Why Athena? Who is the goddess Athena in ancient Greek mythology, what is she known for

One of the central places in ancient Greek mythology is given to Pallas Athena. Athena is the goddess of wisdom, the goddess of just war and victory, one of the most revered goddesses in Greece. Athena is the daughter of Zeus, the most powerful god on all of Olympus, the god of sky, thunder and lightning. The rest of the Greek gods obey Zeus, he has power over people, establishes social order, and distributes good and evil on earth. But it would be fair to note that his beloved daughter is not inferior to him, neither in strength nor in wisdom. Many legends describe Athena sitting on a throne next to Zeus. Athena's mother is the wise oceanid Metis, the first wife of Zeus.
Athena is credited with the invention of the flute, chariot, and ship. Among her achievements were the development of laws and the establishment of the High Court in Athens. She is the personification of literacy and justice. Athena gives wisdom and knowledge, teaches people arts and crafts, helps needlewomen, weavers, and potters. With the growth of Greek culture, the wise warrior also became the patroness of science.
The daughter of Zeus, the goddess of wisdom, was an object of worship throughout Ancient Greece, she was sung by poets, and admired by sculptors and artists. In numerous works by sculptors, artists and poets, the daughter of Zeus appears before us in full military armor: she wears sparkling military armor, a shiny helmet, and the goddess holds a spear and shield in her hands. But for all her fighting appearance, she is distinguished by her extraordinary beauty. She has gray-blue eyes, brown hair, a divine figure and majestic posture.
Athena patronizes the heroes of Greece, gives them wise advice and helps them out in times of danger. Thus, the goddess of wisdom assists Perseus in dealing with Medusa the Gorgon, who with one glance turned all living things into stone. Athena provided Perseus with a copper shield, shining like a mirror, into which he looked so as not to meet the eyes of Medusa the Gorgon. And thanks to this he was able to cut off her head. One of Athena's favorites is Odysseus. His goddess accompanies him throughout his many years of wandering, and ultimately facilitates his return to his native island of Ithaca. Upon returning to his homeland, the goddess turns Odysseus into a poor old man, and thus saves him once again, giving him the opportunity to take revenge on his offenders.
Athena acts as an assistant to Hercules in the fight against the Titans, with her help he brings the dog of the god Hades Kerberus out of Erebus. The daughter of Zeus supports Diomedes in his military exploits. Helps Prometheus take the fire out of Hephaestus's forge, and Jason helps return the Golden Fleece.
Athena is the guardian of cities, their walls and fortresses. She is the protector of such cities as Troy, Athens, Sparta, Argos. The city, the capital of Greece, Athens, is named in her honor. Every year in the city of Athens the Panathenaia was held - a celebration in honor of the goddess of wisdom, accompanied by musical and sports competitions, a festive procession with torches, offerings of gifts and sacrifices. The following agricultural holidays were dedicated to Athena:
- holidays associated with the germination of bread - procharisteria;
- holidays of fruit ripening - callinteria;
- holidays of drought prevention - skyphoria;
- holidays of the beginning of the harvest - plinteria and others.
The sacred tree of the daughter of Zeus is the olive tree, which the Greek people called the “tree of fate.” Everywhere Athena's companions are the owl and the snake - symbols of wisdom.
There are quite a few legends and myths about the goddess Athena. One of the most widespread in modern literature is the myth of Athena and Arachne. Arachne is a skilled embroiderer and weaver. Overly proud of her talent, she challenged Athena to a weaving competition and lost in disgrace. Unable to bear this, Arachne tried to take her own life, but Athena prevented this. As punishment for her pride and contempt for the gods, the goddess turned her into a spider so that she would hang forever and weave forever. Translated from Greek, the word “arachne” is translated as “spider”.
Repeatedly in Greek mythology there is a description of the enmity between Athena and Ares, the god of a cruel, bloody war. But, with Athena by her side is the goddess of victory Nike, and in the end Athena always turns out to be the winner.
Many temples and sanctuaries were built in honor of the goddess of wisdom. These are the temples in the city of Athens - Erechtheion, Parthenon, Hekatompendon, Temple of Zeus and Athena. There were sanctuaries of Athena in other places - in the cities of Argos and Delphi, on the islands of Delos and Rhodes, in Sparta. Phidias, the greatest ancient Greek sculptor and architect, erected the statues “Athena Parthenos”, “Athena Lemnia”, “Athena Promachos”, “Athena Areia”. Unfortunately, none of these works have survived to this day. Among the paintings of ancient painting dedicated to Athena are the paintings by Cleanthes “The Birth of Athena”, Antiphilus “Alexander and Philip with Athena” and Famula “Athena”.
Athena, the embodiment of wisdom and beauty, remains an object of admiration and a muse for many sculptors, artists and poets today.

