If you start with Athena's "official duties", then their list is truly amazing. She patronizes not only wisdom and war. Athena was considered the goddess of a large list of crafts: shipbuilding, weaving, spinning, making horse harness and metal products, pottery and plowing. She patronized the art of medicine and taught him the god of medicine Asclepius. She invented statehood and laws, taught people to cook food 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?

It must be said that a large number of large and small deities were revered in the Greek lands, and for a very long time none of them was considered the main one over all other gods. A harmonious system, in which each god has his place in the huge Olympic family, was the result of the priests and thinkers bringing all local beliefs to a certain common form. 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 arranged in general.

So the gods had their own king. They became the god of thunder, lightning and, possibly, just vengeance - Zeus. Along with the 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 Nike, the goddess of victory, flew out. In another version, Metis is also missing, and Athena turns out to be the embodied thought of Zeus. Some researchers believe that such a terrifying way of birth speaks of the antiquity of the myth; others consider the version with Metis and the head of Zeus an attempt to reconcile and connect the lines of the official supreme god and the goddess much more popular and significant for the common people.

Closer to the original story of the birth can be considered, probably, the plot with the giant Pallas. At least the story of the goddess killing her father - the cruel old god trying to rape his daughter - logically parallels the story of Zeus rebelling against his father Kronos, who devoured his own children. When people change their ideas about what is good and bad, there are also stories about how new deities kill old, too wild and ferocious ones.

By the way, in another story with Pallas, his daughter turns out to be Athena's playmate Nika. Perhaps Nike and Athena were originally sisters and killed their rapist father together. Either way, they are portrayed as inseparable.

Protector of women

Athena has a difficult relationship 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 from the confrontation with them as the winner. But Poseidon is the brother of Zeus, the king of the gods. Athena is shown to be virtually equal in strength to him.

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 version: the gods decide to see who can bring people a more valuable gift. Poseidon sticks a trident into the ground, and a spring springs from the rock. Athena sticks a spear, and it turns into an olive tree. That's just in the spring - salty sea water instead of fresh. 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 turn of the Athenians to vote for the gods, all men choose Poseidon and all women choose Athena. There are one more women than men. The goddess wins. In a rage, Poseidon causes a flood that almost washed the city off the face of the earth. As punishment, Athenian women are forever deprived of the right to vote, citizenship and the right to pass their name (like a patronymic) to children.

This myth shows, first of all, how popular Athena was among women. And for good reason. She patronized not only weaving and spinning. She was approached with requests to help get pregnant or save her from rape (and who else?). For the latter, for example, the Trojan princess Cassandra prayed to Athena. Athena could not help her, but she took revenge by depriving the rapist of her mind. Athena herself in the myths deftly 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 back 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 Judgment of Paris, she competes on an equal footing 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 hetera was chosen to portray Athena. Athena herself also endows Odysseus and Penelope with beauty and youth when Odysseus returns home. She patronizes them and as a couple in love. So the researchers have every reason to believe that the image of Aphrodite could separate from the image of Athena. Hence the “common” husband.

Is the image of the goddess of love and war at the same time surprising? No. It's not even unique. Combines these qualities, for example, the ancient Akkadian goddess Ishtar. 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 Helen's wedding, for example. True, he still has to participate in the war because of her next marriage.

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 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. In Crete, an island where Athena was especially revered, many very ancient figurines of a female deity with snakes in their hands are found. Perhaps the Cretan goddess with snakes is related to Owl-eyed! It is significant that women in Crete led an active social life.

And maybe the Athenians once too. And the myth of the dispute between Athena and Poseidon was needed to approve for granted the weaning of the inhabitants of Athens from their civil rights. In any case, once the Greek gods lost to Christianity, and the temples of Athena, including the famous Parthenon, were destroyed by people and time.

Ancient Greek mythology is very bright, due to the many gods and goddesses represented in it. One of the extraordinary representatives is the beautiful fair-haired goddess Pallas Athena. Her father, none other than the supreme god Zeus himself, the lord of heaven. In its significance, Athena is not inferior, and sometimes surpasses her imperious father. Her name is immortalized in the name of the Greek city - Athens.

