Selling sex: Wonder Woman and the ancient fantasy of hot lady warriors. (Videos)

Selling Sex 

Wonder Woman and the Ancient Fantasy of Hot Lady Warriors

Wonder Woman embodies the male fantasy of warrior women. 

Variety.com

Christian-Georges Schwentzel, Université de Lorraine

When the film Wonder Woman is released in early June, it will surely join the blockbuster ranks of other recent comic book-inspired film franchises, including Batman, Superman, Spiderman, and X-Men. But that’s not just because it features a sword-wielding Gal Gadot in knee-high boots and a metal bodice.

Wonder Woman has long been a bestselling creation, originally imagined in 1941 by the psychologist WilliamMoulton Marston, and the film follows some of the main plot lines developed in the comic books.

Wonder Woman is a superheroine known as Diana, princess of the Amazons, who is trained to be an unconquerable warrior. When an American pilot, Steve Trevor, crashes on the shores of her sheltered island paradise and tells tales of a massive conflict raging elsewhere, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat.

Though Wonder Woman was portrayed asa feminist icon in the 1940s, she is also a highly sexual character.

We can only wonder – no pun intended! – about the reasons for this imagined link between war and female sexuality. As a sexy but fierce lady warrior, Wonder Woman is hardly alone. Throughout history, cultures across the globe have envisioned and revered the femme fatale, from feline killers to sensual goddesses to sassy spelunkers.

The Sumerian “wonder woman”

In 3000 BC, in the ancient Sumerian city of Uruk in Mesopotamia, the first kingsof human history ruled over the south of modern-day Iraq, protected by Ishtar, a great goddess of war and love often associated with lions.

Ishtar, naked on a vase. Louvre/Wikimedia

Ishtar would reveal the kings’ enemies and accompany them to the battlefield. It was said that she fought like an unleashed lioness protecting her young – in this case, the Sumerian people. Like Wonder Woman, Ishtar’s sacred duty was to defend the world.

She could also be sensual. More than merely worship the goddess, the Kings of Uruk claimed to be Ishtar’s lovers, who, according to royalhymns of the era, would enter her bed and “plow the divine vulva”.

For the king, receiving sexual and military favours from a goddess served his political agenda, legitimised his reign and made him into an exceptional hero for his people. In the Wonder Woman film, this role is filled by the American pilot.

References to divine lovemaking arealso found among ancient Palestinians, Babylonians, though scholars can’t confirm what was really going on in those temples.

Cat girls from Sekhmet

Bastet as a lion. Mbzt/Wikimedia, CC BY-ND

Lee Meriwether as Catwoman in the 1960s. Ebay/Wikimedia

What’s more sexy than a powerful woman? Taming her, of course.

In ancient Egypt, the most fearsome goddess wasnamed Sekhmet. Like Ishtar, she had two sides – fierce beast and loving companion.

Sekhmet was often portrayed as a terrible lioness, the butcher of the Pharaoh’s enemies. At times, though, she would transform into an adorable cat named Bastet.

Today, the feline is still symbolic of female sexuality. Catwoman, another comic book heroine, was born a few months before Wonder Woman (not that a lady reveals her age) and is the most contemporary avatar of afeline woman.

With her curves and her bondage fetish, Catwoman has always been hypersexual, though somecritics regret that her sexuality – not her intelligence – has become her greatest asset these days.

Amazons, the lonely sailors’ dreams

Warrior women with sexual natures are also found among the ancient Greeks.

Their myth of the Amazons tells of a Mediteraneankingdom in which it was women who fought and governed, while the men were relegated to domestic duties. Marston’s Wonder Woman comic invokes the Amazons’ city, Themiscyra, and the name of their queen, Hippolyta.

He embellished his ancient Amazonian setting with details from the legend of thewomen of Lemnos, in the Aegean Sea, adopting the isolated island idea as Wonder Woman’s home.

According to the Greek story, the women of Lemnos had revolted and massacred all the men on the island, young and old. Living in a forced sexual abstinence, the ladies were delighted when sailors unexpectedly landed on a local beach. They immediately set upon the Argonauts, ateam of beautiful and famous mythological heroes that included Hercules and Theseus, compelling them into long orgiastic intercourse.

