Athena Goddess of The Great Athens







Athena, was the Greek Goddess of wisdom, war, the arts, justice and skill. She was the favorite child of Zeus, She had sprung fully grown from her father's head. Her mother was the goddess of wisdom and Zeus's first wife, Metis. In fear that he may bear a son mightier then himself Zeus swallowed Athena. Zeus came upon a great migrane, and called upon Hephaestus to split his skull open and from his skull emerged Athena. She is the virgin mother of Erichthnonius. Her usual attribute is the owl. And her father allowed her to possess the great Aegis.


*Thank you to http://www.pantheon.org/ for this information*



Friday, December 17, 2010

Part 1: Historical Reference

Athena was born in a warrior stance. Conceived by Zeus and Métis, she was bore into her father’s skull.  Upon conception Athena drove her spear into the fatty tissues of her father’s skull, emerging whole a grown woman, spear in hand (Bolen).  Athena was often known in history as Zeus’s “trusted one”; being the only Olympian permitted use of Zeus’s great thunderbolt and Aegis, shield (Bolen).
Charged with the wisdom of her mother, and strategies of great Zeus, Athena was worshipped by Greeks for her many archetypes.  She takes on very pronounced roles that are very archetypical of female characters: Protector, Advisor, Strategist (Bolen).  Mimicked after

traditional Greek writing structure, un elaborated and straightforward (Hamilton)(Anderson), Athena is often found to give purpose and guidance to heroes by using these roles she personifies.  Logical by right, Athena is also often noted in the epics and mythology in such examples as to follow, further into the paper, whereas she hones her many archetypes to advise Odysseus, leading the plot down a path otherwise not taken by this epic hero. By drawing upon her wisdom, noted throughout The Odyssey, she indefinitely , through multiple approaches proves that she indeed is the “mistress of strategy” (Evslin) earning her Homeratic infamy, and  historical interjections through The Odyssey that defines the story itself.

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