8: Athena Flashcards
Athena’s Conception and Birth
- L. Minerva
- Homeric Hymn to Athena
- Hesiod’s Theogony: Zeus impregnates Metis (Wisdom) and is destined to bear son to overthrow father so he swallows Metis
- Zeus births Athena via head
- Variants: Hephaestus helps by splitting Zeus’ skull and Athena lets out a mighty war cry
- Athena’s birth depicted in the E. (east) pediment of Parthenon
Athena’s Major Characteristics
- Born in full panoply = full armor
- Goddess of war (Strategy). Cf. Ares
- Goddess of Bronze-Age Citadel –> Patroness of Athens
- Masculinity: unapproachabale virginity. Cf. Artemis
Athena Historical Origins
- Name likely derived from city of Athens
- Pre-Hellenic goddess as Goddess of fresh water. Epithet is Tritogoneia: born from sea god Triton
-union of indigenous goddess and daugther of I-E. sky god
-originally Minoan snake goddess? - Mentioned in Linear B tablets during Mycenaean Age as the protector of the city
- Acropolis = “high city” in Athens
Goddess of Wisdom - Spinning and weaving
- Latin name is Minerva. Connected with L. Mens = Mind
- Goddess of Spinning & Weaving
-Arete = Excellence of women
-Weaving: symbol of cunning and resourcefulness
-Cf. Penelope and Fates (Weavers, Thread of Life)
Goddess of Wisdom - Craftsmen and War
Craftsmen - Carpentry
* Building of Trojan Horse
* Building of Ship: Argo
* Inventor of Flute, picked up later by Satyr: Marsyas
War
* Strategy
* Patron deity of many heroes. Ex: Odysseus, Perseus, Heracles, Orestes
Athena and Aegis
- Athena wears the Aegis (goat skin) which is also worn by Zeus
- Gorgon’s head (Medusa) will be put on the shawl itself or on Athena’s shield
- “under the Aegis of someone” = under the protection of of someone
What is Athena often depicted as and its symbolisms
- depicted as a snake
- Snakes born from earth so becomes symbol of IE people
- Minoan snake goddess: association with Athens
Athena Glaukopis
Coin from Athens
Reverse: Owl (Athena’s bird) and Obverse: bust of Athena
Epithets of Athena
- Glaukopis: Gray-eyed, Owl-eyed, Bright-eyed, Keen-eyed
- Tritogeneia: obscure reference
-born from Triton? associated with region of her birth –> River/Lake Triton or Tritonis so connected with water
Pallas
- Epithets of Athena
- Unknown etymology
- If Greek Maiden, Weapon-Brandishing
- The myth is: Athena grows up with Triton’s daughter, Pallas. Athena accidentally kills her and in remorse she fashions a wooden statue of Pallas called the Palladium. Palladium plays important role in Fall of Troy because Odysseus steals it.
Parthenos
- Epithet of Athena, means Virgin, Maiden
- The Parthenon is the temple called House of the Virgin. It is atop the acropolis in Athens and build during height of Athens’ prosperity under auspices of Pericles
The Parthenon
- Decorated with sculptural program directed by Pheidias
- The E. (east) pediment was the birth of Athena and W. pediment is Athena v. Poseidon
- Had Friezes: long sculptures that go around the temple, variety of mythological fights
- Pheidias made a big sculpture of Athena called Athena Parthenos made of gold and ivory
Friezes at the Parthenon
- Doric Frieze - 90 Metopes
* Lapiths v Centaurs
* Sack of Troy
* Giganto,achu
* Greeks v. Amazons - Ionic Frieze - Panathenaea
* Peplos = Ceremonial Robe
Athena vs Poseidon
Athena and Poseidon battle for the city of Athens for patron deity of the city, with citizens as the judges. Poseidon produces a salt spring (variant: produed first horse) and Athena causes first olive tree to the appear, which becomes important in the Athenian economy, so she is judged the winners. Poseidon gets mad and threatens to flood the earth so mortals build a temple for him called Erechtheum on Acropolis, and worshiped as Poseidon Erectheus.
The Erechtheum
- sanctuary to poseidon on the Acropolis
- Dedicated to Poseidon-Erectheus and Athena Polias
- “The Porch of the Maidens” –> The Caryatids, these are the women that replaced the pillars for the temple
