I have a lot of respect for the Kim Kardashians and Taylor Swifts of the world, but we’re always hearing about them.
For this article, I needed to dig deep and I wanted to talk about the achievements of a few women who have made history but you may have never heard about, but depending on what you believe and folklore, their impact may have changed the course of history.
Lilith: Adam’s First Wife
If you are familiar with the story of Adam and Eve, then you pretty much know how the story is told, but what if I told you there was another story. According to the Alphabet of Ben Sirah, it speaks of Adam’s first wife Lilith who was made from the same dust and earth as Adam was and therefore was his equal in every way.
The story turns sour when Adam and Lilith fought over who would be the dominant one, especially in affairs of sexual contact. Within the story she leaves the Garden of Eden and refuses to come back, and God turns her into a succubus that eats children and babies.
To this day Lilith is a symbol for feminism, pride and strength in women, which was a direct threat to men in the early days of Christianity.
Thecla: The Saint of Femininism
Thecla was a follower of Paul’s and used to travel with him spreading his Gospels and teachings of God. Even though she was a devout follower, Paul would not baptize her.
It was rumored that Thecla was receiving more attention preaching the word than Paul, so he began to become jealous and would leave her in time of need.
One such time is when Thecla went to Syria and met Alexander, who fell in love with her. Thecla refused his public advances, thus embarrassing Alexander, a young nobleman.
Alexander had Thecla thrown into the arena to die fending herself from a lioness, a bear and a lion. The lioness came to Thecla’s aid against the other animals.
Empress Cixi: A Concubine Who Rose to Power
This empress ruled China for 40 years after her husband Emperor Xianfeng died. Her son was too young to inherit the throne so she took over.
She received the title Tzu Hsi “empress of the western palace”. She was one of the emperor’s concubine’s and rose to power to become one of the most intelligent rulers of China. Her downfall was her taste for luxuries and riches.
At the time of her death she had about 3,000 ebony jewelry boxes and was known for throwing elaborate parties and running through the kingdom’s money on banquets and trickets. Her and courtship resisted rebellions and any technological advances when they were offered.
