Besdies being the Goddess of War, Athena was also one of the most prominent of all the Greek Goddesses, and she was the Protectress and Patron of Athens, the city that was named after her. It was Athena who first realized the need for, and then developed, the socio-economic concept of cities. Besides being a champion of justice and civil law, Athena became known as an ardent defender of heroes.
Athena was well known for having a variety of contradicting qualities. Many of them can be found in Homer’s The Odyssey. Athena was completely different from many, if not all of the other Greek deities, since she actually tried to help others rather than harm them; and while she may have been thought of as a warrior, she was also known as a peacemaker and as the mother of Erichthonius, even though she was a virgin who had sworn an oath of chastity. In reality, she was actually the foster mother of Erichthonius, who had been born from Hephaestus’ spilled seed after he had unsuccessfully attempted to rape her. Even after that attempted rape, Athena never blamed the male sex, in general, for the actions of one particular God, and she continued to remain equally protective of both men and women.
Athena is believed to have been the daughter of Zeus, the leader of the Olympian Gods and Metis, the Goddess of Wisdom. There came a time when Gaea, the Goddess of the Earth, predicted that when Zeus had a child with Metis it would be a son, and that his son would eventually overthrow him. Once Zeus learned about Gaea’s prediction, he immediately swallowed the then pregnant Metis whole. By doing so Zeus become pregnant, and when the time came for him to give birth, it was to Hephaestus, the God of Fire, and Smithy to the Gods, that he turned. Zeus requested Hephaestus to perform a Cesarean section upon him, and since Zeus’ labor pains appeared to be coming from his forehead, Hephaestus took his ax and split Zeus’ forehead open, only to see Athena, fully clothed in armor, spring forth. Other, similar versions of this myth also exist, including the one by Hesiod.
The historian, Herodotus, however, followed a completely different path when discussing Athena’s birth. He believed that Athena was the daughter of Poseidon and the Tritonian Lake. He also believed that Athena had been extremely unhappy with her natural father, so she turned to Zeus for whom she cared greatly. Zeus adopted Athena and made her one of his own children. It did not take long for Athena to become Zeus' favorite child, and as a sign of his favor, he bestowed upon her his breastplate, which was known as the Aegis. The Aegis was a goatskin shield, which had a fringe of snakes upon it, and the head of the Gorgon Medusa adorning it. It was also Athena who Zeus allowed to carry his shield, and possess the keys that protected his mighty thunderbolts.
When the Athenians decided to build the Parthenon (which name stems from the word parthenos which means maiden or virgin) on the Acropolis, the sculptor, Phidias, was commissioned to create a gigantic statue which became known as a Palladium. That statue was named after and dedicated to Pallas, one of Athena's female friends who she accidentally killed while they were engaged in combat training. Athena felt such terrible guilt over the loss of her friend, that she adopted her name; thereby going by the name, Pallas Athena.
There came a time, when a new city had been built in Greece, and both Athena, and Poseidon, the God of the Sea, desired to be its patron. Since they both wanted that honor, a contest was held, with the Olympian Gods acting as Judges. The contest required that Athena and Poseidon each present a gift to the city, and whoever presented the greatest gift, would become the city’s patron.
Poseidon was the first to make his presentation. Quite dramatically, he struck the side of the rock of the Acropolis, and from his mighty blow a spring burst forth, and then quickly subsided, into a deep well. Unfortunately for Poseiden, that well water was the same salt water over which he presided in the seas, and it was not a particularly useful gift for the city.
Athena’s turn finally arrived. There she stood, tall and in complete command, and when she stamped her foot hard upon the ground, the world’s first olive tree sprang forth. The olive tree appeared to be a much more useful gift to the city. People would be able to use the olive tree for food, and for oil, and they could even use its wood. As time progressed, the olive tree became one of the most important agricultural staples in Greece, and it continues to remain so to this very day. The Gods declared Athena the winner, and the city was given to her. Athena had no difficulty naming her city; since she simply chose to call it Athens. When Athena became the Patron of Athens, its inhabitants built a great temple in her honor, and it was then that Athena also became the Guardian and Protectress of every city in Greece.
