10 myths and legends about the goddess Athena
Greek mythology is captivating so much for the wonders that its stories tell, as by the belief that its protagonists existed in reality. For the Greeks, their mythological history is only a reflection of how their ancestors lived, in a world where everything was possible and humans had a stronger bond with nature. That is why, to this day, these stories and above all their teachings are still valid.
The legends of ancient Greece are also of great importance as they gave rise to the literature of this nation, a mix of heroism, poetry and entertainment that continues to inspire many artists.
A strong point of this mythology is that it had powerful male characters, but also figures women of great impact that demonstrated the bravery and courage of women from the beginning of the time. One such figure is the goddess of wisdom and war, Athena..
- It may interest you: "24 best known Greek myths (and what they mean)"
Therefore, in this article we will tell you some interesting myths that you surely did not know about the life and work of this goddess.
Who was Athena?
She is known for being the goddess of wisdom, strategic warfare, and protector of civilizations.. Daughter of the father god Zeus and many scholars agree that she was his favorite daughter, she is represented as a strong, fair and brave woman who is not afraid to face her enemies and protect those under her command.
She remained perpetually a virgin woman because, for her the most important thing was to acquire wisdom and knowledge skills, completely disregarding everything related to ties sexual. Portraying her even as asexual and androgynous.
It is said that this is the goddess of Greek mythology with the most representation in the world, we can find traces of her admiration for the people from the ancient Greek colonies located in Asia Minor, in some parts of India, in regions of Latin America and Africa of the North. She was also the patron protector of various cities in Greece, but it is well known that she was the ruling goddess of the city of Athens.
Curiosities of Athena
Both her birth and her life and work are full of mystery, making this goddess a woman of arms to take, whom we must admire and fear in equal parts.
She not only decided to remain a virgin for all eternity but, she was obliged that all maidens of her temple also made a vow of chastity and if they broke it they were expelled from her temple or punished.
The birth of her is an element of discussion among scholars of Greek mythology, since there are 3 possible births of this goddess.
Some scholars claim, based on the myth of Medusa, that Athena was envious of attractive and voluptuous women because she did not possess any of those attractive characteristics.
Likewise, the scholars of mythology assured that she was the prodigious and preferred daughter of Zeus, for which she always granted him favors.
She belonged to the high command of Olympus made up of the 12 main gods. She taking an honorary place for being Zeus's favorite and one of the most valued.
Myths and legends about the goddess Athena
These are the myths and legends that surround the life of one of the most important goddesses of Greek mythology
1. The birth of Athena
This is perhaps the biggest myth of all about Athena. Her birth has a great peculiarity, it was not naturally, but it was through a parthenogenetic process by Zeus himself. I mean, she was born to him. In Hesiod's texts, the birth of Athena is mentioned, after Zeus ‘locked in his womb’ his first wife Metis, an oceanic titan.
This was due to a prophecy stating that the god's woman was going to give birth to future gods who would be stronger and powerful than he, so a prisoner of fear, decided to swallow his wife, but she was already pregnant with her first daughter.
As time passed, Zeus complained of headaches, so he asked Hephaestus to open his head with his ax and once this was done, Athena fled into the world, who already had an adult figure, along with her clothing and armor. Because it sprouted from Zeus's brain, he was awarded his gifts for wisdom.
2. Other births
There are two more versions about the birth of the goddess Athena, one as the daughter of a winged giant named Pallas, who She then tried to take it by force from her, in her defense, tore her skin and wings to use it later as part of her Aegis protective.
The latest version of her places her as the daughter of Poseidon and the nymph Tritonis, but after a while, this she became angry with her father and she went to take refuge in the arms of Zeus, who adopted her as her own daughter. .
3. Foundation of the city of Athens
Known as one of the main cities of Greece, it was the focus of a great struggle between gods for the right to rule it. When this city was founded, the inhabitants needed the guidance and protection of a god, but there were a very particular interest in it because it was a metropolis of great culture and stability economical.
Poseidon drove his trident into the ground, from which a tributary of salty water gushed out. However, by the nature of it, the villagers could not accept it as it would ruin the crops and wither the land.
Taking advantage of her carelessness, Athena planted an olive tree, from which her fruits gave food and other benefits. For the residents, it was also the symbol of peace, so the citizens did not hesitate to choose her as goddess ruler.
4. Owl eyes
After positioning herself as regent of the city of Athens, the goddess taught the inhabitants to cultivate and care olive trees, with which they would go on to commercialize olive oil and increase the profits of the metropolis. But in addition, she assured him that through the leaves of the olive plants she would be watching over them and taking care of her. So every night, when the moonlight reflected off the leaves, turning silver, the citizens believed that it was the goddess Athena who watched them.
This myth gives rise to the legend of the owl, a creature that the Greeks considered a symbol of the wisdom and peace, while, as she appeared at night, she was attributed the characteristic of being the representation; an animal of the goddess Athena.