Who is Athena

The appearance of Athena is shrouded in secrets, from the text of the ancient source of Theogony it follows that Zeus learned that his wise wife Metis should give birth to a great daughter and son. The ruler did not want to give his reins of government to anyone, and swallowed his pregnant wife. Later, feeling a severe headache, Zeus asked the god Hephaestus to hit him on the head with a hammer - this is how Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom, appeared in all her weapons. Possessing the strategies and tactics of waging just wars, Athena succeeded and also became the patroness of many types of crafts:

• public order- Athena in public affairs, established the highest court in Athens;
• shipbuilding and navigation - the architects Ferekl, Arg and Danai, under the mentorship of Athena, created their own ships, one of which Argo was sent by the goddess to heaven;
• metal craftswoman - the statue of Aphrodite is considered the work of Athena herself;
• weaving and spinning craft - she made clothes for herself and other goddesses. Athena taught women to weave. The spinning wheel is a symbol of Athena;
• music - a trumpet and a two-horned flute, the invention of Athena;
• healing - healed and resurrected with the blood of the Gorgon medusa;
• patroness - in many other positive aspects. Athena is loved for her timely assistance. Hercules, Odysseus, Perseus, Achilles, Jason, Telemachus heroes ancient Greek mythology, called in difficult moments Athena.

What does Athena look like?

The Greek goddess Athena is traditionally depicted in military attire, with a majestic bearing in her hand a spear shining in the sun. Homer, the ancient narrator of the epic poem The Iliad, describes Athena as a bright-eyed, sharp-eyed, full of power in golden armor, a beautiful, but "not soft-hearted" Virgin. The artists depicted the goddess with a stern, thoughtful face, in a long hoodie (peplos) or shell.

Symbol of Athena

In mythology, each piece of clothing, the background around the deity is replete with various symbols that have a sacred meaning. These archetypes are the link between humans and gods. Knowing these symbols, images arise with the help of which one or another character can be identified. The symbolism of Athena is easily recognizable:

• Athena's helmet - made of iron, decorated with 4 horses, or a monster with a snake tail;
• spear - one of the statues of the goddess adorned the ancient acropolis in Athens, her shining golden spear, the first thing sailors saw when returning to the city;
• aegis - a shield made of goatskin, with the image of the Gorgon Medusa;
• Nike - a figurine of the goddess of Victory in the hand of Athena;
• the owl is a symbol of wisdom;
• the snake is a gift of foresight.

Children of Athena

The ancient Greek goddess Athena was considered a chaste virgin, Eros himself ignored the request of his mother, the goddess Aphrodite, to shoot an arrow of love at Athena, as he was afraid to even fly past because of the goddess’s menacing gaze. Nevertheless, the joys of motherhood were not alien to Athena and she raised adopted children:

• Hygieia - the goddess of health, is considered by one source the daughter of Asclepius (healer) and Athena;
• Erichthonius is the son of Gaia and Hephaestus, according to legend, Hephaestus chased Athena and dropped the seed on the ground, Gaia considered this a shame for herself and refused to raise her son. Athena secretly raised Erichthonius. The goddess Athena is often depicted with a snake; researchers believe that this is a symbol of Erichthonius.

The myth of the goddess Athena

Ancient Greek mythology describes gods who are like people: they love, they hate, they strive for power, they crave recognition. The myth about Athena is interesting, in which Kekrops, the first Athenian king, could not decide who should be the patron of the city. Athena and Poseidon (the god of the ocean) began to argue, Kekrops suggested that the gods resolve the dispute as follows: invent the most useful item. Poseidon carved a source of water with a trident, Athena hit the ground with a spear and an olive tree appeared. Women voted for Athena, men for Poseidon, so Athens had two patrons.

The goddess of wisdom and knowledge, the invincible warrior, the protector of cities and the patroness of sciences, Pallas Athena enjoyed well-deserved respect among the ancient Greeks. She was the favorite daughter of Zeus, and it is in her honor that the modern one is named. Pallas Athena helped the heroes of Greece with wise advice and did not leave them in moments of danger. The ancient Greek goddess taught the girls of Greece weaving, spinning and cooking. It is believed that it was Pallas Athena who invented the flute and established the Areopagus (high court).

