#evarete

Or do you like her to be more closer to Perseus' family by having her be Perseus' cousin?

I kinda go back and forth over which one I prefer, since both have potential y’know?

Like we don’t know anything about Hippodamia’s relationship with her mother, if it’s Evarete and she’s married to Oenomaus is she powerless to help her daughter or complicit? If her mother is Sterope the goddess was she a present parent or was she in the heavens among the stars?

I think about the statue in the Temple of Zeus, Olympia, depicting who was likely Oenomaus’s wife, just look at her uncertain body language.

Perhaps she noticed early signs that her husband is attracted to her daughter, tried to deny it thinking he’s just being a bit too affectionate, then it gets worse but she doesn’t know how to stop it other than to gently persuade him against it, since we’ve seen how violent and cruel Oenomaus could become. What’s worse is if Evarete did try to confront Oenomaus or try to defend their daughter then he might kick her out and Hippodamia would be left all alone with her abuser, so Evarete would have to be silent over the insane chariot race that puts Hippodamia’s life in danger. Maybe Evarete prepares Hippodamia for each chariot race, doing her hair and makeup and weaving her wedding garments… fuck maybe Hippodamia is wearing her mother’s wedding dress which adds another fucked up layer to the race.

Perhaps Hippodamia would resent her mother for being too scared to defend her? Not fully grasping that Evarete is stuck in an abusive situation too and is doing the best she can, maybe they rekindle their relationship after Oenomaus’s death. Again there’s so many different directions you can go with this relationship.

Pausanias Descriptions of Greece

I also remember this, idk why but the wording is so striking to me in how casual it is, he doesn’t even say her mother’s name but he talks about Hippodamia and her mother being together as something so obvious. We see several vase painting of Hippodamia with her mother before the race, it seems to be such common imagery that Pausanias doesn’t dwell on it too much.

So there’s a story here, something that was well known in antiquity but not to us.

HYGINUS, FABULAE

So according to this (Roman) source, Danaë had a sister named Evarete, she isn’t mentioned anywhere else but her existence still intrigues me.

Why did Acrisius allow her to be married and have children but not Danaë?

Could it be that she’s an illegitimate daughter bc Eurydice/Aganippe wasn’t mentioned as her mother?

Did the oracle specify that it’s only Danaë that will produce a son that would kill him?

How does she feel about her sister being mistreated?

Could it be that when Oenomaus heard the prophecy that his son in law would kill him, that Evarete advised him not to do what her father did and mistreat their daughter?

Did Danaë think of her sister when she heard that Polydectes was “planning” to marry her niece Hippodamia?