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Athene
There is no better way that we could think of than to start of this chapter than with this Homeric Hymn which tells us of her birth....
I begin to sing about Pallas Athena, renowned goddess
with bright eyes, quick mind, and inflexible heart, chaste and mighty virgin, protectress of the city, Tritogeneia.
wise Zeus himself gave birth to her from his holy head and she was arrayed in her armor of war, all-gleaming in
gold, and every one of the immortals was gripped with awe as they watched. She quickly sprang forth from the immortal
head in front of aegis-bearing Zeus, brandishing her sharp spear. And great Olympus shook terribly at the might
of the bright eyed goddess, and the earth round about gave a dread groan and the dark waves of the deep seethed.
but suddenly the sea became calm, and the glorious son of Hyperion halted his swift-footed horses all the while
that the maiden Pallas Athena took the divine armor from her immortal shoulders, and Zeus in his wisdom rejoyced.
So hail to you, child of aegis-bearing Zeus, yet I shall remember both of you and another song too.
This is how it had occured according to Hesiod ( Theogany
886-898)
Zeus, king of the gods, first took as his wife, Metis, who was very wise indeed among both gods and men. But when she was about to give birth to the bright-eyed goddess Athena, then Zeus treacherously decieved her with theedling words and swallowed her down into his belly at the wise instigations of Gaea and starry Uranus. These two gave Zeus this advice so that no other of the eternal gods might rule supreme as king in his place. For Metis was destined to bear exceptional children ; first, the keen-eyed maiden, Athena, Tritogeneia, the equal of her father in might and good counsil, and then she was to give birth to a son of indomitable spirit who would become king of both gods and men.
Zeus's first mate was Dione, he left her in Epirus, when he moved to Thessalian Olympus. His first wife was Metis,
goddess of measure, wisdom and mind. It was rumored that his children would dethrone him so he swallowed her and
absorbed all of her qualities. In some accounts it says that she gives him counsel within him, in any even he then
becomes the god of wisdom. Metis delivered Athena inside of Zeus . Athena sprang forth or was cut out of Zeus's
his head by either Hephaestus, Prometheus, or Hermes. There is a close bond between Athena and Zeus, that could
never be severed as she is his ultimately is favorite.
The name "Pallas". Athene shows the ending '-ene,' which is apparently Mycenean in origin, and often is used for goddesses, some of whom (like Helene) are also queens. She is the daughter of Zeus and Metis ( this name is actually the common word for "plan, intelligence"). Athene is known as the Greek goddess of Wisdom. As Athene Parthenos, she was called Athene the Virgin, As Athene Argane, she was worsiped as the Patroness of Crafts.
The title Pallas Athena Tritogeneia, is obscure. It hints that it may refer to a region that is sometimes associated with her birth, the lake or the river Triton, or Tritonis, in Boeotia or in Libya. Some scholars in fact believe there is a possibility that Athena was at some point by some of her origins a goddess of waters or of the sea. After her birth she was brought up by Triton ( who seems to be the god of that body of water). Triton had a daughter by the name of Pallas, whom Athena was bosom friends with. They used to practice the arts of war together. One day when they were fighting, Zeus intervened when Pallas was about to strike his daughter by interposing the aegis. Pallas was taken by surprise and startled. Athena took full advantage of this and inflicted a fatal wound upon. Athena was stricken with grief when she realized how far she had gone, for it was an accident that she was killed. While she was grieving for her friend she made a wooden image of her and decked it with the aegis. Cast down by Zeus, the statue called the Palladium fell into the territory of the Trojans, whom built a temple to house it in honor. Athena took the name of Pallas for her self in honor of her bosom friend. Or a another etiology is that the word Pallas means "maiden" for Athena's chastity, similar to Parthenos, virgin, (or like Persephone) Kore, girl.
Maid of Athens, Ere We Part
By Lord Byron - 1810
Maid of Athens, ere we part
Give, oh give me back my heart!
Or since that has left my breast,
Keep it now, and take the rest!
Here my vow before I go,
By those tresses unconfined,
Woo'd by each Aegean wind;
By those lids whose jetty fringe
Kiss thy soft cheeks' blooming tinge;
By those wild eyes like the roe,
By that lip I long to taste;
By that zone-encircled waist;
By all the token-flowers that tell
What words can never speak so well
By love's alternate joy and woe,
Maid of Athens! I am gone:
Think of me, sweet! when alone.
Though I fly to Istambol,
Athens holds my heart and soul:
Can I cease to love thee? No!
Dream with Athena
By: Jennifer H. Wright
There was a dream I had in February of 1998 that
had a great silvery
white great owl in it. I was running through the woods because there were
some local people hunting me down. I followed the owl to safety. (
Hail Athena )!
O2kgoddess reveals:
The nature of Athena's relationship with Aphrodite:
The two goddesses in my experience are actually quite loving
towards one another. Aphrodite's giddiness and silly flirtations aggravate Athena especially when Aphrodite playfully
chants "Oh Aaaaaaa-THeeeeee-nA".
