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Athena Jason Stowe
Period 2
The god to be the topic of discussion in this report is Athena. Athena was an important
member of the Olympic pantheon. She was born fully armed from the forehead of Zeus, the
chief god. Athena was Zeus's favorite child. He entrusted her with the Aegis, his
breastplate, and with his thunderbolt.
Athena's role as a goddess varied. She was a major warrior and most images depict her
dressed in armor and holding a spear. In Homer's Iliad, she is described as a fierce
battle goddess who continually intervened on the side of the Greeks. She also took an
interest in handicrafts and agriculture. The olive tree, which she said to have created,
is sacred to her. She was noted for her wisdom which explains her close association with
the owl, an ancient symbol of wisdom and reason.
The most famous temple to Athena was the Parthenon (5th century BC) which was named for
Parthenos ("the Maiden"), which still stands atop the Acropolis in Athens. The
interior of the Parthenon stands a statue of Athena Parthenos, sculpted by Phidais.
When I was reading through myths, I decided I would talk about "The Gift of
Athena" which, in my opinion, best illustrates Athena's colorful personality. Here is
how "The Gift of Athena" goes:
Long, long ago, when this old world was a very young place, and when the few people there
were had just begun to live together in groups for their own protection, the great gods
selected the places for humans to build the cities. They looked down upon the earth,
through the clouds that shrouded their home on the very peak of the high mountain called
Olympus, and they chose the sites they thought would provide everything mortals needed to
live and prosper.
Now, each god and goddess was eager to have a great city built in his or her honor, and so
the prime locations-the very best places for the great cities to be built came to cause
much bickering and jealousy among the many deities for all wanted a great city built in
their honor, a city whose people would worship that particular god or goddess above all
others. It happened that great Zeus, the king and ruler of all the gods, had found a spot
on earth that appeared absolutely ideal for the building of a noble city; indeed, he
foresaw that the city that would be built there would someday become the noblest city on
earth. Well, you can imagine that all the gods and goddesses wanted this city for their
own, and you would be right. But the two who wanted it most of all were Athena, the
goddess of wisdom, and Poseidon, the god of the seas and rivers. Now, Athena was one of
Zeus's daughters, and you might expect that her father would honor her request, but
Poseidon was Zeus's brother, and Zeus did not want to disappoint him, either. Poseidon
appealed to Zeus, saying that this location would provide the city with the greatest
natural harbor in all of the world and destine it to be a great seaport. Therefore, as god
of the sea, it was only right that he, Poseidon, should be its chief god. But Athena
argued just as earnestly that the greatness of this city would not lie in its commerce,
but rather in the respect its people would someday have for art and learning. As goddess
of wisdom, therefore, she should be its guardian.
Zeus, at last, decided upon a way to end this quarrel and to choose, fairly, between the
two. He called for a great council to be held at the very site of the new city, and there,
with all of the gods and goddesses arrayed before him, Zeus spoke from his golden throne
in a clear, commanding voice. "Listen," he said, "to the will of Zeus, who
judges now between Poseidon and Athena. The city that is desired by each shall bear the
name of that god who shall bring forth from the earth the better gift for the mortals who
will dwell here. If Poseidon's gift be judged more useful, this city shall be called
Poseidonia, but if Athena's gift be deemed the better, the city shall forever after be
known as Athens."
Upon hearing this, Poseidon arose in all his majesty, and he struck his trident (that is,
the long, three-pronged spear that he always carried)-he struck this trident hard into the
ground right where he stood. The earth shook violently all around until, at last, a great
crack opened up in the surface. Out of this steaming chasm leaped a magnificent horse, his
powerful white body fully arrayed in battle gear, a war-horse like none had ever seen
before. "Behold my gift," said Poseidon, "and call the city after my name,
for who can give these mortals a better present that the horse, which will ensure their
protection from all their enemies."
But Athena looked steadfastly with her keen gray eyes at the assembled gods, and she
stooped slowly down to touch the earth where she stood. She said nothing but continued to
gaze calmly on that great council. Presently they all witnessed a small shoot growing from
the ground where Athena had touched her hand. It grew swiftly and in minutes had sprouted
thick and luscious boughs and leaves; higher and higher it rose until green fruit appeared
on its clustering branches. "My gift is better, O Zeus, than that of Poseidon,"
she said. "The horse he has given shall bring war and strife and anguish to these
morals and their children, but my gift-the olive tree-is the sign of peace and plenty, of
health and strength, and the pledge of happiness and freedom. Is it not more fitting,
then, that the city to be founded here should be called after my name?"
Then the voices of the gods rose in the air as one: "The gift of Athena is better by
far, for it is the token that this city shall be greater in peace than in war, and nobler
in its freedom than it its power. Let the city be called Athens forevermore."
Hearing their appeal, Zeus then bowed his head as a sign of his judgment that the city
should be named for Athena. The earth trembled as he rose from his golden throne to return
to the halls of Olympus. Athena stood gazing over the land that her victory had given her,
and she decided that it was here that she would make her home. "Here," she said,
"my children will grow up in happiness, and they will come to understand that freedom
is the greatest gift a people can receive. And when the torch of freedom has gone out in
Athens, it will be passed on to other peoples in other lands throughout the world."
This myth shows how Athena longed for peace and wisdom rather than war. Also, Poseidon
held a trident. Trident is actually a combination of a Latin prefix tri-, meaning
"three" and the Latin root or stem dent-, meaning "tooth". So, the
trident is like a spear with three teeth! Words like tricycle, triangle, etc. also
originated from this tri- prefix. Words like dentist and denture originated from this
dent- stem. So, these are good examples of how today's words originated from the Greek and
Roman times!
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