If we start with Athena’s “official duties,” the list is truly amazing. She patronizes not only wisdom and war. Athena was considered a goddess big list crafts: shipbuilding, weaving, spinning, making horse harness and metal products, pottery and plowing. She patronized the medicinal art and taught it to the god of medicine, Asclepius. She invented statehood and laws, taught people to cook on the hearth.
In fact, the description of what Athena gave to people and what she patronized is very similar to the gifts and areas of influence of the supreme deities or demigods - the founders of civilization among many other peoples. Why then is Zeus considered the supreme god?
Birth of Athena. Drawing on a vaseIt must be said that in the Greek lands it was revered large number large and small deities, and for a very long time none of them was considered the main one over all the other gods. A coherent system, in which each god has his own place in the huge Olympic family, was the result of the priests and thinkers bringing all local beliefs to a certain general appearance. This happened already at the time of the formation of a clear power hierarchy of society, the strengthening of statehood, and new system The hierarchy of the gods corresponded to new ideas about how any community in the world should be structured.
So the gods got their own king. He became the god of thunder, lightning and, possibly, fair vengeance - Zeus. Together with new role he probably acquired new functions - exactly those that the divine reflection of the earthly king and patriarch of the family should have had.
Zeus is considered the father of Athena. According to one version of events, he swallowed the goddess of thought Metis, after which Zeus had a terrible headache. Hephaestus, the blacksmith god, split his head, and Athena and the goddess of victory Nike flew out. In another version, Metis is also absent, and Athena turns out to be the embodied thought of Zeus. Some researchers believe that such a terrifying method of birth speaks of the antiquity of the myth; others consider the version with Metis and the head of Zeus to be an attempt to reconcile and connect the lines of the official supreme god and is much more popular and significant for common people goddesses.
Painting by René-Antoine Ouasse Closer to original history birth can probably be considered a plot with the giant Pallas. At least the story of the goddess killing her father - a cruel old god trying to rape his daughter - logically parallels the story of Zeus, who rebelled against his father Kronos, who devoured his own children. When people's ideas about what is good and bad change, stories appear about how new deities kill old ones who are too wild and ferocious.
By the way, in another story with Pallas, his daughter turns out to be Athena’s playmate Nick. Perhaps Nike and Athena were originally sisters and killed their rapist father together. Either way, they are portrayed as inseparable.
Defender of women
Difficult relationships Athena has not only with Zeus. Firstly, it partially duplicates both his functions and the functions of some other gods, for example, Ares, the god of war, and Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths and crafts. Secondly, she constantly competes with Ares and Poseidon, the god of the oceans, and invariably emerges victorious from the confrontation with them. But Poseidon is the brother of Zeus, the king of the gods. Athena is shown to be virtually his equal in strength.
One of Athena's constant opponents is the god of the seas Poseidon The most famous myth about their confrontation is the dispute over who will become the patron of the city of Athens. It is usually known in this form: the gods decide to see who can give people a more valuable gift. Poseidon sticks a trident into the ground, and a spring gushes out of the rock. Athena stabs the spear and it turns into an olive tree. But the spring contains salty sea water instead of fresh water. Poseidon's gift is declared useless, and Athena wins. The city is named after her.
There is another version of this myth. When it is the Athenians' turn to vote for the gods, all the men choose Poseidon and all the women choose Athena. There are one more women than men. The goddess wins. Enraged, Poseidon causes a flood that nearly wipes out the city. As punishment, Athenian women are forever deprived of the right to vote, citizenship, and the right to pass on their name (like patronymic) to their children.
Athena was depicted in royal robes and armor This myth shows, first of all, how popular Athena was among women. And not without reason. She patronized not only weaving and spinning. People approached her with requests to help get pregnant or save her from rape (who else?). For example, the Trojan princess Cassandra prayed to Athena for the latter. Athena could not help her, but took revenge by depriving the rapist of his mind. Athena herself in myths cleverly avoids rape. Father Zeus gives her as a wife to Hephaestus in payment for weapons for the gods. Hephaestus tries to take Athena by force, but she fights off and runs away.
Goddess of beauty and fertility
Another feature of Athena that is often forgotten is beauty and power over beauty. She participates in stories where her beauty is challenged. For example, during the famous trial of Paris, she competes equally with the main female goddess Hera and the goddess of beauty and love Aphrodite (by the way, the wife of Hephaestus). During the celebrations, a tall and at the same time very beautiful hetaera was chosen to portray Athena. Athena herself also bestows beauty and youth on Odysseus and Penelope when Odysseus returns home. She patronizes them and acts as a lover to a couple. So researchers have every reason to believe that the image of Aphrodite could be separated from the image of Athena. Hence the “common” husband.
