The population of ancient Greece believed that the gods rule the whole world and human life. They were called Olympic, because Mount Olympus was considered their place of residence . There were many gods, and the Greeks thought their life was similar to their worldly being. They believed that the Olympians live in one huge family, the role of the head in which is assigned to the king of the gods - Zeus.
Who was Athena Pallas for the ancient Greeks?
The daughter of Zeus, Pallas, won great respect and love from the ancient people. Athena in Greek mythology is the goddess of wisdom and just war, who patronizes knowledge, arts and crafts. She was considered the founder of military strategy and effective tactics; numerous victories in battles were attributed to her merits. She was part of a family of twelve major Olympians. She was a revered goddess in ancient Greece, competed in importance and popularity with her father - Zeus. It was recognized equal to him in wisdom and strength. It differed from other deities in an independent disposition. I was proud of being able to remain a virgin. The goddess of wisdom among the Greeks was reflected in the Roman Minerva.
The warrior virgin became the patroness of cities and states for the ancient inhabitants. Associated with her is the development of science and crafts. Athena is the personification of the mind, ingenuity, resourcefulness and dexterity. The ancient Greek version of the spelling of the name of the goddess is Ἀθηνᾶ, the more rare is Athenaya. The majestic city of Athens is named after this mythical person.
The image of the goddess of wisdom in the representation of the ancients
The Greeks gave Athena an unusual and impressive appearance, so that it can be easily distinguished from other Olympic goddesses. The daughter of Zeus emphasizes the use of attributes inherent in the strong half of humanity. The goddess of wisdom was portrayed as a tall, beautiful woman dressed in the armor of warriors. Her head is adorned and protected by a refined protective helmet with a high crest. In Athena’s hands is a spear and a shield covered in snake-skin with an ornament in the shape of the head of the Medusa of the Gorgon. The Greek goddess of wisdom marches accompanied by sacred animals. Often she was portrayed along with the winged Nika. The symbols of her wisdom were an owl and a snake.
The ancient Greeks described her like this: gray-eyed and fair-haired. Homer called her facial features “sooooo”, highlighting the beauty of her huge eyes. There is a noteworthy fragment in the sources from Virgil, where the Cyclops in the forge of the Volcano graze military armor and aegis for Pallas, covering them with snake scales.
Birth
Typical of Greek myths was the unusual story of the birth of a goddess. There are many versions, the most common is set forth in Hesiod's Theogony.
Athena himself owes the king of the gods his birth. The almighty Zeus the Thunderer became aware that in the womb of Metis, his first wife, is a child of a brilliant mind and perfect power. The child was prophesied to surpass the wisdom of his parent. This secret was told to Zeus Moira - the goddess of fate. The thunderer was afraid that, having been born, the child would overthrow him from the Olympic throne. In order to avoid a terrible fate, he euthanized his pregnant wife and swallowed her. And immediately Zeus was overcome by an unbearable headache. Calling his son Hephaestus, he gave the order to chop his head with an ax, hoping to get rid of excruciating pain and wonderful sounds in his head. Hephaestus could not disobey his father. He split the skull with one sweep. And a beautiful warrior Athena, the goddess of wisdom, appeared in the world of the gods from the head of the supreme ruler of the Olympians. She appeared to the amazed Olympians in full military ammunition: in a brilliant helmet, with a spear and a shield. Her blue eyes radiated wisdom and justice, the whole appearance of the virgin was filled with amazing divine beauty. The Olympians took and glorified the beloved child of Zeus - the invincible Pallas. And her swallowed mother, Metis, endowed with immortality, remained to live forever in her husband’s body, gave him practical advice and helped rule the world.
In his poems, Homer did not pay attention to the myth of the birth of Athena. The authors of subsequent generations supplemented the story with peculiar details and significantly embellished it. So, according to Pindar, at the time of the birth of a warrior in Rhodes, it started to rain from golden drops.
Where and when was the goddess of wisdom born? Alternate Versions
There are other legends about its birth. The ancient Greek author Aristocles describes the birth of Athena from a cloud as a result of a lightning strike sent by a thunderer. Moreover, this event takes place in Crete. This myth is a reflection of the idea of the ancients about how lightning and thunder appear from a massive thundercloud. There are several other versions with different parent names.
The ancient chroniclers and historians also have disagreements on the question of where the virgin was born. In the stories of Aeschylus, her birthplace is Libya, the area near Lake Tritonidai. Herodotus records the beliefs of the Libyans that Athena is a descendant of Poseidon. In the stories of Apollonius of Rhodes, the goddess of wisdom was born near Lake Triton.
Pausanias reports to his descendants a story that describes the birth of Pallas where the altar of Zeus was in Alifer (Arcadia).
Also the place of birth of Athens was considered the Boeotian city of Alalkomen, where, according to local residents, it was fed by people.
The day of the deity at the time of Panathinais was considered the day of the 28th hecatombone, which corresponds to the date of August 18. Moreover, on this day the work of the courts was suspended. In the Chronicles of Eusebius, the year of the birth of the virgins is called the 237th from Abraham, according to our calendar - 1780 BC.
Athena in Mythology: Capture of Troy
One of the common plots of Greek mythology was the war of the ancient Greeks with the Trojan king Paris, which ended in the capture of Troy and the victory of the legendary Odyssey. The ancient Greeks attribute to Athena the whole plan for the construction of the Trojan horse. The goddess of wisdom promotes the Greeks. Euripides noted that the destruction of Ilion is a consequence of the anger and anger of Pallas.
What prompted Athena to destroy Troy? It is not clear to the end, but the Achaeans built a horse according to her plan and under her leadership. The presentation of Quintus of Smyrnsky describes in detail the moment how Pallas, being in a dream to the Achaeans, teaches them crafts. Thanks to the knowledge received from the goddess, the construction was completed in three days. Allegedly, the Achaean leaders turned to Athena with a request to bless their creation. In addition, Pallas, embodied in a messenger, advised Odysseus to place Achaean warriors on a horse. Later, she brought the food of the gods to the heroes gathered in battle, able to relieve the feeling of hunger.
Under her auspices, the Greeks capture Troy and receive many treasures. On the night of the ruin of the city, Pallas sits on the acropolis in the dazzling brilliance of his ammunition and calls on the Greeks to victory.
Athena - inventor and patroness
The goddess of wisdom for the ancient Greeks is the founder of the state, the initiator of wars, the legislator and the founder of the highest Athenian court - the Areopagus. In the arsenal of her inventions is a chariot and a ship, a flute and a pipe, ceramic dishes, a rake, a plow, a yoke for oxen and a bridle for horses.
Greek girls sacrificed hair to the goddess before marriage. There are references to the priestesses virgins of the temples of Athens. Pallas patronizes women in marriage. In some sources, Pallas is referred to as the protector of shipbuilders and sailors. She is a mentor for metal craftsmen who trained Daedalus. Athena passed on knowledge of weaving and cooking to people. In ancient Greek myths, the theme of helping the goddess in the performance of amazing feats of various heroes is described in detail.
Cult of Athena
The goddess of wisdom was revered in all regions of ancient Greece. Many acropolises are dedicated to her, including in Athens, Argos, Sparta, Megara, Troy and Trezene. Pallas is the mistress of the city Kremlin and the Greek people. In Attica, she was the main deity of the state and city of Athens.