Athena Athena is the goddess of wisdom and just war in the myths of the ancient Greeks. Born from Zeus and Metis (wisdom). Zeus swallowed his pregnant wife, then Hephaestus (or Prometheus) split his head with an ax, and Athena appeared from there in full battle armor and with a war cry. Athena is equal to Zeus in strength and wisdom. Her attributes are a snake and an owl, as well as an aegis - a shield made of goatskin with the head of a snake-haired Medusa, which has magical power and frightens gods and people. The sacred tree of Athena is the olive. Athena of the period of heroic mythology fights titans and giants. She killed the gorgon Medusa. No mortal can see her (she deprived young Tiresias of his sight when he accidentally saw her ablution). She patronizes heroes and protects public order. Her favorite is Odysseus, she is the main defender of the Achaean Greeks and the constant enemy of the Trojans during Trojan War. She helped potters, weavers, needlewomen, the builder of the Argo ship, and all artisans. Athena helped Prometheus steal fire from Hephaestus's forge. Her own products are genuine works of art. She is also a legislator and patroness of Athenian statehood. Although the cult of Athena was widespread throughout mainland and island Greece, Athena was especially revered in Attica, in Athens (the Greeks associated the name of the city of Athens with the name of the goddess). A huge statue of Athena Promachos (front line fighter) with a spear shining in the sun adorned the Acropolis in Athens, where the Erechtheion and Parthenon temples were dedicated to the goddess. Many agricultural holidays were dedicated to Athena. The festival of the Great Panathenaia was universal in nature (during the festival, sacrifices were made to Athena and the transfer of peplos took place - the goddess's veil, on which her exploits in gigantomachy - the fight against giants - were depicted). In Rome, Athena was identified with Minerva.
Historical Dictionary. 2000 .
Synonyms:- (Άθηνά), in Greek mythology, the goddess of wisdom and just war. The pre-Greek origin of the image of A. does not allow us to reveal the etymology of the name of the goddess, based only on data Greek language. The myth of the birth of A. from Zeus and Metis (“wisdom”, ... ... Encyclopedia of Mythology
Athena- Lemnia. Reconstruction of the statue of Phidias on the Acropolis of Athens. OK. 450 BC Sculpture collection. Dresden. Athena Lemnia. Reconstruction of the statue of Phidias on the Acropolis of Athens. OK. 450 BC Sculpture collection. Dresden. Athena in the myths of the ancient Greeks... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary " The World History»
- (Pallas, among the Romans Minerva) in Greek mythology, the goddess of wisdom and military affairs; daughter of Zeus, born from his head; was considered the patroness of Athens. Dictionary foreign words, included in the Russian language. Pavlenkov F., 1907. ATHENA (Greek... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
- (Pallas Athena) in Greek mythology, the goddess of war and victory, as well as wisdom, knowledge, arts and crafts. Daughter of Zeus, born in full armor (helmet and shell) from his head. Patroness of Athens. The Roman Minerva corresponds to her. Among … Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
Athena- Lemnia. Reconstruction of the statue of Phidias on the Acropolis of Athens. OK. 450 BC Sculpture collection. Dresden. ATHENA (Pallas Athena), in Greek mythology, the goddess of war and victory, wisdom, knowledge, arts and crafts, the patroness of Athens. Daughter of Zeus,... ... Illustrated encyclopedic Dictionary
- (Pallas Athena), in Greek mythology, the goddess of war and victory, wisdom, knowledge, arts and crafts, the patroness of Athens. Daughter of Zeus, born in full armor (helmet and shell) from his head. Attributes of Athena: snake, owl and aegis shield with... ... Modern encyclopedia
Pallas Athena, in ancient Greek mythology one of the main deities, a virgin goddess; revered as the goddess of war and victory, as well as wisdom, knowledge, arts and crafts. According to myth, A. in a helmet and shell came out of the head of Zeus. A.… … Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Minerva, Polyada, Pallas, Nike Dictionary of Russian synonyms. athena noun, number of synonyms: 10 pallas athena (3) ... Synonym dictionary
- (also Pallas) one of the most ancient deities of Greece, daughter of Zeus, warrior maiden, Greek parallel to the Valkyries (see) of German mythology. The origin of the image is unclear: perhaps it is based on a celestial projection of a primitive family... ... Literary encyclopedia
Greek goddess … Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron
The goddess Athena (Ἀθηνᾶ) occupied a special place in Greek mythology; she was counted among the 12 main Olympian gods.
The Greeks respected and loved the goddess and believed that Athena was always with them, wanting to help. Athena was the goddess of wisdom, strategy, war, knowledge, and 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 Mytis (Μήτιδα), who was wiser than gods and people. After she became pregnant, the Moiras, the goddesses 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. After which he called Hephaestus and ordered him to cut off his head. He carried out his will and hit his skull with an ax. The beautiful Athena jumped out from there, in full uniform and with sparkling weapons.
Athena became the favorite child of Zeus. She fought alongside him in the fight against the giants, and after he drove away the giant Enceladus, Athena chased after him in her chariot, the stone she threw killed the giant and became the island of Sicily.
