When Literature Becomes Law: An Example From Ancient Greece

Abstract

After a brief introduction to Solon and the Testamentary Law in the next section, Part III of this paper will examine the origin of the phrase "under the influence of a woman" by tracing the evolution of the concept of the "persuasive woman" in the poems of Homer and Hesiod. Part IV will then show that the mythological models of the female enchantress contained in these poems gave rise to a cultural fear of the "persuasive woman" in Greece, which was reflected both in the Testamentary Law as well as in the courtroom speeches of classical Athens. The final part of this paper will examine this unique intersection of law and literature and, in particular, the close connection between Hesiod's poetry and Solon's legislation.