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Greek Mythology - Kingdom of Olympus: Description (showing 1-4 of 4)

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4 discussion posts. Jacob said: Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece, located in Thessaly. It was said to be the home of the Twelve Olympians,...

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Written by GreekBoston.com in Greek Mythology

Wine has been an important part of Greek society for thousands of years. There is archaeological evidence that the Minoans, which was the earliest civilization on Greek soil, made wine and that they even traded with other civilizations, such as the Egyptians. The Ancient Greek people not only drank it for enjoyment and nourishment, but they also relied on it economically. It's no wonder that the god, Dionysus, came about. Here's the story of the birth of Dionysus - the Greek god

Semele is Pregnant with Dionysus

One of the most interesting things about Dionysus's story is the tale of his birth, death as an infant, and then his rebirth. Although he was a god, his mother was actually a mortal. Her name was Semele and she was the daughter of the King of Thebes, Cadmus. His father was Zeus, the king of the gods. When Hera, Zeus's wife, found out about Dionysus, she was jealous. She appeared as an old crone to Semele and became her friend. She got Semele to confide about what had happened, and when she did, Hera, disguised as the old crone, acted like she didn't believe her. For Semele, this doubt blossomed into something much greater.

Semele Wanted Zeus to Reveal Himself

Because Semele worried that no one believed her about the parentage of her unborn child, she tried to convince Zeus to help her convince others. She wanted him to reveal himself as the father of Dionysus. Of course, he wouldn't do that. In fact, her request angered him and he rained lightening bolts on her. She perished while Dionysus was still unborn amidst all the lightening.

Zeus Rescues the Unborn Dionysus

Instead of let his unborn son perish along with Semele, however, Zeus rescued the unborn baby and sewed him onto his leg. Dionysus was born a few days later while he was attached to Zeus's body. Dionysus was officially born on Mount Pramnos on Ikaria. On the island, he too the now fully grown baby from his thigh and Dionysus became the god of wine. The name, Dionysus, translates to mean "twice born" and it describes his highly unconventional birth.

Another Version of the Story of Dionysus's Birth

There is actually another version of the story that originates on the island of Crete. On this island, Dionysus was actually the son of Zeus and the mortal Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld. In this version of the tale, Hera was also jealous of the child and did what she could to sabotage. In this version, however, she enlists the help of the Titans to rip the newborn to shreds. Zeus fought the Titans and killed them all with thunderbolts. However, they had already eaten the child except the heart, which was saved by one of the goddesses. From there, Dionysus was reborn.

Dionysus, the god of wine, had a unique birth story. He was born to a mortal woman in both versions of the story and in both versions, he was given a second chance at life. When he was reborn, he was turned into a full, immortal god.
Source: Wikipedia - Dionysus
Categorized in: Greek Mythology

This post was written by GreekBoston.com

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Birth of Dionysus - Greek Mythological God of Wine

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Learn about the birth of Dionysus, the god of wine in Greek mythology.

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hermes god | Hermes Greek God Mythology | Hermes in 2018 | Pinterest | Mythology, Greek gods and Greek Mythology

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Hephaestus also created the first woman, Pandora, at the command of Zeus, in retaliation for the various tricks by which the Titan Prometheus had benefited mortal men at the expense of the gods. Pandora was given to the Titan's brother, Epimetheus, as his wife.

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Theogony literally means the "birth or genealogy of the gods." It is the name of an epic poem by Hesiod, a Greek poet who is believed to have lived between 750 and 650 BC. He was thus a contemporary of Homer, the author of the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey." Along with Homer's works, the "Theogony" is the oldest known literary work from ancient Greece.

Who Was Hesiod?
Hesiod was a poet and rhapsode (a performer who recited epic poetry) who lived in Boeotia (sometimes Latinized as Beotia), a region in Central Greece. His father had lived in the town Kyme (Cyme) in a region called Aeolis located in what is present-day Turkey. At some point, Hesiod's father moved to the town Ascra in Boeotia. Hesiod's father owned a small plot of land and practiced law alongside his brother Perses.

