WISDOM – GODDESS ATHENA! BLOGCHATTERA2Z

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                                                                                            Medium

Athena, also known as Pallas, is one of the main Greek goddesses, the goddess of wisdom, warfare, the arts, classical learning and handicrafts. Certain writers have also described her as the goddess of democracy and freedom. Athena was also considered a warrior goddess who led soldiers into battle. Another epithet that was used for her was ‘Athena the Virgin’.

Athena was the daughter of Zeus and Metis. Hesiod, the ancient writer, believed that Zeus swallowed Metis, his consort, when she was pregnant with Athena. The reason was a prophecy that the son he bore would be wiser and stronger than him. As a result, Athena came out of Zeus’ forehead, fully grown. Metis always took care of her daughter, creating a robe, armour, a shield and a spear for her, all of which are considered her symbols.


                                                                              Athena and Zeus - Pinterest

It is said that after swallowing Metis, Zeus married six more times. Finally, he married his seventh wife, Hera. It is said that he had a terrible headache and he pleaded with Hephaestus, to cut open his head, which is how Athena came out.

Athena’s home was Mount Olympus. She had a close bond with the Greek city of Athens, from where she got her name. When Athens was being founded, there was a contest between Athena and Poseidon where each would give the city a gift. It was decided that the king of Athens, Cecrops, would decide on the winner. Poseidon struck his trident on the ground creating a saltwater spring which offered the Athenians access to trade and water. Athena created the first olive tree and won the contest. Thereafter, she was considered the patron of the city.

Athena had a soft corner for heroes and their achievements. She aided the great warriors like Perseus, Heracles, Jason and Bellerophon in their exploits. She was one of the three goddesses, along with Hera and Aphrodite, who was the cause of the Trojan War, when they invited Paris to judge them in a beauty contest.


                                                                                                  Instagram

Many are the stories that are told about Athena. The Roman poet Ovid described her weaving contest against the mortal Arachne, where Arachne challenged her and proved to be better than her. Enraged, Athena turned the girl into a spider, which is where the word ‘arachnid’ comes from. When she witnessed Medusa being assaulted by Poseidon, the sea god, in her temple, she turned her into the terrifying Gorgon.

Athena and Arachne - Facebook

In Homer’s Iliad, Athena fought alongside the Greeks. Zeus divided the sphere of war between Athena and Ares, the god of War. Athena was the intellectual and the civilised part of war, while Ares represented sheer violence and blood lust.

 

Trivia:

Homer:

Athena’s birth was a fantastic event. ‘The First Homeric Hymn to Athena’ describes how awestruck the gods were at her appearance, causing even the sun god, Helios, to stop his chariot in the sky.  

Pindar:

In his ‘Seventh Olympian Ode’, Pindar quotes that Athena “cried aloud with a mighty shout” which caused an upheaval where “the Sky and mother earth shuddered before her”.

 

The birth of Athena - Greek Mythology

Books: Athena - the Story of a Goddess by Imogen and Isabel Greenberg


The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan



Athena by Jesse Harasta



 Movies: 

The Goddess of War (1915) directed by Patrick Desmarattes"



 Shows:

Athena (1954) - a  BBC series

 
BBC

 This post is a part of Blogchatter A2Z Challenge 2026. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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