History has shown us, that Athena’s gift of the olive tree was one of the most important things that helped civilize, the entire Mediterranean region. What was very important, as well, was the fact that the olive tree became a sacred symbol of peace, which had been given, quite ironically, as a gift from a Goddess of War. When Athena became the Protectress of Athens it was a city-state, which was ruled by a monarchy. Some time later, however, that city-state adopted democratic rule. It was approximately at that same time, that Athena gained the reputation for being a Goddess of Respectable Wisdom, which only strengthened her role as the Patron of Athens. It was then, as well, that the Classical Greek Civilization began to reach new heights.
Zeus, the head of the Gods, specifically designated that Ares be the God of War, while he designated Athena to oversee the entire sphere of war. Ares interests appeared to lie mostly in blood lust, while Athena had the moral and military superiority that the unpredictable Ares did not.
In all likelihood, that was most likely due to the fact that Athena looked upon war from the intellectual and civilized side of it, and because she tended to practice the virtues of skill and justice. Athena was superior to Ares in each of these ways, because she had been exposed to a much wider variety of functions then he.
In the Illiad, Homer depicted Athena as being a superior and heroic warrior, who had excellent skills in close combat, victory and glory. The qualities of fear, strife, defense and assault, aided warriors whenever they attempted to gain victory, and they were all depicted upon the Aegis, which Athena constantly wore whenever she had to enter into battle.
Athena was mentioned in almost every single book of the Odyssey. In fact, the Odyssey actually began with Athena addressing an assembly of Gods and Goddesses upon Mount Olympus, as she pleaded on behalf of Odysseus, so that he finally might be allowed to return home.
While Odysseus was continuing in his travels, Athena frequently appeared before his son, Telemakhos, and when she did, she encouraged him to not lose faith, while at the same time she strengthened his belief that his father would indeed return home. In order to keep Telemakhos’s belief alive, Athena insisted that he travel, and that he keep searching in those travels for any information regarding his father. She also suggested that he try and find people who may have known Odysseus, or who may have even heard about him. In fact, Athena actually hired a ship, complete with crew, for Telemakhos, to aid him in his travels, as he continued to search for his father.
Throughout the Odyssey, Athena appeared to Odysseus, and each and every time that she did, she helped him get one step closer to returning home. Odysseus’ travels led him to many strange and different lands, where Athena protected him from harm. She frequently used her powers to make Odysseus appear to be more than he actually was, so that people would look kindly upon him, treat him graciously, and be more inclined to offer him assistance.
Athena also encouraged Penelope, Odysseus' wife, to never give up hope, and to continue believing that her husband would eventually return home. With Odysseus gone, life became extremely difficult for Penelope. Her husband had been gone for such a very long time, and there were so many men, who kept trying to convince her that she should marry them; and telling her that Odysseus was, in all likelihood, dead. Then, when Odysseus did return home, it was also Athena who helped him fight to get Penelope back.
During the homecoming scene, in which Odysseus and his son Telemakhos met Penelope's suitors in combat, it was Athena's just and peacekeeping nature that continued to shine through. While she may have encouraged Odysseus and his son to fight for Penelope, she still, at the exact same time, attempted to stop the fighting, in the hope that everyone would try to work things out without the need for bloodshed.
Throughout the Odyssey, Athena continued to teach and aid Odysseus, and while she may have been the one who advised the Greeks to build a giant wooden horse to give to the Trojans, it was Odysseus who was so inspired by Athena’s deviousness, that he acted upon her suggestion. It was Odysseus, as well, who sent the giant horse to the Trojans, putting a label upon it, which stated that the horse was a gift from the Goddess Athena. On the label, he went on to explain that if the Trojans brought the horse inside their gate then victory would, indeed, be theirs.
While Athena may have been a Goddess of War, she had little, if any, interest in its bloody battles. Athena did not believe that war was an excuse for killing people, nor did she see it as a way for people to act out their aggressions. Rather, she looked upon war as a battle of wits; and whoever won the war, did so by having the best strategy. Athena left all of the bloody battles to Ares, who truly appeared to enjoy all the fighting and bloodshed.
In looking at Athena and Ares, one can easily see that Athena was Ares' complete anthesis. She preferred to deal with the art of strategy in war, although she would, indeed, fight, if and when it became necessary, and she could do so better then any man.
Athena believed that war could be used as a way of obtaining peace, since wars appeared to settle disagreements, once and for all, rather then allowing tensions to continue to build up. Even her shield had a variety of different purposes. Not only did she use the Aegis for protection; she also used it as a way of stopping wars; by simply refusing to let war happen.
