Cult of the Captured Bride

In a society where men set the rules, could a feminine fertility festival have empowered women to the degree that it struck fear in men's hearts? At first glance, it seems absurd to suggest that an ancient Greek fertility festival should empower women let alone induce fear in the hearts of men---yet the Thesmophoria was not just any fertility festival. From butchered men to the sacred knowledge of fertility, was there a moment in ancient Greece when women ruled supreme? Inspired by the Goddess Demeter herself and drawing on this Neolithic past, ancient women found a way to take power for themselves.