5. Athena vs Ares
Although both are considered gods of war, legend has it that Athena was completely opposed to armed conflict and instead preferred to opt for non-violent arrangements. So she always put herself ahead of the fight by giving advice and guidance to the soldiers to avoid bloodshed, thus she relates to Athena as the lady of military strategy.
On the opposite side is his brother Ares, who personifies a taste for battle, blood and the taste of glory. So he disliked the way her sister viewed the war and constantly made fun of her.
However, it is said that Ares never defeated Athena in any confrontation, as he was actually a cowardly two who enjoyed conflict, but only as a spectator, never getting involved in fights.
6. The magic stones
Another myth that surrounds the Gods of War brothers is that of the mysterious magic stones.. The legend tells about one of the many battles of the Macedonians against the Greeks, who were seen continually besieged by the Macedonian desire to conquer the major city-states of Greece.
Ares, he was nowhere to be found as he only delighted in watching a good battle in a position privileged, while Athena was on the side of the Greeks, who only defended their land. Outraged by her brother's reaction, she took a heavy rock and hit Ares on the head, knocking him unconscious.
Some time later the rumor that the great god of war was defeated by a magic rock, some peasant brothers, chose to try their luck. Fed up with not being able to farm in peace, they decided to grab a bunch of rocks and wait for Ares to show up at the battlefield, Once he did, they had the audacity to throw stones at it, who was again unconscious.
The brothers enclosed it in a huge pot and were able to grow their lands for a long time in peace and prosperity. Hermes, then rescued Ares and he never appeared again in the middle of wars.
7. The golden apple
This took place during the celebration of the nuptials of Tethys and Peleus, parents of the great hero Achilles. In this, the goddess of discord, Eris, who had not been invited to avoid conflicts on such a special day, made an appearance. However, indignant and furious, she appeared during dinner and contemptuously threw a golden apple, saying that it was a gift for the most beautiful and without further words she left.
Everyone was silent because who of all the deities present was the most beautiful? Athena, Hera and Aphrodite started arguing because each of them felt like the most beautiful. To resolve the conflict, in a neutral way, Zeus chose Paris, who appeared to be a humble peasant, to make the decision.
The goddesses involved flaunted their gifts and gifts, offering promises to Paris to be chosen. However, Paris chose Aphrodite, it is speculated that she was as much for her beauty as for the gift she promised him, which was to give him the love of the mortal that he most desired. Achieving the fury of Athena and Hera
When they found out that Paris was actually the prince of Troy, Athena and Hera became even more angry and declared war on him.
8. The legend of the spider
It begins with a young woman, the daughter of a well-known craftsman, who had a natural talent for creating the most intricate and beautiful fabrics in all of Greece. Her gift was so extraordinary that the villagers began to believe that it was a gift from the gods. However, the young woman named Arachne completely rejected that compliment and made fun of those who blindly celebrated the gods.
Angry and offended, Athena travels to earth disguised as an old woman to challenge Arachne in a weaving duel. The intention was that, after winning the duel, the goddess would teach the young woman a lesson in humility and make her retract her offenses. The duel took place and the goddess created a beautiful scene of her battle against Poseidon for the reign of Athens.
However, the young woman made an embroidered fabric with 22 scenes of infidelities of the gods, another great offense that the goddess would not miss. Revealing her true identity, Athena smashed the embroidery and humiliated the young woman who repented for disturbing the gods and is said to have taken her life out of shame.
Athena took pity on her soul after this act and turned her into a spider and her thread would be the web with which she would build the most beautiful fabrics, which would be admired by everyone in the world.
9. Medusa myth
We all know Medusa as the Chthonic creature with snakes for hair and a petrifying gaze, but she wasn't like this all the time. She in fact she was a young maiden, who served as a priestess in the temple of Athena. It is said that she enjoyed enormous beauty, cunning and sensuality, gifts that the goddess envied.
One day, Poseidon, a prisoner of his desire for the young Medusa, sneaked into the temple of Athena to be with the priestess by force. Athena, upon learning of her, not only expelled Medusa from her temple, but her disgust went beyond her, transforming her into a hideous creature, the complete opposite of what she once was.
10. The Shield of Medusa
The punishment imposed by the goddess was intended that never again would another man desire Medusa, but curiously it had the opposite effect, The men came to visit Medusa to be with her, as she continued to have an attractive body, running the risk of being petrified by her lethal look.
Medusa full of fury, she used her strength to wreak havoc in Greece, targeting men she considered unjust and having a little compassion for women. since she didn't hurt them. Thing that angered the goddess, so she sent Perseus, demigod and son of Zeus, to bring her severed head.
Perseus was successful and once Athena had the head of Medusa in her power, she placed it on her shield making him even more powerful.
A goddess who is both wise and cruel. Which of these myths about Athena did you already know?