The cult of Athena began with the time of Cecrops (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 Pallant (Πάλλαντα).
Promachos (Πρόμαχος) warrior, refers to the combative nature of the goddess and her status as brave in battle, her "strategic" plans are to support her heroes.
Virgin (Παρθένα) untouched, Athena was a virgin, the Parthenon temple on the Acropolis is dedicated to Athena the Virgin.
Blue-eyed (Γλαυκώπις) light-eyed. sacred bird the goddess Athena's owl (γλαυξ), comes from the same root, perhaps due to the large and bright eyes.
Athena and the owl
Since ancient times, the owl has been identical to 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, its face is round like a disk, big eyes, which provide stereoscopic vision. This ruthless predator grabs prey with sharp claws and kills in motion, hitting the head with a hard and strong beak.
Such features of the owl seemed cult to the ancient Greeks.
The owl has the ability to see the “far side of things” where others are unable to see due to darkness, thus it symbolizes “wisdom”. Maybe for this reason, The owl became the companion of the wisest Greek goddess, Athena.
Athena(ancient Greek - Athenaia; Mycenaean atanapotinija - “Atana the Lady”), in Greek mythology, the goddess of wisdom and just war, military wisdom and strategy, knowledge, arts and crafts. Athena is a warrior maiden, patroness of cities, sciences, skill, intelligence, dexterity and ingenuity. One of the 12 great Olympian gods.
In the sources there are references to the birth of a child associated with Athena and Hephaestus. The first part of this story is contained only in later sources. According to them, Zeus vowed to fulfill any desire of Hephaestus and the Blacksmith God asked Athena as his wife. The King of the Gods could not break the oath, but advised his maiden daughter to defend herself. According to the main legend, the daughter of Zeus came to Hephaestus for weapons, and he tried to take possession of her, and she began to run away. The Blacksmith God chased after her and overtook her, but while defending herself with a weapon in her hands, Pallas wounded her pursuer with a spear. Hephaestus spilled the seed on Athena's leg, after which the goddess wiped it with wool and buried it in the ground, after which Gaia the earth gave birth to a baby. Therefore, Erichthonius was called both the son of Gaia and the son of Athena, and the name was interpreted from “erion” - wool (or “eris” - discord) and “chthon” - earth.
Athena secretly raised Erichthonius, wanting to make him immortal, she gave him in a casket for safekeeping to the daughters of Cecrops Aglavra, Gersa and Pandrosa, forbidding him to open. The sisters opened the casket and saw a child entwined with snakes, which the Warrior assigned to the baby as guard. They were either killed by snakes, or Pallas drove them mad and they threw themselves from the top of the acropolis into the abyss. After the death of his sisters, Erichthonius was raised in the temple of Athena. When he grew up, he became king, erected a xoan (statue or idol made of wood) of Athena on the acropolis, and established the Panathenaea, holding a procession in honor of Athena on the acropolis for the first time. Erichthonius was buried in the sacred site of the temple of Athena Polias.
Also, according to one version, together with Hephaestus, by the will of Zeus, she created the first woman - Pandora, who opened the ill-fated vessel called “Pandora’s Box”.
A powerful, terrible, owl-eyed goddess of the archaic, the owner of an aegis, during the period of heroic mythology she directs her strength to fight titans and giants. Although, according to the early mythological scheme, the Titanomachy occurred even before the birth of Athena, later authors, starting with Euripides, often confused giants and titans. Her participation in gigantomachy is a popular plot. Hyginus cites the story that after the death of Epaphus, Zeus, together with Athena, Apollo and Artemis, threw the titans into Tartarus, prompted by Hera. Together with Hercules, Athena kills one of the giants; she drove a chariot with a pair of horses towards the giant Enceladus, and when he fled, she brought down the island of Sicily on him. Pallanta peels off his skin and covers his body with it during battle.
The goddess of war demands sacred respect. There is a well-known myth about how she deprived young Tiresias (the son of her favorite nymph Chariklo) of sight. One day Athena and Chariklo decided to swim in a spring on Helikon, Tiresias saw the goddess and she blinded him (according to another version, he became blind from the sight of Athena). Having deprived the young man of his sight, she at the same time endowed him with a prophetic gift and gave him the ability to understand the language of birds, as well as the ability to maintain reason in Hades. Ovid, in Book VI of Metamorphoses, outlined the myth of how Athena severely punished the weaver Arachne when she questioned the piety of the gods by weaving love scenes with the participation of the gods on a bedspread.
Classical Athena is endowed with ideological and organizing functions: she patronizes heroes, protects public order, etc. In the myths of ancient Greece, stories about Athena helping heroes are common. She helps Perseus by guiding his hand in decapitating Medusa. One of Athena's epithets is "gorgon killer." Perseus sacrificed a heifer to the goddess and gave Athena the head of the Gorgon, which she placed on her shield. Athena later placed Perseus, Andromeda, Cassiopeia and Kepheus among the constellations. She inspired and gave strength to Cadmus, and also gave him a stone to fight the Theban dragon. On the advice of the wise Goddess, Cadmus sowed the dragon's teeth and threw a block at them, which caused a fight between them. Athena made Cadmus reign in Thebes, and for his wedding with Harmony she gave him a necklace, peplos and flutes.