Hesiod himself began as a farmer. He wrote poetry, but only fragments of most his works have been found. "The Shield of Heracles," which has 480 lines, tells of Heracles' battle with a son of Ares called Cycnus. Hesiod's other surviving works are "Catalogue of Women," "Works and Days," and "Theogony." "Catalogue of Women" simply describes mortal women who had been taken as mates by different gods, and it describes their offspring.

"Works and Days" contains around 800 verses and is the source of the scanty biographical information on Hesiod. It was at least partly inspired by the agricultural land crisis of the time that forced people to establish colonies in order to secure new land. In the poem, Hesiod argued that labor is the fate of all humans, but people who work hard will have reasonably good lives.

In the same poem, Hesiod describes the five ages of human history. During the Golden Age, Cronus ruled the universe, while humans enjoyed very long lives with no pain or sorrow. After Zeus seized control, the Golden Age gave way to the Silver Age. After the Silver Age came the Bronze Age that was known for its endless wars. The Heroic Age was the time of heroes and the Trojan War. The present day is the corrupt Iron Age.

"Theogony" has over a thousand lines and is thus Hesiod's longest surviving work, and it is a combination of genealogy and history. The poem describes the appearance of the first gods and lists their many descendants. It also tells of the conflicts between different generations of immortals, including the Titanomachy, the war between the Titans and the first Olympian gods.

Invocation of the Muses and Other Gods
The very first part of the "Theogony" is an invocation of the Muses, nine daughters of Zeus who were in charge of various arts. People in ancient Greece believed that artistic ability, especially in poetry, was a gift from the gods. Similarly, artistic inspiration came from the gods. It was therefore tradition to begin a poem by asking the Muses for help.

After listing many of the gods and goddesses mentioned in the poem, Hesiod credits the Muses with teaching him "beautiful song" while he was tending sheep at the foot of Mt. Helicon, which contained two springs that were sacred to the Muses. Hesiod describes the Muses as the daughters of Zeus and the Titaness Mnemosyne. The nine Muses are Kleio or Clio (history), Euterpe (music), Thaleia or Thalia (comedy), Melpomene (tragedy), Terpsichore (dance), Polyhymnia (hymns), Erato (lyric poetry), Ourania or Urania (astronomy) and Kalliope or Calliope (epic poetry). Calliope is the most important of the Muses for she will sometimes bless kings with great oratorical abilities.

The tradition of invoking the Muses persisted all the way through the fall of ancient Greece in 146 BC. Ancient Roman poets like Virgil (70- 21 BC) continued the tradition. Even later poets like Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400) or John Milton (1608- 1674) would invoke the Muses at the beginning of a poem.

The First Gods
Unlike gods in many other religious traditions, the Greek gods did not create the universe; in fact, the universe predates them. The first entity to appear was Chaos, a primeval void that was dark, still and silent and had nothing living within it. Over time, the first gods emerged from the void: Erebus, Nyx (Night), Gaea (the Earth), and Tartarus. Both Erebus and Tartarus were associated with what eventually became the Underworld where the dead dwell. In order to restore universal balance, Nyx gave birth to Hemera (Day), while Erebus spawned Aether (the upper atmosphere below heaven). Eros (the desire to reproduce) also emerged from the void. Gaea gave birth to Pontus (the oceans), the Ourea (nine mountain deities), and Uranus (the heavens). The last one became her mate. As can be seen, these early gods were all places and natural phenomena or forces.

Gaea and Uranus had many children. They produced three Hecatoncheires, beings with fifty heads and one hundred hands. They also had three Cyclopes who were one-eyed giants, and twelve Titans. Uranus loathed the Hecatoncheires and Cyclopes and thus locked them away in Tartarus, much to Gaea's fury.

