Mythic Monday: Awesome Athena
February 13, 2017
Athena is one of the most beloved deities (gods) in Greek mythology. The gray-eyed goddess of wisdom, war, and arts and crafts, Athena is depicted as a tall, majestic woman wearing armor and a crested helmet. She often carries a spear or a shield, and an owl or a snake are her frequent companions.
This statue of Athena tops the fountain in front of the Parlamentsgebäude (Austrian Parliament Building) in Vienna, Austria. She holds a spear in one hand and Nike, the goddess of victory, in the other. Credit: © Thinkstock
Athena’s parents were Zeus, the king of the gods, and his first wife, Metis, a goddess of intelligence. A prophecy warned Zeus that Metis’s first child would be a daughter as wise and strong as he. The prophecy went on to say that their second child, a boy, would overthrow Zeus as king of the gods. To prevent this from happening, Zeus turned the pregnant Metis into a fly and swallowed her. Soon after, however, he suffered a terrible headache and begged the blacksmith god Hephaestus to help him. With an ax, Hephaestus opened Zeus’ skull and out jumped Athena, fully grown and clad in armor.
Athena plays a role in many famous Greek myths. In one story, a weaver named Arachne angers Athena by boasting of her tapestry-weaving skills. The two then compete in a weaving contest. Athena is enraged when she sees that Arachne’s tapestry mocks the gods and goddesses—and that it is as beautiful as her own work. She tears Arachne’s tapestry to shreds and transforms her into a spider so that she must spend the rest of her life weaving webs.
In another tale, referred to as “the Judgment of Paris” or “the Apple of Discord,” the goddess of discord (disagreement), Eris, creates a golden apple to be given to the fairest goddess. Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera all claim the apple. Paris, the son of King Priam of Troy, must judge which goddess should receive the apple. The goddesses try to win Paris’s favor by offering him gifts. Athena offers him military strength, while Hera offers him kingly power. The golden apple ultimately goes to Aphrodite, who gives Paris the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Troy. After that, Athena and Hera hate Paris and the city of Troy.
Athena also discovered the baby Hercules, a son of Zeus destined to become a great hero, in a field. Hercules had been abandoned by his mother, who was afraid of the jealous wrath of Hera, Zeus’s wife. Athena helped and protected Hercules during his life and many adventures. She also helped the hero Perseus kill the serpent-haired gorgon Medusa. Odysseus was another hero who benefited from Athena’s help during his famous journey documented in the epic poem the Odyssey.
Athena was the patron goddess of the Greek city of Athens, where she is said to have planted the first olive tree. Ancient Athenians called her Parthenos, which means virgin, and they built the Parthenon, a temple, in her honor. Athena’s counterpart in Roman mythology is Minerva. Ancient Romans associated Minerva with wisdom, skill, and the intellectual aspects of war.