It is believed that Asclepius received the blood of the Gorgon from Athena, with which he raised the dead. According to Euripides, at birth she gave Erichthonius two drops of the Gorgon’s blood, which he gave to Erechtheus in a golden ring, and the latter to Creuse (one drop is healing, the other is poisonous). Athena appeared in a dream to Pericles and indicated a herb to heal his slave who had fallen from the roof of the Acropolis Propylaea under construction, the herb was nicknamed parthenium, and Pericles erected a statue of Athena Hygieia. The base of a statue made by the sculptor Pyrrhus was found on the acropolis.
Pindar mentions that Bellerophon saw Athena in a dream while sleeping on her altar, and erected an altar to Athena the Rider when she handed over Pegasus to him. She also helps Nestor against Ereuthalion and in the battle with the Eleans. The goddess Menelaus protects from the arrow of Pandarus (according to Plutarch).
Repeatedly the wise Goddess helped Hercules at the request of Zeus. Athena threw a stone at the mad hero, which saved Amphitryon; this stone is called Sophronister, that is, “bringing to reason.” She gave him a cloak (according to another version, armor) before the war with Orchomen. There is a version that it was Athena who told the hero how to kill the Lernaean Hydra and gave him rattles made by Hephaestus to scare away the Stymphalian birds. With the help of Pallas, Hercules led the dog Cerberus out of Hades, and later she took the apples of the Hesperides from him and returned them to their place. Athena gave the hero the cubit of the Gorgon, which the hero gave to Sterope, daughter of Kepheus, for protection. The dying Hercules appeals to Athena with requests for an easy death (according to Seneca) and she leads him to heaven.
When Tydeus is ambushed by the Thebans, Athena warns him against returning to Thebes. During the campaign of the Seven against Thebes, the Warrior Goddess is present next to Tydeus in battle and deflects some of the arrows from him and covers him with a shield. When Tydeus was mortally wounded, she begged from her father a potion of immortality for the wounded man, but when she saw that Tydeus was devouring the brain of his enemy, she hated him and did not give him the medicine.
Athena's help to Tydeus' son Diomedes is described in detail in Homer's Iliad. The goddess gives him strength, inspires him to fight, including against Aphrodite, directs the spear of Diomedes against Pandarus, inspires Diomedes to fight with Ares, takes the peak of Ares away from the hero and directs the spear of Diomedes into the stomach of Ares, protects Diomedes during the storm. Horace says that Diomedes was elevated to gods by Athena.
The same Iliad mentions that Athena helped Achilles destroy Lyrnessos, she also tames the anger of Achilles at the request of Hera, lights a flame around Achilles’ head, frightening the Trojans. When Achilles mourns Patroclus, refusing food, she gives him nectar and ambrosia at the request of Zeus. During the fight with Hector, he protects Achilles, taking Hector’s spear away from him. It was she, in the form of Deiphobus, who advised Hector to meet Achilles, before which she appeared to Achilles and promised to help him in this battle. Achilles says to Hector: “under my spear Tritogen (i.e. Athena) will soon tame you.” After the death of Achilles, the Goddess mourns and comes to mourn him and rub ambrosia on his body.
In Homer's poems (especially the Odyssey), not a single important event takes place without the intervention of Athena. She is Odysseus's constant adviser, helps him calm the people, protects the hero from the lance of the Trojan Socus, helps him in running competitions, and supported him on the night of the capture of Troy. However, Athena never helped Odysseus during his wanderings (in the songs of the Odyssey dedicated to this period, she is not mentioned even once); assistance resumes after the crash of Odysseus’s raft. She calms the winds, helps him get ashore, and then sends him sleep. Athena often takes on the guise of mortals to advise or help Odysseus and at the same time transforms Odysseus: she elevates him in stature, gives him strength in competition, if necessary, turns Odysseus into an old beggar, and then restores his beauty again, and hides the hero on the island of Pheakov cloud, in Ithaca hides him and his companions in darkness and helps him leave the city.
She is the main defender of the Achaean Greeks and the constant enemy of the Trojans, although her cult also existed in Troy. Athena is the protector of Greek cities (Athens, Argos, Megara, Sparta, etc.), bearing the name “city defender”.
The warrior goddess promotes the capture of Troy from the very beginning of the Trojan War. She participates in the Judgment of Paris and loses the argument to Aphrodite. The Trojan horse was made by Epeus according to the plan of Athena, she appeared to him in a dream, in three days the horse was completed and Epeus asks Athena to bless his work and calls the Trojan horse an offering to the Goddess. The inhabitants of Metapontum showed in the temple of Athena the iron tools of Epeus, with which he built a horse. She took the form of a messenger and advised Odysseus to hide the Achaean heroes in his horse. Next, the Goddess brought the food of the gods to the heroes, who were about to get on the horse, so that they would not feel hungry. When the Trojans think about destroying the horse, Athena gives bad signs (an earthquake) and the Trojans do not believe Laocoon, who insisted on this. She rejoices when the Trojans drag a wooden horse into the city and sends snakes to kill the sons of Laocoon. Trifiodorus describes how Helen of Sparta came to the temple of Athena and walked around her horse three times, calling the heroes by name, but the Goddess of War, visible only to Helen, appeared and forced her to leave. And on the night of the fall of Troy, Pallas sat on the acropolis, her aegis shining, and when the beating began, she screamed and raised her aegis.