The Titans
The Titans or Elder gods were a race of immortal and powerful giants. There were two generations, with the first generation being the twelve children of Gaea and Uranus. Of this first generation, six were male and six were female. The male Titans were Cronus, Coeus (Farsight and Intelligence), Crius (Constellations), Hyperion (Light), Iapetus (Mortality), and Oceanus (Salt Water). The female Titans or Titanesses were Mnemosyne (Memory), Phoebe (Prophetic Radiance), Rhea (Fertility and Motherhood), Tethys (Fresh Water), Theia (Shining), and Themis (Divine Law and Order).

Gaea made a stone sickle and begged the Titans to help her against Uranus. Only Cronus, who wanted his father's throne for himself, agreed to wield the sickle. Except for Oceanus, who avoided quarrels and fights, Cronus' brothers agreed to help. The four of them grabbed Uranus and kept him pinned down, while Cronus castrated him with the sickle and threw his genitals into the ocean. Uranus' blood spawned the Giants, Erinyes (Furies), and the Ash-tree Nymphs or Meliae, while his genitals mingled with the Ocean to produce Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

The Children of Night
Nyx or Night had many children; many of them were unpleasant at best. Her children included Thanatos (Death), Moro (Doom), Ker (Destiny), Hypnos (Sleep), Momus (Blame), Oizys (Pain), Nemesis (Retribution), Geras (Old Age), Apate (Deceit), Philotes (Love), and Eris (Discord). Like many goddesses, Nyx also sometimes had litters of children dedicated to one purpose. The Oneiroi, for example, were Nyx's sons, and they were the gods of dreams. The Keres were female, and they were associated with destiny. The Moirai were the three Fates, and they controlled people's lives from birth to death. A person's life took the form of a thread that the Fates spun, measured and cut. Clotho did the spinning, Lachesis did the measuring, while Alecto cut the thread. The Hesperides or the "the daughters of the evening" had the job of guarding a tree or orchard of trees that produced golden apples.

Eris also had many children. Like Nyx, she did not need or want a mate, and thus bore her children by herself. They included Lethe (Forgetfulness), Ponos (Toil), Limos (Famine), Horkos (Oaths), Ate (Ruin), and Dysnomia (Anarchy). Like her mother, Eris sometimes produced litters of children. The Algea were female spirits that controlled pain, for example. The Hysminai were the personifications of battle, while the Makhai personified war. The Phonoi were male spirits in charge of murder, while their sisters the Androkatasis were the goddesses of manslaughter. They were generally associated with the slaughter on a battlefield, while their brothers were associated with killings that did not take place during a battle. The Neikea were the goddesses of quarrels, and the Amphillogiai were the goddesses of disputes. The Pseudea were in charge of lies, and the Logoi were in charge of stories.

More Children of Gaea
After arranging for Uranus to be castrated, Gaea took her son Pontus as a new mate. They had two children who both had many offspring and descendants. Their first child was Nereus, who was sometimes called "the Old Man of the Sea." He married Doris, one of the daughters of Oceanus and Tethys, and they had fifty daughters who were collectively called the Nereids. Among these daughters were Amphitrite, Psamanthe and Thetis. Their second child, Thaumas also married a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. Her name was Electra, and she gave birth to Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, and two Harpies called Ocypete and Aello. The Harpies were monsters with the bodies of large birds and the heads of women.

Gaea and Pontus had two more children named Ceto and Phorcys, who mated with each other. They produced a pair of twins called the Graiae or Grey Sisters; their names were Enyo and Pemphredo. They looked like old women with grey skin. Ceto and Phorcys then had another set of daughters called the Gorgons: Euryale, Stheno and Medusa. The last sister had the bad luck to be mortal. Medusa and Poseidon had an affair at one point, and he got her with child. When the hero Perseus slew Medusa, her two children sprang forth. One was the winged horse Pegasus, and the other was a warrior called Chrysahor. While Pegasus eventually made his way to Zeus, Chrysahor married yet another of Oceanus's daughters. Her name was Callirrhoe, and they had a son called Geryones or Geryon who was a three-headed giant.

