The Goddess of Wisdom

Hi all!

Soooo it’s Wednesday and we are back on schedule!

Today we are talking about Athena, one of the most talented and likable goddesses of the greek mythology.

Athena was Zeus’s favourite daughter, she being born form his forehead and all that. Naturally, there’s quite an interesting story behind that statement, so here goes.

Metis, Athena’s mother, was the goddess of wisdom; she was also Zeus’ first wife. There was a prophecy though, predicting that her children would be more powerful that their father; Zeus, fearing that his children would overthrow him (in the same way he had overthrown his own father, Cronus), swallowed poor Metis down. But he was too late; Metis was already with child at that point.

Some time later, Zeus was experiencing an enormous headache. Seeking relief, Zeus ordered Hephaestus to cleave his head open with his axe; when he did. Athena leaped from Zeus's head, in all her glory: fully grown and fully armed.

As we can all see, there's too much going on in Eirini's head! :-p
So, this is Athena (obviously!) in all her glory, with her mascot bird thrown in for good measure too! (and yes, that's an olive branch the owl holding, another one of Athena's symbols)
And in case you're wondering, that's Ares she's chasing!
 

Athena was the goddess of wisdom, knowledge, courage, inspiration, justice, strength and skill, strategy, and the arts and crafts.

She was highly intelligent, fair and wise too; even Zeus sought her advice! She was also strong-willed (she never fails to do anything she sets her mind on), independent, strong, brave and selfless.

Athena represented the ordered, strategic side of war, while her brother Ares, god of violence and war, represented the raw, bloody side or war. She didn’t like fighting without purpose and preferred to use her intellect in order to settle arguments.  

She was the patron deity of Athens; back when the city was unnamed and without patronage, she competed with Poseidon for the position. Each would offer the Athenians one gift and then they would choose the gift they preferred. Poseidon struck the ground with his trident and a water spring sprang up; but the water was salty and not good for drinking. Athena, on the other hand, offered them an olive tree. The Athenians chose Athena’s gift, along with her patronage, for the olive tree brought wood, oil, and food.

Overall, Athena was one of the most loved and respected goddesses; that didn’t mean she didn’t have a “bad” side. She was fair and just, but in the few cases that someone angered her, she showed no mercy.

Take Medusa for instance; she was a beautiful girl that that served as priestess in Athena's temple. Medusa caught Poseidon’s attention and  he tried to rape her inside Athena's temple. When Athena discovered the desecration of her temple, she cursed Medusa and turned her into a monster; Medusa's hair turned into living snakes, and her face was so hideous that meeting her gaze would turn any living creature to stone.

Or Arachne; as we’ve mentioned already, Athena was talented in many crafts, including weaving. There was a girl once, Arachne, who was a very skilled weaver too. Her skills were widely admired and all that admiration went straight her head; she began claiming that her skill was greater that Athena’s.

Athena, in the form of an old woman, warned Arachne not to offend the gods. Arachne ignored her and wished for a weaving contest between the goddess and herself, so she could prove her skill once and for all.

Athena resumed her true form then and the contest began; Athena wove the scene of her victory over Poseidon in claiming the patronage of Ahens. Arachne’s tapestry featured various scenes from the lives of the Olympians, depicting them as weak and full of flaws.

Athena admitted that Arachne's work was flawless, but she was outraged at Arachne's lack of respect towards the gods. She lost her temper and destroyed Arachne's tapestry and loom; Arachne’s punishment for her offensive behaviour was severe. Athena cursed her and turned her into a spider, thus condemning her into a lifetime of weaving.