The Greeks’ views on battles and war can be easily seen by the way that they characterized Ares, their God of War, and Athena, their Goddess of Battles. Most of them tended to despise Ares, and he was frequently depicted as being both a bully and a coward. At the same time, they appeared to adore Athena, who they believed to be glorious, and full of virtue.
Athena also used her wisdom to help other Greek heroes besides Odysseus, and those heroes included Perseus, Jason and Achilles. She never had a sexual relationship with any of them, though, because she had decided to remain a virgin and never marry.
Since she was a virgin, Athena was extremely modest. One day, Tereseus accidentally came upon her while she was bathing. Athena acted quickly, covering his eyes with her hands, so that he would not be able to see her. Then, as compensation for what she had done, she bestowed the gift of second sight upon him.
Athena's sister, Artemis, was the complete opposite of Athena. One day, Acteon accidentally came upon Artemis while she was bathing with her maiden attendants. Artemis, however, did not handle that matter with the same wisdom that Athena had. Instead, she set her dogs upon him, and then she shot him with one of her arrows, killing him.
While Artemis may have been a Goddess of the Outdoors, Athena was her complete opposite, since she was extremely civilized and urban in comparison to her sister. In all likelihood, that may have been due to Athena’s roots, which were actually those of a pre-Hellenic Goddess who eventually became absorbed into the ancient Greek pantheon. One theory claims that Aphrodite and Hera had been brought by Phoenician traders to Crete, where they were then joined, at some later point in time, by Athena, who had been brought there from Africa, also by Phoenecian traders. It was then that the three of them traveled to Athens, in Greece, where they became a part of the ancient Greek Pantheon.
Athena had originally been a Goddess of Domestic Functions, but because the Greek economy had been so largely based upon the military, she eventually became the Goddess of War, while still retaining her previous functions. If she had simply remained as a Goddess of Domestic Functions, it is extremely doubtful whether she would have remained a virgin. Virginity, however, was probably attributed to Athena while she was at a very young age, because her virginity was used to interpret her epithets, Pallas and Parthenos.
Athena was an extremely powerful Goddess. Since she was the Goddess of War, as well as a Palace Goddess, no one would ever dare to attack her. Then, when she eventually became the Guardian of the Welfare of Kings, she also became the Goddess of Good Counsel, Prudent Restraint and Practical Insight, while still continuing in her role as the Goddess of War. When Athens became a democracy, it was then that Athena took on the title, “Athena Polias,” or "Athena, Guardian of the City," and it was then, as well, that she became the Goddess of all the cities in Greece.
Surprisingly, Athena was also worshipped as a Goddess of Fertility, even though she remained a virgin, and her birthday festival, which was known as the Panathenaea, celebrated the growth of vegetation. As time passed by, Athena also gained other attributes. They all appeared to glorify her wisdom and righteousness, which seemed to grow out of her natural development in her role as the Patron of Skill.
"The Classical Age of Greece," which was also known as "The Age of Athens" occurred between 480-323 B.C.E. That was an extremely important time for democracy in Athens, and many Greek playwrights and artists flourished during that period. It was during that period that Aeschylus wrote the Oresteia Trilogy, which included his play, the Eumenidies.
When translaterd, the Eumenidies, means "the Furies." In the Eumenidies, it was Athena who cast the decisive vote in Orestes favor, thereby acquitting him of the murder of his mother, Clytemnestra, after she had killed his father, Agamemnon. In that play, Apollo sent Orestes to the Temple of Athena, in order to plead his case.
The Eumenidies, or the Furies, were against Orestes. They represented darkness and the old ways, while Apollo and Athena both stood by Orestes’ side. When Athena requested that the Furies turn their authority over to her, so that she could decide the case, they all agreed to do so out of respect for Athena and for her father. Then, when the votes were tallied, it was Apollo who addressed the chorus, advising them that they must be extremely careful when it came to them counting the votes, because if even one mistake was made, and the ballots were counted inaccurately, a terrible disaster could occur. He also made it extremely clear to them that a single vote could either destroy or save a man's family. When the votes had all been cast and tallied, they were deadlocked, until Athena ended it, by casting the deciding vote in favor of Orestes. It was Athena who insisted that: “a wrong must not win by technicalities," thereby making it extremely clear what an extremely wise and just Goddess she was.