The sex-starved but unattached women theme is another favourite male fantasy, offering imaginary satisfaction of sexual scenarios that may be difficult to realise in real life.

Our modern Amazon. TombRaiderWikia

By the late 20th century, Lara Croft came along to update the idea of the Amazons and the ladies of Lemnos. Croft, an English archeologist-adventurer who started life as a character in the 1990s video game Tomb Raider, was the ultimate virtual-reality dream girl: she is an expert in martial arts, great with a gun and super smart.

Plus, she always leaves the guys wanting more. Reincarnated on the big screen in2001 by actress Angelina Jolie, Croft often gave the cold shoulder to her male counterparts. Later sequels featuring Alicia Vikander continued to pitch Croft as a sex symbol whilebolstering her feminist credentials.

Women and weapons, the ultimate fantasy?

The new Wonder Woman film seems to have made a careful choice of actress, looking beyond just a pretty face and a remarkable body. Gal Gadot has both of those, but she’s a lot like the heroine in other ways, too.

VotedMiss Israel in 2004, Gadot was also a sports coach in the Israeli army. Ina August 2015 interview with Fashion magazine the actress, who was then 30, affirmed that her military experience prepared her well for a Hollywood career.

Gal Gadot in the Chinese film poster for Wonder Woman, to be released in China on June 2. Reddit

On screen and off, the ancient link between femininity, sexual attraction and the military, seems to still be going strong today. Everything from Wonder Woman and the Instagram account ofIsraeli soldier-cum-amateur model Maria Domark to the rise of a new sub-genre of lady warriorsin Asian cinema and, of course, Americanweapons catalogues, confirms the old masculine fantasy associating pretty faces with guns.

The new Wonder Woman film channels all this history. Popculture attempts to showcase the heroine as a feminist cannot counteract thousands of years of global sexual fantasy. But you can bet it’ll be a hit at the box office.

Christian-Georges Schwentzel, Professeur d'histoire ancienne, Université de Lorraine

This article was originally published on The Conversation.
Read the original article.