The warrior goddess was honored in Ancient Greece on a par with the main god of Olympus. And it is not surprising, because Athena, unlike most of her own relatives, treated mere mortals with rational wisdom, care and understanding. The girl became the patron saint of military leaders and simply brave men. Dressed in battle armor and a beautiful helmet, the goddess descended onto the battlefield and gave hope for victory to every soldier she met.

History of creation

In Greek mythology, Athena is represented as a multitasking goddess. The daughter is the patroness of wars, arts, crafts and science. The girl symbolizes wisdom, prudence and calm. In Roman mythology, the goddess is known as Minerva and has the same functionality as the Greek version.

The image of a warrior maiden is found in many parts of the world and among many ancient peoples. Therefore, it is impossible to determine where the cult of Athena came from. Having settled in Greece, Athena became especially entrenched in Attica. In honor of the wise goddess, the Great Panathenaea was held - holidays, the program of which included night processions, gymnastic competitions and competitions in the production of olive oil.

In honor of Athena, revered on a par with Zeus, over 50 temples were built. The most famous are the Parthenon on the Acropolis and the Erechtheion. The goddess became a source of inspiration for ancient sculptors. It is noteworthy that the girl, unlike the rest of the pantheon, was never depicted naked. Innocence and purity coexisted in the image of Athena with courage, determination and military ingenuity.

Athena in mythology

Athena is one of the eldest daughters of Zeus. The mother of the goddess is considered to be the oceanid Metis. The first wife of the Thunderer, to her own misfortune, predicted that she would give birth to a son who would overthrow the Lord of Olympus. In order not to risk the throne, Zeus swallowed the pregnant woman.

After a couple of months (in other sources after 3 days), the man developed headaches. The Thunderer called and ordered to hit him on the head with an ax. From the dissected head emerged the already adult Athena, dressed in military garb and equipped with a spear.

The girl quickly became her father's closest adviser. Zeus valued his daughter for her reserved and calm character, unprecedented wisdom and foresight. Athena treated the other children of Zeus with respect and often patronized the heroes. The Greek goddess looked after him from childhood and helped his brother cope with trials.

Athena gladly patronized heroes and brave men. The girl suggested Achilles' military moves during the Trojan War and supported him on the sea voyage. The heroes responded to such concern with sincere respect and sacrifices. For example, to whom Athena favored, he gave the goddess the head. Since then, the Gorgon, or rather the severed head of a monster, adorns the girl’s battle shield.

However, Athena not only helped the soldiers, but also took part in the battles herself. The goddess received the nickname “Pallas” after she defeated the titan Pallant.

For courage and wisdom, a city in Greece was named after Athens. The large settlement became the cause of enmity between the goddess and. Krepos, who founded the city, could not choose a patron, at the same time leaning towards both the ruler of the seas and the warrior goddess. To decide the fate of the city, Crepos asked the gods to create the most useful items.

Poseidon created a river and a horse, and Athena grew an olive tree and made the horse a pet. City residents held a vote. All the men chose Poseidon, and the women chose Athena. The goddess defeated her uncle by one vote.

The confrontation continued during the Trojan War. Athena and, who wanted to destroy Paris, made a lot of efforts to ensure that the Trojans lost. The harmful Poseidon, seeing what the stubborn niece was up to, sided with the losing side. However, such patronage did not help the Trojans.

Despite her external attractiveness, Athena never married. The girl did not waste time on love affairs, preferring to improve herself, do good deeds and help Zeus in ruling the Earth and Olympus.

