That is a graver matter, and there, my friend, the modern interpreters of Homer may, I think, assist in explaining the view of the ancients. In his dialogue Cratylus, the ancient Greek philosopher Plato (428–347 BC) gives some rather imaginative etymologies of Athena's name, based on the theories of the ancient Athenians and his etymological speculations: The name Athenai is likely of Pre-Greek origin because it contains the presumably Pre-Greek morpheme *-ān. For example, in Mycenae there was a goddess called Mykene, whose sisterhood was known as Mykenai, whereas at Thebes an analogous deity was called Thebe, and the city was known under the plural form Thebai (or Thebes, in English, where the 's' is the plural formation). Testimonies from different cities in ancient Greece attest that similar city goddesses were worshipped in other cities and, like Athena, took their names from the cities where they were worshipped. Now scholars generally agree that the goddess takes her name from the city the ending - ene is common in names of locations, but rare for personal names. In ancient times, scholars argued whether Athena was named after Athens or Athens after Athena. The name of the city in ancient Greek is Ἀθῆναι ( Athȇnai), a plural toponym, designating the place where-according to myth-she presided over the Athenai, a sisterhood devoted to her worship. Īthena is associated with the city of Athens. Athena's name probably comes from the name of the city of Athens. The Acropolis at Athens (1846) by Leo von Klenze. Western artists and allegorists have often used Athena as a symbol of freedom and democracy.
Since the Renaissance, Athena has become an international symbol of wisdom, the arts, and classical learning. In the later writings of the Roman poet Ovid, Athena was said to have competed against the mortal Arachne in a weaving competition, afterward transforming Arachne into the first spider Ovid also describes how she transformed Medusa into a Gorgon after witnessing her being raped by Poseidon in her temple. She plays an active role in the Iliad, in which she assists the Achaeans and, in the Odyssey, she is the divine counselor to Odysseus. Along with Aphrodite and Hera, Athena was one of the three goddesses whose feud resulted in the beginning of the Trojan War.
Athena was the patron goddess of heroic endeavor she was believed to have aided the heroes Perseus, Heracles, Bellerophon, and Jason. She was known as Athena Parthenos "Athena the Virgin," but in one archaic Attic myth, the god Hephaestus tried and failed to rape her, resulting in Gaia giving birth to Erichthonius, an important Athenian founding hero. In the founding myth of Athens, Athena bested Poseidon in a competition over patronage of the city by creating the first olive tree. In others, such as Hesiod's Theogony, Zeus swallows his consort Metis, who was pregnant with Athena in this version, Athena is first born within Zeus and then escapes from his body through his forehead. In some versions of the story, Athena has no mother and is born from Zeus' forehead by parthenogenesis. In Greek mythology, Athena was believed to have been born from the forehead of her father Zeus. Her main festival in Athens was the Panathenaia, which was celebrated during the month of Hekatombaion in midsummer and was the most important festival on the Athenian calendar.
She was also a warrior goddess, and was believed to lead soldiers into battle as Athena Promachos. As the patron of craft and weaving, Athena was known as Ergane. The Parthenon on the Athenian Acropolis is dedicated to her, along with numerous other temples and monuments. She was known as Polias and Poliouchos (both derived from polis, meaning "city-state"), and her temples were usually located atop the fortified acropolis in the central part of the city. In art, she is generally depicted wearing a helmet and holding a spear.įrom her origin as an Aegean palace goddess, Athena was closely associated with the city. Her major symbols include owls, olive trees, snakes, and the Gorgoneion. The Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens is dedicated to her. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of various cities across Greece, particularly the city of Athens, from which she most likely received her name. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols.Īthena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. This article contains special characters.
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