PART B
By Lieutenant General (Ret.) K. H. Konstantinidis
COMMENTARY
Eros, Hetairai, Geishas, and the Cosmic Power of Union and Dissolution
1. Sacred Women in Ancient Worship
The presence of women associated with sanctuaries and deities constitutes a complex chapter in the history of ancient religion. The subject has been particularly associated with the concept of “sacred prostitution,” that is, with the alleged practice whereby women provided sexual services within the context of the worship of a deity.
However, modern historiography approaches this generalized picture with great caution. The ancient sources are limited and often later in date, while many earlier interpretations appear to have projected modern perceptions onto very different ancient societies.
Therefore, we should not identify every woman who served or was associated with a sanctuary with the concept of a prostitute or a “sacred prostitute.”
2. The Hetaira in Ancient Greece
The hetaira (ἑταίρα) constituted a distinct social category in ancient Greece, particularly in Classical Athens. Unlike an ordinary prostitute, a hetaira could offer not only an erotic relationship but also companionship, conversation, and entertainment.
Some hetairai appear to have possessed education, social skills, and refinement, and could participate in symposia, where conversation, music, and intellectual exchange constituted an important part of social life.
Characteristic examples associated with the tradition include Aspasia, the companion of Pericles, and Phryne, who became famous for her beauty and wealth.
3. The Qualities of a Hetaira
The success of a hetaira did not depend exclusively on physical beauty. Important qualities could include:
beauty and personal grooming, intelligence and quick wit, education and refinement, music, dance and singing, the ability to converse and socialize, knowledge of social rules and customs, self-confidence and financial management, and discretion.
She functioned as an educated companion, capable of combining beauty with refinement, entertainment, and social presence.
4. Hetaira and Geisha
An interesting comparison can be made between the hetaira of ancient Greece and the geisha of Japan. They were not identical institutions, but there are certain social parallels.
Both could cultivate skills that went beyond physical appearance: music, dance, conversation, social etiquette, knowledge of ceremonial rules, and the ability to entertain.
There is, however, an essential difference. The geisha was primarily a professional artist and hostess. A sexual relationship did not define her profession.
If we seek in Japanese history a figure more comparable to the hetaira, we should turn to the oiran, that is, the high-ranking courtesans of the entertainment districts of the Edo period, rather than to geishas.
The comparison, therefore, should not be:
hetaira = geisha,
but rather:
hetaira and geisha = two different cultural institutions that developed the art of companionship, entertainment, and social presence.
5. Eros and Eris — The Cosmic Principle
Beyond myth, the figure of Aphrodite also belongs to the realm of philosophy.
Empedocles maintained that nothing comes into being from nothing and nothing disappears completely. The four “roots” — earth, water, air, and fire — remain eternal, while what changes is the way in which they unite and separate.
Two great forces govern this cosmic movement:
Philia — Eros: the force that unites, combines, and creates bonds.
Neikos — Eris: the force that separates, differentiates, and dissolves unions.
Thus, nature is not static. It is an eternal movement between composition and decomposition, between union and separation.
6. From the Universe to the Earth
This cosmic principle can also be transferred symbolically to earthly life.
Eros unites people, bodies, families, and generations. Through union, new life is born. Eris, by contrast, creates rivalries, conflicts, and divisions. Yet dissolution is also part of the natural order, because through it old forms are transformed and new ones are created.
Human beings, therefore, do not stand outside this cosmic process. They repeat it within their souls, in their relationships, in society, and in nature.
Eros is not merely erotic desire. It is the deeper force that seeks union.
Eris is not merely quarrelsomeness. It is the force that differentiates, separates, and leads existing forms toward a new state.
7. The Final Synthesis
The same movement that we observe in myth — love that unites, jealousy that separates, desire that creates relationships, and conflict that dissolves them — may be regarded as a miniature representation of a broader cosmic process.
Nothing remains the same. Everything is transformed. Eros connects and Neikos separates. And through this eternal alternation, the forms of nature and life are born, transformed, and disappear.
Aphrodite, therefore, is not merely the goddess of beauty and erotic passion. She is a symbol of the very force of life that seeks union, while Eris, standing opposite her, reminds us that every union contains the possibility of dissolution and every dissolution the possibility of a new synthesis.
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Konstantinos Konstantinidis
Author – Member of the Society of Greek Literary Writers
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