Preview

Athena In Greek Mythology

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
597 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Athena In Greek Mythology
Athena, also known as Pallas Athena, in Greek Mythology, is the goddess of reason, justice, weaving, and war. However, unlike Ares, the other war god, Ares is the god of the violence and the bloodiness aspect of war, while Athena is the military strategy and planning aspect part of war. Athena also rules by reasoning and bloodshed, and if Ares ever ruled, he would rule by violence and fear.

Athena is one of the twelve Olympian Gods. Her father is Zeus, the king of the sky, and also the kings of the gods. Athena’s parentage is a difficult story to explain. Before Zeus married Hera, Zeus was married to Metis, the titan of wisdom. However, a prophecy declared that the child of Zeus and Metis would overthrow Zeus’s throne. Zeus thought of an plan, and manage to trick Metis so he could swallow her, and Metis was stuck in Zeus's head, literally.
Metis was pregnant however, and had her child in Zeus’s head.
She had also used her essence to create a full body armor for the child. So when Zeus commanded Hephaestus to bang a hammer on Zeus’s head, the child, Athena, sprung out of Zeus’s head in full body armor, completed with a spear.
…show more content…
A famous one is when she found one of her servant, who sweared to be an eternal maiden, had an affair with Poseidon, the sea god, when she found out, she wa so furious she turned her into a famous monster, even today, named Medusa. Medusa was cursed, she was so ugly that any mortal that looks upon innedalty turns into stone. She was also one of the two supporters of Perseus, who slayed Medusa with Athena and Hermes’s help. Perseus then gave the head of Medusa to Athena, and Athena decided to put the head on her Aegis, a special shield that Athena has, So when Athena charged into battle with Aegis, her enemies take one look at her shield with the head of the gorgon carved in it, instead of turning into stone, they would immediately run in the other

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Inanna Research Paper

    • 417 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Athena is the Greek goddess of reason. She was also known as the goddess of Athens, goddess of wisdom,…

    • 417 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In book 7 and 8, Athena alters how Odysseus appears to others. In book 7, Odysseus has arrived in Phaeacia and makes his way to the King’s palace. During his walk, the narrator explains how Athena alters Odysseus’s appearance: “Pallas Athena, harboring kindness for the hero, drifted a heavy mist around him, shielding him from any swaggering islander who’d cross his path… [and] search out who he was” (VII.16-19). Here, Athena tries to help Odysseus by concealing him during his journey by surrounding him with mist. Mist conceals or hides objects that would otherwise be visible. This shows that Odysseus wants to be hidden from other people, and is not ready to be in the public eye yet. The narrator also explains the mist shields him from the islanders.…

    • 283 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    a way. Athena is a very wise goddess, knowing the difference between right and wrong, so she…

    • 996 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The story of her birth comes in several versions. In the one most commonly cited, Zeus lay with Metis, the goddess of crafty thought and wisdom, but he immediately feared the consequences. It had been prophesied that Metis would bear children more powerful than the sire, even Zeus himself. In order to forestall these dire consequences, after lying with Metis, Zeus "put her away inside his own belly;" he "swallowed her down all of a sudden." He was too late: Metis had already conceived.…

    • 767 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Athena was the goddess of power and wisdom, and she cared a lot for Odysseus, who was struggling to find his way back home, so she helped him in some difficult situations. However, she was kind of passive while he was fighting, letting him fight his own battles as she sat back and watched him prevail. She also helped Telemachus so he could earn a name for himself in battle. She is confident, smart, a great warrior, and she is also the goddess of the womanly arts. Athena lived on Mount Olympus with all the other Greek gods, and she was a big supporter of Odysseus while the other gods debated whether to help him. Athena also has an important role in the town she live in as an protector from all enemies. Athena got her name from another town name…

    • 152 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dionysus Research Paper

    • 932 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Athena was the goddess of wisdom and war. She was born from Zeus when he had an awful headache, and she sprouted from his forehead in full armor. She was Ares’ partner in war. According to myth, she was Zeus’ favorite child. Symbols of Athena include an owl, and a helmet.…

    • 932 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Minerva Research Paper

    • 497 Words
    • 2 Pages

    As goddess of (protective) war she is the counterpart of Mars, the god of (offensive) war. She is often displayed in full armor with a spear. She aided Perseus in killing the Gorgon, and she therefore has the image of the Gorgon's head on her shield. (A Gorgon is a woman with snakes for hair.) Lovely how the real Minerva likes killing snakes. In images, the goddess is often seen with a snake in her…

    • 497 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Greek mythology, Athena is regarded as the goddess of Wisdom. She uses her wisdom to aid Odysseus on his journey back home to his family, through various trials and tribulations. Athena’s guidance can be seen when Odysseus is finally being allowed to leave Calypso’s island, which outraged Poseidon. Poseidon sends a great wave to wreck Odysseus’s ship and possibly drown him in the vast ocean but instead Athena helps him survive. “But Zeus’s daughter Athena countered him at once./ The rest of the winds she stopped right in their tracks,/commanding them all to hush now, go to sleep./ All but the boisterous North-she whipped him up/ and the goddess beat the breakers flat before Odysseus,/ dear to Zeus, so he could reach the Phaeacians,/ mingle with men who love their long oars/ and escape his death at last.” (Ody. 5. 421-427). Another example of…

