10 myths about the Greek goddess Athena, around which there is still controversy

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Her name was key in the Homeric epics The Iliad and The Odyssey. Many myths and legends have been written about her. She was feared, honored and respected. She was worshiped and prayed for mercy. And it is not at all surprising, because in ancient Greek mythology, the beloved daughter of Zeus, Athena, was the goddess of wisdom, craft and war. She was also one of the most prominent deities in the Greek pantheon, around which a veil of secrets hovers to this day.

1. Birth of Athena

As you know, Athena is the daughter of Zeus and his first wife Metis. There are many myths and legends about this, where the most common one says that Zeus was married to one of the wisest women among gods and people - Metis. But one day he heard a prophecy in which it was said that his wife would give him a son wiser than himself, who would try to overthrow his father from the throne. In order to prevent this from happening, Zeus tricked Metis to sleep, and then swallowed her. But it was already too late, because his wife was already pregnant. A few months later, Zeus had a headache, and he asked Hephaestus to help him relieve the pressure by splitting his head with an ax. When Hephaestus opened his head, a beautiful adult Athena, dressed in armor, emerged from it. Thus, it was believed that Athena was born from the head of her father Zeus. And it is not at all surprising that she became his most beloved daughter, because she was his firstborn.

2. Athena and Poseidon

Poseidon was one of the twelve Olympians and was the god of the sea, earthquakes, storms, and horses. Poseidon and Athena quarreled over the fact that they did not agree on which of the two was worthy to be the patron saint of the most prosperous ancient Greek city - Athens. To prove his worth as a worthy candidate, it was decided that each God would give the city his own gift. The first king of Athens, Cecrops, was the judge of the competition and had to determine which gift was better. And then Poseidon struck the ground with his trident, and a source of salt water appeared, opening the way to trade and water. Athena, on the other hand, offered the Athenians an olive tree. Since the tree brought them firewood, oil and food, the Athenians preferred it to the less useful salt water of the spring. Later, the olive tree became a symbol of the economic prosperity of Athens. After losing the competition, Poseidon flew into a rage and sent a monstrous deluge to the Attic plain to punish the Athenians.

3. Athena and Medusa

Medusa Gorgon has often been described as a monster with a female face and living venomous snakes for hair. However, she was originally a delightfully beautiful woman who was a priestess of the goddess Athena. The pure and innocent girl liked Poseidon so much that he did not stop pursuing her, showing unambiguous signs of attention. Having received a rebuff from the obstinate girl, the angry God still achieved his goal. He not only found Medusa in the temple where she was hiding, but also took her by force right there on the floor. Upon learning of this, Athena flew into a rage. And then the angry goddess decided to punish Medusa for not preserving her immaculate purity, she turned the girl's beautiful hair into a snake and made her face so terrible that from one look at him people turned to stone.

4. Athena and Perseus

Perseus is the legendary founder of Mycenae, which was one of the main centers of Greek civilization. Athena was especially fond of brave young men and helped many heroes in their search, and one of them was Perseus. As soon as Perseus was sent to kill Medusa, and he went in search of her, Athena immediately appeared in front of him, giving him a polished bronze shield so that he could see the reflection of the gorgon, and not look directly at her, thereby avoiding turning into stone. Perseus imperceptibly made his way into the gorgon's cave while she was sleeping and, seeing her reflection in his polished shield, he safely approached her, and then chopped off her head. As a result, Chrysaor and Pegasus, who were considered the children of Poseidon and Medusa, were born from her neck.

5. Athena and Pallas

Pallas, the daughter of Triton, was friends with Athena from childhood, and the messenger of the seas himself taught both girls the art of war. During the athletics festival, Athena and Pallas fought with spears in a friendly, playful battle, where the winner was the one who managed to disarm his opponent. Despite the fact that Athena fought the battle initially, Pallas got the better of her after a while, and Zeus, not wanting his daughter to lose, distracted Pallas. Because of this, Athena accidentally killed her friend, as she did not dodge her movement as she expected. Out of sadness and regret, Athena created palladium and, as they said, she carved a statue in the image and likeness of her deceased friend Pallas. Later, distraught at what she had done, Athena also accepted the title of Pallas as a tribute to the deceased. It was said that as long as the palladium remains in Troy, the city will not fall. Because of this, the word palladium is now used to refer to anything that is believed to provide protection or safety.