Appearance of Pallas Athena:

Majestic posture, large gray (and according to some sources, blue) eyes, blond hair - her whole appearance suggests that you have a goddess in front of you. Athena Pallas, as a rule, was depicted in armor and with a spear in her hand.

Symbols and attributes:

Pallas Athena is surrounded by male attributes. On the head is a helmet with a high crest. A shield (aegis) is obligatory present - it is decorated with the head of Medusa Gorgon. The ancient Greek goddess of wisdom Pallas Athena is accompanied by an owl and a snake - symbols of wisdom. It is noted that the goddess of victory, Nike, was her constant companion. The sacred olive tree can also be called a symbol of Pallas.

Athena Pallas is surrounded by male attributes: on her head is a helmet with a high crest, in her hands is a shield adorned with the head of Medusa Gorgon

Strengths of Pallas Athena:

Although Athena was one of the most "sensible" goddesses of the ancient Greek Pantheon, nevertheless, she was characterized by a certain favoritism. This, in particular, is hinted at by the myths of Odysseus and Perseus.

Parents:

Pallas Athena was born unusually and spectacularly. Once Zeus was predicted that his wife - the goddess Metis - would give birth to a son who would be smarter and stronger than his father and overthrow him. But first, a daughter had to be born. Zeus, not wanting to be overthrown, swallowed the pregnant Metis. Soon he felt a severe headache and ordered Hephaestus to cut his head with an ax. Athena was born from the head of Zeus. The goddess was already fully armed at birth.

The goddess was born from the head of Zeus and was already fully armed at birth

There are other, less common versions of who the parents of the ancient Greek goddess Pallas Athena were. According to some myths, her mother was the nymph of the river Triton, and her father was the god of the seas, Poseidon.

Place of Birth:

It is impossible to unequivocally state exactly where the goddess Pallas Athena was born: different myths point to different places. So, she could be born near Lake Tritonis or the river Triton, in Crete, in the west of Thessaly, in Arcadia, or even in the town of Alalcomene in Boeotia. The most common version is that the birthplace of Athena is still Crete.

Personal life of Pallas Athena:

The goddess Athena Pallas was a virgin and was proud of it. However, she raised an adopted son. That's what the myths say. Once the god of fire Hephaestus turned to Zeus with a request to give him Athena as his wife. Since Zeus had previously promised Hephaestus to fulfill any of his desires, he had no choice but to agree. Yes, the Thunderer had to agree to marry his beloved daughter, but he, nevertheless, advised her to defend herself.

Majestic posture, big gray eyes, blond hair - her whole appearance suggests that you have a goddess in front of you.

According to one version, the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom had to turn to the god of fire for a weapon. Hephaestus, not at a loss, tried to take possession of the goddess. However, the maiden Athena was not going to enter into an intimate relationship - neither with Hephaestus, nor with anyone else. Athena Pallas rushed away from the overly excited god, and he chased after her. When Hephaestus caught up with the maiden, she began to defend herself and even wounded him. Hephaestus spilled the seed on the ground, and soon the baby Erichthonius was born. He was born Gaia - the earth from Hephaestus.

Pallas Athena took Erichthonius under her protection. She fed the baby with her milk and raised him. Erichthonius grew up in her temple and always honored the goddess. It was he who began to hold Panathenaic - festivities in honor of Pallas Athena.

goddess temple

The main sanctuary of ancient Athens and the most beautiful work of ancient art - the temple of the goddess Athena (Parthenon) and today is one of the main visiting cards of Greece. This bright building, as if pierced through by the rays of the sun, rises in the very heart of the ancient city.

The temple of the goddess (Parthenon) is decorated with cutters depicting scenes from her life - one of the main visiting cards of Greece

In the same place - in the Parthenon - was the most famous statue of Pallas Athena by Phidias. Being about 11 m in height, the sculpture was made of gold and ivory on a wooden base. The original of the statue has not survived to this day, but it is known from surviving copies and images on coins.

The main myths about Pallas Athena:

The goddess Athena Pallas is the heroine of many mythological stories.

Among the most famous is the myth of how she gained dominion over Attica, having won the rivalry for the region of Poseidon. Each of the gods made a gift to the city: Poseidon - a water source, Athena - an olive tree. The judges decided that the gift of the goddess is more useful, and gave preference to her. So Pallas Athena won the dispute and became the mistress of Attica, and the city where it all happened was named after her.