Around this time, another monster called Echidna was born. The "Theogony" doesn't specify who Echidna's mother was; it only says she bore her in a "hollow cave." The most likely candidates are Ceto or Callirhoe, however. Echidna had the upper half of a nymph with a snake's tail. Gaia, meantime, mated with Tartarus and had a monstrous son called Typhon or Typhaon. Echidna and Typhaon became mates and their children proved to be among some of the most infamous monsters in Greek mythology: Cerberus, Orthus, the Chimera, and the Hydra. Echidna mated with her son Orthus, and they had two children: the Sphinx and the Nemean Lion. Ceto and Phorcys had another, last child with the body of a great snake. That last child also had the job of guarding golden apples.

The Reign of Cronus
Cronus became the Titans' leader and Rhea became his consort. Coeus and Phoebe, who could both interpret their parents' prophecies, also became a couple. Oceanus and Tethys married each other and had thousands of offspring, including various river gods and water nymphs. The river gods were called the Potamoi, while the nymphs were often called the Oceanids. Hyperion wed Theia, and they had three children: Helios (Sun), Selene (Moon) and Eos (Dawn). Hyperion was said to have observed the movements of the stars, sun and moon; he was thus the first astronomer. Hyperion eventually gave his children the job of maintaining and controlling the movements and cycles of the heavenly bodies.

The Titan Crius married Eurybia, daughter of Pontus and Gaea. They had three sons: Perses, Pallas and Astraeus. The latter married Eos, the goddess of the dawn, and they had an astounding number of children including the three winds, Zephyr, Notus and Boreas, the Dawn-star Eosophurus, and all of the other stars.

Pallas wed Styx, who was one of Oceanus' many daughters and the goddess of the River Styx, and they had four children: Zelus (Emulation), Nike (Victory), Cratos (Strength) and Bria (Force). The family allied with Zeus, who had promised to help anybody who was unhappy with Cronus' rule. Styx decided to take him up on the offer. With her father's help, she came to Mt. Olympus with her children. Zeus honored Styx by decreeing that an oath sworn by the River Styx was unbreakable.

Coeus and Phoebe had two daughters, Leto and Asteria. The first would ultimately become one of Zeus' wives, while Asteria wed Perses, and they had a daughter called Hecate who became a powerful goddess. Hesiod described her as a protective figure, especially of the young, and she also brought good fortune to her worshippers.

As a ruler, Cronus proved to be no better than Uranus. He re-imprisoned the Cyclopes and the Hecatochonieres. Upon learning of a prophecy made by both Uranus and Gaea that one of his sons would overthrow him, he decided to get rid of any child that he and Rhea had. Over time, she bore him six children: Hestia, Hades, Demeter, Poseidon, Hera and Zeus. Cronus swallowed each child as soon as it was born. After getting pregnant with her sixth child, Zeus, Rhea fled and gave birth in secrecy. She left Zeus with either Gaea or the Curetes who kept him hidden and gave Cronus a large stone wrapped in a blanket that he swallowed.

The Trouble with the Sons of Iapetus
Iapetus married Clymene, one of the daughters of Oceanus, and they had four sons: Atlas, Epimetheus, Menoetius, and Prometheus. Hesiod briefly describes the fates of the four sons, most of whom ran afoul of Zeus. During this segment Zeus appears to be an adult ruler, so the stories take place after his final conflict with Cronus.

Menoetius was brave but arrogant, and Zeus blasted him with a thunderbolt, sending him all the way down to Erebus. Zeus punished Atlas for his part in the war with Cronus by condemning him to bear the heavens on his shoulders for eternity.

Prometheus was the wiliest of the sons, and he liked humans. He wanted people to keep more of their hard-earned food rather than sacrificing it to the gods. He killed an ox, butchered it, and made two piles. He put all the bones in one pile and covered it with a layer of nice white fat; he put all the meat in the other pile and covered it with the ox's stomach. Zeus saw through the trick, but chose the fat and bone pile anyway. He then angrily decreed that men could never be given fire.

Prometheus, however, decided to steal some fire anyway and give it to the humans. Zeus was really angry and condemned Prometheus to be chained to a rock while an eagle ate his liver every day. Prometheus was immortal, and his liver always grew back. The pain must have been excruciating, and Prometheus languished for centuries until Heracles happened by and set him free. By that time, Zeus' anger had cooled, so he did not object to Heracles freeing Prometheus.