Athena is always considered in the context of artistic craft, art, craftsmanship. She helps potters, weavers, needlewomen, and working people in general; she helped Prometheus steal fire from Hephaestus’s forge; Daedalus learned his art from her. She teaches girls crafts (the daughters of Pandareus, Eurynoma and others). Her touch alone is enough to make a person beautiful - this is how Penelope acquired the amazing beauty of meeting her future husband. She personally polished Peleus' spear.
Her own products are genuine works of art, such as the cloak woven for the hero Jason. She made her own clothes and even Hera's clothes. She taught people the art of weaving. However, Plato points out that Athena's mentor in the art of weaving was Eros. The spinning wheel is another gift of the Goddess to people; weavers are called those serving “the cause of Athena.”
Athena is credited with inventing the flute and teaching Apollo how to play it. Pindar says that one of the gorgons, Medusa, moaned terribly as she died, and the other Euryale moaned while looking at her sister, and Athena invented a flute to repeat these sounds. According to another story, the Patroness of the Arts made a flute from deer bone and came to the gods' meal, but Hera and Aphrodite ridiculed her. Athena, looking at her reflection in the water, saw how ugly her cheeks were swelling, and threw the flute in the Ideal Forest. The abandoned flute was picked up by the satyr Marsyas. Later, Marsyas challenged Apollo to a competition in playing the flute, was defeated and was severely punished for his pride (Apollo flayed the satyr). Aristotle believes that the Goddess abandoned the flute for another reason: playing the flute is not associated with mental development.
One of the most important mythological stories about Athena - judgment for Attica. Athena argued with the god of the seas, Poseidon, for the possession of Attica. At the council of the gods, it was decided that Attica would go to the one whose gift on this earth would be more valuable. Poseidon struck with his trident and gushed out a spring from the rock. But the water in it turned out to be salty and undrinkable. Athena stuck her spear into the ground, and an olive tree grew from it. All the gods recognized that this gift was more valuable. Poseidon was angry and wanted to flood the earth with the sea, but Zeus forbade him. Since then, the olive has been considered in Greece sacred tree. Varro cites a later version of the myth, where Cecrops put the question of the name of the city to a vote: men voted for Poseidon, and women for Athena, and one woman turned out to be more. Then Poseidon devastated the earth with waves, and the Athenians subjected women to triple punishment: they were deprived of the right to vote, none of the children had to take the mother’s name, and no one had to call women Athenians. The trial took place on Boedromion 2 (end of September) and the Athenians removed this day from the calendar. The dispute between Poseidon and Athena was depicted on the back of the Parthenon, and in Ovid's account, Athena depicts this scene on fabric during her competition with Arachne.
Sophocles calls the Goddess Athena the Virgin, mistress of horses, her epithet is “Parthenos”. Argive girls sacrificed hair to her before marriage. According to Nonnus, Avra, suffering in childbirth, wants Athena to give birth herself. And the wise Goddess feeds the son of Avra and Dionysus Iacchus with her milk, as Erichthonius did earlier. The women of Elis prayed to Athena to get pregnant. And she helped Penelope delay her new wedding day. When Penelope asks Athena for Odysseus, the Goddess sends the ghost of Ifthima to her to reassure her. She inspires Penelope with the idea of arranging a competition for the suitors.
Already in Homer, Athena appears as the patroness of shipbuilding and navigation. According to her instructions, the architect Argos from Thespiae created the ship Argo. On the bow, Pallas strengthened a piece of the trunk of a Dodon oak tree, which could prophesy. After completing the voyage, the ship was placed in the sky by Athena. On the advice of Athena, Danaus, the son of the Egyptian king Bel and Ankhinoe, the father of 50 daughters, built a 50-oar ship with two bows, on which he fled with his daughters. According to myth, Danaus received a prediction that he would die at the hands of his son-in-law, Danaus’ daughters took up arms and killed their husbands in one night, fleeing revenge Danai built his own ship. Perseus, whom Pallas also willingly helped, was a descendant of Danaus. The image of the Goddess was on Athenian ships; according to myths, she often sends a fair wind to ships (Telemachus, Theseus, the Achaeans returning from Lemnos).
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| Athena. 470-465 BC. Red-figured amphora. Attica. St. Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum |
The etymology of the name "Athena", due to the pre-Greek origin of her image, is unclear. In modern Russian, a form close to the Byzantine pronunciation of the name, through “and”, has been established, but in the classical era the name of the goddess was pronounced approximately like “Athena”. Homer sometimes calls her Athenea, that is, "Athenian."
Athena is the goddess of wisdom, Democritus considered her “reasonableness.” Her wisdom is different from the wisdom of Hephaestus and Prometheus; she is characterized by wisdom in state affairs. For late antiquity, Athena was the principle of the indivisibility of the cosmic mind and a symbol of comprehensive world wisdom, thereby her qualities are sharply contrasted with the riot and ecstasy of Dionysus. As the legislator and patroness of Athenian statehood, she was revered as Phratria (“brotherly”), Bulaya (“councillor”), Soteira (“savior”), Pronoia (“provident”).
