as is typical of all statues of the goddess Flora. She strikes the viewer as both sensual, yet also motherly, traditional and womanly. She is nude and provocative in the way she extends her grasping hand to the gazer, but not intimidating in her beauty."

More papers on Goddess Flora:

• Analytical Essay # 56485 : "The Life and Times of Flora Belle Jan"
• Term Paper # 92592 : "Goddess Worship"
• Comparison Essay # 14902 : "Women In The Garden" ( Monet ) and "La Berceuse" ( Van Gogh )"

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