Is the image of a goddess of both love and war surprising? No. It's not even unique. The ancient Akkadian goddess Ishtar, for example, combines these qualities. Only, unlike Ishtar, the goddess of war Athena and her favorites Odysseus and Achilles avoid war in every possible way. Odysseus finds a way to prevent war over the wedding of Helen the Beautiful, for example. True, he still has to participate in the war because of her next marriage.
Rebecca Guay. Athena We can judge the antiquity of Athena as a deity by the fact that she has animal attributes: she is associated with owls and snakes. She has “owl eyes” (that is, sparkling), she is depicted together with an owl. She conceives a snake son from Hephaestus (although she bears the conceived Gaia), on her shield is the head of a Gorgon with snake hair, Virgil describes her armor as covered with snake scales.
Snakes are a very archaic symbol of both fertility and connection with the afterlife. In addition, psychoanalysts interpret goddesses with snakes or snake attributes as female matriarchs who have tamed or appropriated the aggressive masculine principle. On Crete, an island where Athena was especially revered, many very ancient figurines of a female deity with snakes in her hands are found. Perhaps the Cretan snake goddess is related to Owl-Eye! It is significant that women in Crete led an active social life.
And maybe the Athenians once did too. And the myth about the dispute between Athena and Poseidon was needed to establish as a matter of course the deprivation of the citizens of Athens from their civil rights. Anyway, one day the Greek gods lost to Christianity, and the temples of Athena, including famous Parthenon, were destroyed by people and time.
One of the most revered goddesses of Ancient Greece. Athena is one of the twelve great Olympian gods. In addition, she is the goddess of knowledge, arts and crafts; warrior maiden, patroness of cities and states, sciences and craftsmanship, dexterity, intelligence, ingenuity.
Thanks to its unusual appearance, Athena is easily distinguishable from other ancient Greek goddesses. Unlike other female deities, she uses male attributes - she holds a spear in her hands and is dressed in armor. On the head, the helmet is usually Corinthian - with a high crest. Her shield - the aegis - is covered with goat skin and decorated with the head of the Gorgon Medusa. She is accompanied by sacred animals:
- owl (symbol of wisdom),
- snake (also symbol of wisdom)
Its plant is the olive, a sacred tree of the ancient Greeks.
She was called “grey-eyed and fair-haired,” descriptions emphasizing her large eyes.
The birth of the goddess Athena was unusual. The most common version is from Hesiod's Theogony. The king of the gods, Zeus, was predicted when his first wife Metis became pregnant that she would have two extraordinary children: a daughter equal to Zeus himself in wisdom and courage, and a son with the soul of a conqueror who would become the king of gods and men. Zeus did not want to lose his dominance over the world. On the advice of Uranus and Gaia, he tricked Metis into becoming small and swallowed her.
After some time, Zeus felt a terrible headache. To help the birth of Athena, Hephaestus hit Zeus on the head with an ax, and Prometheus took it from Zeus's head.
Athena was born adult woman in shining golden armor, with a sharp spear in one hand, while uttering a loud war cry.
An interesting myth is about how Athena gained dominion over the Greek region of Attica, whose patron, with a capital named after her, she was considered in the historical era.
According to this myth, Poseidon was the first to come to Attica, hit the ground on the Acropolis with a trident, and a spring appeared sea water, which was shown in the Erechtheion during historical times. Following him, Athena appeared, who struck the ground with a spear and grew an olive tree (olive). The judges awarded the victory to Athena, since her gift is more useful, the city was named after her. Poseidon was angry and tried to flood the earth with the sea, but Zeus forbade him.
According to mythology, Athena was the patroness and advisor of all male heroes. Unlike Artemis and Hestia, the virgin goddess Athena seeks the company of men. She likes the atmosphere of male affairs and power. She can be their companion, colleague, or confidant without having any erotic feelings for them or needing emotional intimacy.
During the Trojan War, Athena actively acted on the side of the Greeks. She took care of her favorites, especially Achilles, the most formidable and powerful Greek warrior. Athena proved herself to be the best strategist during Trojan War. Her intervention brought the Greeks victory in the battle.
Being the goddess of crafts, Athena is also involved in the creation of works of art. She is especially known for her skill as a weaver.
In this regard, there is only one myth about Athena, which speaks of a mortal woman. Athena, as the goddess of crafts, was challenged to a competition in skill by an overconfident weaver named Arachne. Both worked with great speed and skill. When the canvases were completed, Athena was delighted with the impeccable work of her rival, but the subjects depicted on the canvas infuriated her. Arachne dared to depict the love affairs of Zeus. She wove Leda caressing a swan, under the guise of which Zeus entered the queen’s bedroom in order to take possession of her. The next scene showed Danae, who was impregnated by Zeus, turning into a shower of gold; Arachne then wove an image of the maiden Europa, whom Zeus abducted, turning into a magnificent white bull.
Athena became terribly angry, tore up Arachne's work and hit her with the shuttle. The unfortunate woman could not bear the shame and hanged herself. Taking pity on Arachne, Athena freed her from the loop and restored her life, turning her into a spider, forever condemned to weave a web.