There is numerous information about the cosmic features of the image of Athena. She keeps the lightning bolts of Zeus. Her image or fetish, so-called. palladium, fell from the sky (perhaps hence her epithet Pallas). It is also possible that the epithet Pallas comes from the Greek “to shake (with weapons)”, that is, it means a victorious warrior, or it means “maiden”. Athena was identified with the daughters of Kekrops - Pandrosa ("all-wet") and Aglavra ("light-air"), or Agravla ("field-furrowed").
Homer calls Athena "Glavkopis" (owl-eyed), the Orphic hymn (XXXII 11) - "variegated snake." In Boeotia, she, the inventor of the flute, was revered under the name Bombileia, that is, “bee-like,” “buzzing.” The epithet Parthenos is the name of the Virgin Athena, hence the name of the Parthenon temple. Athena is called Promachos, that is, “advanced fighter,” as the patroness of war and fair battle.
The main epithets of Athena, endowed with civil functions, are Polyada ("urban", "patron of cities and states") and Poliukhos ("city ruler"). And she has the epithet Ergan (“worker”) as the patroness of artisans.
Athena's ancient zoomorphic past is indicated by her attributes - a snake and an owl (symbols of wisdom). The chthonic wisdom of the Goddess has its origin in the image of the goddess with snakes of the Cretan-Mycenaean period. Athena's predecessor, according to Martin Nilsson's theory, was the "shield goddess" depicted on the Larnaca of Milato, as well as on other monuments, whose symbol was a figure-eight shield. According to I.M. Dyakonov, the single image of the warrior maiden was divided among the Greeks into three: the warrior and needlewoman Athena, the huntress Artemis and the goddess of sexual passion Aphrodite. The myth of the birth of Athena from Metis and Zeus belongs to late period Greek mythology. As Losev points out, she becomes, as it were, a direct continuation of the King of the Gods, the executor of his plans and will. In the temple dedicated to her, according to Herodotus, there lived a huge snake - the guardian of the acropolis, dedicated to the goddess. An owl and a snake guarded the palace of the Minotaur on Crete, and an image of a goddess with a shield of Mycenaean times (possibly a prototype of Olympian Athena).
Pallas is one of the most important figures not only in Olympic mythology; in its importance it is equal to Zeus and sometimes even surpasses him, rooted in ancient period development of Greek mythology - matriarchy. She is equal in strength and wisdom to her father. Along with the new functions of the goddess of military power, Athena retained her matriarchal independence, manifested in her understanding as a maiden and protector of chastity.
She is easily distinguishable from other ancient Greek goddesses due to her unusual appearance. Unlike other female deities, she uses male attributes - she is dressed in armor, holds a spear in her hands, and is accompanied by sacred animals. Among the indispensable attributes of Athena is the aegis - a shield made of goatskin with the head of the snake-haired Medusa, which has enormous magical power, frightening gods and people; helmet with a high crest. Athena appeared accompanied by the winged goddess Nike.
Athena's olive trees were considered the "trees of fate", and she herself was thought of as fate and the Great Mother Goddess, who is known in archaic mythology as the parent and destroyer of all living things. Among the Megarians, Athena is revered under the epithet Ethia (“diving duck”), according to Hesychius, since she turned into a diving duck, hid Cecrops under her wings and brought him to Megara.
She is credited with the invention of the chariot, the ship, the flute and trumpet, the ceramic pot, the rake, the plow, the yoke for oxen and the bridle for horses, as well as the invention of war in principle. She taught weaving, spinning and cooking and established laws.
Although her cult was widespread throughout mainland and island Greece (Arcadia, Argolis, Corinth, Sikyon, Thessaly, Boeotia, Crete, Rhodes), the Goddess of War was especially revered in Attica, the Greek region where the city named after her was located. A huge statue of Athena Promachos with a spear shining in the sun adorned the Acropolis in Athens, where the Erechtheion and Parthenon temples were dedicated to the goddess.
The first priestess of Athena was called Kalyfiessa, the priestesses were also Pandrosa, Theano, Phoebe (one of the daughters of Leucippus, kidnapped by the Dioscuri), Hersa, Aglavra, Iodama, the last three suffered an unenviable fate. Groves and many temples were dedicated to Athena in Athens, Argos, Delos, Rhodes and other cities.
Agricultural holidays were dedicated to her: procharisteria (in connection with the germination of bread), plintheria (the beginning of the harvest), arrephoria (giving dew for crops), callinteria (ripening of fruits), scirophoria (aversion to drought). During these celebrations, the statue of Athena was washed, and the young men took an oath of civil service to the goddess. The celebration of the great Panathenaia - state wisdom - was universal. Erichthonius was considered the founder of Panathenaia, and Theseus was the transformer. The annual Panathenaea was organized by Solon, the great ones were established by Pisistratus. Pericles introduced competitions in singing, playing the cithara and flute. At the Panathenaea, sacrifices were made to Athena and the goddess’s peplos was handed over, which depicted her exploits in the gigantomachy. In Athens, the third decade of each month was dedicated to the Goddess. According to myths, when all the gods fled to Egypt, she remained in her homeland.
