Women in Mahabharata - Ganga
This woman is a true enigma lying within the pages of this great epic. Elevated and identified with arguably the most-worshipped river in India, she is a woman who shines in her own right within the narrative, despite having no discernible family lineage.
According to the analysis of Dr. Bhaduri, her true story has been wrapped up in myth after myth, ranging from the encounter of the goddess Ganga and the ancient King Mahabheesha, to maybe even the Vasus' curse.
Shantanu himself probably sees her near the riverbanks, and she, too, maybe notices him. This would be before Shantanu even becomes king.
To judge the old king Pratipa's reaction, however, Ganga throws herself dramatically at the king himself to see if he would approve of her being with Shantanu.
Pratipa says to her: na cha-asavarnang kalyani dharmam tadhvi vratam cha me [i cannot marry outside my caste, as per the dharmic norms].
Now, if the lady was indeed a goddess, no sane human would ever address her as 'asavarna', since, though technically a correct descriptor, this word would most definitely be taken as an insult in that society. The use of this one word itself shatters the elaborate house of cards erected by the poet and reveals a more human form of the goddess.
However, despite turning her down for himself (probably as per Ganga's plan), Pratipa gives his blessings for her to approach Shantanu, who is, arguably, delighted.
Here, too, there is a caveat, since Shantanu and Ganga, for the years that they are together, never go to Hastinapura. Instead, they live in a hunting mansion in Gangadwara (Haridwar) where Ganga is described as a vilasini, working incessantly to keep Shantanu enamoured with her [now, why would a goddess need to do that? Urvashi, Tapati or even Devayani never did this!].
Given the drama that happens behind the scenes before Shantanu is officially crowned as the king, it is no surprise that he wasn't too eager to take a woman with no known family history back with him to the capital!
It makes one wonder what Ganga's life was like before she met the kings, that she felt it more humane to drown her first seven children than to raise them without their father's acknowledgement? Obviously, given that Shantanu never really took her 'home', Ganga probably assumed he wouldn't take responsibility for her children either.
This area is murky, since there could be a host of explanations why Ganga would not just talk to her man instead of taking such drastic measures. However, then you see how she throws herself at the old king earlier, and you wonder under what conditions she might have grown up, to have become so closed off and decisive.
Later, of course, Shantanu saves the eighth child and Ganga leaves with him, but not before she exacts a public acknowledgement from Shantanu about the child's parentage.
For the next sixteen or so years, Ganga goes from teacher to teacher, using probably Shantanu's public acceptance of her child Devavrata, to enrol him in the best schools, under Vashishtha, Vrihaspati and Parashurama, to build him up to be a worthy successor of the line that he was born in.
After nearly two decades, Shantanu runs into the young Devavrata in the forest by the river [what was he even doing, still away from his court? Did he miss Ganga that much?], who calls his mother. Interestingly, Shantanu is unable to recognise her until she introduces herself and her son [yet another hint that she was not a goddess, just a really fantastically interesting woman].
After so many years, finally, after having solved his feud with Devapi, Shantanu is able to take his first son back home to Hastinapura.
Ganga, however, declines to follow him, maybe choosing not to go to the capital now, as his ex-mistress, where she was not accepted as a queen all those years back.
She briefly turns up only to curse Amba when she realizes that the latter is actively plotting to get rid of her son.
The next and last time we see her is when Devavrata, now Bheeshma, himself is on his deathbed, and she returns just to see him off. We hear about her intention to curse Arjuna once through Uloopi when she appears in Manipur.