The asteroid (881) Athena, discovered in 1917, is named after Athena.
The myth of the birth of Pallas Athena. - Goddess Athena and Erichthonius (Erechtheus). - The myth about the dispute between the goddess Athena and the god Poseidon. - Type and distinctive features of Pallas Athena. - Statue of Pallas Athena by Phidias. - Goddess Athena and god Eros. - The myth of the flute of the satyr Marcias. - Athena the worker: the myth of the Lydian Arachne. - Great Panathenaea.
The myth of the birth of Pallas Athena
One of the oldest Greek myths tells the following about the origin and birth of the goddess of wisdom. Pallas Athena(in Roman mythology - goddess Minerva) was the daughter of Zeus (Jupiter) and his first wife Metis (translated from ancient Greek language- “reflection”). The goddess Metis predicted that she would first have a daughter and then a son, and that this son would be the ruler of the universe.
Zeus (Jupiter), frightened by such a prediction, turned to the goddess Gaia (Earth) for advice. Gaia advised Zeus to swallow Metis, which he did.
After some time, Zeus (Jupiter) felt a severe headache. It seemed to Zeus that his skull was ready to shatter into pieces. Zeus asked God (Vulcan) to split his head with an ax and see what was happening there. As soon as Hephaestus fulfilled his request, Pallas Athena, armed and in full bloom, emerged from the head of Zeus - “the mighty daughter of a mighty father,” as Homer usually calls the goddess Athena.
Several monuments of ancient art (among others, the Parthenon frieze, which no longer exists), depicted the birth of Pallas Athena.
Pallas Athena is, therefore, the personification of the divine reason and prudence of Zeus (Jupiter). Pallas Athena is a strong and warlike goddess, intelligent and judicious. Since the goddess Athena was born not from her mother, but directly from the head of Zeus (Jupiter), all female weaknesses are alien to Pallas Athena. The goddess Athena is distinguished by a serious, almost masculine character; she is never embarrassed by the excitement of love and passion. Pallas Athena is an eternal virgin, the favorite of Zeus (Jupiter), his like-minded person, although sometimes, as, for example, in the Trojan War, the goddess Athena acts against the will of her father.
Pallas Athena has a healthy and clear view of humanity and willingly takes part in all life manifestations of people. Pallas Athena is always on the side of a just cause, helps brave heroes win victories over their enemies, is the patroness of Odysseus and Penelope, and the leader of Telemachus.
In the goddess Athena, as it were, personified human culture. The goddess Athena invented many useful items, such as the plow and rake. Athena taught people how to harness oxen and made them bend their necks under the yoke. The myths of ancient Greece believe that Pallas Athena was the first to subdue a horse and turn it into a pet.
Pallas Athena taught Jason and his companions how to build the ship "Argo" and patronized the entire time their famous campaign continued.
Pallas Athena is the goddess of war, but she recognizes only a prudent war, waged according to all the rules of military art and having a specific goal. In this way, Pallas Athena differs from the god of war Ares (Mars), who enjoys the sight of blood and who loves the horrors and confusion of war.
The goddess Athena is everywhere a strict enforcer of laws, the patroness and defender of civil rights, cities and harbors. Pallas Athena has a keen eye. The poets of antiquity called the goddess Athena “blue-eyed, bright-eyed and far-sighted.”
The Areopagus was founded by Pallas Athena. The goddess Athena was revered as the patroness of musicians, artists and all artisans.
Goddess Athena and Erichthonius (Erechtheus)
When the goddess Gaia (Earth), having given birth to a son, Erichthonius (aka Erechtheus), from the god Hephaestus, abandoned him to his fate, Pallas Athena picked up Erichthonius and raised him. By Greek myth, Erichthonius resembled one half of his body, namely its lower part, like a snake.
The goddess Athena, constantly busy with wars, put the child in a basket and entrusted Erichthonius to the daughters of Kekrops for a while, forbidding them to open the basket. But two of the daughters of Kekrops, contrary to the advice of the eldest, Pandros, tormented by curiosity, opened the basket with Erichthonius and saw there a sleeping child entwined with a snake, which immediately bit the curious girls.
Erichthonium was entrusted to the goddess Athena Pandrosa, daughter of Cecrops, and grew up under her supervision. Wanting to show his gratitude to Pandrosa, as well as to the goddess Athena, Erichthonius built a temple in the city of Athens, one half of which was dedicated to Pallas Athena, and the other to Pandrosa.
The myth of the dispute between the goddess Athena and the god Poseidon
When Kekrops founded the city, later called Athens, he could not decide who to choose as the patron of the named city - the goddess Athena (Minerva) or the god (Neptune). This indecision of King Kekrops caused a dispute between the gods - Athena and Poseidon.