6. Athena and Arachne

A girl named Arachne was a talented weaver and spinner from the city of Lydia, who dared to challenge Athena herself to a weaving competition. Athena weaved a canvas, which depicted the scene of her victory over the great and powerful Poseidon. But Arachne weaved a canvas with scenes ridiculing the adventures of Zeus. When Athena saw that she had woven Arachnea, she flew into a rage, hitting her in the forehead with a shuttle. And then, unable to bear such a shame, Arachne, twisting a rope, hanged herself on it. But the angry Athena, having freed the girl from the noose and brought her back to life, sprinkled the body of Arachnea with the juice of the magic herb. Suddenly, Arachne's nose and ears shrank, her hair fell out, her arms and legs became long and skinny, and her entire body shrank to the size of a tiny spider. It is worth noting the fact that the name for spiders in many languages, as well as the taxonomic name of the arachnid class, comes from Arachne. Moreover, Arachne has repeatedly appeared in popular culture, in novels, in films and television series, as a monstrous spider.

7. Athena and Tiresias

Tiresias was the son of a shepherd named Everes and a nymph named Chariklo, who were friends with the goddess Athena. One fine day, exactly at noon, Athena bathed in a spring on Mount Helikon with Chariklo. Hariklo's son Tiresias accidentally hunted on the same mountain and came to the source in search of water. He accidentally saw Athena completely naked while she was taking a bath. Athena blinded him as a punishment, saying that he will never again see what a person should not see. Chariklo, the mother of Tiresias, heartbroken, begged Athena to have mercy and restore her son's sight. After much persuasion, Athena agreed, but was unable to restore his sight. To make amends, she cleansed Tiresias's ears and gave him the ability to understand the language of birds and the gift of prophecy. As a result, he became the most famous of all ancient Greek seers.

8. Golden apple of discord

Eris, the goddess of discord, was unable to attend the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. Offended in this way, she threw her wedding present through the door. This gift was a golden apple and was engraved with "the most beautiful of them all." Three goddesses Aphrodite, Hera and Athena fought for this "golden apple of discord", each of which claimed to be the most beautiful and, therefore, the rightful recipient of the apple. They asked Zeus to decide who is the rightful owner of the apple. However, he wisely decided not to interfere and asked Paris, the Trojan prince, to make the decision in his place. Aphrodite bribed Paris by promising him that he would marry the most beautiful mortal girl in the world. Tempted by such a great temptation, he gave her a golden apple. This led to the kidnapping of Elena and the beginning of the Trojan War. Satisfied Aphrodite helped her "favorite" in every possible way, which cannot be said about Hera and Athena, who hated him.

9. Athena in the epic Iliad

Athena in Homer's Iliad is a key figure as she was synonymous with military prowess. The Iliad is actually the earliest known account of her, and portrays her as a ferocious warrior in the role of a goddess known for heroic combat. Much of Athena's role in the Iliad is driven by the key fact that she had a strong desire for the Trojans to lose the war and were eager to find ways to support the Greeks. In part, her pro-Greek leanings stem from her love for Menelaus, who led the Spartan contingent of the Greek army. Another reason is the judgment of Paris, in which he called Aphrodite the most beautiful woman, giving her a golden apple. That is why Athena played an important role in the Trojan War. She acted as a calming force, a comrade in the fight, an encouraging supporter, a wise counselor, and a cunning motivator for the Greeks. It also seemed that Athena viewed the Trojan War as a giant chess game in which people are the pieces and the gods are the hands that control them.

10. Athena in the epic Odysseus

Athena also played an important role in another great epic of Homer, The Odyssey. The story of "Odyssey" tells about the return of its main character Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, to his homeland. The journey took him ten long years, and he was eventually able to reunite with his family, completely reclaiming his own lands and expelling numerous pesky suitors from the house that woo his wife. Athena, a powerful goddess of wisdom and strategy, took on the role of protector in the epic, since she helped the main character and his son Telemachus in every possible way. Initially, Athena uses disguise tactics, influencing the prince, pushing him to find his father. Turning into an old friend of Odysseus Mentes, she predicted that Odysseus was still alive, thereby instilling strength, hope and faith in Telemachus. In addition, it is with her help that Odysseus is able to become a stronger and noble Homeric hero. So it turns out that from the very beginning to the end, Athena is largely responsible for the creation and completion of the plot of the Odyssey.

Continuing the theme - how the Greeks had fun.