Ancient Athena Research Paper

753 Words2 Pages

Athena: The Goddess of Wisdom All throughout history, people from ancient civilizations have wondered about how things came into being and why things worked the way they did. One of the most well-known examples of ancient civilizations asking why, would be the ancient Greeks. Greek thinkers and philosophers wondered about gravity, astronomy, and reason. Often, when people of ancient civilizations couldn’t understand something, they made myths to explain such natural phenomenon. Each culture, including the Greeks, had their own set of myths, gods and goddesses, although, it is known that the Romans readily copied their mythology off of the Greeks. In Greek mythology, their gods and goddesses lived on Mount Olympus, the top of a great mountain, …show more content…

Athena, the goddess of wisdom, reason, and war strategy, is one of the more prominent goddesses in Greek mythology. More specifically, she is the goddess of purity, intelligent activity, arts and literature, and strategy. Athena is the daughter of Zeus, as told in a very interesting myth. According to the myth, Zeus had a terrible headache, so he asked Hephaestus to take an anvil and smash open the head of Zeus. When his head was smashed, out sprung Athena, fully grown and clad in armor. Athena is also the favorite of Zeus’s children, meaning that she is often allowed to use his weapons, including his famous lightning bolt. Although Athena sounds like she is the most amazing goddess, she does have weaknesses like any other …show more content…

In books, or epics, she was named the Iliad’s goddess of fight, the warrior-defender, and the protector of civilized life and artisan activities. A majority of Greek mythology refers to and is about Athena, who is one of the most known and influential goddesses. Athena was the goddess of wisdom when women were seen as “deformed men,” which would make the aura of her being and domain a progressive thought. She is, as seen from a modern light, the ancient Greek embodiment of feminism. She was always there for Odysseus, helped Perseus, and was the provider of basic knowledge for all

Show More
Related

  • Athena's Well-Known Olympian Goddesses

    1496 Words  | 3 Pages

    Athena is the goddess of several different categories including wisdom, war, and crafts. She is one of the most well-known Olympian goddesses. Athena had a strange birth, followed by an odd life. Athena combines several personalities of different gods into one goddess with her traits of wisdom, power, and craftiness.

    Read More

  • How Did Athena Influence The Modern Day World

    2041 Words  | 5 Pages

    Greek mythology is something that everyone knows of, not only because it is so interesting, but because of the many gods and goddesses. One of the most well known goddesses being Goddess Athena who portrayed so many good characteristics. Although Goddess Athena is best known for wisdom, military skill, and crafts, she is also known for her mythological influence on the modern day world and her acts of heroism.

    Read More

  • Greek God Hades Research Paper

    1734 Words  | 4 Pages

    Everyone has heard the stories of the Greek gods and goddesses. Almost all people of today know that the earth is a sphere that is surrounded by an atmosphere. The Greek believed that the earth was flat that was surrounded by a dome that contained the sky’s night and day. These myths of the earth were carried on through families and civilizations until every Greek believed the same. They not only believed the same physically but they also all believed the same spiritually. They believed in the gods, goddesses, and titans. The Greeks had their own way of worship. Christians would leave an offering to the church to be used for God. The Greeks also left their offering for their gods. They would take their most divine items and leave them for the

    Read More

  • The Craftiness of Athena

    527 Words  | 2 Pages

    Athena, the Greek goddess of both wisdom and war, is often considered the craftiest of all Olympian gods. She was born of a headache, and erupted from Zeus’ head fully armed and ready for battle. However, beside all this pomp, she is a rather caring, if war-loving, immortal. Throughout the entirety of The Odyssey she conveys an entirely platonic, almost motherly love for Odysseus. It is this that makes her significant character in Homer’s work. In The Odyssey, Athena is portrayed as a, if not the, major female figure throughout the entire epic poem. With her affection for Odysseus and her frequent appearances she plays a major role throughout the entire poem. Evidence of this integral role will be presented as proof of her importance to the story.

    Read More

  • Athena And Antigone Research Paper

    1339 Words  | 3 Pages

    Women in ancient Greek times did not have equal or political rights. Athena and Antigone, who were both very heroic women went above and beyond the stereotypical woman. In society today, women are still not looked as an equivalent to men. Athena and Antigone share the Greek heroic traits of honor, perseverance, and of living in a higher class. In Sophocles’ Greek tragedy, Antigone, and Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, the female characters, Antigone and Athena are not solely traditional female characters, instead, they embody the heroic characteristics, honor, perseverance, and high social standing.