The ancient Greek sculptor Phidias depicted this dispute on both pediments of the Parthenon (Temple of Athena). Pieces of these pediments are now kept in the British Museum.
To reconcile the goddess Athena and the god Poseidon, Kekrops decided to choose the one who would invent the most useful item. The god Poseidon (Neptune) struck the earth with his trident, and a source of sea water appeared. Then Poseidon created a horse, as if wanting to make it clear that the people, whose patron he, Poseidon, would be chosen, would become a tribe of sailors and warriors. But the goddess Athena turned the wild horse into a domestic animal, and from the blow of Athena’s spear on the ground an olive tree appeared, covered with fruits, indicating that the people of the goddess Athena would be strong and powerful thanks to agriculture and industry.
The king of Athens, Kekrops, then turned to the people, asking them to decide for themselves which of the gods the people of Athens wanted to choose as their patron. The people resorted to universal suffrage, with all men voting for the god Poseidon, and women voting for the goddess Athena. One woman turned out to be more, the goddess Athena won, and the city was dedicated to her. But, fearing the wrath of Poseidon (Neptune), who threatened to swallow Athens with his waves, the inhabitants erected a temple to Poseidon. This is how the Athenians became farmers, seafarers and industrialists at the same time.
Type and distinctive features of Pallas Athena
Pallas Athena was the main deity for the Athenians, and the Acropolis was considered her sacred mountain. The ancient cult of the goddess Athena existed for a very long time and ceased only under the influence of Christian teaching.
Many ancient coins have been preserved with the image of the head of Pallas Athena (among the Romans - the goddess Minerva). One of the ancient coins also depicts an owl - the bird of the goddess Athena, her symbol ( Minerva's owl).
The famous scientist Gottfried Müller says that the ideal type of Pallas Athena is the statue of Phidias - Parthenon Athena. The facial features of the statue of Pallas Athena by Phidias became the prototype for all statues of the goddess Athena among the ancient Greeks and the goddess Minerva among the ancient Romans. The famous sculptor Phidias depicted Pallas Athena with strict, regular features. Athena Phidias has a high and open forehead; long, thin nose; the lines of the mouth and cheeks are somewhat sharp; wide, almost quadrangular chin; eyes downcast; hair simply thrown back to the sides of the face and curls slightly over the shoulders.
Pallas Athena (Minerva) is often depicted wearing a helmet adorned with four horses, indicating that the goddess was reconciled with the god Poseidon (Neptune), to whom the horse was dedicated.
Goddess Athena always wears auspices. On the aegis of Pallas Athena is the head of the Gorgon Medusa. Athena is always adorned with jewels and her outfit is very luxurious.
On one of the antique cameos on Pallas Athena, in addition to a shiny aegis, she wears a rich necklace made of acorns and earrings in the form of grape bunches.
Sometimes on coins the helmet of the goddess Athena is decorated with a fantastic monster with a snake tail. Pallas Athena is always depicted with a helmet on her head, very varied in shape.
The usual weapon of the goddess Athena (Minerva) is a spear, but sometimes she holds in her hand the thunder arrows of Zeus (Jupiter). Pallas Athena also often holds a statue of Nike, the goddess of victory, on her arm.
The artists of antiquity most readily depicted Pallas Athena. On the most ancient monuments of ancient art, the goddess Athena is depicted with a raised shield and spear.
Aegis of Pallas Athena, which the goddess always wears, is nothing more than the skin of a goat, on which the goddess attached the head of Medusa the Gorgon. Sometimes the aegis replaces the shield of the goddess Athena. Personifying lightning in the physical order, Athena must wear the aegis as a distinctive sign. On ancient Greek archaic statues, Pallas Athena uses an aegis instead of a shield. During the golden age of ancient Greek art, Pallas Athena wears an aegis on her chest.
The head of Medusa the Gorgon is also one of the distinctive signs of the goddess Athena and is depicted either on the aegis or on the helmet. The head of the Gorgon Medusa was supposed to hint at the horror that seized the enemies of Pallas Athena when the goddess appeared before them. In one ancient Roman fresco discovered in Herculaneum, the goddess Minerva is dressed in peplos, falling onto her chiton in rough and ungraceful folds; Minerva closed left hand auspices and is ready to join the fight.
Statue of Pallas Athena by Phidias
The famous statue of the ancient Greek sculptor Phidias, Athena of the Parthenon, was sculpted from ivory and gold.
The goddess Athena of the sculptor Phidias stood at full height, her chest was covered with an aegis, and her tunic fell to her feet. Athena held a spear in one hand and a statue of the goddess of victory Nike in the other.
On her helmet was a sphinx - an emblem of the divine mind. On the sides of the sphinx were depicted two griffins. Above the visor of the statue of Athena by Phidias there are eight horses rushing at full speed - a symbol of the speed of thought.
The head and hands of the statue of Phidias were made of ivory, instead of eyes there were two precious stones; the golden draperies could be removed at will so that the city of Athens could take advantage of this treasure in the event of any public disaster.