One particular aspect of this play makes it both amazing and inspiring. That is because in this play, Athenian women had the right to vote as early as 458 B.C.E, which was when the Eumenidies was written. This is only one example of the progressive attitude that the ancient Greek culture held during that period.
Athena was well known for handling her anger, especially when it came to personal matters. There were, however, a few occasions, inwhich she did act out of anger, and one of those times was when she was in a weaving contest with a girl named Arachne. Athena's skills did not lie solely within the strategy of war. She was also very skilled in weaving and spinning which were, perhaps, the only truly feminine qualities that she had. Athena was very proud of her talent in weaving, but she also happened to be quite vain.
One day, a weaving contest took place in which Athena and Arachne were both competing. Arachne's skill in weaving was greatly superior to Athena's, and the fact that she was losing did not sit well with the Goddess. In this particular instance, Athena’s vanity and pride actually did get the better of her, and as a way of getting revenge against Arachne, she turned her into a spider, thereby allowing Arachne all the time she needed, to forever weave her web.
In Metamorphosis, Ovid recounted this story, but instead of using Athena, the Greek Goddess, he used Minerva, the Roman Goddess of Gardens. Metamorphosis tells the story of how Minerva became extremely angry, when a young country girl named Arachne challenged her to a contest at weaving. Unfortunately for Arachne, she weaved the Trespasses of the Gods into her fabric, and her skill was equal to, if not better than Minerva’s.
Minerva became so furious, that with angry tears running down her face, she went over to Arachne and tore her weaving into tiny shreds. That, it seems, was not enough for Minerva, because she then turned Arachne into a spider, so that she would always hang by a thread while she was constantly weaving her web. The fact that spiders are usually referred to as arachnids is based upon this particular story, since Arachnide is the Latin word for spider.
The great heroes of Ancient Greece all had multi-dimensional characters, as did its many Gods and Goddesses such as Athena, Apollo and Zeus. While each God or Goddess supposedly represented one single virtue, that view was actually not true. Each God and Goddess was a complete and whole individual, having his or her own distinct personality, traits, and aspects. Greek Mythology is well known for portraying its Gods and Goddesses as being lustful, deceitful and vengeful, and it appears all too often that they frequently acted as though they were mortals, rather then Gods.
Many people considered Athena to have been the world's first feminist, because she chose to remain a virgin, and because she did not see the need to have a man in her life, simply to make her happy or whole. In reality, she was rather uncomfortable whenever she found herself in situations in which intimate contact with men might occur, or where love and sex might possibly be involved. Athena claimed that she felt that way because she believed that those emotions would only tend to complicate matters.
Athena, however, appeared to be quite content with her choices, including the ones that exhibited her few feminine tendencies, such as her enjoyment of spinning and weaving, and by being a mother to her foster son. These choices make it apparent that Athena actually did have some feminine and maternal instincts within her, besides her many masculine ones.
Athena’s personality has frequently been thought to be dualistic, since her traits appear to be a true mixture of the feminine and the masculine, and while she frequently exhibited some extremely masculine tendencies, there were other times when she became a vision of femininity. Her attitude could also change dramatically, depending upon the situation that she happened to be dealing with. In all likelihood, her aspect as the Goddess of Wisdom made her react in different ways to different situations. The myriad of myths regarding Athena, show her positive personality, her responsibilities and her duties, and her strength and wisdom; and when you combine all of those different aspects into one, she appears to be a truly three-dimensional Goddess who, just like you or me, changes quite frequently from day to day.
Athena was an extremely unique Goddess of War, because she is also considered to be the world's first feminist (well, actually the second, if you choose to consider Lilith as being the first). It was she who assisted the Athenian women in gaining their right to vote. When you consider that accomplishment, which happened so very long ago, it only makes it appear more shameful that American women did to not have the right to vote until 1920. American women, and women from all over the world need to truly realize exactly how great a debt we owe the Goddess Athena. She showed the Athenian women, through her own positive actions, how they could discover the Divine Feminine within themselves. Once that occurred, they were then able to use it, to fight for and win women's rights, in a world that was dominated by men.
We should also honor the many women of the 19th, 20th and now the 21st centuries, who continue the fight for women's equality. We can never let ourselves forget the women, and the men, who have dedicated themselves to this struggle. There is, however, one way by which we can honor them, and that is by following the teachings of Athena, the ancient yet modern, Goddess of Wisdom and War.
