Encyclopedia of Mythology
Antique Gods and Titans Goddesses of antiquity Heroes of Greek myths Demons of the ancient world Characters of antiquity Mythical creatures Myths of Hellas and Rome
The Two Rivers The gods of Mesopotamia the Goddesses of Mesopotamia The Heroes of the Two Rivers the Demons of the East The Epic of Gilgamesh
Egypt Gods of ancient Egypt Egyptian Goddesses Demons and Demiurges Myths and Legends of Egypt
India The gods of Ancient India The goddesses of Hinduism Avatars of deities Fabulous creatures Myths and Legends of India
Celtic Gods of the Celts and Gauls Celtic goddesses Magicians and demons of the Celts Heroes of Celtic legends Knights of the Round Table Mythical creatures Myths legends of the Celts
China Gods of China Chinese Goddesses Heroes of Chinese Myths Demons and Monsters Chinese Legends
Mesoamerica Gods of Mesoamerica Aztec and Mayan Goddesses Myths of Mesoamerica
Rus The gods of the ancient Slavs Slavic goddesses Heroes of the legends of the Slavs Mythical creatures Demons and Evil Spirits Legends and epics Russian history The rulers of Russia
Scandinavia Scandinavian gods Goddesses of Scandinavia Heroes of Northern myths Trolls Giants Jotuns Mythical creatures Demons and monsters Scandinavian sagas
Japan Gods of Ancient Japan Japanese goddesses Fabulous creatures Heroes of Japanese myths Myths Legends of Japan
History of the Sky Map
Mythology of the starry firmament
Akkadian, Sumerian, Zoroastrian mythology Ancient Greek and Roman mythology Aztec and Mayan mythology of the peoples of Mesoamerica Vedic and Hindu mythology of ancient India Ancient Egyptian and West Semitic mythology Celtic, Irish and Welsh mythology Chinese, Taoist and Buddhist mythology Scandinavian and Germanic mythology Slavic Old Russian mythology Japanese and Shinto mythology Gallery of paintings of mythical creatures
The Goddess of Wisdom Athena
A B C G D E F Z I K L M N O P R S T U F X C H W E Y I
Pallas Athena (παλλάς ΆηΗνά) — the ancient Greek goddess of war and victory, as well as wisdom, knowledge, arts and crafts, belonged to the number of supreme deities and was revered throughout the ancient Hellenic world.
Athena symbolizes the clarity of the ether, the heavenly force that controls lightning, clouds and luminaries, fertilizes the fields, generates all living things and educates humanity.
Subsequently, Athena became the goddess of spiritual activity, artistic thinking and science.
In ancient Greek mythology, the fifth child of Zeus, according to legend, was the daughter of Athena, who was born in a very unusual way.
Zeus, in secret from Hera, married the daughter of the Ocean Nereid Thetis, but fearing that he would have a son who would surpass the power of his father, Zeus swallowed his pregnant wife.
The ripe fruit turned out to be in his head after a while, from where, with the help of Hephaestus (according to other legends, with the help of Prometheus and Hermes), who cut the head of Zeus with an axe, a warlike goddess was born in full armor with a terrible confusion of all nature.
According to another version of the legend, Zeus and Hera decided to try whether it is possible to produce offspring without marital embraces: Hera gave birth to Hephaestus, Zeus Pallas Athena.
As a child, Athena amazed everyone with her quick wit, zeal for studying and gaining knowledge, so it was no accident that when Athena grew up, her father made her the goddess of wisdom, the patroness of sciences, crafts and inventions.
Constellation of the Southern Crown Star atlas "Uranography" by Jan Hevelius, 1690
As the goddess of courage and militancy, Athena is known even in the Homeric legends of the epic Iliad.
Perseus, Bellerophon, Tydeus, Jason, Hercules, Achilles, Diomedes, Odysseus are her favorite heroes.
In contrast to Ares, the deity of insane courage, Athena personifies conscious courage and bravery; she gives help to her favorites in moments of extreme danger and leads them to victory; therefore, the goddess Nika is her constant companion.
As a female goddess with traits of masculinity and courage, Athena is contrasted with Aphrodite, a purely feminine goddess.
Athena taught Erichtony to tame and harness horses; maintained friendly relations with the wise centaur Chiron, whom Athena herself gifted with a brilliant mind and many knowledge; taught Bellerophon to tame the winged Pegasus.
She had a close relationship to equestrian competitions and maritime affairs; for example, with her help, Danaus built a fifty oared ship for crossing to Greece, and the Argonauts built the ship Argo; the wooden horse that served to destroy Troy was built as a gift to her.
Later, myths of an ethical nature entered the legends about Athena, and new features were added to the mentioned features of her divine character.
Athena became the goddess of peace and prosperity, sanctified marriages, helped with childbirth, sent health to people, averted diseases and misfortunes, patronized the reproduction of families and genera and promoted the prosperity of cities.
Constellation Centaurus Star atlas "Uranography" by Jan Hevelius, 1690
Once Athena entered into a competition with her uncle Poseidon, the god of the seas, for the right to give her name to the capital of Hellas - a beautiful white stone city with giant palaces, temples built in honor of the gods, and sports stadiums.
The contest was judged by the residents of the city themselves.
Poseidon promised to give them a lot of water, and Athena gave the city a sapling of an olive tree and said that with it they would always have food and money.
The townspeople believed the goddess Athena.
Since then, the main city of Greece is called Athens (Greek: ΑνΝαι, Lat. Athenae) .
In honor of the great patroness, the famous Acropolis complex, unsurpassed in beauty, was built on the highest hill in the city.
This was the name of the ancient fortress city in the old days, which was always built on the highest place of the city.
Its central palace was dedicated to Athena and was called the Parthenon (translated from Greek - virgo).
An olive tree always grows on the territory of the Acropolis, and the expression "To appear with an olive branch in your hands" indicates the intention of the visitor to solve the case peacefully.
Athens is a city that served in ancient times, both in cultural and historical and political relations, as the main focus of Hellenic life and was called by ancient poets the "eye of Hellas".
The city is located on a number of rocky hills, in the most extensive plain of Attica, between the Ilissus and Cephissus rivers, at a distance of about five kilometers in a straight line from the sea and seven from its later harbor, Piraeus.
The initial history of the city of Athens, as well as the ancient history of the entire region, is lost in the darkness of uncertainty.
Tradition attributes its foundation to King Cecrops.
Initially, the city occupied only the upper area of a steep hill, accessible only from the western side, which served throughout antiquity as a fortress (Acropolis), a political and religious center, the core of the entire city.
According to legend, the Pelasgians leveled the top of the hill, surrounded it with walls and built a strong external fortification with nine gates located one after the other on the western side to protect the entrance (hence the name Enneapilon, i.e., nine gates, or Pelasgicon, i.e. the Pelasgian fortress).
The ancient kings of this part of Attica lived inside the castle with their retinue; there was also an ancient temple of the deity under whose special patronage the city was located, namely Athens of the City Defender (Pallas Athens), along with which the earth shaking god of the sea, Poseidon and Erechtheus was also revered (as a result, the temple itself was usually called Erechtheion).
Legends of the starry firmament →
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