On the outer side of the shield, placed at the feet of the goddess Athena, the battle of the Athenians with the Amazons was depicted, on the reverse side - the struggle of the gods with the giants. The myth of the birth of Pandora was sculptured on the pedestal of the statue of Phidias.
The goddess Minerva by the sculptor Zimart, which was at the exhibition at the Salon of 1855, is a repetition of Phidias’ masterpiece, possibly an accurately and carefully reproduced copy according to the description of the ancient Greek author Pausanias, which has come down to us.
The beautiful bronze statue of the goddess Minerva, located in the Turin Museum, is one of the most remarkable and beautiful antique statues that have survived to our era.
Goddess Athena and god Eros
The chaste goddess Athena was never depicted naked by ancient artists, and if some contemporary artists and present Athena in this form in their works, for example, “The Judgment of Paris,” this is due to ignorance of ancient traditions.
The goddess Athena never touched the arrow of the god Eros, who always avoided her and left her alone.
The goddess of love Aphrodite (Venus), dissatisfied with the fact that her playful son did not even attempt to wound the chaste goddess with his arrow, showered Eros with reproaches for this.
Eros justifies himself, saying: “I am afraid of Athena, she is terrible, her eyes are sharp, and her appearance is courageous and majestic. Every time I dare to approach Athena to hit her with my arrow, she again frightens me with her gloomy gaze; Besides, Athena has such a terrible head on her chest, and I drop my arrows in fear and run away from her trembling” (Lucian).
Flute Marcia
The goddess Athena once found a deer bone, made a flute and began to extract sounds from it, which gave her great pleasure.
Noticing that when she played, her cheeks swelled and her lips protruded unsightly, the goddess Athena, not wanting to disfigure her face so much, threw away her flute, cursing in advance the one who would find it and play it.
Athena's flute was found by the satyr Marsyas and, not paying attention to the curse of the goddess, began to play it and began to boast of his talent, challenging the god himself to a competition with him. Marsyas did not escape terrible punishment for his disobedience and arrogance.
Athena the worker: the myth of the Lydian Arachne
When the goddess Athena is the patroness of crafts and all kinds of women's work, she is called Athena the Worker, or Ergana (in ancient Greek).
Weaving various fabrics was one of the main crafts of the Athenians, but Asian fabrics have always been valued higher for their subtlety and elegance of work. This rivalry between the two countries gave rise to the poetic myth of the rivalry between Arachne and the goddess Athena.
Arachne was of humble origin. Arachne's father was a simple dyer originally from Lydia (a region in Asia Minor), but Arachne was famous for her art of weaving beautiful and delicate fabrics. Arachne knew how to spin evenly and quickly, and also decorate her fabrics with all kinds of embroidery.
The universal praise turned Arachne's head so much and she began to be so proud of her art that she decided to compete with the goddess Athena, boasting that she could defeat her. The goddess Athena, taking the form of an old woman, came to the proud weaver and began to prove to Arachne how dangerous it was for a mere mortal to challenge the primacy of the goddess. Arachne boldly answered her that if the goddess Athena herself appeared before her, she would be able to prove her superiority to her.
The goddess Athena accepted this challenge and they set to work. Athena-Ergana wove on her loom the story of her feud with the god Poseidon, and the daring Arachne depicted on her fabrics various love affairs and transformations of the gods. Moreover, Arachne’s work was performed with such perfection that the goddess Athena could not find the slightest flaw in it.
Angry and forgetting that she should be fair, Athena-Ergana, in the heat of anger, hit the weaver Arachne on the head with a shuttle. Arachne could not bear such an insult and hanged herself.
The goddess Athena turned Arachne into a spider, which forever weaves its finest webs.
This myth of ancient Greece points to the superiority of oriental fabrics: Arachne, Lydian by origin, nevertheless defeated the Athenian Ergana. If the Lydian Arachne was punished, it was not as a worker, but only for her arrogant desire to compete with the goddess.
Great Panathenaea
The holiday, known as the Great Panathenaea, was established in Athens in honor of Pallas Athena, the protector and patroness of this city.
The Great Panathenaea was undoubtedly the largest and most ancient national holiday. The Great Panathenaea was celebrated every four years, and all Athenians took part in it.
The Great Panathenaic holiday lasted from the 24th to the 29th of the ancient Attic month of Hecatombeon (half of July and August).
The first day of the Great Panathenaia was dedicated to musical competitions that took place in the Odeon, built by order of Pericles. All kinds of singers, musicians with their various instruments and poets gathered at the Odeon.
Other days of the Great Panathenaia were dedicated to gymnastics and equestrian competitions, and the winner was awarded a wreath of olive branches and beautifully painted vessels filled with precious olive oil.
