ALTHAIA
THE FIRST OLYMPICS
THE DAY BEFORE
The atmosphere was different; the excitement was vibrant, and she could feel it brushed over her skin. She was exhilarated by the events that soon to come. Walking down the streets of Ellis, she saw people rushing to get ready for the big day. People could not keep their smiles from flowing out, which made her also smile with them. Yet, something inside her felt ominous about the whole situation. She could not understand this horrible feeling that was rising inside her. What is happening, she thought to herself. She should be happy, not sad, and angry. But the realization soon formed when she saw sadness on a woman's face that passed her. At that moment, she understood the ominous feeling; and that woman's face was the reason. It was the rule that married women were not allowed to participate in, or watch, the games. There were exceptions, like the unmarried women, who can attend the event from afar, and the priestess of Demeter, who had the privilege to sit near the Stadium altar. Fortunately for Althaia, she was one of the exceptions: an unmarried woman. However, an exception or not, she was still a woman; she was still powerless.
THE DAY OF THE OLYMPICS
The ground was shaking; the excitement was at its peak. The day had come, the moment that everyone was waiting for four years. Yet, the only thing that she felt at that moment was guilt. The sense of loss and uselessness overwhelmed her. Besides the ominous feeling, she was also physically exhausted from the long day of traveling. It took about a day of traveling from the city of Elis to the altar of Olympia, but most of the people did not show any sign of exhaustion; they were all energetic. The start of the game was near as the air was getting thicker from the anticipation. She knew how important this event was to the Hellenic culture as a whole. The Olympics was not just a sporting event; it was also a religious experience. From its conception, people created the game in honor of the Supreme God Zeus. During the religious festival, all the participants would have a truce between them for the festival and the gods. Disrespected the ceasefire truce would result in exclusion. They could give up any conflict, fighting, and their ego for the sake of the Olympics, She murmured to herself angrily, yet, they drew the line for women's participation. Lost in thoughts, she forgot that the game was drawing near, only to snap back to reality with the loud cheer from the crowd. The athletes had arrived at the destination. They were the hero, that hailed by everyone, with only one thing in mind: to be first among the best. Walking through the crowd, she could feel the eyes that were steering in her direction. Usually, she was proud of her outside beauty, but at that moment, she only had a sense of distaste regarding those unsophisticated men. The kid inside her that would be excited for the Olympics was now long gone. The heroes she once praised was now nothing more than just hollow statues. Seeing those naked men running and fighting was not as fun as she thought it would be. This was supposed to be her first Olympics, but how boring and uninteresting. It might be somewhat ill-mannered for her to say, but she wished there would be some more naked women on that day.
Citation
Mark Cartwright, Ancient Olympic Game, (Ancient, 2018)
Lauren Young, When Ancient Greece Banned Women From The Olympics, They Started their own. (Atlas Obscura, 2016)
History Editors, The Olympic Game, (History, 2010)
Christopher Klien, 5 Myths About the Ancient Olympics (History, 2012)
For even more information visit the original page of Olympics:
Olympics Editors, Olympic From the home of Zeus in Olympia to the modern game