Wanting to somehow get even, Poseidon pushed him to take a rash step. When Athena came to the divine blacksmith for new armor, the god attacked the girl. The attempted rape failed. Brave and decisive Athena rebuffed Hephaestus. During the fight, the god spewed seed on the girl’s leg. The disgusted goddess wiped her leg with a woolen scarf and buried the unnecessary thing in the ground. Erichthonius was born from the scarf with the help of Gaia. Thus the renowned virgin became a mother.

Not only conquest myths are associated with the name of Athena. The girl, for example, invented the flute. One day, hearing the moans of the suffering Gorgon Medusa, the girl decided to recreate the sounds. The goddess carved the first flute from a deer bone and went to the feast where Athens' relatives gathered.

The performance of the musical composition ended with laughter: Hera and Aphrodite were amused by the sight of the girl during the game. Frustrated, Athena threw away the flute.

And later the instrument was found by the satyr Marsyas, who challenged him to a musical competition. Only Marsyas did not take into account that the creator of the instrument herself taught God to play the flute. After the victory, God flayed Marsyas, which greatly upset the prudent Athena.

• The meaning of the name Athena is light or flower. But there is a theory that due to the antiquity of the cult of the goddess, the real translation of the name has been lost.
• The girl is often accompanied by the goddess Nike, a symbol of victory. At the same time, Nika’s own father is the titan Pallant, who fell at the hands of Athena.

• The monster from Medusa Gorgon was made by Athena herself. The girl compared her own appearance with the appearance of the goddess, for which she paid. According to another version, Poseidon raped Medusa in the temple of Athena. The goddess could not tolerate such desecration.
• Athena is the patron of snakes, but most often takes the form of a bird.
• An asteroid, discovered in 1917, is named after the goddess.

One of the most revered goddesses of Ancient Greece. Athena is one of the twelve great Olympian gods. In addition, she is the goddess of knowledge, arts and crafts; warrior maiden, patroness of cities and states, sciences and craftsmanship, dexterity, intelligence, ingenuity.

Thanks to her unusual appearance, Athena is easily distinguishable from other ancient Greek goddesses. Unlike other female deities, she uses male attributes - she holds a spear in her hands and is dressed in armor. On the head, the helmet is usually Corinthian - with a high crest. Her shield - the aegis - is covered with goat skin and decorated with the head of the Gorgon Medusa. She is accompanied by sacred animals:

• owl (symbol of wisdom),
• snake (also symbol of wisdom)

Its plant is the olive, a sacred tree of the ancient Greeks.

She was called “grey-eyed and fair-haired,” descriptions emphasizing her large eyes.

The birth of the goddess Athena was unusual. The most common version is from Hesiod's Theogony. The king of the gods, Zeus, was predicted when his first wife Metis became pregnant that she would have two extraordinary children: a daughter equal to Zeus himself in wisdom and courage, and a son with the soul of a conqueror who would become the king of gods and men. Zeus did not want to lose his dominance over the world. On the advice of Uranus and Gaia, he tricked Metis into becoming small and swallowed her.

After some time, Zeus felt a terrible headache. To help the birth of Athena, Hephaestus hit Zeus on the head with an ax, and Prometheus took it from Zeus's head.

Athena was born as an adult woman in shining golden armor, holding a sharp spear in one hand, while uttering a loud war cry.

An interesting myth is about how Athena gained dominion over the Greek region of Attica, whose patron, with a capital named after her, she was considered in the historical era.

According to this myth, Poseidon was the first to come to Attica, struck the ground on the Acropolis with a trident, and a source of sea water appeared, which was shown in the Erechtheion in historical times. Following him, Athena appeared, who struck the ground with a spear and grew an olive tree (olive). The judges awarded the victory to Athena, since her gift is more useful, the city was named after her. Poseidon was angry and tried to flood the earth with the sea, but Zeus forbade him.

According to mythology, Athena was the patroness and adviser of all male heroes. Unlike Artemis and Hestia, the virgin goddess Athena seeks the company of men. She likes the atmosphere of male affairs and power. She can be their companion, colleague, or confidant without having any erotic feelings for them or needing emotional intimacy.

During the Trojan War, Athena actively acted on the side of the Greeks. She took care of her favorites, especially Achilles, the most formidable and powerful Greek warrior. Athena proved herself to be the best strategist during the Trojan War. Her intervention brought the Greeks victory in the battle.

Being the goddess of crafts, Athena is also involved in the creation of works of art. She is especially known for her skill as a weaver.