The most solemn part of the Great Panathenaic holiday took place on the birthday of the goddess Athena - the 28th of the month of Hekatombeon. On this day, a procession was organized in which not only all adults, but also children took part.
At the head of the procession were young Athenian women, they carried a new dress for the statue of the goddess Athena - saffron-colored peplos. For nine months, all the noble Athenian women worked on it, decorating it with all kinds of embroidered and woven patterns. Other Athenian girls followed them ( canephora), carrying sacred vessels on their heads. Following the canephors, the wives and daughters of Athenian freedmen and foreign women appeared - they did not have the right to carry sacred vessels and could only hold vases and vessels with wine, as well as folding chairs for noble wives.
The venerable elders, luxuriously dressed at the expense of the city, followed them with olive branches in their hands; then - the organizers and managers of the holiday; men with branches and vessels with olive oil; bulls intended as sacrifices to the goddess Athena; children leading a decorated ram; musicians and singers.
The procession was concluded by magnificent chariots drawn by fours; they were controlled noble youths and riders on beautiful horses, in memory of the fact that Pallas Athena was the first to teach how to harness and drive horses.
Individual groups of this procession were sculptured on the pediment and frescoes of the Parthenon by Phidias, and some of these bas-reliefs have survived to this day.
The following were dedicated to Pallas Athena:
- olive tree,
- rooster, early singing which awakens working people,
- snake, symbol of intelligence and deliberation,
- an owl, from whose penetrating eyes nothing remains hidden in the darkness of the night.
The epithet “owl-eyed” was given by ancient Greek poets to the goddess Athena herself.
ZAUMNIK.RU, Egor A. Polikarpov - scientific editing, scientific proofreading, design, selection of illustrations, additions, explanations, translations from Latin and ancient Greek; all rights reserved.
ATHENA ATHENA (Pallas Athena), in Greek mythology goddess of war and victory, wisdom, knowledge, arts and crafts, patroness of Athens. Daughter of Zeus, born in full armor (helmet and shell) from his head. Athena's attributes are a snake, an owl and an aegis - a shield with the head of the gorgon Medusa. In Homer, Athena is the protector of the Achaeans. Athena corresponds to the Roman Minerva.
Modern encyclopedia. 2000 .
Synonyms:See what "ATHENA" is in other dictionaries:
- (Άθηνά), in Greek mythology, the goddess of wisdom and just war. The pre-Greek origin of the image of A. does not allow us to reveal the etymology of the name of the goddess, based only on the Greek language. The myth of the birth of A. from Zeus and Metis (“wisdom”, ... ... Encyclopedia of Mythology
Athena- Lemnia. Reconstruction of the statue of Phidias at Acropolis of Athens. OK. 450 BC Sculpture collection. Dresden. Athena Lemnia. Reconstruction of the statue of Phidias on the Acropolis of Athens. OK. 450 BC Sculpture collection. Dresden. Athena in the myths of the ancient Greeks... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary"World History"
In the myths of the ancient Greeks, the goddess of wisdom and just war. Born from Zeus and Metis (wisdom). Zeus swallowed his pregnant wife, then Hephaestus (or Prometheus) split his head with an ax, and Athena emerged from there in full combat... ... Historical Dictionary
- (Pallada, among the Romans Minerva) in Greek mythology, the goddess of wisdom and military affairs; daughter of Zeus, born from his head; was considered the patroness of Athens. Dictionary foreign words, included in the Russian language. Pavlenkov F., 1907. ATHENA (Greek... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
- (Pallas Athena) in Greek mythology, the goddess of war and victory, as well as wisdom, knowledge, arts and crafts. Daughter of Zeus, born in full armor (helmet and shell) from his head. Patroness of Athens. The Roman Minerva corresponds to her. Among … Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
Athena- Lemnia. Reconstruction of the statue of Phidias on the Acropolis of Athens. OK. 450 BC Sculpture collection. Dresden. ATHENA (Pallas Athena), in Greek mythology, the goddess of war and victory, wisdom, knowledge, arts and crafts, the patroness of Athens. Daughter of Zeus,... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
Pallas Athena, in ancient greek mythology one of the main deities, the virgin goddess; was revered as the goddess of war and victory, as well as wisdom, knowledge, arts and crafts. According to myth, A. in a helmet and shell came out of the head of Zeus. A.… … Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Minerva, Polyada, Pallas, Nike Dictionary of Russian synonyms. athena noun, number of synonyms: 10 pallas athena (3) ... Dictionary of synonyms
- (also Pallas) one of the most ancient deities of Greece, daughter of Zeus, warrior maiden, Greek parallel to the Valkyries (see) of German mythology. The origin of the image is unclear: perhaps it is based on a celestial projection of a primitive family... ... Literary encyclopedia
Greek goddess … Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron
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- Athena is the daughter of the oligarch, Musina Marusya. To get out of financial difficulties, Musya Musina gets a job as a tutor for Athena, the spoiled daughter of a capital oligarch. Dad has a new young wife and an oil business, but no...