LINKS

William Moulton Marston
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Moulton_Marston
Wonder Woman: Feminist Icon of the 1940s Angelica E. Delaney Kennesaw State University 
http://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1022&context=kjur
http://screenrant.com/wonder-woman-movie-synopsis/
Religion and Power: Divine Kingship in the Ancient World and Beyond
https://oi.uchicago.edu/research/symposia/religion-and-power-divine-kingship-ancient-world-and-beyond-0
Ishtar
http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/inanaitar/
Ishtar
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishtar
Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth: Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer
https://www.amazon.com/Inanna-Queen-Heaven-Earth-Stories/dp/0060908548
The Cult of the Mother-Goddess in Ancient Palestine
https://www.jstor.org/stable/3142012?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
Sekhmet et la protection du monde 
https://openlibrary.org/books/OL2811524M/Sekhmet_et_la_protection_du_monde
Dangerous Curves: Action Heroines, Gender, Fetishism, and Popular Culture
http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt2tv6xs
THE REAL AMAZONS
http://www.newyorker.com/books/joshua-rothman/real-amazons
Catwoman: The Hypersexualisation of a Sexual Woman
http://www.comicbookgrrrl.com/2011/06/12/catwoman-the-hyper-sexualisation-of-a-sexual-woman/
Lemnos
http://www.maicar.com/GML/Lemnos.html
Argonaut  GREEK MYTHOLOGY
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Argonaut-Greek-mythology
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life
http://tombraider.wikia.com/wiki/Lara_Croft_Tomb_Raider:_The_Cradle_of_Life
How the New Lara Croft Film Can Sidestep Her Sexist Baggage
http://time.com/4312396/lara-croft-alicia-vikander-sexism/
Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman: A Hamas-Bashing, Ex-IDF Soldier and Former Miss Israel
http://www.thedailybeast.com/gal-gadots-wonder-woman-a-hamas-bashing-ex-idf-soldier-and-former-miss-israel
'The military trained me for Hollywood': Gal Gadot talks serving in the Israeli army... and playing 'symbol of strength' Wonder Woman
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3151210/Gal-Gadot-talks-serving-Israeli-army-playing-symbol-strength-Wonder-Woman.html
PHOTO: Official Chinese Wonder Woman poster
https://www.reddit.com/r/DC_Cinematic/comments/69ay5m/photo_official_chinese_wonder_woman_poster/
This Instagram Model is Also a Highly Trained Soldier in the Israeli Military
http://nextshark.com/maria-miri-domark-instagram/
Warrior Women: Gender, Race, and the Transnational Chinese Action Star
http://www.sunypress.edu/p-5886-warrior-women.aspx
Women and Guns: Politics and the Culture of Firearms in America
https://books.google.fr/books?hl=en&lr=&id=RZdzCQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=women+and+guns&ots=Pc8uaQayIz&sig=KotTjlbi8m1wn-yNTMeFFgmprR0#v=onepage&q=women%20and%20guns&f=false
Wonder Woman: the feminist
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/dec/05/wonder-woman-the-feminist 
Selling sex: Wonder Woman and the ancient fantasy of hot lady warriors
https://theconversation.com/selling-sex-wonder-woman-and-the-ancient-fantasy-of-hot-lady-warriors-78059
Tuareg
http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Mauritania-to-Nigeria/Tuareg.html
Mysterious Islamic Tribe Where Women Have Sex With Different Men, Don’t Wear A Veil And Own Property
http://nanas-rants.blogspot.com/2016/02/mysterious-islamic-tribe-where-women.html
Uncovered: Why the West does not understand Kali. 
http://www.newsgram.com/uncovered-why-the-west-does-not-understand-kali/
Afro-Caribbean Religion
https://digitalcaribbean.commons.gc.cuny.edu/2014/02/01/afro-dance-religions-of-the-caribbean/
Bastet, goddess of Egypt
http://www.landofpyramids.org/bastet.htm
Ancient Egypt for kids: A - Z Names of Egyptian Gods
http://www.landofpyramids.org/names-of-egyptian-gods.htm
Sekhmet originally the warrior goddess as well as goddess of healing for Upper Egypt. She is depicted as a lioness, the fiercest hunter known to the Egyptians. It was said that her breath formed the desert. She was seen as the protector of the pharaohs and led them in warfare. she can be construed as being a divine arbiter of the goddess Ma'at (Justice, or Order)
In Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet was the goddess of fire and war. She had the head of a lioness and the body of a woman. In her former life, she was Hathor. a solar goddess, and was named “Eye of Ra.”
Great Lady Sekhmet
Sekhmet originally the warrior goddess as well as goddess of healing for Upper Egypt. She is depicted as a lioness, the fiercest hunter known to the Egyptians.
Sekhmet - Goddess of War and Healing - Temple of Kom Ombo, 1390 - 1352 BC
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/420664421416091680
My Shero--Yaa Asantewaa
http://myghanajouney.blogspot.com/2011/05/my-shero-yaa-asantewaa.html
8 FACTS ABOUT CATHAY WILLIAMS, FEMALE BUFFALO SOLDIER

http://blackartblog.blackartdepot.com/african-american-history/buffalo-soldiers/8-facts-cathay-williams-female-buffalo-soldier.html

Russia Presents Detailed Evidence Of ISIS-Turkey Oil Trade

Russia Presents Detailed Evidence Of ISIS-Turkey Oil Trade

NB Commentary:

Is it or is it not true that when the hired Assassins are deploy and the mainstream media picks up the story and runs with it. Over and over again, we hear about the story, all types of evidence seen and unseen, heard and unheard. Details on the very activities of everyone involved in the new BREAKING STORY.  Everyone bites and regurgitates the sound bites verbatim and the hype continues until some one completely exposes it as a False Flags. It is very evident that within the False Flag scenario that people "die" in fact, their deaths keep the story alive and well.

But, if  you take a moment and dig a little deeper you can find out why the propaganda arm and channel is directing your attention. So now let's turn to the real news buried behind the hype. " ISIS-Turkey Oil Trade"

If you believe that surveillance is at its height, then how did this little caravan of smuggled, black market oil get over looked.