In this regard, there is only one myth about Athena, which speaks of a mortal woman. Athena, as the goddess of crafts, was challenged to a competition in skill by an overconfident weaver named Arachne. Both worked with great speed and skill. When the canvases were completed, Athena was delighted with the impeccable work of her rival, but the subjects depicted on the canvas infuriated her. Arachne dared to depict the love affairs of Zeus. She wove Leda caressing a swan, under the guise of which Zeus entered the queen’s bedroom in order to take possession of her. The next scene showed Danae, who was impregnated by Zeus, turning into a shower of gold; Arachne then wove an image of the maiden Europa, whom Zeus abducted, turning into a magnificent white bull.

Athena became terribly angry, tore up Arachne's work and hit her with the shuttle. The unfortunate woman could not bear the shame and hanged herself. Taking pity on Arachne, Athena freed her from the loop and restored her life, turning her into a spider, forever condemned to weave a web.

The asteroid (881) Athena, discovered in 1917, is named after Athena.

The goddess Athena (Ἀθηνᾶ) occupied a special place in Greek mythology; she was counted among the 12 main Olympian gods.

The Greeks respected and loved the goddess and believed that Athena was always with them, wanting to help. Athena was the goddess of wisdom, strategy, war, knowledge, and was the patroness of Athens, art, culture, philosophical thought and martial arts.

Birth of Athena

The appearance of Athena happened in an unusual way. The first wife of Zeus was Mytis (Μήτιδα), who was wiser than gods and people. After she became pregnant, the Moiras, the goddesses of fate, predicted to her that Mithida would first give birth to a daughter, and then a son, who would overthrow Zeus from the throne. To avoid this, Zeus swallowed his pregnant wife. After which he called Hephaestus and ordered him to cut off his head. He carried out his will and hit his skull with an ax. The beautiful Athena jumped out from there, in full uniform and with sparkling weapons.

Athena became the favorite child of Zeus. She fought alongside him in the fight against the giants, and after he drove away the giant Enceladus, Athena chased after him in her chariot, the stone she threw killed the giant and became the island of Sicily.
The cult of Athena began with the time of Cecrops (Κέκροπα) in ancient Athens and from there spread throughout Greece. Endless celebrations and holidays in all cities were dedicated to the goddess Athena, but the brightest were in Athens. Pericles dedicated the entire Citadel to Athena.

Symbols of the goddess Athena: oak, owl, olive, shield.

The Goddess Athena had many names; the ancient Greeks at various times added divine and sacred names to their beloved Goddess:

Pallas (Παλλάδα) was given to Athena at birth when she was born from the head of Zeus with a new sparkling spear. According to another version, Athena killed the giant Pallant (Πάλλαντα).
Promachos (Πρόμαχος) warrior, refers to the combative nature of the goddess and her status as brave in battle, her "strategic" plans are to support her heroes.
Virgin (Παρθένα) untouched, Athena was a virgin, the Parthenon temple on the Acropolis is dedicated to Athena the Virgin.
Blue-eyed (Γλαυκώπις) light-eyed. The sacred bird of the goddess Athena, the owl (γλαυξ), comes from the same root, perhaps due to its large and bright eyes.

Athena and the owl

Since ancient times, the owl has been identical to wisdom. The ancient Greeks considered it a symbol of the goddess Athena.

The owl flies, does not walk, does not crawl. The gods of Olympus also flew; they took the form of birds when they appeared among people. Owls are special birds, predators, they see very well at night. The owl has a large round head, a disk-shaped face, and large eyes that provide stereoscopic vision. This ruthless predator grabs prey with its sharp claws and kills it in motion, striking it in the head with its hard and strong beak.

Such features of the owl seemed cult to the ancient Greeks.
The owl has the ability to see the “far side of things”, where others are unable to see due to darkness, thus the owl symbolizes wisdom.

Maybe for this reason, the owl became the companion of the wisest Greek goddess Athena.

