Problems

To say that some of this material is problematic is something of an understatement.

It is especially a problem if we come at it with the notion that Arcadia is some sort of garden of Eden and that Gods are by definition, good

It actually makes more sense to think of these stories as taking place in an entirely Mafia-run or Fascist society where there is no such thing as human rights or justice – just Influence

It is not what you know that matters – it is who you know *

… although and come to think of it – perhaps that goes for the Garden of Eden too – but we won’t go there

It complicates things slightly that Ovid is writing about both an Archaic Greek world in which most of the stories are located, and about the Roman society of his day. Both patriarchal to an extent that seems insane today, except perhaps in the world of the Taliban, but they are not the same .

It makes no odds that some of the gods are female – there is precious little female solidarity here. Actual women in the stories are raped by the male ones then judged guilty by the female ones – it is grim situation entirely.

* an exception to this seems to be Hospitality

A father has every right to chop up his children and boil them if he wishes, but he absolutely must not feed them to his guests