"Rashness never suits the weaker." So said Danaus, the father of the maidens, to his daughters. This was his warning to the maidens to be careful in their speech whilst speaking with Pelasgus, the king of the Argives.
The maidens, with their father, flee to Argos to escape the horrific fate of forced marriage to their cousins, Egyptus' sons. King Pelasgus greets them with suspicion, but it's quickly revealed that they are, in a way, Argive citizens.
To explain: Io, an Argive, was their ancestor. Zeus did what all male gods did. And Hera was none too happy with him. So she did what she does best. She turned Io into a cow and drove her out with really mean flies. This wasn't just a insult between women anymore. She was literally a cow. Poor Io.
But never fear. Zeus decided to turn into a bull. He finds her in another country, what do you think happened next? Sons beget more sons until you get the evil cousins and the suppliant maidens.
The father left to plead their case to the Argive people. The maidens needed everyone on their side, not just the king. But good news. It all worked out.
And none to soon. The herald for the cousins showed up quite on cue for this play, and was quickly talked down by the king. And thus the maidens are free.
Danaus leaves his daughters with the advice to "honor modesty more than your life."
This has a lot of depth personally for me. And thus I shall leave you with the question for this entry. What does the quote, "Honor modesty more than you life," mean to you? And do you feel as if we've lost our sense of modesty?
Leave your thoughts in the comments section or @ mention me on Twitter: @mrakestraw777
Have a blessed day.