The ancient Greek goddess Athena is known for protecting cities and patronizing the sciences. This is a warrior who could not be defeated, the goddess of knowledge and wisdom. The Greek goddess Athena was absolutely deservedly revered by the ancient Greeks. She was the beloved daughter of Zeus, and the capital of Greece was named after her. She always helped the heroes not only with wise advice, but also with deeds. She taught girls in Greece spinning, weaving, and cooking. The Greek goddess Athena not only had a strange birth, but there are also many fascinating stories and myths associated with her name. Let's find out more about her.
Birth
According to myths, the Greek goddess Athena was born in a spectacular and rather unusual way - from the head of Zeus. He knew in advance that Metis, the goddess of reason, would have two children - a daughter (Athena) and a son, endowed with incredible strength and intelligence. And the Moiras, the goddesses of fate, warned Zeus that this boy would one day take away his existing power over the whole world. To avoid such a turn of events, Zeus put Metis to sleep with gentle speeches and swallowed her before the birth of her son and daughter. However, he soon began to suffer from unbearable headaches. To save himself from suffering, Zeus called Hephaestus to him and ordered him to cut his head with an ax. One with a strong blow he split his skull. To the amazement of everyone present olympian gods From there the beautiful goddess Athena appeared, and she came out in full armor, and her blue eyes burned with wisdom. It is with this myth that the birth of a brave and wise warrior is associated.
Appearance and symbols of the goddess
Huge blue (according to some sources, gray) eyes, luxurious brown hair, majestic posture - this description already says that she was a real goddess. Athena is usually depicted everywhere with a spear in her hand and in armor. Despite her natural grace and beauty, she was surrounded by masculine attributes. On her head you can see a helmet with a fairly high crest, and in her hands she always has a shield, which is decorated with the head of the Gorgon. Athena is the goddess of wisdom, so she is always accompanied by the corresponding attributes - a snake and an owl.
Goddess of War
We have already talked a little about the armor and attributes of the brave warrior. Athena is the goddess of war, dispersing clouds with the blade of her sparkling sword, protecting cities, inventing everything necessary for the art of war. In honor of her, even Panathenaic holidays were celebrated - large and small. Athena is the goddess of war, but she did not take any pleasure in participating in battles, unlike Eris and Ares, who were thirsty for blood and reprisals. She preferred to resolve all issues exclusively peacefully. In good and calm times, she did not carry weapons with her, but if necessary, she received them from Zeus. But if the goddess Athena entered into battle, she never lost it.
Goddess of wisdom
How many “responsibilities” were assigned to her! For example, she kept order during weather changes. If there was a thunderstorm with heavy rain, Athena had to make sure that the sun would certainly come out after that. After all, she was also the goddess of gardens and fertility. Under her protection there was an olive tree in Attica, which was of great importance for those lands. She needed to control both tribal institutions and civil structure, And public life. Athena - goddess Ancient Greece, who in myths is also the goddess of prudence, intelligence, insight, inventions of art, artistic activity. She teaches people crafts and arts, gives them knowledge and wisdom. Also, no one could surpass her in the art of weaving. True, such an attempt was made by Arachne, but she later paid for her arrogance. The ancient Greeks were sure that it was Athena who invented the flute, plow, ceramic pot, rake, chariot, horse bridle, ship and much more. That is why everyone rushed to her for wise advice. She was so kind that even in court she always cast her vote for the acquittal of the accused.
The myth of Hephaestus and Athena
It should be noted that another integral and characteristic part of her cult was virginity. According to myths, many titans, gods, and giants repeatedly tried to gain her attention and marry her, but she rejected their advances in every possible way. And then one day, in the midst of the Trojan War, the goddess Athena turned to Hephaestus with a request to make separate armor for her. As we already know, in such cases she had to receive weapons from Zeus. However, he did not support either the Trojans or the Hellenes, and therefore would hardly have given his daughter her armor. Hephaestus did not even think of denying Athena her request, but he said that she should pay for the weapon not with money, but with love. Athena either did not understand the meaning of these words, or did not attach any significance to them, since she arrived on time at Hephaestus’s forge to receive her order. Before she had time to cross the threshold, he rushed towards her and wanted to take possession of the goddess. Athena managed to escape from his hands, but Hephaestus's seed managed to spill onto her leg. She wiped herself with a piece of wool and threw it on the floor. Once on mother earth, Gaia, the seed fertilized her. Gaia was not pleased with this fact, and she said that she refused to raise the baby from Hephaestus. Athena also took this burden on her shoulders.
Continuation of the myth - the story of Erichthonius
Athena is a goddess whose myths only confirm her courage and warlikeness. As she promised, she took the child named Erichthonius to be raised with her. However, it turned out that she did not have enough time for this, so she put the child in a sacred casket and gave it to Aglavra, the daughter of Kekrops. However, soon the new teacher Erichthonia tried to fool Hermes, as a result of which she and her entire family gave their lives for it.
