Introduction
Goddess Athena exists in the mythodology of the Greek. She is known to be the Goddess of a number of things including war as well as wisdom, weaving and metal working. However being the Goddess of war did not imply that she was involved with violence, as this field was the domain of Ares, god of war (Harrison, 1963). She is known to have been associated with disciplined attributes of war, for instance strategy. According to J. E. Harrison, Athena’s birth “is a desperate theological expedient to rid her of matriarchal conditions”.
Birth of Athena
According to this myth of the Greek, Athena was the daughter of Zeus (the ruler of the gods in the Greek Patheon) and Metis (goddess of crafty thoughts as well as wisdom) (Harrison, 1963). Before her birth there was a prophecy that if Metis if gave birth to a son, he would turn out to be greater than his father Zeus and finally overthrow him. Because of this belief (prophecy), Zeus tricked Metis to transform herself to a fly whereby he swallowed her, after laying with her. However, Metis was heavy at the time and was in the process of making a helmet as well as armour for the child in her womb. Zeus was visited by severe headache and had to beg Hermes (god of Smith) to cut and break open his head. It is noted that when Zeus head was cut open, surprisingly Athena jumped out, fully-grown and dressed in helmet as well as armor (Harrison, 1963).
Up to this point, there exists controversy as some versions acknowledge Pallas (whom later tried to devastate her and she killed him instantly taking his skin and name), to be the father of Athena. Others associate her with Itonus, as her father while others assert that her biological father was Poseidon, however, she requested to be adopted by Zeus (Bell R, 1993). Athena is known to have had grey shining eyes. She was always in the company of an owl and symbolized wisdom. It is crucial to note that an owl is a bird that has the capacity of seeing at night. On Athena’s company was also Nike (goddess of victory). The fact that this goddess was never at any given time associated with lovers led her to be considered as a virgin. This aspect also led her to be referred to as Athena Perthenos meaning virgin (Bell R, 1993). This attribute also saw the Greek temple known as Partheneon being dedicated to her.
According to Greek mythology, Athen was first proclaimed by Poseidon after striking a rock and establishing a spring for the people (Luk A, 1989). Even though the spring was pretty, nevertheless it produced salty water, which was not useful to the people. Thereafter Athena came in and planted an olive tree hence claiming the land herself. Poseidon was angered and challenged Athena into mortal fight. The situation was averted by the interference of Zeus. Finally they presented their evidence to the gods who had to cast the vote. It is noted that all male gods voted for Poseidon while the goddesses voted for Athena, who won by one vote since Zeus did not cast his vote (Luk A, 1989). Athena moved into this city and named it after her. However, to assist Poseidon’s ego, the women of Athens were robbed of their votes while men were no longer to have names associated with their mothers.
It also noted that during her childhood Athena had a friend known as Pallas. She accidentally killed Pallas while they were having a mock battle. Athena was very much disturbed after this incidence and she carried the friend’s name with her forever (Prophet Elizabeth & Prophet Mark, 1986). Thus she began to be referred to as Pallas or Pallas Athena. As noted elsewhere the name meant maiden, symbolizing her virginity, youthful strength as well as her mighty. Goddess Athena is shown as one of the most benevolent goddesses….strong, fair as well as merciful.
In Greek mythology, Athena was a symbol of the contemporary career woman (Prophet Elizabeth & Prophet Mark, 1986). She is believed to have invented the flute, trumpet, earthenware pot, the plough, the rake, the oxen yoke, the horse bridle, the chariot as well as the ship. These inventions are considered to be in the domain of men. On the other side, she was the teacher of the science of numbers as well as all activities in women’s domain such as weaving, cooking as well as spinning (Hall L, 1997). As noted elsewhere Athena was the goddess of war (Harrison, 1963). However, she did not engage in war in a violent manner, rather she offered winning strategies in addition to mediation. She did her best to prevent eminent war. However, where there was outbreak of war she fought vigorously for her side. Considering the Trojan War as an example it is acknowledged that Athena flew down from Olympus and walked amid the two armies, requiring each side to swear oath to maintain peace. However, Pandaros, the Trojan soldier, broke oath and let loose his arrow thus commencing the fight. Athena was not pleased and helped the other side to emerge victorious.
In most cases, goddess Athena led many to emerge victorious through advising then as well as affording protection for them (Hall L, 1997). Another interesting part of the Athena’s mythology, was the blinding of a man who happened to walk by and found the goddess taking a bath. It is said that instead of killing him as was the case, Athena pitied him and in lieu covered his eyes with her hands, simultaneously blinding him and offering him with the gift of prophecy (inner sight) (Hall L, 1997). This man is known to have become the most referred oracles in ancient Greece.
Goddess Athena was also identified with the male gender in most cases. Thus, she usually cast her power as well as support in their side whenever a dispute arose. It is noted that in the first ever trial by jury, her cast acquitted Orestes after being charged with murdering her mother in an attempt to revenge, his father’s death (Bell R, 1993). In her decision, Athena was persuaded by the arguments of Apollo that the death of a mother was less important than a father’s death since the woman simply nurtured the seed while the man was the one who infact planted it (Bell R, 1993).
Athena never lost her temper easily except in one occasion whereby it is told of how she was angered after being challenged by Arachne, a mortal young woman. The woman had requested Athena into a weaving contest, and at last her tapestry offended Athena very much (Hall L, 1997). Viewing that Arachne had mocked authority so greatly, she slashed the tapestry to slices and drove Arachne to hang herself. However, she later pitied her and allowed her to live by transforming her into a spider, weaving her stunning webs forever (Hall L, 1997).
Conclusion
The fact that Athens, Greece was named after the goddess Athena implies that the name of the goddess lives with us to date. She is acknowledged to be the guardian of cities. Of essence is that more than any other Greek goddess, Athena is construed as the symbol of civilization, essential knowledge, sound reasoning, logic as well as wisdom. Goddess Athena serves to remind people that they can successfully utilize their intelligence as well as creativity in the quest of any goal they choose.
Reference
Bell, Robert E (1993). Women of Classical Mythology, (New York, New York: Oxford University Press Inc), page 113.
Hall, Lee Athena (1997). A Biography, (Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc).
Harrison, J. E. (1963). Mythology. London: Harbinger.
Luk, A.D.K (1989). The Law of Life: Book II (Pueblo, Colorado: A.D.K. Luk Publications), pages 333 – 334.
Prophet, Elizabeth Clare and Prophet, Mark L (1986). Saint Germain on Alchemy: For the Adept in the Aquarian Age, Second Edition, (Livingston, Montana: Summit University Press).
