Athena… one of the most important and recognizable figures in mythology...
She is the reason why we all gathered here today… So let's begin…
Athena was the goddess of Wisdom, reason and war. She appeared both as a fighter,
protector of heroes and cities, but also as an inspiration for crafts and creative activities.
She was the one who brought intuitive wisdom and creation to Earth.
Athena was born from the head of Zeus being the only goddess who does not have a mother,
as mentioned by Aeschylus in Eumenides.
It is said that Zeus swallowed his pregnant wife, Metis, the goddess of Reason, because he
heard the prediction that she would give birth to a child who could surpass him in wisdom.
At the moment when the birth was supposed to take place,
Zeus appealed to Hephaestus who hit his head with a double ax to free Athena.
She came out armed with a spear and shield, wearing a shiny helmet.
Her warrior attributes, such as the spear, shield, helmet, are meant to defend the high
values embodied by the goddess. Athena takes the quality of prudence from the goddess Metis,
and intelligence and strength were inherited from Zeus.
Her birth symbolizes a change in the universal order,
a distancing from matter with the help of reason that relates to the law.
The spear with which she is always represented, is an axis,
a vertical impulse, the power and victory obtained through wisdom and truth.
It is said that when the goddess was born, a golden snow was laid, as a sign of purity.
Athena is the protector of heroes, the one who ennobles the physical,
brutal strength and personal value of the hero with spiritual strength and intelligence.
She supported Hercules during the 12 labors,
giving him courage by accompanying him on his journey to Olympus.
She gave patience to Achilles in the face of Agamemnon's insults and provocations
and she was the great protector of Odysseus for whom he even changed the will of Zeus.
The goddess helped Perseus to defeat Medusa,
by giving him the bronze shield to use as a mirror in front of the look that would petrify him.
Later, Athena will wear Medusa’s severed head on her chest above the goatskin plate.
Athena cumulates the attributes of the warrior goddess, bold, permanently attracted by the
tumult of war, but she is also the founder of civil, agricultural, and domestic arts.
Very often, Athena is represented together with an Owl to symbolize
intelligence and reason; always alert and awake.
Therefore, the war waged by Athena is not a violent and bloody one,
like that of the god Ares, but is the struggle for the conquest of the spiritual part of one's being.
Athena is also considered the founder of various arts and the protector of craftsmen.
Thus, the myth of Arachne is known, also mentioned by Ovid in Metamorphoses, in which this weaver is
transformed by the goddess into a spider, due to the waste of the talent with which she was born.
The lesson transmitted symbolically is related to the duty to capitalize on our latent potentials.
Athena and Poseidon compete in precious gifts to the Athenians.
The god gives them the horse and the sea, while the goddess gives them
the olive tree and the plow, winning the hearts of the Athenians forever.
The olive tree, therefore, remains the symbol of prosperity and at the same time of peace.
The image of Athena is used in many sculptures,
pottery, medallions, coins, seals, and most representations depict various episodes of myths.
One of the most important works dedicated to the goddess is that of Phidias;
Athena Promachos; a statue made of bronze so large that the shine of the spear
and her helmet could be seen beyond the city.
The Parthenon on the Acropolis is a tribute to the goddess Athena and the people she protects. It
describes the victory of the Greeks and their gods against the destructive forces of the universe
and at the same time the victory of culture against ignorance.
The proportions of the Parthenon were influenced by the size of the statue of Athena Parthenos,
built of gold and ivory. With a height of about 12 meters,
the statue was placed on a marble pedestal 8 meters wide.
The metopes in the northern part of the Parthenon
represented the oldest myths about the goddess Athena.
The eastern pediment illustrates the birth of the goddess,
and the western one, her competition with Poseidon in giving the Athenians the most precious gift.
The frieze was decorated by Phidias, the subject being borrowed from real life,
representing the solemn procession during the feasts of the great Panathenaics in Athens.
This was the story of the goddess Athena.
If you think I've missed something or have any thoughts you want to share about Athena,
write them in the comments below.
Thanks for watching, and if you enjoyed the video, please like, and subscribe to the channel
by hitting the notification bell to be notified when new videos arrive.
Yours truly: Mythos, the Historian.