In Rome, Athena was identified with Minerva. Two large passages from Ovid's Fast are devoted to the Roman festivals of Minerva. Throughout antiquity, it remains evidence of the organizing and directing power of reason, which organizes cosmic and social life, glorifying the strict foundations of a state based on democratic legislation.
The XI and XXVIII hymns of Homer, the V hymn of Callimachus, the XXXII Orphic hymn, the VII hymn of Proclus and the prose “Hymn to Athena” by Aelius Aristides are dedicated to Athena. She is the protagonist of the tragedies of Sophocles “Eantes”, Euripides “Ion”, “The Supplicators”, “The Trojan Women”, “Iphigenia in Tarvid”, Pseudo-Euripides “Res”.
She acts in the prologue of Sophocles' tragedy "Ajax", talking with Odysseus and Ajax. A monument to the glorification of the wise ruler of the Athenian state, the founder of the Areopagus, is the tragedy of Aeschylus “Eumenides”.
There are many known statues of the Goddess of War, the most famous of which are Phidias “Athena Promachos” from the 5th century. BC e., "Athena Parthenos" 438 BC, "Athena Lemnia" around 450 BC. have not survived to this day. The most accurate copy of Athena Parthenos is the statue of Athena Varvakion in National Museum in Athens, and Athens Promachos is probably Athena Medici in the Louvre. The Vatican Museum houses "Athena Giustiniani" (a copy of the original from the 4th century BC)
The painter Famuel, who painted the Golden Palace of Nero, created a picture in which the Goddess looked at the viewer from any point. Cleanthes's painting "The Birth of Athena" was in the sanctuary of Artemis Alphionia at Olympia.
In Western European painting, the Goddess of Wisdom was less popular than, for example, Aphrodite (Venus). She was often depicted in the "Judgement of Paris" plot along with Aphrodite and Hera. Botticelli's painting "Pallas and the Centaur" of 1482 is well known. It was depicted mainly in works of an allegorical nature, multi-figure compositions ("Minerva conquers ignorance" by B. Spranger, "Victory of virtue over sin" by A. Mantegna). She was depicted together with Ares (Mars) ("Minerva and Mars" by Tintoretto, Veronese), rarely in sculpture (Sansovino).
Supposedly famous mysterious picture Diego Velazquez's "The Spinner" illustrates the myth of Athena and Arachne.
An asteroid is named after Athena - one of three asteroids discovered on July 22, 1917 by German astronomer Maximilian Wolf at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl Observatory, Germany.
Athena is the name given to the American light-class launch vehicle.
The city of Athens is the capital of the state in Southern Europe Greece.
One of the central places in ancient Greek mythology is given to Pallas Athena. Athena is the goddess of wisdom, the goddess of just war and victory, one of the most revered goddesses in Greece. Athena is the daughter of Zeus, the most powerful god on all of Olympus, the god of sky, thunder and lightning. The rest of the Greek gods obey Zeus, he has power over people, establishes social order, and distributes good and evil on earth. But it would be fair to note that his beloved daughter is not inferior to him, neither in strength nor in wisdom. Many legends describe Athena sitting 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, and ship. Among her achievements were the development of laws and the establishment of the High Court in Athens. She is the personification of literacy and justice. Athena gives wisdom and knowledge, teaches people arts and crafts, helps needlewomen, weavers, and potters. With the growth of Greek culture, the wise warrior also became the patroness of science.
The daughter of Zeus - the goddess of wisdom - was the object of worship throughout Ancient Greece, poets sang about her, sculptors and artists admired her. In numerous works by sculptors, artists and poets, the daughter of Zeus appears before us in full military armor: she wears sparkling military armor, a shiny helmet, and the goddess holds a spear and shield in her hands. But for all her fighting appearance, she is distinguished by her extraordinary beauty. She has gray-blue eyes, brown hair, a divine figure and majestic posture.
Athena patronizes the heroes of Greece, gives them wise advice and helps them out in times of danger. Thus, the goddess of wisdom assists Perseus in dealing with Medusa the 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 throughout his many years of wandering, and ultimately facilitates his return to his native island of Ithaca. Upon returning to his homeland, the goddess turns Odysseus into a poor old man, and thus saves him once again, 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 his military exploits. Helps Prometheus take the fire out of Hephaestus's forge, and Jason helps 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 city, the capital of Greece, Athens, is named in her honor. Every year in the city of Athens the Panathenaia was held - a celebration in honor of the goddess of wisdom, accompanied by musical and sports competitions, a festive procession with torches, offerings of gifts and sacrifices. The following agricultural holidays were dedicated to Athena:
- holidays associated with the germination of bread - procharisteria;
- holidays of fruit ripening - callinteria;
- holidays of drought prevention - skyphoria;
- holidays of the beginning of the harvest - plinteria and others.
The sacred tree of the daughter of Zeus is the olive tree, which the Greek people called the “tree of fate.” Everywhere Athena's companions are the owl and the snake - symbols of wisdom.