Another myth tells how Pallas Athena participated in gigantomachy (battle with giants). On one of the giants, the formidable warrior brought down the island of Sicily, on the other she tore off the skin and covered her own body with it. The details of this battle were depicted on the shield of the statue of Athena.

Frequent companions of the goddess - an owl and a snake - symbols of wisdom, and also Nike - the goddess of victory

Pallas Athena also participated in the Trojan War. She helped the Greeks in every possible way in the capture of Troy, and it is she who is credited with the emergence of the idea that put an end to the long-term siege - about deceiving the Trojans with the help of the Wooden Horse. She prompted Odysseus to place a detachment of Greek soldiers in a huge statue of a wooden horse and leave it at the gates of Troy, while the main forces of the Greeks retreated from Troy, allegedly lifting the siege. The Trojans, after some hesitation, dragged this wooden structure into the city. At night, the soldiers hiding inside the horse came out, opened the city gates and let in their comrades.

One of the central places in ancient Greek mythology is assigned to Pallas Athena. Athena is the goddess of wisdom, the goddess of just war and victory, one of the most revered goddesses of Greece. Athena - daughter of Zeus a, the most powerful god on all Olympus, the god of the sky, thunder and lightning. Zeus obeys the rest of the Greek gods, he has power over people, establishes social order, distributes good and evil on earth. But it is fair to say that his beloved daughter is not inferior to him not in strength, not in wisdom. Many legends describe that Athena sits on a throne next to Zeus. Athena's mother is the wise oceanid Metis, the first wife of Zeus.
Athena is credited with the invention of the flute, chariot, ship. Among her merits are the development of laws and the establishment Supreme Court in Athens. She is the epitome of wisdom and justice. Athena gives wisdom and knowledge, teaches people arts and crafts, helps needlewomen, weavers, potters. With the growth of Greek culture, the wise warrior also becomes the patroness of science.
The daughter of Zeus - the goddess of wisdom - was an object of worship throughout ancient Greece, she was sung by poets, sculptors and artists admired her. In numerous works of sculptors, artists and poets, the daughter of Zeus appears before us in full combat weapons: she is wearing sparkling military armor, a shiny helmet, in her hands the goddess holds a spear and a shield. But with all her fighting appearance, she is distinguished by extraordinary beauty. She has gray-blue eyes, blond hair, a divine figure and a majestic posture.
Athena patronizes the heroes of Greece, gives them wise advice and helps out in times of danger. Thus, the goddess of wisdom assists Perseus in the massacre of the Medusa-Gorgon, who with one glance turned all living things into stone. Athena provided Perseus with a copper shield, shining like a mirror, into which he looked, so as not to meet the eyes of Medusa the Gorgon. And thanks to this, he was able to cut off her head. One of Athena's favorites is Odysseus. His goddess accompanies him for many years of wandering, and eventually contributes to his return to his native island of Ithaca. Upon returning to her homeland, the goddess turns Odysseus into a beggar old man, and thus once again saves him, giving him the opportunity to take revenge on his offenders.
Athena acts as an assistant to Hercules in the fight against the titans, with her help he brings the dog of the god Hades Kerberus out of Erebus. The daughter of Zeus supports Diomedes in military exploits. Helps Prometheus to take out the fire from the forge of Hephaestus, and Jason to return the golden fleece.
Athena is the guardian of cities, their walls and fortresses. She is the protector of such cities as Troy, Athens, Sparta, Argos. The capital city of Greece, Athens, is named after her. Every year in the city of Athens, panathenaias were held - a celebration in honor of the goddess of wisdom, accompanied by musical and sports competitions, a festive procession with torches, offering gifts and sacrifices. The following agricultural holidays were dedicated to Athena:
- holidays associated with the germination of bread - procharisteries;
- holidays of fruit ripening - callinteria;
- drought prevention holidays - skirophoria;
- holidays of the beginning of the harvest - plintery and others.
The sacred tree of the daughter of Zeus is the olive (olive), in the Greek people called the "tree of fate". Everywhere Athena's companions are an owl and a snake - symbols of wisdom.
There are quite a few legends and myths about the goddess Athena. One of the most widespread in modern literature is the myth of Athena and Arachne. Arachne is a skilled embroiderer and weaver. Too proud of her talent, she challenged Athena to a weaving contest and lost in disgrace. Unable to bear this, Arachne tried to commit suicide, but Athena prevented this. As punishment for her pride and contempt for the gods, the goddess turned her into a spider so that she would hang forever and weave forever. Translated from Greek, the word "arachne" is translated as "spider".
Repeatedly in Greek mythology, there is a description of the enmity between Athena and Ares - the god of a cruel, bloody war. But, with Athena, the goddess of victory, Nike, is nearby, and in the end, Athena always turns out to be the winner.
In honor of the goddess of wisdom, many temples and shrines were built. These are the temples in the city of Athens - Erechtheion, Parthenon, Hekatompendon, Temple of Zeus and Athena. There were sanctuaries of Athena in other places - in the cities of Argos and Delphi, on the islands of Delos and Rhodes, in Sparta. Phidias, the greatest ancient Greek sculptor and architect, erected the statues of Athena Parthenos, Athena Lemnia, Athena Promachos, Athena Areya. Unfortunately, none of these works have survived to this day. Among the paintings of ancient painting dedicated to Athena are the paintings of Cleanthes "The Birth of Athena", Antiphilus "Alexander and Philip with Athena" and Famulus "Athena".
Athena, the embodiment of wisdom and beauty, remains an object of admiration and a muse for many sculptors, painters and poets today.