Zeus also targeted Epimetheus, who was just as friendly and kind as Prometheus, but lacking in his intelligence or guile. He ordered the god Hephaestus, the smith of the gods to make the first woman. Athena then dressed her. Later versions of the story would name the woman Pandora, and she was created to punish men. Hesiod warned that trying to avoid the deceit and treachery of women by remaining single wouldn't help, for men who tried that would suffer a lonely old age. Hesiod concluded "It is not possible to deceive or go beyond the will of Zeus."

The Titanomachy
Zeus spent his childhood in hiding. After reaching adulthood, he began consulting with Gaea about ways to defeat and overthrow his father. She advised him that he would need allies. Gaea gaveCronus something that induced vomiting and Cronus vomited up Zeus' five older siblings plus the stone he'd mistaken for the baby Zeus. Zeus's siblings were properly grateful and decided to help him seize the throne. This led to a ten-year long war called the Titanomachy.

The Titanomachy pitted the first generation of what would become the Olympian gods against Cronus and most of the other Titans. Oceanus remained neutral, while Prometheus and Epimetheus fought alongside Zeus and his siblings. Atlas, by contrast, helped lead the Titans in battle.

At Gaea's suggestion, Zeus decided to secure more allies by freeing the Cyclopes and the Hecatochroneires from their prison in Tartarus. The Cyclopes, in gratitude, made thunderbolts for Zeus; these were his deadliest and most famous weapons. The Hecatochroneires simply joined the battle alongside Zeus' side and threw gigantic rocks at the Titans. Zeus used his thunderbolts to very destructive effect.

In the end, the Titans lost, and many of them were confined in Tartarus. The Hecatachroneires were given the job of serving as jailers. Hesiod then briefly described Tartarus and its alarming inhabitants that included many of Night's children like Thanatos and Hypnos. Hades and Persephone eventually made their home there. Hesiod mentioned that they had a dog who was quite friendly to people coming in, but extremely vicious to anybody attempting to leave. Later stories would identify the dog as Cerberus. Styx, the goddess of the River Styx, also came to live in the Underworld.

Typhon then battled Zeus. Typhon was a monster with a hundred heads, each one being that of a different type of creature or animal: dragon, lion, bull, etc. After defeating Typhon, Zeus cast him into Tartarus.

The Wives of Zeus
The O lympians are the best-known Greek gods; many people have heard of them. Many of the gods mentioned in the Percy Jackson series, for example, are Olympians. They owe their name to the fact that most of them live on Mt. Olympus.

After the war, Zeus took seven wives. His first wife was Metis, a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. Gaea and Uranus, however, warned him that Metis would have powerful children - including a son who would overthrow him. Zeus tricked Metis into taking on a form small enough to swallow, and he quickly inhaled her. Metis, however, was already pregnant, and when she gave birth, the goddess Athena sprang out of Zeus' head.

Zeus' second wife was the Titaness Themis. Their children included the Horae or Hours, a trio of goddesses that controlled the seasons. They also had Eirene (Peace), Dike (Justice), and Eunomia (Order). Confusingly, Hesiod also describes Zeus and Themis as the parents of the Fates - even though he'd earlier listed them as three of Night's children.

Zeus also married Eurynome, another daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, and they had three daughters who were collectively called the Graces. Their names were Thaleia, Euphrosyne, and Aglea, and they were known for their great beauty.

Zeus took his sister Demeter as his fourth wife, and they had a daughter named Persephone, who eventually got married to Hades.

Mnemosyne was Zeus' fifth wife, and they had nine daughters who were known as the Muses.

Zeus then married Leto, daughter of the Titans Coeus and Phoebe. They had twin children, Apollo and Artemis. Both youngsters were known for their good looks and prowess at archery.

Zeus' seventh and last wife was Hera. Their children were Eileithyia, Hebe and Ares.