    • 1499 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Athena (Roman name: Minerva), goddess of wisdom and battle strategy, is one of the most beloved and well known gods of the Greek myths. According to Greek mythology, Athena sprang from the head of Zeus, fully grown and wearing battle attire. Athena is always portrayed with her armor and helmet, carrying her shield and lance. Athena is also a gifted craftsman; she created the bridle to tame horses, along with many other crafts and useful objects. Her favorite bird is the owl, which is the symbol of wisdom, watchfulness and the hunt. Athena made all of her followers live a life of purity, and she created a big impact on Greece’s history. On of the most famous myths involving Athena is the origination of the city of the Athens’ symbol. The story begins when Poseidon and Athena have a dispute over who is to rule Athens. Whoever greats the best symbol to represent the city would become patron god or goddess. Poseidon, god of the sea, produced a freshwater spring for the Acropolis. Athena chose to present an olive tree, one of her many symbols. Because olive trees are deemed very useful, Athena became crowned patron goddess of Athens, and she has been ever since.…

    • 302 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    She was also known to have never lost a competition or war for that matter. The next story is about the city of Athens, where Athena and her uncle Poseidon waged war and anger with each other. Athena and Poseidon fought for control over Athens and its surrounding territory, Attica (Myth Summary). The contest was located on the Acropolis. Poseidon struck the rock with his trident and created a salt spring or a horse. Athena created an olive tree from the ground by the touch of her spear and she was announced the victor. The olive was fundamental to Athenian life. Poseidon continued to be worshiped in Athens. In his temple the Erechtheum, on the Acropolis, just across from the Parthenon, the marks from the blow of his trident could be seen, and nearby it, the olive tree that Athena had created continued to…

    • 875 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The most important immortal character in the Odyssey would undoubtedly be Athena, who is the daughter of Zeus, and the goddess of wisdom, battle, and other feminie arts such as weaving and farming. In homer’s epic, she plays the role of the guardian of Odysseus and Telemachus, saving Odysseus and helping him through many difficult situations, including his shipwreck caused by Poseidon (homer 5) and the encouraging him through the one-sided battle with the suitors (Homer 22). She does not merely impart sense and safety to her passive charge, however. She takes an interest in Odysseus for the talents he already has and actively demonstrates. She also often helps Telemachus—as when she sends him off to Pylos and Sparta to earn a name for himself. But she has the most affection for Odysseus. Athena is practical, clever and a master of disguises, and a great warrior, for an example of Athena being a master of disguises, she, on several occasions, transformed herself into either an old man or a “forgotten” friend of Odysseus’ father (Homer 17). Athena is one of the most typical femme fatale portrayed in ancient Greek literature due to the skills she possess which are potentially lethal…

    • 897 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Athena In The Odyssey

    • 582 Words
    • 3 Pages

    ak to the people they are watching over such as the instance in the Odyssey where Athena comes to Ithaca to visit Telemachus and reassure him that his father will be coming home and recommends a journey for the boy and to wait a year to allow him to make it home (pg.296). Though Telemachus may have not known it was Athena this is an example of a seen and heard Goddess which allows for her to reassure the boy. It is also seen with Achilles and Athena in the Iliad when Achilles is about to fight to the death with Agamemnon, on lines 205 and 206 it says “Athena came sent by the white-armed goddess Hera who loved and watched over the two men” (pg 194). In this scene it goes on to display a scene of the gods taking their power of visibility and…

    • 582 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Athena is regarded as a goddess of wisdom in the Greek mythologies. She uses her wisdom to guide Odysseus form Calypsos Island. Poseidon, enraged by her acts, sends a wave to wreck the ship but she helps him survive. “But Zeus’s daughter Athena countered him at once. / The rest of the winds she stopped right in their tracks,/commanding them all to hush now, go to sleep./ All but the boisterous North-she whipped him up/ and the goddess beat the breakers flat before Odysseus,/ dear to Zeus, so he could reach the Phaeacians,/ mingle with men who love their long oars/ and escape his death at last.…

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    No God is perfect in relationships. Many of the Gods,in fact have a lot interactions with mortals. Zeus or Sappho for example.The gods were bigger,more powerful versions of man. They had human emotions,but the lived forever. They had flaws,but great powers. They treated man sort of on an equal level. Some men became gods after their death and the gods,even fought wars alongside their human worshippers. So long as you didn't offend them,they would bless you. Often times, though their more human sides took over. Hera's great jealousy, Zeus's lust, Hephaestus's greed, Poseidon's anger, and so on and so forth. Their human qualities,often caused chaos or joy amongst the mortals in Greek mythology.…

    • 618 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Athena and Telemachus

    • 379 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Athena, the Grey eyed goddess, is one of those women in The Odyssey whose role is so important. She is the goddess of wisdom, who helps Telemachus on a journey to bring his father back home. Athena goes to Odysseus son to put courage in him. She doesn’t show her true self to humans; instead Athena disguises herself on three different occasions. She appeared as Odysseus friend Mentes, when she approached Telemachus. When Athena touches down Ithaca she is immediately spotted by Telemachus, who was sitting unhappy among the suitor. Free-will is greatly used between Athena and Telemachus, when she is persuading him to find his father. Athena says, “If I were you, I should take these steps to make these men disperse,” [Homer, 320]. Here Athena is trying to get Telemachus to realize that it’s time for his father to come to Ithaca, and he has to get the suitors out of his home.…

    • 379 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays