Video: Athena - the goddess of war and wisdom in Greek mythology
2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:46
Ancient Greek Athena is the goddess of war, wisdom, crafts, knowledge and arts. Such a spectrum is due to the nature and activity that the Hellenes attributed to the deity.
Athena - the fifth child of Zeus, according to legend, was born in an unusual way. The main god of Olympus secretly from Hera married Metis. But soon Zeus learned that his son would overthrow him from the throne. This was reported to him by moira (or Uranus and Gaia - according to other sources). The angry god, in order to prevent the loss of power, swallowed the pregnant wife. After that, his head ached badly, and he asked Hephaestus to cut it. From the head of Zeus, a new deity appeared - Athena.
The goddess of war differs in character from Ares, who also patronizes battles. The latter embodies reckless aggression and unreasonable courage, while Athena is associated with strategic planning. She is also called the goddess of just war. In contrast to Aphrodite, the personification of femininity and love, the patroness of battles has the features of masculinity. Athena rescued her admirers in difficult times - thanks to the right strategy, they managed to overcomethe most serious difficulty, defeat the enemies. Therefore, Nika (Victory) became a frequent companion of the goddess.
According to legend, the daughter of Zeus from childhood was distinguished by curiosity and showed interest in the sciences, so her father decided to make her the patroness of knowledge. Athena - the goddess of war, wisdom and crafts - more than once suggested to the ancient Greeks non-standard, but effective solutions. She taught Erichthonius the art of harnessing horses, and Bellerophon the taming of the winged horse, Pegasus. Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom, helped Danae construct a huge ship on which he got to Greece. Some myths attribute to the deity patronage of peace and prosperity, marriage, family and procreation, urban development, as well as healing abilities.
According to legend, two contenders fought for the right to give their name to the capital of Hellas: Poseidon (patron of the seas and oceans) and the goddess Athena. Photos of archaeological finds and other data indicate that in ancient times the city was an architectural masterpiece: white-stone palaces, giant stadiums and temples decorated with carvings. The god Poseidon promised that the Greeks would never need water if they named the capital after him. And the patroness of wisdom offered the Hellenes an eternal supply of food and money and presented the townspeople with an olive sapling as a gift. The Greeks made their choice, and today the capital of Greece bears the name of the goddess, and the olive tree is considered her sacred symbol.
The temple of the goddess Athena - the Parthenon - is located in the Acropolis onat a height of approximately 150 m above sea level, it is a giant white stone building, a masterpiece of architecture. Inside it is a statue of the goddess, made of gold plates and ivory. From all sides the temple is surrounded by 46 huge slender columns.
Zeus is considered to be the supreme deity of Greek mythology, but the cult of Athena echoes the more ancient period of Hellenic history - matriarchy. Therefore, the goddess can be considered close to Zeus in importance or even equal to him.
Recommended:
Greek women: famous Greek profile, description, female types, clothes from ancient times to modern times, beautiful Greek women with photos
Women play a very important role in Greek culture. It is the weaker sex that since ancient times takes care of maintaining order in the house, protects it and embellishes life. Therefore, on the part of men there is respect for women, which may be based on the fear that life without the fairer sex will become difficult and unbearable. Who is she - a Greek woman?
Male and female ancient Greek names. The meaning and origin of ancient Greek names
As in many cultures of antiquity, ancient Greek names glorify the forces of nature or compare a person with a flower, plant, animal. Examples can be given: Astreya (Star), Iolanthe (purple flower), Leonidas (son of Leo)
Greek Athena: temples and statues of the goddess. History, legends and description. Temple of Pallas Athena
Athena patronizes those striving for knowledge, cities and states, sciences and crafts, intelligence, dexterity, helps those who pray to her to increase their ingenuity in a particular matter. At one time, she was one of the most revered and beloved goddesses, competing with Zeus, since she was equal to him in strength and wisdom. She was very proud of being a virgin forever
Goddess Athena, daughter of Zeus and Metis
The daughter of Zeus, the goddess Athena, had the courage of a lion and the caution of a cat, she was always armed with a spear and a shield, she wore a helmet on her head. Snakes slithered along the edge of her clothes, personifying the inevitability
The wisdom of life. Eastern wisdom about life. Omar Khayyam - "Wisdom of Life"
Omar Khayyam is known to many from school. One of the greatest medieval poets, who continues to inspire people all over the world until now, seems to have known all the wisdom of life. The famous rubais (short quatrains) tell about fate, about love, about the transience of every moment, about passion, the meaning of life