More Descendants of the Olympians
Zeus and Hera did not always have a happy marriage, largely because of Zeus' wandering eye. At one point, Hera had a son all by herself. His name was Hephaestus, and he was the greatest craftsmen of the gods. He was also lame.

Poseidon took Amphitrite as his wife, and they had a son called Triton. Poseidon and his family lived in a golden palace under the sea.

Aphrodite and Ares became lovers and had three children: Phobos (Fear), Deimos (Terror), and Harmonia (Harmony). Harmony married Cadmus, the first Greek hero, and they had a daughter named Semele.

Zeus was not a faithful husband by any stretch of the imagination. He had many lovers and had many children by those lovers. Maia, the daughter of the Titan Atlas, became the mother of Hermes, the herald of the gods. Zeus also took Semele as a lover, and they had a son named Dionysius; both became gods in their own right. Zeus and Alcmena were the parents of the mighty Heracles.

Hephaestus married one of the Graces, Algaea. Dionysius married Ariadne, the mortal daughter of Minos; Zeus made her immortal. Heracles eventually married Hebe.

The sun-god Helios married Persis, a daughter of Oceanus, and they had two children, Circe and Aeetes. The latter was a king, and he married another daughter of Oceanus called Idyia, and they had a daughter named Medea.

The last few verse describe the descendants of various goddesses, starting with Demeter who had a son, Plutus, by the mortal hero Iasion. Hesiod added the little detail of their coupling in "a thrice-plowed furrow" in Crete.

The "Theogony" ends with the line, "But now, sweet-voiced Muses of Olympus, daughters of Zeus who holds the aegis, sing of the company of women." This seems to suggest that the "Theogony" segued into "The Cataologue of Women," which told of mortal women and their divine lovers.

Why is the "Theogony" Important?
The "Theogony is important simply because it is one of the oldest pieces of literature from ancient Greece known. Given its subject matter, it provides a snapshot of what Greek literary and religious traditions during Hesiod's lifetime were like.

Ancient Greece fell to the Romans in 146 BC, but it had a strong influence on Roman culture. If a researcher were to study Greek or Roman myths dating from different times, they would notice changes in both the myths and the different characters.

For example, Hesiod described Aphrodite as being produced when the Titans toss Uranus' genitals into the sea. Hesiod's contemporary, Homer, wrote that Aphrodite was the daughter of Zeus and Dione. Other, later poets claimed she was the daughter of Uranus and Hemera or Cronus and Euonyme. Similarly, other poets said that only Hera was Zeus' wife, and Hephaestus was the son of both Zeus and Hera.

Such changes and contradictions sometimes show up in the "Theogony" itself, which suggests Hesiod may have been cataloguing the religious beliefs of his day - even if they conflicted. The Fates, for example, are first said to be daughters of Nyx and are then later said to be daughters of Zeus.

Such contradictions are less common than they might appear at first glance. Many of the gods and goddesses had sobriquets or epithets. Aphrodite, for example, first rose from the sea foam near the island Cythera, so she is sometimes called Cythera herself.

Notes on Style
A large chunk of the "Theogony" is devoted to genealogies, which is not unique to ancient Greece. The Old Testament of the Judeo-Christian Bible also contained passages that were long lists of names. These passages are sometimes called the "begat passages," with "begat" being a very old-fashioned word for "was the father of." So when the Bible stated "Adam begat Seth," it simply meant "Adam was Seth's father."

In both the Bible the "Theogony," the genealogies help organize the story, and they help establish who is who. The genealogies also establish the roles of specific characters; they mention if someone is a king or hero, for example.

Unlike the Bible, which concentrated on fathers and sons, the "Theogony" listed both parents. For all of Hesiod's hostility to Pandora, who he does not even bother naming, he seems to have had a hearty respect for both Hecate and Gaea.

The "Theogony" often describes the female characters as "trim-ankled" or "neat-ankled." Apparently, a woman's physical attractiveness depended at least partly on the shapeliness of their ankles. That points to very different standards of beauty than we have today.

