Athena was the Greek Goddess of many ideas, but she was famous mostly for her superior wisdom, her cunning skills in times of war, and her implausible talent for household tasks, such as weaving and pottery. She was celebrated more than any other God in ancient mythology, was the supposed inventor of countless innovations, and her figure gave reason for Greek woman to gain rights long before others of their time. The goddess of war, the guardian of Athens, and the defender of Heroes; Athena’s impact on the lives of Ancient Greeks is outstanding. As a resident on Mount Olympus, Athena rightfully represents both intelligence and strategy (Grant, Hazel 83). Symbols that identify with the goddess include the owl for wisdom and the olive branch for peace (Athena or Minerva… 1). Athena was a goddess of war who preferred peace to fighting (Lies 47). The deity was depicted in full wartime armor, including a helmet and spear. However, despite her rough accessories, Athena also showed off extreme femininity in her clothing as well as features (Buxton 79). Athena was Zeus’s favorite daughter. Zeus, the king of the gods, allowed her to dress in his Aegis (Lies 47). The Aegis was a breastplate made of goatskin that bore the image of a gorgon to instill panic in foes (Buxton 79). She was born fully-grown and already dressed in her full outfit, ready for war. Furthermore, Athena was the only Olympian not born of a mother. She sprang directly from her father, Zeus’s, head (Lies 47). She was different from the others of her kind, which may be why she was so honored so highly in early Greece. Festivals, Temples, even a city where named after the goddess. Athena’s key festivals included the Arrephonia, the Scriophonia, and the Panathehea. The A... ... middle of paper ... ...t. • George, Roy. "The Goddess Athena." The Shrine of the Goddess Athena. 1998. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. . • Grant, Michael, and John Hazel. "Athena." Gods and Mortals in Classical Mythology. Springfield, MA: G. & C. Merriam, 1973. Print. • Lies, Betty Bonham. "The Wise Goddess Athena." Earth's Daughters: Stories of Women in Classical Mythology. Golden, CO: Fulcrum Resources, 1999. Print. • Stebbins, Elinor. "Athena." Sweet Briar College { History of Art Program }. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. . • "Unhandled Exception." Ancient Greece - History, Mythology, Art, War, Culture, Society, and Architecture. 2008. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. . • Wilkinson, Philip, and Neil Philip. Mythology. London: DK Pub., 2007. Print.
This paper will discuss the well published work of, Pomeroy, Sarah B. Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity. New York: Schocken, 1975. Print. Sarah B. Pomerory uses this book to educate others about the role women have played throughout ancient history. Pomerory uses a timeline to go through each role, starting with mythological women, who were called Goddesses. She then talks about some common roles, the whores, wives, and slaves during this time. Pomerory enlightens the audience on the topic of women, who were seen as nothing at the time. Men were seen as the only crucial part in history; however, Pomerory’s focus on women portrays the era in a new light.
...r. "Ancient Greece." Gardner's art through the ages the western perspective. 13th ed., Backpack ed. Boston, Mass.: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010. 101, 123,129. Print.
"Greek Gods and Goddesses: Ares – Facts and Information." Interesting Information for Kids, Pupils, Parents and Teachers. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2014. .
Rodgers, Nigel. The Complete Illustrated History of Ancient Greece. New York City: Sterling, 2013. Print.
The role of women in society is often debated. In many ancient cultures, women were not granted the same rights that men had. When it comes to Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, women had very similar roles yet vastly different influences on society. The myths of these cultures helps us to see exactly what those differences are. This paper will examine the role and perceptions of women in Greek society and Roman society as exemplified by the mythology that guided these societies.
Pomeroy, Sarah B. Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity. New York: Schocken Books, 1995.
Athena is the goddess of several different categories including wisdom, war, and crafts. She is one of the most well-known Olympian goddesses. Athena had a strange birth, followed by an odd life. Athena combines several personalities of different gods into one goddess with her traits of wisdom, power, and craftiness.