There are quite a few legends and myths about the goddess Athena. One of the most common in modern literature- the myth of Athena and Arachne. Arachne is a skilled embroiderer and weaver. Overly proud of her talent, she challenged Athena to a weaving competition and lost in disgrace. Unable to bear this, Arachne tried to take her own life, 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 cruelty, bloody war. But, with Athena by her side is the goddess of victory Nike, and in the end Athena always turns out to be the winner.
Many temples and sanctuaries were built in honor of the goddess of wisdom. 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 “Athena Parthenos”, “Athena Lemnia”, “Athena Promachos”, “Athena Areia”. Unfortunately, none of these works have survived to this day. Among the paintings of ancient painting dedicated to Athena are the paintings by Cleanthes “The Birth of Athena”, Antiphilus “Alexander and Philip with Athena” and Famula “Athena”.
Athena, the embodiment of wisdom and beauty, remains an object of admiration and a muse for many sculptors, artists and poets today.
The ancient Greek goddess Athena is known for protecting cities and patronizing the sciences. This is a warrior who could not be defeated, the goddess of knowledge and wisdom. The Greek goddess Athena was absolutely deservedly revered by the ancient Greeks. She was the beloved daughter of Zeus, and the capital of Greece was named after her. She always helped the heroes not only with wise advice, but also with deeds. She taught girls in Greece spinning, weaving, and cooking. The Greek goddess Athena not only had a strange birth, but there are also many fascinating stories and myths associated with her name. Let's find out more about her.
According to myths, the Greek goddess Athena was born in a spectacular and rather unusual way - from the head of Zeus. He knew in advance that Metis, the goddess of reason, would have two children - a daughter (Athena) and a son, endowed with incredible strength and intelligence. And the Moiras, the goddesses of fate, warned Zeus that this boy would one day take away his existing power over the whole world. To avoid such a turn of events, Zeus put Metis to sleep with gentle speeches and swallowed her before the birth of her son and daughter. However, he soon began to suffer from unbearable headaches. To save himself from suffering, Zeus called Hephaestus to him and ordered him to cut his head with an ax. With one strong blow he split the skull. To the amazement of all the Olympian gods present, the beautiful goddess Athena appeared from there, and she came out in full armor, and her blue eyes burned with wisdom. It is with this myth that the birth of a brave and wise warrior is associated.
Huge blue (according to some sources, gray) eyes, luxurious brown hair, majestic posture - this description already says that she was a real goddess. Athena is usually depicted everywhere with a spear in her hand and in armor. Despite her natural grace and beauty, she was surrounded by masculine attributes. On her head you can see a helmet with a fairly high crest, and in her hands she always has a shield, which is decorated with the head of the Gorgon. Athena is the goddess of wisdom, so she is always accompanied by the corresponding attributes - a snake and an owl.
We have already talked a little about the armor and attributes of the brave warrior. Athena is the goddess of war, dispersing clouds with the blade of her sparkling sword, protecting cities, inventing everything necessary for the art of war. In honor of her, even Panathenaic holidays were celebrated - large and small. Athena is the goddess of war, but she did not take any pleasure in participating in battles, unlike Eris and Ares, who were thirsty for blood and reprisals. She preferred to resolve all issues exclusively peacefully. In good and calm times, she did not carry weapons with her, but if necessary, she received them from Zeus. But if the goddess Athena entered into battle, she never lost it.
How many “responsibilities” were assigned to her! For example, she kept order during weather changes. If there was a thunderstorm with heavy rain, Athena had to make sure that the sun would certainly come out after that. After all, she was also the goddess of gardens and fertility. Under her protection there was an olive tree in Attica, which was of great importance for those lands. She needed to control tribal institutions, the civil structure, and state life. Athena is the goddess of Ancient Greece, who in myths is also the goddess of prudence, intelligence, insight, inventions of art, artistic activity. She teaches people crafts and arts, gives them knowledge and wisdom. Also, no one could surpass her in the art of weaving. True, such an attempt was made by Arachne, but she later paid for her arrogance. The ancient Greeks were sure that it was Athena who invented the flute, plow, ceramic pot, rake, chariot, horse bridle, ship and much more. That is why everyone rushed to her for wise advice. She was so kind that even in court she always cast her vote for the acquittal of the accused.
It should be noted that another integral and characteristic part of her cult was virginity. According to myths, many titans, gods, and giants repeatedly tried to gain her attention and marry her, but she rejected their advances in every possible way. And then one day, in the midst of the Trojan War, the goddess Athena turned to Hephaestus with a request to make separate armor for her. As we already know, in such cases she had to receive weapons from Zeus. However, he did not support either the Trojans or the Hellenes, and therefore would hardly have given his daughter her armor. Hephaestus did not even think of denying Athena her request, but he said that she should pay for the weapon not with money, but with love. Athena either did not understand the meaning of these words, or did not attach any significance to them, since she arrived on time at Hephaestus’s forge to receive her order. Before she had time to cross the threshold, he rushed towards her and wanted to take possession of the goddess. Athena managed to escape from his hands, but Hephaestus's seed managed to spill onto her leg. She wiped herself with a piece of wool and threw it on the floor. Once on mother earth, Gaia, the seed fertilized her. Gaia was not pleased with this fact, and she said that she refused to raise the baby from Hephaestus. Athena also took this burden on her shoulders.
