The Greeks and the Romans both created gods and goddesses to govern different important aspects of life. Greek Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty. Venus is Aphrodite’s Roman equivalent. Greek Zeus is the god of the sky and also, the ruler of Olympian gods. Jupiter is Zeus’ Roman counterpart. The Greeks and the Romans both valued wisdom and war, which the goddess Athena and Minerva ruled over. Athena and Minerva used their strength, beauty, and wisdom to rule fairly over the people, despite the fact that they are different in many ways.
Athena is the Greek goddess of warfare, wisdom, and the arts and crafts. She is well known for being the daughter of Zeus, the ruler of all Greek gods, and Metis (Speechley, p. 853). In the same way,
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Minerva also had no spouse. Vulcan, the god of fire, fell in love with her, but she rejected him because of his ugly appearance (Alchin, “Minerva”). This being said, both Athena and Minerva were virgin goddesses (“Athena/Minerva”).
Minerva and Athena had some of the same symbols. Athena had an owl as a symbol. The owl meant wisdom and watchfulness (“10 Interesting Athena Facts”). An owl was also a symbol of Minerva. But, she also had a snake and an olive tree. The snake stood for the creative power of wisdom. The olive tree relates to the gift she offered to Cecrops, the first king of Athens during her contest with Neptune, the god of the sea (Alchin, “Minerva”).
This myth is also a similarity between Minerva and Athena. It is said that Athena had a competition with Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. They were competing for the affection of the local people in Athens. Poseidon gave the people the salt and a wonderful horse. Athena gave an olive tree. The people preferred Athena’s gift. Thus, the city was named Athens after her (“10 Interesting Athena Facts”). There is also the same myth dealing with Minerva (see paragraph before). Minerva and Neptune were competing for the people of Athens. Minerva gave an olive tree to the Cecrops (Alchin,
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.
Athena was Zeus's daughter, and his favorite to be exact. Athena's mother was Metis, goddess of prudence, and she didn't give birth to Athena the way other mothers gave birth to their children. When Athena was born she sprang out of Zeus's head, when Hephaestus "struck his father's skull," fully grown and in full armor wearing the "robe
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...
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...
Spartan religion was interpreted to support the military state. The religious connection to the military can be first seen in the Greek Gods the Spartiates emphasised and worshipped. The principal Spartan Gods were Apollo, Artemis, Athena, Discouri and Zeus. Apollo, Artemis and Athena more explicitly demonstrate the militaristic nature of Sparta with the three Gods associated with victory, wisdom, and skill in battle. Even Gods that were not usually known for battle were given militaristic traits, like the statue of the Armed Aphrodite [Goddess of love] in Thornax. The principal God however would have been Apollo who was also a master archer and an athlete and was seen as the model youth and a guardian of young men. His twin sister, Artemis, was the guardian of young women. The worship of Apollo and Artemis and their high status reflects the military value of Spartan society in training the youth for future defence. Such devotion to Apollo and Artemis can be seen in the Sanctuary of Apollo at Amyclae where coins in the likeness of Apollo were found and at the Temple of Artemis Orthia where votive offerings were found and it was known to be a centre for blood sacrifices.
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).
For as long as I can remember, there has been a woman, who goes by Medusa. She is from Athens, Greece. Medusa obeyed all the Greek gods & goddess, all except the goddess of wisdom, which is my official title. I am Athena, goddess of wisdom. Medusa is established as woman who is all about herself. Throughout my tale you will understand why they conceive this opinion.
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.
What makes the depiction between Athena and Aphrodite interesting is the different ways they are portrayed even sharing the similarity of being born strictly from male only. Athena from the all-powerful king of the gods Zeus and Aphrodite from Ouronos. Though they were both born from man alone, the content of these births caused Athena to be expressed in a more dignified, respected, and superior way. Hesiod’s recount of the births of Athena and Aphrodite in his Theogony reveals the source of Athena’s superiority. According to the Theogony, Ouranos’ genitals are thrown into the sea where they mix with the sea foam to result in Aphrodite (Hesiod 180-192). Aphrodite is said to be called, by Hesiod, “Philommedes, fond of a man’s genitals” ( Hesiod, 200-201). In contrast, Hesiod writes that Athena is born from Zeus’ head (Hesiod 924) after Zeus consumes her mother Metis, the goddess whose name means wisdom, for fear of her giving birth to someone who was destined to be his match in wisdom (Hesiod 894-900).
The story of Athena’s birth is a very interesting one, as her birth like most from older pathos is not a normal birth story like todays births. Most of Athena’s birth stories state that she had no mother and only a father, Zeus. The story starts with two people, a God and a titan; we know them as Zeus and Metis.
They had similar beliefs, but also immeasurable differences. It was composed of many meaningful gods and goddesses that all played a part in the everyday life of the average Roman and Greek person of that time.
Women 's roles in the Iliad and Odyssey the seem to differ from the roles of men. Women were depicted as possessions to the men. Athena seems to stand out the most when it comes to both of these books Athena is the goddess of wisdom and war. Not only was Athena the goddess of wisdom and war, she played the role of the protector. Athena is one of the main female characters that truly show out throughout the Iliad and the Odyssey. An ancient history website states that “Athena was a major protagonist in Homer’s account of the Trojan War in the Illiad where she supports the Achaeans and their heroes, especially Achilles, to whom she gives encouragement and wise counsel." Athena beings to first show in the Illiad when Agamemnon threatens to go to Achille’s
After reading this essay you can see that the gods are very similar in a way. But they are also very different from many others. Like the fact that Jupiter and Mercury are way more disciplined than Zeus and Hermes. And the fact that Neptune and Poseidon are basically the same person with the same name. So next time you are out and about, look around and see what the Greek and Roman gods have influenced and named.
Athena's function is to be a goddess of pro-Greek warfare. She came to the aid