Athena Athena is the goddess of wisdom and just war in the myths of the ancient Greeks. Born from Zeus and Metis (wisdom). Zeus swallowed his pregnant wife, then Hephaestus (or Prometheus) split his head with an ax, and Athena appeared from there in full battle armor and with a war cry. Athena is equal to Zeus in strength and wisdom. Her attributes are a snake and an owl, as well as an aegis - a goat skin shield with the head of a snake-haired Medusa, which has magical powers and frightens gods and people. The sacred tree of Athena is the olive. Athena of the period of heroic mythology fights titans and giants. She killed the gorgon Medusa. No mortal can see her (she deprived young Tiresias of his sight when he accidentally saw her ablution). She patronizes heroes and protects public order. Her favorite is Odysseus, she is the main defender of the Achaean Greeks and the constant enemy of the Trojans during the Trojan War. She helped potters, weavers, needlewomen, the builder of the Argo ship, and all artisans. Athena helped Prometheus steal fire from Hephaestus's forge. Her own products are genuine works of art. She is also a legislator and patroness of Athenian statehood. Although the cult of Athena was widespread throughout mainland and island Greece, Athena was especially revered in Attica, in Athens (the Greeks associated the name of the city of Athens with the name of the goddess). A huge statue of Athena Promachos (front line fighter) with a spear shining in the sun adorned the Acropolis in Athens, where the Erechtheion and Parthenon temples were dedicated to the goddess. Many agricultural holidays were dedicated to Athena. The festival of the Great Panathenaia was universal in nature (during the festival, sacrifices were made to Athena and the transfer of peplos took place - the goddess's veil, on which her exploits in gigantomachy - the fight against giants - were depicted). In Rome, Athena was identified with Minerva.

Historical Dictionary. 2000 .

Synonyms:

See what "Athena" is in other dictionaries:

- (Άθηνά), in Greek mythology, the goddess of wisdom and just war. The pre-Greek origin of the image of A. does not allow us to reveal the etymology of the name of the goddess, based only on the Greek language. The myth of the birth of A. from Zeus and Metis (“wisdom”, ... ... Encyclopedia of Mythology

Athena- Lemnia. Reconstruction of the statue of Phidias on the Acropolis of Athens. OK. 450 BC Sculpture collection. Dresden. Athena Lemnia. Reconstruction of the statue of Phidias on the Acropolis of Athens. OK. 450 BC Sculpture collection. Dresden. Athena in the myths of the ancient Greeks... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of World History

- (Pallas, among the Romans Minerva) in Greek mythology, the goddess of wisdom and military affairs; daughter of Zeus, born from his head; was considered the patroness of Athens. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Pavlenkov F., 1907. ATHENA (Greek... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

- (Pallas Athena) in Greek mythology, the goddess of war and victory, as well as wisdom, knowledge, arts and crafts. Daughter of Zeus, born in full armor (helmet and shell) from his head. Patroness of Athens. The Roman Minerva corresponds to her. Among … Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Athena- Lemnia. Reconstruction of the statue of Phidias on the Acropolis of Athens. OK. 450 BC Sculpture collection. Dresden. ATHENA (Pallas Athena), in Greek mythology, the goddess of war and victory, wisdom, knowledge, arts and crafts, the patroness of Athens. Daughter of Zeus,... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Pallas Athena), in Greek mythology, the goddess of war and victory, wisdom, knowledge, arts and crafts, the patroness of Athens. Daughter of Zeus, born in full armor (helmet and shell) from his head. Attributes of Athena: snake, owl and aegis shield with... ... Modern encyclopedia

Pallas Athena, in ancient Greek mythology one of the main deities, a virgin goddess; revered as the goddess of war and victory, as well as wisdom, knowledge, arts and crafts. According to myth, A. in a helmet and shell came out of the head of Zeus. A.… … Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Minerva, Polyada, Pallas, Nike Dictionary of Russian synonyms. athena noun, number of synonyms: 10 pallas athena (3) ... Synonym dictionary

- (also Pallas) one of the most ancient deities of Greece, daughter of Zeus, warrior maiden, Greek parallel to the Valkyries (see) of German mythology. The origin of the image is unclear: perhaps it is based on a celestial projection of a primitive family... ... Literary encyclopedia

Greek goddess … Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

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• The future of civilization. Global Cosmic Reconstruction, Athena Horus. This book helps to reveal a person’s spiritual vision and shows, from the position of the higher spiritual worlds, the deep essence and reasons for the events occurring in the Cosmos and on the planet that accompany...