Athena is a goddess, the myths about which only confirm her courage and warlikeness. As she promised, she took the child named Erichthonius to be raised with her. However, it turned out that she did not have enough time for this, so she put the child in a sacred casket and gave it to Aglavra, the daughter of Kekrops. However, soon the new teacher Erichthonia tried to fool Hermes, as a result of which she and her entire family gave their lives for this.
Hearing this tragic news from the white crow, the goddess was very upset and made the bird black (since then all crows are black). The bird found Athena while she was carrying a huge rock. In upset feelings, the goddess dropped it on the Acropolis in order to strengthen it more reliably. Today this rock is called Lycabetta. She hid Erichthonium under her auspices and raised it independently. Later he became king in Athens and introduced the cult of his mother in this city.
Athena is the goddess of Ancient Greece, about whom there are many interesting mythological stories today. This myth tells how she became the ruler of Attica. According to him, Poseidon was the first to come here, hit the ground on the Acropolis with his trident - and a source of sea water appeared. Athena came here after him, hit the ground with her spear - and an olive tree appeared. By the decision of the judges, Athena was recognized as the winner, since her gift turned out to be more necessary and useful. Poseidon became very angry and wanted to flood the whole earth with the sea, but Zeus did not allow him to do so.
As we have already said, Athena is credited with creating many things, including the flute. According to myth, one day the goddess found a deer bone and created a flute from it. The sounds that such an instrument made gave Athena incomparable pleasure. She decided to show off her invention and skill at the table of the gods. However, Hera and Aphrodite began to openly laugh at her. It turned out that while playing the instrument, Athena’s cheeks swell and her lips protrude, which does not add to her attractiveness. Not wanting to look ugly, she abandoned the flute and cursed in advance whoever would play it. The instrument was destined to find Marcia, who could not escape the later terrible punishment from Apollo.
We have already mentioned above that the goddess had no equal in the art of weaving. However, attempts were made to surpass it, which did not entail anything good. One of the myths tells about such a story.
When it came to all women's work and crafts, the goddess was called Ergana or Athena the worker. One of the main crafts of the Athenians was weaving, but the materials produced from Asian countries were made more delicately and elegantly. Such rivalry gave rise to the myth of enmity between Arachne and Athena.
Arachne was not of noble origin, her father worked as an ordinary dyer, but the girl had the talent to weave incredibly thin and very beautiful materials. She also knew how to spin quickly and evenly, and loved to decorate her work with skillful embroidery. Praise and pleasant speeches for her work came from all sides. Arachne became so proud of this that it occurred to her to compete with the goddess. She stated that she could easily defeat her in this craft.
Athena was very angry and decided to put the impudent person in his place, but first she wanted to resolve everything peacefully, which was very characteristic of her. She took on the appearance of an old woman and went to Arachne. There she began to prove to the girl that it was very dangerous for a mere mortal to start such games with a goddess. To which the proud weaver replied that even if Athena herself appeared before her, she would be able to prove her superiority in the craft.
Athena was not a timid person, so she accepted the challenge. Both girls got to work. The goddess wove a story on her loom about her difficult relationship with Poseidon, and Arachne depicted all sorts of transformations of gods and love affairs. The work of a mere mortal was done so well and skillfully that, although Athena tried, she did not find a single flaw in it.
Angry and forgetting about her duty to be fair, Athena hit the girl on the head with the shuttle. Proud Arachne could not survive such humiliation and hanged herself. And the goddess turned her into a spider, which was destined to weave throughout its life.
She helped many not only with advice, but by performing feats. For example, Perseus was raised in her temple. And it was Athena who taught him to wield a sword, for which he brought her the head of the Gorgon as a gift. As we know, she placed it on her shield. The goddess helped Tydeus compete with the Thebans - she reflected arrows from him and covered him with a shield. The goddess inspired Diomedes to fight with Aphrodite and Pandarus. She helped Achilles destroy Lyrnessus and frighten the Trojans by creating a fire. And when Achilles fought with Hector, she saved the former from being hit by a spear.
Back in the 5th century BC, the sculptor Phidias created a huge statue of Athena, which has not survived to this day, although there have been repeated attempts to restore it. It was a large statue of a goddess brandishing a spear. They installed it on the Acropolis. Thanks to the large sparkling sword, the statue was visible from afar. Somewhat later, the same master made a bronze figure of Athena, preserved in marble copies.
And the painter Famul created a canvas called “Athena” when he painted Nero’s palace. The most interesting thing is that no matter from which side a person looks at the picture, the goddess turns her gaze to him. And in the sanctuary of Artemis there was a work by Cleanthes called “The Birth of Athena.”
If we talk about modern times, then in 2010 the series “Athena: Goddess of War” was released. The drama from a Korean director is about a terrorist group that threatens the entire world.
We hope you learned more about the brave and always ready to help goddess. Study myths, it is always exciting, educational and interesting!