    Read More

  • The Role of Women in Homer's The Odyssey

    685 Words  | 2 Pages

    The role of the goddess is one of a supernatural being, but more importantly one in a position to pity and help mortals. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, is the most prominent example of the role; in the very beginning of the story she is seen making a plea for Odysseus' return home, and throughout the first half of the book she assists him in his journey. She is the driving force behind arranging Odysseus' return home from getting Kalypso to release him to making sure Nausikaa found him on Skheria. In books 1-4 she helps Telemakhos, Odysseus' son, gather the courage to go out and get news about his father. Other than Athena, there are many examples of goddesses taking pity on a mortal, usually Odysseus, and helping him out. When Odysseus is s...

    Read More

  • Why Was the Parthenon Dedicated to Athena?

    516 Words  | 2 Pages

    Athena was the goddess of war and wisdom. Daughter of Zeus and Metis, but born from only Zeus. Gaea the Earth goddess told Zeus that his child would u...

    Read More

  • Athena, and the Role of Women in the Odyssey

    1353 Words  | 3 Pages

    Athena is a very intricate and complex character who has a vital role in the epic poem. She is the Goddess of war and battle, a very interesting role for a female to possess. Because she is the Goddess of war, she has...

    Read More

  • The Role Of Women In Homer's Odyssey

    730 Words  | 2 Pages

    Calypso feels that her sexuality makes her susceptible to unfair treatment by the gods. This further proves the point that women were objectified, sexually and otherwise, in Greek culture. It is important to note that Odysseus’ relationship with most goddesses throughout The Odyssey involves the act of sex. Athena, on the other hand, personifies both feministic and non-feministic traits, although they are not necessarily masculine traits. This is quite strange, however, as most women are represented as solely feminine and completely inferior to men. Athena is the goddess of wisdom and war. According to Homer, in the Iliad, Athena is portrayed as a fierce and ruthless warrior, characteristics that women were not generally assigned during this time period. At the same time, Athena is illustrated as being emotional, acting on her emotions. She has a

    Read More

  • Athena's Impact on the Lives of Ancient Greeks

    1023 Words  | 3 Pages

    Athena was the Greek Goddess of many ideas, but she was famous mostly for her superior wisdom, her cunning skills in times of war, and her implausible talent for household tasks, such as weaving and pottery. She was celebrated more than any other God in ancient mythology, was the supposed inventor of countless innovations, and her figure gave reason for Greek woman to gain rights long before others of their time. The goddess of war, the guardian of Athens, and the defender of Heroes; Athena’s impact on the lives of Ancient Greeks is outstanding.

    Read More

  • The Role of the Gods in Homer's The Odyssey

    870 Words  | 2 Pages

    Athena is the goddess everyone wants to have as guardian for his life. She went against her uncle Poseidon to fight for her Odysseus. At one point, we can even think that Athena is also in love to Odysseus because she has never him down. But the real truth is Athena is an amazing goddess who protect Odysseus no matter what because this is the Love she has for him

    Read More

  • Athena Parthenos: The Goddess of Wisdom

    861 Words  | 2 Pages

    The people of Greece believed in mythology and believed they were blessed by the deity which inspired the artists’ creation of the spectacular sculptures including Athena Parthenos, the goddess of wisdom. Wisdom during this period was highly regarded. Most of the sculptures in Athens were made of different types of bronze. (See Figure 1.)

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite

    2587 Words  | 6 Pages

    She places in people the desire to have sexual relations and causes fear in men of the power of seduction by women. Her marriage to her husband was ignored as she had affairs with immortal and mortal men. Her infidelity in her marriage places her on the side with Greek men, rather than Greek women because only Greek men were able to cheat on their wives; not the other way around. In conclusion, the three important rules discussed in this paper that Greek women were required to obey, can be seen in the myths of the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Whether or not the Greek goddesses obeyed or did not obey these rules, their importance to the Greek culture is ever strong.

    Read More

  • Important Roles Of Important Gods In The Odyssey

    1100 Words  | 3 Pages

    Athena plays the role of a goddess of great guidance and wisdom. Throughout the entire play she is consistently providing some form of assistance. She aids Odysseus and his son Telemachus the most. In one situation Athena disguises herself as a friend of Odysseus in order to talk to Telemachus. She

    Read More

  • Greek Mythology Reflection Paper

    741 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout studying many myths, I came up with many new observations. Many questions came into my mind about these myths. Greek mythology takes us back to a time when people had a connection with nature and when nature played a major role in people’s lives. The religious beliefs of the people who wrote the myths are found in the background of these myths; however, they are not to be read like religious texts. The myths try to offer explanations of “how”, which makes us think deeply about the purpose of these myths and the questions they draw to our minds. According to the myths we studied in class, the world created the gods, not the other way around. The gods were always created in the image of man, which shows how much men were important in their society. Furthermore, many of these Greek myths show us the difference between the views of the Greek then and our view towards many aspects of the society, including nature. Monsters appear in Greek myths and have different representations and roles. Greek mythology reflects a view of the Greeks towards the world and how certain aspects of their lives are similar and different to modern society.

    Read More

More about Ancient Athena Research Paper

Open Document