Who is She?
A man once asked, “Who is this that appears like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, majestic as the stars in procession?”[1] His name was Solomon, the third king of Israel. Despite having 700 wives and 300 concubines,[2] he appears to search for an alluding answer.[3]
Perhaps the first woman to walk the earth can help us in searching for an answer.
In the center of Paradise under the shade of a certain tree stood a woman called Eve. She had just been in a conversation with a serpent-like chaos creature who coaxed her into tasting forbidden fruit, not for nutritious reasons, but out of daring curiosity. After taking a bite out of the greatest taboo and feeling no immediate change or consequence, Eve extends her hand to Adam, the first man to walk the earth – with a beckoning gaze. Momentarily, he marvels at her courage to entertain something forbidden. Without further thought, Adam accepts the offer and takes a bite with less delicacy than Eve as she looks on with an excited gaze.
However, that evening, both Adam and Eve were dealt a blow that still ripples through the history of humankind to this present day. One defiant act changed everything.
A sinister blow inherited from Adam haunts every heterosexual man for choosing a woman over God. Each time the feminine beauty of the daughters of Eve come within line of sight, men become allured asking the provoking question, ‘Who is she?’ I am not suggesting sexual lust, but the mystery and majesty of someone who “appears like the dawn.”
How many years have passed between the evening of consequence in Paradise to this present day, I am not sure; but that consequence has marked time in men with more accuracy than a Swiss watch. In the fictitious world of myth and the world of reality, the daughters of Eve, though unmistakable, are incomprehensible.
Let’s explore a bit of myth.
In ancient Greece they called them Sirens who seduced sailors who passed by on their cargo ships with enchanting songs. Once within the grasp of their chorus, these bird-like women drew men into their hypnotizing sound luring them to death. Men from the crew of Odysseus, Leander, and many unnamed sailors perish at sea in the entrapment of the Sirens. Is this what St. Paul meant writing to Timothy, “And Adam was not the one deceived, it was the woman [Eve] who was deceived and became a sinner”?
Greek mythology offers an abundance of goddesses that intoxicate men, recently revived by the Netflix show Kaos.[4] Aphrodite is probably the most famous whose mischievous behavior resembles Eve eating the forbidden fruit. One day, Herna the wife of Zeus, Ahena goddess of war and peace, and Aphrodite argue over a golden apple placed on the banquet table by Eris, the goddess of discord. Much like Eve, who should take the fruit for herself? Paris, the Trojan prince was given the task of deciding who gets the golden apple, awarding it to Aphrodite, but not without cost. She promised Paris another man’s wife, namely, Helen of Troy. How ensnared Paris became, entrapped by a goddess for the sake of another man’s wife launching the Trojan war.
Let’s not forget Pandora, the first human goddess created by Zeus rising from the earth, inanimate as a perfect Parthenon. She came with a simple box we know as ‘Pandora’s Box’ filled with danger, and if opened, would be harmful to any man who stood in the way. I cannot think of a stronger catalyst than Pandora’s Box filled with dangerous consequence just like Eve offering the forbidden fruit.
Even Romeo tried when he first caught sight of Juliet on her balcony, “But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun! Arise, fair sun.”[5] But even he could not quite capture the answer to, ‘Who is she?’
Considering these myths, it comes as no surprise to almost agree with Molière, the French playwright, “What else is a woman but a foe to friendship, an inescapable punishment, a necessary evil, a natural temptation, a desirable calamity, a domestic danger, a delectable detriment, an evil nature, painted with fair colors?”[6]
Myth aside, can the same be said in the world of reality?
Yes, the daughters of Eve have captivated powerful men and the nations they governed. For example, President Juan Peron was memorized by Eva, and many say, he would not have governed Argentina without her. Although Eva never held an official government position, her memorizing persuasion became presidential in itself. Upon Eva’s death, 700,000 made the pilgrimage to Buenos Aires in the freezing rain to mourn her. It’s not at all surprising that Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice wrote and composed the song Don’t Cry for Me Argentina that went on to become a musical and movie.[7] How proud Eve would have been of Eva!
Princess Grace Kelly had the same influence over Rannier III, Prince of Monaco placing an otherwise shy and private man in front of the world’s cameras that followed her everywhere. The media called their wedding “the world’s most anticipated”[8] with over 30 million watching on television in 1956. Another triumph for Eve.
Then there was Princess Diana who danced with world leaders and celebrities lighting up ballrooms with a thousand cameras, far more than Megan Markle could imagine. Unsurprisingly, then, at the Coronation of King Charles III in 2023, half the British nation spoke up saying, “Princess Dianna should have been Queen.”[9] Even Vogue attributes Dianna as one of most photographed women 27 years after her tragic death.[10]
Whether mythological or real, these daughters of Eve leave a legacy that men still talk and write about today. Each one is haunted by the question, “Who is she?” echoing the searching inquiry of King Solomon, “Who is this like the dawn, sun, moon and stars all in procession?”[11]
Make no mistake; there are many cheap answers to this question that will trade on the mystery and majesty of a woman that leave a man with no complete answer or conclusion. Solomon observed that she is ‘like’ the vast expanse of the universe, a splendor that will never be solved or reduced to a cliché. She is benign if men make no attempt to ask the question, and infectious when they do. The Irish would say, “She is the arc of a rainbow that touches the ground, but what man on earth knows where?”[12]
Apparently, not even The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh could find an answer.[13] As he interviews various gender-affirming doctors, therapists, and activists, the question of “Who is She” morphs into the political correctness of ‘Who is They?’ If Eve were walking the earth today, I am sure she would be shocked at the long-winded gibberish from so-called specialists. Eve would accurately define a woman, and yet, we men would still ask, “Who is this that appears like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, majestic as the stars in procession?”[14]
For men, perhaps the question is not meant to be answered, and perhaps this is the singular reason we must take our wife or girlfriend on regular and romantic dates in pursuit of something we will never fully understand.
[1] Song of Songs 6:10.
[2] 1 Kings 11:3.
[3] Though Solomon is the author, the narrative voice is attributed to the daughters of Jerusalem.
[4] Created by Charlie Covell starring Jeff Goldblum as Zeus on Netflix (2024).
[5] William Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet Act 2, Scene 2.
[6] From "The School for Wives" by Molière first performed in 1662, explores themes of love, marriage, and gender dynamics.
[7] 1976 album Evita, musical in 1978 of the same name, and the 1996 movie Evita starring Madonna.
[8] First For Women. “Take a Look at Rare Photos from Grace Kelly’s Glamorous Wedding to Prince Rainier”. Meredith Bodgas, Sept. 24, 2024.
[9] Daily Mail. “Princess Diana would have been a better Queen than Camilla says half of Britons” Sept. 10, 2023.
[10] Vogue. “The 30 Most Iconic Photographs of Princess Diana.” Elise Taylor and Gia Yetikyel, Aur. 31. 2024.
[11] Song of Songs 6:10.
[12] W. B. Yeats, “The Song of Wandering Aengus” from a collection of poetry The Wind Among the Reeds. A.H. Bullen Publisher. 1899.
[13] Directed by Justin Folk starring Matt Walsh (2022).
[14] Song of Songs 6:10.