I still have a question, after they blow up all of these oil refineries and tankers and trucks, what is left for Syria to use to take care of their own people who have not escaped to other countries? I wonder if Russia will help in the rebuilding of the infrastructure they are destroying?

THE STORY

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/02/2015 15:45 -0500

On Monday, Turkey’s sultan President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said something funny. In the wake of Vladimir Putin’s contention that Russia has additional proof of Turkey’s participation in Islamic State’s illicit crude trade, Erdogan said he would resign if anyone could prove the accusations. 

Now obviously, conclusive evidence that Ankara is knowingly facilitating the sale of ISIS crude will probably be hard to come by, at least in the short-term, but the silly thing about Erdogan’s pronouncement is that we’re talking about a man who was willing to plunge his country into civil war over a few lost seats in Parliament. The idea that he would ever “step down” is patently absurd. 

But that’s not what’s important. What’s critical is that the world gets the truth about who’s financing and facilitating “Raqqa’s Rockefellers.” If a NATO member is supporting this, and if the US has refrained from bombing ISIS oil trucks for 14 months as part of an understanding with Erdogan, well then we have a problem. For those who need a review, see the following four pieces:

• The Most Important Question About ISIS That Nobody Is Asking
• Meet The Man Who Funds ISIS: Bilal Erdogan, The Son Of Turkey's President
• How Turkey Exports ISIS Oil To The World: The Scientific Evidence
• ISIS Oil Trade Full Frontal: "Raqqa's Rockefellers", Bilal Erdogan, KRG Crude, And The Israel Connection

Unfortunately for Ankara, The Kremlin is on a mission to blow this story wide open now that Turkey has apparently decided it’s ok to shoot down Russian fighter jets. On Wednesday, we get the latest from Russia, where the Defense Ministry has just finished a briefing on the Islamic State oil trade. Not to put too fine a point on it, but Turkey may be in trouble.

First, here’s the bullet point summary via Reuters:

• RUSSIA'S DEFENCE MINISTRY SAYS RUSSIA'S AIR STRIKES IN SYRIA HELPED TO ALMOST HALVE ILLEGAL OIL TURNOVER
• RUSSIA'S DEFENCE MINISTRY SAYS TURKISH PRESIDENT AND FAMILY INVOLVED IN BUSINESS WITH ISLAMIC STATE OIL
• RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY SAYS WILL CONTINUE STRIKES IN SYRIA ON ISLAMIC STATE OIL INFRASTRUCTURE
• RUSSIA'S DEFENCE MINISTRY SAYS KNOWS OF THREE ROUTES BY WHICH ISLAMIC STATE OIL IS DIRECTED TO TURKEY
• RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY SAYS TO PRESENT NEXT WEEK INFORMATION SHOWING TURKEY HELPING ISLAMIC STATE

That’s the Cliff’s Notes version and the full statement from Deputy Minister of Defence Anatoly Antonov is below. Let us be the first to tell you, Antonov did not hold back. 

In the opening address, the Deputy says the ISIS oil trade reaches the highest levels of Turkey's government. He also says Erdogan wouldn't resign if his face was smeared with stolen Syrian oil. Antonov then blasts Ankara for arresting journalists and mocks Erdogan’s “lovely family oil business.” Antonov even calls on the journalists of the world to "get involved" and help Russia "expose and destroy the sources of terrorist financing." 

"Today, we are presenting only some of the facts that confirm that a whole team of bandits and Turkish elites stealing oil from their neighbors is operating in the region," Antonov continues, setting up a lengthy presentation in which the MoD shows photos of oil trucks, videos of airstrikes and maps detailing the trafficking of stolen oil. The clip is presented here with an English voice-over. Enjoy.

truck convoy in east Syria

And here's the latest video of Russia destroying Islamic State oil infrastructure:

Oh, and for good measure, Lieutenant-General Sergey Rudskoy says the US is not bombing ISIS oil trucks.

