God research: 3. Athena

Hey, Jess here!

So for this one I've used the same technique to decide which god to discus; to play a match of Assault to give me a random god. This time I ended up with the infamous Athena, also known as Pallas Athena which roughly translates to "She who wields the Lance".

Marble statue of Athena

Athena is the goddess of many things, but most important are war and wisdom. She was a goddess who was worshipped everywhere the Greek had settled. While her brother Ares is all about bloody war, Athena is all about strategic war. But while she is a goddess of war, she prefers wisdom over fighting. This means that she preferred to use wisdom to settle predicaments and only approved fighting for a just cause. Athena was also known as the patron and helper of many Greek heroes. Among the these were the well known Odysseus, Jason, and Heracles.

There are multiple stories of how Athena was born. One story tells about how she was born from water. Since everything and every god came from the water, according to Homer, this was not something unnatural. Though this water mass, Triton, was sometimes depicted as a lake and other times as a river.

Another story, and the more known one, tells about how Athena was born from Zeus' head. Apparently, Zeus had devoured his first consort , because he was afraid that she would give birth to a son who would take away Zeus' domination. Because of this, he was tortured with a unbearable headache. To relieve him from this pain, Hephaestus (or others depending on the source) was supposed to split open Zeus' head and when he did, Athena  sprang out in full armour and a raised lance. This is why she is associated with war.

Athena has gained many epithet. In Homer's works the most common one is Glaukopis which can be translated as "bright-eyed" or "with gleaming eyes". This has to do with owls who have very good eyes who can see in the night. Athena is often depicted with an owl on her hand and so, even today the owl is a symbol of wisdom. But Athena is associated with other birds too, and in earlier times she may have been a bird goddess.

Another important epithet is Parthenos. Because Athena never had a consort or a lover, she was a virgin. This was not just an observation to the Greek, but they saw Athena as rudimentary for how females were to behave. Athena Parthenos translates to "Virgin Athena" and her most famous temple was named after this epithet; the Parthenon in Athens.

Stories

So do you know Medusa? If not she will be discussed at some point, but for now, let's say Athena played a role in her life too. Medusa is one of the Gorgons, but she was known as a beautiful mortal at first who served as priestess in Athena's temple. But Poseidon  wanted her and decided to rape her, in the temple. When Athena found out about the desecration of her temple she turned Medusa into the monster we know her to be. (Victim blaming at its finest, I'd say!)

The owl of Athena

Another tale in which we find Poseidon (maybe he's doing it on purpose?) is the one in which the Athenians were to decide upon a patron deity. In this story Poseidon and Athena were competing each other to become this patron. At this point, the Athenians weren't exactly the Athenians, because the city didn't have a name yet. The name would be decided according to the patron deity. So to win over the not-yet-Athenians, Poseidon struck the ground with his trident and a water spring sprang up. Poseidon was quite pleased with what he had given the people, but they weren't. The water from the spring was salty and so it was undrinkable. After that, Athena offered the citizens the first ever domesticated olive tree. This tree could give food, oil, and also wood. The people accepted the tree and the city became known as Athens. Because of this Athena and Poseidon have been rivals ever since. And if you think about it, it's a way better name than something like Poseidens, or whatever.

Another famous story involves Arachne (who we will discuss at some point too). This story is actually a Roman addition to the Greek mythology and does not appear in any of the Classical Greek texts because of this. But Athena plays a very important role in this story. In this story, Arachne was a weaving students of Athena. But at some point she became so conceited about her skills as a weaver, she began to claim that she was much better than Athena herself. But Athena gave Arachne a chance to redeem herself. So she took the form of an old woman and warned Arachne that she shouldn't offend the deities. But Arachne only laughed and asked for a weaving contest with Athena to prove her skills. During this contest, Athena wove the scene of her victory over Poseidon and how she became the patronage of Athens. Arachne, on the other hand, wove a tapestry of 21 episodes of the infidelity of the deities. This also included Zeus being unfaithful with Leda and others. Athena had to admit that Arachne's work was flawless, but she was furious about the subjects. After she lost her temper, she destroyed the entire tapestry and the loom. After that, she struck Arachne with her staff and this changed her into a spider. However, there are different descriptions on what Arachne would have looked like; she was either a whole spider, or half human and half spider, and so on.

There are a lot more tales about Athena and she has been depicted many times over. As the favorite daughter of Zeus, she is also one of the most famous Greek deities. I just hope I gave a good impression of who she is... or was.

Below you can find Athena's lore as it is written by the creators of Smite.

In war, there are two kinds of soldiers: those that fight for blood, and those that fight for honor. The first crave the clash of steel and smell of slaughter, the latter know the wisdom of justice, the kindness of mercy, and that life should never be taken wantonly. These different warriors seek different Gods. Ares, God of War revels in the bloodletting, but his sister, Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, is patron to those who fight with dignity, and only when there is no other alternative.

Favored daughter of Zeus, wise as ten thousand scholars, just as the scales themselves; Athena is a paragon of incorruptible virtue, and worshipped with righteous fervor. So revered is she that Athens, greatest city in all the world, is named for her, and regal temples adorn the countryside in her honor, each tended by loyal priestesses. To Athena, a life is a precious thing that need not be wasted in frivolous battle. Bloodthirsty Ares, on the other hand, is reviled by their father and chained by his ravenous subjects.

At the Siege of Troy, Ares disobeyed Zeus and joined with the battle, fighting for the mortal Trojans. Athena rose to stop him, indirectly championing the Greeks, but directly keeping the order of divine law. Their fierce battle clashed in unspeakable proportions, ending only when Ares limped from the battle field, cowed by his sister and rival. With Ares diminished, the tide of the war shifted and the heroes of the Greek Army toppled Troy.

In times of war, prayers are sent to both Gods. Ares, for bloodstained victory, Athena for honor, valor, and the wisdom to fight with dignity. Make no mistake, these are times of war, and Ares has already answered the call to arms. Athena, ever cautious with lives, goes to battle without eagerness, but solemn necessity, for the Goddess of Wisdom knows honor is for the living. The dead have no need of it.

To be continued...