What did Athena do next?
Hearing this tragic news from the white crow, the goddess was very upset and made the bird black (since then all crows are black). The bird found Athena while she was carrying a huge rock. In upset feelings, the goddess dropped it on the Acropolis in order to strengthen it more reliably. Today this rock is called Lycabetta. She hid Erichthonium under her auspices and raised it independently. Later he became king in Athens and introduced this city cult of his mother.
The Myth of the Trial for Attica
Athena is the goddess of Ancient Greece, about whom there are many interesting things today. mythological stories. This myth tells how she became the ruler of Attica. According to him, Poseidon was the first to come here, hit the ground on the Acropolis with his trident - and a source of sea water appeared. Athena came here after him, hit the ground with her spear - and an olive tree appeared. By the decision of the judges, Athena was recognized as the winner, since her gift turned out to be more necessary and useful. Poseidon became very angry and wanted to flood the whole earth with the sea, but Zeus did not allow him to do so.
The Myth of the Flute
As we have already said, Athena is credited with creating many things, including the flute. According to myth, one day the goddess found a deer bone and created a flute from it. The sounds that such an instrument made gave Athena incomparable pleasure. She decided to show off her invention and skill at the table of the gods. However, Hera and Aphrodite began to openly laugh at her. It turned out that while playing the instrument, Athena’s cheeks swell and her lips protrude, which does not add to her attractiveness. Not wanting to look ugly, she abandoned the flute and cursed in advance whoever would play it. The instrument was destined to find Marcia, who could not escape the later terrible punishment from Apollo.
What gave rise to the myth of the goddess and Arachne?
We already mentioned above that the goddess had no equal in the art of weaving. However, attempts were made to surpass it, which did not entail anything good. One of the myths tells about such a story.
When it came to any women's work and crafts, the goddess was called Ergana or Athena the worker. One of the main crafts of the Athenians was weaving, but the materials produced from Asian countries were made more delicately and elegantly. Such rivalry gave rise to the myth of enmity between Arachne and Athena.
Fierce rivalry
Arachne was not of noble origin, her father worked as an ordinary dyer, but the girl had the talent to weave incredibly thin and very beautiful materials. She also knew how to spin quickly and evenly, and loved to decorate her work with skillful embroidery. Praise and pleasant speeches for her work came from all sides. Arachne became so proud of this that it occurred to her to compete with the goddess. She stated that she could easily defeat her in this craft.
Athena was very angry and decided to put the impudent person in his place, but first she wanted to resolve everything peacefully, which was very characteristic of her. She took on the appearance of an old woman and went to Arachne. There she began to prove to the girl that it was very dangerous for a mere mortal to start such games with a goddess. To which the proud weaver replied that even if Athena herself appeared before her, she would be able to prove her superiority in the craft.
Athena was not a timid person, so she accepted the challenge. Both girls got to work. The goddess wove a story on her loom about her difficult relationship with Poseidon, and Arachne depicted all sorts of transformations of gods and love affairs. The work of a mere mortal was done so well and skillfully that, although Athena tried, she did not find a single flaw in it.
Angry and forgetting about her duty to be fair, Athena hit the girl on the head with the shuttle. Proud Arachne could not survive such humiliation and hanged herself. And the goddess turned her into a spider, which was destined to weave throughout its life.
Myths about Athena's help to all gods
She helped many not only with advice, but by performing feats. For example, Perseus was raised in her temple. And it was Athena who taught him to wield a sword, for which he brought her the head of the Gorgon as a gift. As we know, she placed it on her shield. The goddess helped Tydeus compete with the Thebans - she reflected arrows from him and covered him with a shield. The goddess inspired Diomedes to fight with Aphrodite and Pandarus. She helped Achilles destroy Lyrnessus and frighten the Trojans by creating a fire. And when Achilles fought with Hector, she saved the former from being hit by a spear.
Depictions of Athena in art
Back in the 5th century BC, the sculptor Phidias created a huge statue of Athena, which has not survived to this day, although there have been repeated attempts to restore it. It was a large statue of a goddess brandishing a spear. They installed it on the Acropolis. Thanks to the large sparkling sword, the statue was visible from afar. Somewhat later, the same master made a bronze figure of Athena, preserved in marble copies.
And the painter Famul created a canvas called “Athena” when he painted Nero’s palace. The most interesting thing is that no matter from which side a person looks at the picture, the goddess turns her gaze to him. And in the sanctuary of Artemis there was a work by Cleanthes called “The Birth of Athena.”
If we talk about modern times, then in 2010 the series “Athena: Goddess of War” was released. The Korean director's drama is about a terrorist group that threatens the entire world.
We hope you learned more about the brave and always ready to help goddess. Study myths, it is always exciting, educational and interesting!