A special place in Greek mythology was occupied by the goddess Athena (Ἀθηνᾶ), she was ranked among the 12 main Olympic gods.

The Greeks respected and loved the goddess, believed that Athena was always next to them, wanting to help. Athena was the goddess of wisdom, strategy, war, knowledge, was the patroness of Athens, art, culture, philosophical thought and martial arts.

Birth of Athena

The appearance of Athena happened in an unusual way. The first wife of Zeus was Mitida (Μήτιδα), who was wiser than gods and people. After she became pregnant, Moira, the goddess of fate, predicted to her that Mitida would give birth first to a daughter, and then to a son who would overthrow Zeus from the throne. To avoid this, Zeus swallowed his pregnant wife. Then he called Hephaestus and ordered him to cut his head. He complied with his will and hit the skull with an ax. A beautiful Athena jumped out of there, in full uniform and with sparkling weapons.

Athena became the favorite child of Zeus. She fought next to him in the fight against the giants, and after he drove the giant Enceladus away, Athena chased him in her chariot, who threw a stone with her killed the giant and became the island of Sicily.
The cult of Athena began at the time of Kekrops (Κέκροπα) in ancient Athens and from there spread throughout Greece. Endless celebrations and holidays in all cities were dedicated to the goddess Athena, but the brightest were in Athens. Pericles dedicated the entire Citadel to Athena.

The goddess Athena had many names, the ancient Greeks at various times added divine and sacred names to their beloved Goddess:

Pallas (Παλλάδα) was given to Athena at birth when she was born from the head of Zeus with a new sparkling spear. According to another version, Athena killed the giant Pallantus (Πάλλαντα).
Promachos (Πρόμαχος) warrior, refers to the goddess's combative nature and her status as brave in battle, her "strategic" plans are to support her heroes.
Virgin (Παρθένα) intact, Athena was a virgin, the Parthenon temple on the Acropolis is dedicated to Athena the Virgin.
Blue-eyed (Γλαυκώπις) light-eyed. The sacred bird of the goddess Athena, the owl (γλαυξ), comes from the same root, perhaps because of the large and bright eyes.

Athena and the owl

Since ancient times, the owl has been identical with wisdom. The ancient Greeks considered it a symbol of the goddess Athena.

The owl flies, does not walk, does not crawl. The gods of Olympus also flew, they took the form of birds when they appeared among people. Owls are special birds, predators, they see very well at night. The owl has a large round head, a disk-shaped face, large eyes that provide stereoscopic vision. This ruthless predator seizes prey with sharp claws and kills on the move, hitting the head with a hard and strong beak.

Such features of an owl seemed cult to the ancient Greeks.
The owl has the ability to see "the far sides of things", where others, due to darkness, are not able to see, thus it symbolizes "wisdom". Maybe for this reason the owl became the companion of the wisest Greek goddess, Athena.

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