Athena is a Greek Goddess of art, literature, wisdom, courage, strength and intelligence. She is the daughter of the Greek God Zeus, but she did not have a mother. Instead she was born from Zeus' forehead, fully grown and dressed in armor. However, Zeus' first wife, Metis ( who was a Titan), considered Athena to be her daughter. This is because Zeus swallowed Metis under the advice of Gaia and Uranus. It was believed that Zeus was afraid that Metis had conceived a son to take over Zeus' throne and the kingdom of Olympia. Another account says that Hephasteus split open Zeus' head, thus making Athena to be born. She is a fierce Goddess, but brave and skilled in battle. In order for men to tame their horses, Athena invented the bridle. She also …show more content…
invented instruments such as the trumpet and the flute ( interestingly enough, she never played the flute!). Of all of Zeus' children, Athena was his most favorite and would often allow her to use his weapons that controlled thunder and lightning. He especially allowed Athena use his weapon, the thunderbolt. The olive tree was her holy tree and the owl was often her symbol. The owl is often accompanied by Athena. This owl is actually a little owl baby. The owl also accompanies Minerva, Athena's female Roman counterpart. The owl is described as 'the owl of Athena' or ' the owl of Minerva'. The owl is a symbol of knowledge and wisdom ( and sometimes rain). Athena is a companion to many heroes and a goddess of many heroic endeavors.
She does not have a consort, therefore, she never marries. Athena rejects all things sexual and she also rejects motherhood. She had many epithets including Parthenos and Promachos. Because she is a Goddess of War, she can not be dominated by other goddesses and she can not be violated because she is also a palace goddess. She won a contest against the Greek God Poseidon and became a patron Goddess of Athens. She had also offered an olive tree to the Athenians. Athena and Athens come from the same word. Athens is a plural word and is also know as Athenae. Even though Athena and Athens share the same name, it is unclear which word came first. In the city of Thebes, Athena was called Thebe. The Roman Goddess, Minerva, is her counterpart. Athena shares an incredibly special relationship with Athens given the special connection bewteen her name and Athens. The people of Athens built a statue of Athena as an honor of her being a temple Goddess. The statue of Athena has strikingly piercing eyes, a helmet on top of her head, armor of aegis and holding a spear. The statue is also holding a sheild made out of crystal with a Gorgon's head on it. The Gorgon's head was given to Athena after she slayed Medusa with the help of …show more content…
Persues. In the late 5th Century B.C., in Greece, Athena became a cultural aspect as a Goddess of philosophy. One myth tells that Hephaistos tried to rape Athena, but failed when he spilled his sperm all over the Earth. Erikhthonios, who is half-man and half-snake, was then produced and Athena raised him as her own. Another myth says that Arakhne was turned into a spider by Athena during a weaving contest. Athena had competed with Hera and Aphrodite to win a golden apple during the Judgement of Paris. One other myth says that Athena helped others, such as Heracles and Odysseus, on their quests. There are some rather interesting fact about Athena.
Because she is a Goddess of War, her male Greek counterpart is Ares, who is a God of War. Athena, being the Goddess of the City of Athens, protected the civilized life of Athens. Because she had compassion and generosity for others, she was often praised. The Parthenon served as her temple because she served as Athens guardian. Panathenaea is celebrated every year and it is Athena's most important festival. Along with Hesita and Artemis, Athena is a Virgin Goddess. Her siblings are Artemis, Aphrodite, Ares, Apollo, Dionysus, Hermes, Heracles, Hephasteus and Perseus. Athena's nicknames include Hippeia (which means “of the horses”), Hygieia (which means “healer”) and Tritogeneia (which means “third born”). Plato oftened viewed Athena as the Egyptian diety Neith, a war goddess. If a man spies on her naked, she will punish them. It is believed that Athena does have a dark side that is Medusa. She can be intimidating at times, very critical and judgemental when it comes to the weakness of others. Athena is sensitive and and because she doesn't show love or affection, her only wound is her heart. She is more masucline than feminine, but she is beautiful in her own way. When she was a child she always was reading a book, she was curious to seek new information and was always a daddy's girl.As an adult she her own priorites were more important than others, was a devoted and trusted friend and was very rational. Historic people
that looked up to Athena were Joan of Arc and Mary Wollstonecraft. She is a benevolent Goddess. She is strong, fair and merciful. However, she is a Goddess to not be messed with. She will seek revenge on those who she feels deserve it. Her great power was to defend Athens. Now, she really didn't like to fight, but she would if necessary. She would try to strategize as well. She always tried to make peace instead of resorting to violence. This wasn't always easy since she was a goddess of war and strategy. Correspondences for Athena Athena's general symbols are: The Sun, a golden shield that is adorend with either snakes or Medusa, helmet, spear, the Parthenon, the Seven Auras and the number 7. Her sacred animals are: Owls, doves, sea eagles, snakes, rams, tigers, leopards and Pegasus. Athena's sacred plants are: Olives, olive trees, citrus trees, oak, cypress, geranium, tiger lily, apple and hellbore. Athena's sacred scents are: Patouli, musk, orange blossom, cinnamon, cedar wood and dragon's blood. Her sacred gems and metals are: Lapiz lazuli, star sapphire, turquoise, onyx and ruby. Gold and ivory are also Athena's sacred gem and metal. Her colors are: Gold, orange, yellow, emerald green, indigo, purple, white and royal blue. Athena's festivals are: The Feast of Adorning. This festival is observed ever year in May and is held for 5 days. The Feast of Lamps. Oil lamps were made and then lit at night to honor the Goddess. Athena's Roman counterpart is: Minerva Her planet is: Venus Her holy months are: June and July Her Pantheon is: Greek Her abodes are: Mount Olympus, Athens and Mali Athena is a Goddess of: Inspiration and art Sun and light War Healing and health Justice Wisdom Athena's Element is: Air Her associated planet is: The Moon The best day of the week to work with Athena is: Monday Athena's main influences are: Crafts and wisdom
Athena’s interesting life started by a very strange birth. When Athena’s mother Metis was impregnated, Athena’s father, Zeus, swallowed her. (2) Soon Zeus had great head pains, so he got Hephaestus to cut open his head with an axe. (5) When he sliced open Zeus’s head, Athena emerged fully grown and with a set of armor on. (2) Even though Zeus had many other children, Athena became his favorite. (8) She had many half brothers and sisters to compete against for this title including Hermes, Hephaestus, Apollo, Ares, Hebe, Artemis, Aphrodite, Persephone, and Tityus. (3)
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.
