The brutal rape culture suffered by women of "Game of Thrones" is probably one of the hardest things to watch in the hit HBO series. Those sexual abuses, however, are not just fictional scenarios that writers conjured up in their minds.
Women of the Medieval Ages commonly faced the harsh reality of rape. Not to mention the fact that midwifery and medical science at that time were less developed compared to what we have now. Complications were common, from pregnancy to birth control and abortion methods.
'Game of Thrones' Depicts How Medieval Women Coped With Fertility & Abortion
Medieval women used different remedies such as herbs for birth control, though they weren't 100 percent effective. On "Game of Thrones," it was mentioned that Cersei (Lena Headey) and Margaery (Natalie Dormer) used a birth control method called "moon tea."
Ancient and Medieval women used various forms of contraception to satisfy their sexual yearnings without the consequence of bearing children. Ancient Egyptian women used crocodile dung, solutions of mercury for Ancient Chinese women, while ancient Greek women drank pennyroyal tea, which could be toxic unless it's consumed in weak doses, Mental Floss listed.
Ancient Greek women also used silphium or laserwort, which functioned as food seasoning and medicine for colds, epilepsy, sore throat, snake bites, and indigestion, Examiner wrote. However, the plant was more popular as a birth control method.
Rape Attitudes And Abortion In The Medieval Ages
"Game of Thrones" has given special focus on rape ending in pregnancy, as evident on the experiences of Daenerys (Emilia Clarke), Gilly (Hannah Murray), and probably Sansa (Sophie Turner). "Game of Thrones" didn't showcase abortion arcs outright, but according to a report from Vice, the Medieval Ages were more tolerant to abortion compared to our time. This is because abortions back then weren't really viewed as abortions.
Medieval culture believed that souls didn't develop until between four and 17 weeks of conception. When there's no soul, there's no human life to kill in the womb yet.
An abortion committed after a medieval woman's first trimester, however, was considered a sin or a crime. But prosecutions at the time were uncommon.
The Medieval Ages' rape culture appeared to have influenced the modern world's take on conception and rape as well. Before the arrival of modern medicine, people believed that both men and women had to orgasm for pregnancy to occur. So if a woman ended up pregnant after she was raped, she was believed to be guilty of adultery or liked being rape. This can be viewed as the unnerving antecedent of the "she deserved it" attitudes toward rape in the modern world.
"Game of Thrones" will likely explore further how the Medieval Ages dealt with pregnancy, contraception, and abortion in its upcoming season. Season 7 will air in 2017.