Athena is the goddess of wisdom and one of the three virgin goddesses (D’Aulaire 34; Hamilton 30). Athena is also a “fierce and ruthless battle-goddess”; however, she is only described as such in situations where she must protect the State and home from invaders (Hamilton 29). As a battle goddess, Athena represents victory in battle through glory and honor (Jordan 28). Athena is also known for her self control and discipline against the more unruly gods, such as Hermes and Poseidon (Jordan 37). One of Athena’s biggest personality traits is her pride, which is best shown in the tale of Arachne (D’Aulaire 36). Arachne is a mortal who is skilled at weaving and claims that she is even better than the goddess Athena. Athena confronts her and they
In Greek mythology, Athena is known to be the goddess of war and wisdom, and Zeus’ favorite child. When Zeus was told of the prophecy stated by the oracle of Gaea, he was afraid that Mentis’ children would overthrow him from his throne. With this prophecy in mind, Zeus hunted Mentis and swallowed her right when she was about to give birth to her first born. Thus, giving Zeus an unendurable headache that made him screamed so loud that the whole world heard it. With this, Hermes directed Hephaestus to use a wedge to split the skull of Zeus open in hopes of curing him, instead they found a baby dressed fully armed holding a sharp javelin (“Birth”).
Athena, goddess of wisdom and skill was admired by many ancient Greeks. Her symbol is an owl, the bird of wisdom. Being the patron goddess of Athens, her owl is found on Athenian silver coins (Carr, Karen). Since Athena is a war goddess, she is normally portrayed in art by wearing a gold helmet, armour while holding a spear and shield. Athena has been Zeus’ favorite child since she was born, and for this, she had great power (Cartwright).
Athena is the greek goddess of wisdom, skill and warfare. She was regarded as the virgin patroness of the great city of Athens. Known for her immense intelligence and strategic thinking, as well as her caring and compassionate nature, Athena led many victories with few casulaties, a stark contrast to the war god, Ares. Despite both Ares and Athena being gods of war, the two had very different motives. Athena’s moral and military superiority to Ares is seen in the fact that she represented the intellectual and civilized side of war and the virtues of justice and skill, whereas Ares represented mere blood lust and violence. For example, Athena only participated in wars that defended the state and home from outside enemies. In battle, Athena exemplifies many of her traits. Her wisdom is utlized in methodical planning, her skill in battle leaving few casualities. Athena represents the perfect balance of intelligence and warfare grit.
Many people have heard or read Greek and Roman goddess myths in literature classes or as part of modern fiction. Yet many of us are completely unaware of the thousands of goddess stories that have been told in cultures around the world from a few millennia ago to current day. These stories have persisted because they have important lessons about basic human needs and conditions. They also open our hearts to recognizing the importance of the divine feminine spirit in a world often dominated by masculine energy.
Two of the better known goddesses of Greek mythology are Aphrodite and Athena. Aphrodite is the goddess of love, and she is known as a very passionate character (Bolton 60). She is described as generous and benevolent in everything she does and to everyone she meets. Despite her appearance, she enjoys intervening in other humans, gods, and even goddesses’s lives (60). However, Athena is the goddess of wisdom, war, crafts and skills, and was held highly by mortal and immortals alike (Bolton 58). Unlike her brother, she is not bloodthirsty, and would rather see peace among friends than war
First of all, one of the most impressive accomplishments of Ancient Greece is the extraordinary structure of the Parthenon on the Acropolis. The Parthenon is one of the most inspiring works of architecture known to humankind. The Parthenon is like the crown jewel of Athens. It is named after the mighty goddess Athena Nike Parthenos daughter of Zeus. She is the goddess of war, wisdom, and heroism. The Goddess Athena is one of the more significant goddess’s in the Greek religion. Athena is the great influential goddess of knowledge, the different arts and skills of women, which contains weaving, cooking or spinning, and the goddess of war or battle. The entire city of Athens is also called after her. The original building on the site was built as an offering to prestige the goddess Athena because the people of ancient Athens thought that she watched over their city. The Parthenon is a lovely work of art that displays the powerful and confident spirit of the Athenians. It is quite a site to see with a lot of history
Women’s life in Ancient Athens is a widely researched subject. In the book “Goddesses, Whores, Wives and Slaves” Sarah B. Pomeroy describes in detail women in Ancient Greece. She also arises the question of the difference between the image of obedient and repressed women in Greek society and the forceful heroines of Greek Tragedy. “A number of scholars find a direct relationship between real women living in Classical Athens and the heroines of trag...