The Reduced Replica of Athena Parthenos - at the MFA in Boston is a marble statue which depicts a graceful, robed female icon. The statue has lost both arms, and is dressed in a chiton Athena , also referred to as Minerva, the Maiden, or Parthenos was the Favorite daughter of Zeus. Legend states that she was not generated by any woman with Zeus, but instead leapt out of his head fully grown and armored. Athena is known an the goddess of wisdom, the goddess of the city , the protectress of civilized life, artisan activities , and agricultural bounty. All of these characteristics explain her sculptural likenesses in so many ancient cities in need of dietous protection. 1
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...
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
Character of Athena in Homer's Odyssey Imagine living in another world and time, one where you were not only a god but could also take the form of any object or person that you chose. Athena, the daughter of Zeus, has this ability. Of all the characters in the Odyssey, the most interesting to me is Athena. In my opinion, she guides the main characters of the Odyssey in the right direction. She kind of looks over their shoulders and serves as a guardian angel. Athena makes Telemachos go to Pylos and Sparta. Athena says, "My advice to you is this, if you will let me advise you. Get the best
Athena was a goddess of war who preferred peace to fighting (Lies 47). The deity was depicted in full wartime armor, including a helmet and spear. However, despite her rough accessories, Athena also showed off extreme femininity in her clothing as well as features (Buxton 79). Athena was Zeus’s favorite daughter. Zeus, the king of the gods, allowed her to dress in his Aegis (Lies 47).
Athena’s father was Zeus, the king of the gods and goddess’. Athena had a mother and a stepmother, her mother’s name was Metis. Her grandparents are Kronus and Rhea. Poseidon was Athena’s uncle and Demeter was Athena’s aunt. Hades was Athena’s uncle and Hades had two wives Hera and Hestia. Hera was also Athena’s stepmom. Athena had a cousin who was known as Aphrodite. She had three half brothers, Hermes, Hephaestus and Apollo as well as a half sister named Artemis.
The Parthenon was built on the Acropolis to honor Athena, but mostly because it honored Athens itself to build it (Stockton, 4). The Athenians wanted it to house a giant statue of gold and ivory which was made by a man named Pheidias (Stockton, 1). "Pheidias’ forty-foot high statue of Athena Parthenos consisted of a frame made of wood, metal, clay, and plaster. Athena’s clothing was of gold-plate—made removable in case of emergency. Athena’s face, hands, and feet were of ivory, her eyes of precious jewels. She stood wearing a foot-length dress and a helmet, a crowned symbol of victory in her right hand and a spear in her left.
He lost all interest in her and turned his attention to Athena, who, like Aphrodite, was not in love with him. Hephaestus fell in love with Athena when she came to him for a spear. When he tried to initiate intercourse, she rejected him. HEPHAESTUS AND APHRODITE Both Hephaestus and Aphrodite are powerful and popular figures of Greek mythology. The sexy of the sexy.
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
The Greeks believed the deities provided the city protection and allowed them to be successful in their endeavors while in time of war. Phidias, a master bronze worker, was commissioned to create the sculpture of Athena Parthenos, the goddess of wisdom to show tribute to the gods by creating a large scale sculpture in Acropolis. The Acropolis was the most important site in the city of Athens, and was well recognized as the hilltop of protection. It is also the most significant reference point of ancient Greek culture as well as the symbol of the city of Athens. Some of the greatest architectural masterpieces of the period were erected on its ground.
Their belief can be explained by this quote written by P. Walcot in the article “Greek Attitudes Towards Women: The Mythological Evidence”: “The Greeks believed women to be incapable of not exercising their sexual charms and that the results were catastrophic, irrespective of whether or not women set out to cause trouble deliberately or acted in a blissful ignorance of what they were doing” (39).... ... middle of paper ... ... Aphrodite, goddess of love and fertility, is a goddess who represents lust and desire.
But due to Athena’s masculinity, she was discussed almost as an exception to this belief, but only enough to be considered a step above women and below mortal men. While Aphrodite who embraced her femininity and sexuality, was seen as one of the most inferior immortals by other immortals and thus by myth writers.
...ory of the contest between Athena and Poseidon to claim Athens, in which Athena won and thus being worshipped by people (Hyginus, pp. 264). Therefore, the Parthenon was built to dedicate to Athena, their virgin patron.