Greek goddess AthenaWritten by Judi Singleton
Greek goddess Athena (A-theen-uh) later called Minerva by Romans, was goddess of wisdom, battle, and certain crafts, and was protector of concept of cities. The olive tree was sacred to her, and her sacred bird was owl (which is why wisdom is associated with owls). Poseidon, god of Sea, and Athena were in competition to become patron of a new city. Poseidon, as a bribe, gave first horses to people, but Athena struck ground with a rod and up sprang first olive tree, olives became an agricultural staple for Greeks. She was chosen as patron goddess of city which was called Athens, in her honor.Athena was born from head of Zeus, chief Olympian god. Zeus had a headache which was growing worse and worse until he finally had craftsman god, Hephaestus, split his head open with an axe, and out sprang Athena, fully grown and in full armor. This sounds like a rather silly myth, but symbolically this shows goddess of wisdom coming from head of chief god. Some of more practical Greeks decided that Zeus had swallowed his first wife Metis (a Titan goddess of wisdom) and she had given birth to Athena within Zeus. Athena then moved to Zeus's head in order to make her grand entrance. Her name is also spelled Athene. She is identified often in mythology as grey-eyed or flashing-eyed Athena, and is sometimes called Pallas Athena because she accidentally killed Pallas, a daughter of sea god, Triton. Another explanation for name, Pallas Athena, is that she took name when she killed giant, Pallas, during battle between Gigantes and Olympians. She is identified as Athena Nike and is usually depicted with wings when she is goddess of victorious battle. She is also called Athena Parthenos, to honor her virtue. Parthenos means virgin.
| | Athena,Minerva,Sulis The Many AspectsWritten by Judi Singleton
Although She is only One, She appears as many forms or goddesses. Each goddess emphasizes an attribute of one Divine Mother. This is an easy concept to understand when we consider our own earthly mothers. She is mother of hearth when she is cooking and feeding us. She is warrior mother when someone attacks us and she is protecting us. She is muse mother when she is inspiring us to do our best. She is healer when we are sick. Each of perspective are only one of aspects she wears in drama of life for all eternity.Athena is Greek virgin goddess of reason, intelligent activity, arts and literature. She sprang full grown from Zeus' head. She is Zeus' favorite and is allowed to use his weapons including his thunderbolt. She wore a helmet and carrying a spear and shield, magic aegis, a goatskin breastplate, fringed with snakes, that produced thunderbolts when shaken. Athena was different from Ares; she represented intellectual and civilized side of war. She was a wise and prudent adviser. Sacred to her are olive, serpent, owl, lance, and crow. Although Minerva, Roman Goddess of war and wisdom, is usually portrayed as equivalent to Greek goddess Athena, she was originally an Etruscan goddess of dawn. She is revered as a goddess of wisdom, for light of dawn typifies knowledge. She guides heroes in war and is patroness of all arts, crafts, guilds, and medicine. Called by Ovid "the goddess of a thousands works", she was inventor of musical instruments, numbers, and many crafts, including weaving.
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