Athena (In Rome Minerva)
Athena is the Greek Goddess of
war, wisdom, protector of cities and divine patroness of art
and crafts. Her fuller form of her name Athenaia or Athenaie,
was shortened to Athene in epic and to Athene in later Attic
usage. In Athens she was worshipped as the city´s patron Goddess.
Athena's father is Zeus, king of the Gods, and her mother is
Metis, Goddess of wisdom. Metis was first wife of Zeus, before
Hera, but this was a dangerous union because she was fated to
bear two exceptional children to him, first daughter Athena,
who was also as wise and strong as her father and then a son
who would displace him as ruler of Gods and mortals. Zeus swallowed
Metis when she was pregnant with their daughter Athena. So Athena
was born from his own body and the threatening son was never
conceived.
Athena was the favorite child of Zeus (he did call her ”dear
grey-eyes”) and was born from his head. According to the Homeric
Hymn to Athena she sprang from his head in full armor, presenting
such a fearsome sight that the Gods were seized with awe, and
Olympus reeled, and the earth cried out, and the sea tossed
and foamed; the sun God Helios stayed on his horses until she
had removed the heavenly armor from her shoulders, and Zeus
was delighted with her, then as ever. Athena was one of the
most important and popular Goddesses, sometimes its said that
her importance was second only to that of Zeus himself. She
is represented as a virgin Goddess, with beautiful but severe
face, grey eyes and graceful build. She is normally shown fully
armed with helmet, cloak and holding a long spear. She may also
have her special bird, the owl, sitting on her shoulder.
Pallas was one of the commonest titles of Athena. Its meaning
and origin are uncertain. According to the most favored explanation,
it means Girl or Maiden. A fragment from Philodemos refers to
a story that explained the title Pallas by saying that she once
had a companion by that name, who she accidentally killed. Athena
and Pallas, Daughter of Triton, used to practice warlike exercises,
but one day they quarreled, and as Pallas was about to strike
Athena, Zeus intervened on his daughters behalf by stretching
out his aegis. As Pallas looked up in surprise, Athena fatally
wounded her, but was afterwards sorry for her friend and made
an image of her which she clad in the aegis. This was the famous
Palladium, which fell to the city of Troy and served as a protective
talisman for the city. Another story stated that one of the
Giants had been called Pallas and that Athena had killed him
during the war between the Gods and the Giants, and had skinned
him to use his skin as a shield.
Athena is said to have invented the war-chariot and the art
of horse-taming. One time the hero Bellerophon tried to catch
and tame the immortal winged horse, Pegasus, but failed to do
that. While he was sleeping in Athena's shrine on the advise
of a seer Polyeidos, the Goddess appeared to him in his sleep
and told him to accept a bridle from her for use on Pegasus,
and to sacrifice a white bull to his father Poseidon, as tamer
of horses. In another version Athena tamed Pegasus on the Bellerophons
behalf. Warships were also of interest to Athena and she supervised
the building of the Argo, the mythical precursor of the fifty-oared
ships that were used in war-galleys in historical times. She
also had connection with music and the flute was her invention.
Athena was also patroness of peaceful handicrafts, especially
spinning and weaving. Arachne, the daughter of a dyer, was an
exquisite weaver who challenged the Goddess Athena to a contest.
In her weaving Arachne depicted the entire Greek pantheon in
sexual poses and Athena did choose stories on various mortals
who had aroused the wrath of Gods and been signally punished.
Although Arachne´s tapestry was flawless, her choice of subject
was too much for hot-tempered Athena. Arachne was attacked by
Athena, and later she did try to hang herself, because she did
became so distressed by what happened. Athena saved Arachne
and turned her into a spider, so that she could continue to
weave. Later in Greece and Rome Arachne was worshipped as a
spider Goddess of weavers and as a Fate-spinner.
Athena is a patron Goddess of Attica. She won this title after
competing with Poseidon, God of sea, who also wanted to gain
possession of various lands. First Poseidon tried to establish
his priority by giving the city a saltwater well. Later Athena
arrived, and gave people olive-trees. Athena won and later established
even a closer connection with Athens by becoming a foster mother
to Erichthonios, the ancestor of Athenian people.
Hephaistos, God of fire and smithies, tried to make love to
Athena, but she repelled and his semen fell on the ground, causing
it to became fertilized. Erichthonios was born and Athena claimed
him as her own by adopting him after he was born from the ground.
Athena raised him, and later he became king of Athens.
Sacred Days
Panathenaia Festival in Athens
every year to Athena, which Erichthonios, Athena's adopted son
did create to honor her after becoming king.
19 March. The day before equinox
(Ostara) is one of the festivals dedicated to Athena. In Roman
times it was called Quinquartrus, a festival that celebrated
the birth of Goddess Minerva, Athena's Roman form.
13 June. Festival that represents
the harmonious blending of power and wisdom of Goddess Athena
(Minerva)
13 November- Roman festival Feronia,
the Goddess of this name, along with Juno (Hera), Minerva (Athena)
and Jupiter (Zeus) was worshiped.
Sources:
Michael Jordan, Encyclopedia of
gods 2002
Michael Senior, Who´s who in mythology
1985
Elizabeth Hallan, Mytologian Jumalat
(Gods and Goddesses, 96) 1997
Nigel Pennick, the Pagan book of
days 1992
Arthur Cotterell, Mytologia: Jumalia,
Sankareita, Myyttejä 2005
Robin Hard, the Routledge handbook
of Greek mythology 2004