*  *  *

Full statement from Anatoly Antonov (translated)

At a briefing for the media, "the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the fight against international terrorism. The new data "

International terrorism - is the main threat of our time. This threat is not illusory but real, and many countries, primarily Russia, knows this firsthand. The notorious "Is Islamic state" - the absolute leader of the terrorist international. This is a rearing monster of international terrorism can be countered. And you can win. Over the past two months, Aerospace Russian forces is clearly demonstrated. 

We are firmly convinced that victory over LIH need to deliver a powerful and devastating blow to the sources of its funding, as repeatedly mentioned by President Vladimir Putin. Terrorism has no money - is a beast without teeth. Oil revenues are a major source of terrorist activity in Syria. They earn about $ 2 billion. Dollars annually, spending this money on hiring fighters around the world, providing them with weapons, equipment and weapons. That's why so LIH protects thieves oil infrastructure in Syria and Iraq. 

The main consumer of stolen from legitimate owners - Syria and Iraq - the oil is Turkey. According to the data entered in this criminal business involved the highest political leadership of the country - President Erdogan and his family. 

We have repeatedly talked about the dangers of flirting with terrorists. It's like that stokes. The fire from one country can spill over to others. This situation we are seeing in the Middle East. Today, we present only part of the facts, confirming that the region has a team of bandits and Turkish elites stealing oil from the neighbors. 

This oil in large numbers on an industrial scale, for the living pipelines from thousands of oil tankers entering the territory of Turkey. We are absolutely convinced today present you the hard facts about what the final destination of the stolen oil - Turkey. There is a large number of media representatives, and Our briefing will see more of your colleagues. In this regard, I would like to say the following. We know and appreciate the work of journalists. We know that in the journalistic community, many courageous, fearless people honestly do its job.Today, we have clearly shown you how the illegal trade in oil, the result of which - the financing of terrorism. Provided concrete evidence that, in our opinion, may be the subject of investigative journalism. 

We are confident that the truth with your help will, will find its way. We know the price to Erdogan. He has already been caught in a lie again Turkish journalists who opened Turkey delivery of arms and ammunition to militants under the guise of humanitarian convoys. For this imprisoned journalists. 

Do not resign Turkish leaders, particularly Mr. Erdogan, and did not recognize, even if their faces will be smeared by oil thieves. I might be too harsh, but at the hands of the Turkish military killed our comrades. The cynicism of the Turkish leadership is unlimited. Look what they're doing ?! Climbed to a foreign country, it shamelessly robbed. And if the owners interfere, then they have to be addressed. 

I stress that Erdogan's resignation is not our goal. It is - it is the people of Turkey. Our goal and the goal to which we urge you, ladies and gentlemen, - joint action to block the sources of funding for terrorism. We will continue to provide evidence of robbery by Turkey of its neighbors. Maybe I'll be too straightforward, but the control of these thieves in business can be entrusted only to the most close people. 

No one in the West, I wonder, does not cause the issue that the son of the President of Turkey is the leader of one of the largest energy companies, and son-in-appointed Minister of Energy? What a brilliant family business! 

This, in general, may elsewhere? Well, once again, of course, such cases can not be charging anyone, only the closest people. Votes this fact in the Western media we do not see much, but it sure can not hide the truth. Yes, of course, dirty petrodollars will work. I am sure that there are now discussions about the fact that everything you see here, - falsification. Well. If it did not - let be allowed in those places that we showed journalists. 

It is obvious that today the publicity was devoted only part of the information about the monstrous crimes of the Turkish elites who directly finance international terrorism. We believe that any sane journalist should fight this plague of the XXI century. The world experience has repeatedly argued that the objective journalism is able to be an effective and formidable tool in the fight against various financial corruption schemes. We invite colleagues to investigative journalism on the disclosure of financial schemes and supplies oil from the terrorists to the consumers. Especially since the oil produced in the controlled militants territories in transit through Turkish ports shipped to other regions. For its part, the Ministry of Defense of Russia will continue to disclose new evidence on the supply of terrorists oil to foreign countries and to talk about the conduct of aerospace forces of Russia operations in Syria. Let's unite our efforts. We will destroy the sources of financing of terrorism in Syria, as you get involved in the kind of work abroad. "

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-12-02/russia-presents-detailed-evidence-isis-turkey-oil-trade