The "Theogony" doesn't describe the creation of humans at all; they suddenly appear in the story during the segment on Prometheus. Hesiod is less interested in how humans came to be than in their role as worshippers of the gods.

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Theogony literally means the "birth or genealogy of the gods." It is the name of an epic poem by Hesiod, a Greek poet who is believed to have lived between 750 and 650 BC. He was thus a contemporary of Homer, the author of the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey."

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Mythology in Ancient Greece - Primary Sources

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12 Olympian Gods Family Tree - Heart X Coloring

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Aphrodite was the daughter of Zeus and Dione.

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Greek Goddess of Wisdom and War

Athena is a Greek goddess known as both Pallas and Athene. In ancient Greek mythology, they often associated her with both warfare and wisdom as well as handicraft, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, strategic warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, the arts, and skill.

She also shares some things in common with Minerva from Roman mythology. Many refer to her as a protector or a patron of major cities such as Athens.

She is known most specifically for her strategic skill in warfare and is often portrayed as companion of heroes and is the patron goddess of heroic endeavour.

Athena was born from Zeus after he experienced an enormous headache and she sprang fully grown and in armour from his forehead.

She has no mother but one of the most commonly cited stories is that Zeus lay with , the goddess of crafty thought and wisdom, and then swallowed her whole as he feared she will give birth to a child more powerful than him because of a prophecy - but she had already conceived.

Etymology

Scholars believe that her name comes from the city of Athens. Legend says that she was the leader of Athenai. This was a group of women who followed and worshiped her.

There is some debate as to whether the citizens named Athens in honor of her or if she received her name after the city already existed. Many believe that she earned her name as she lived and led in Athens.

As early as 407 BC, Plato mentioned her name and claimed that others followed her due to her wisdom and knowledge. He further claimed that her name came from the Greek word Athenoa, which can mean moon and earth or air.

Early Roots

Unlike other Greek goddesses and gods, there isn't as much known about the early life of Athena. Early tablets called the Linear B tablets mention her name and refer to her as Lady of Athens. Some translate phrases in the Linear A tablets to mean Athena of Zeus as she was the daughter of Zeus.

There are also multiple fresco pieces that show her as a warrior. In one, she holds a shield in her hand and with two women nearby.

The other shows a woman standing in front of multiple rows of women. Some believe that this piece depicts a different or early version of the warrior goddess. Historians also found some early artwork that shows Athena as an owl, which might explain why she is occasionally called a bird goddess.

Patronage

Though not a patron saint, Athena is a goddess. Known for many years as a war goddess, she helped prepare men for the fighting ahead and provided them with the necessary tools and supplies.

She was unlike other gods and goddesses from ancient Greek tales who thought anything was worth a fight. Goddess Athena believed that people should only go to war as a last resort and only if they fought for a noble or just cause.

In later years, scholars associated her with both Hestia and Artemis. They also referred to her as Parthenos, which means virgin. Not only did she never marry, but she never took a lover either. Many today believe that the name of the Parthenon comes from the term used to describe her virginity. Citizens chose this name to honor the sexual modesty she had. They believed that her virginity paved the way for other women.

Outside of Athens

Though usually associated with Athens, Athena had followers in other cities. Known as panhellenic cults, these groups consisted of women who followed traditional rites. Most of her followers were young women who believed in socializing with others both in their hometowns and other cities.

While some used these events in the hopes of meeting a suitable man for marriage and citizenship, others simply wanted to make friends and connect with others. Her cults established several sanctuaries in her honor.

One of those sanctuaries is the Spartan Acropolis, which has an epithet dedicated to her. Originally made from bronze to show her connection to metal workers, locals later replaced it. The acropolis also has large bronze and terracotta bells.

Athena Polias is another dedicated to her, which Pytheos of Priene designed. Alexander the Great was on hand to dedicate the temple. An inscription that bears his words is now in the archives of the British Museum. This museum and others also have many sculptures of the goddess.

Other Epithets

As one of the most famous Greek goddess figures, Athena has multiple epithets such as Polias, which shows that she was the protector of Athens. She earned the Ergane name to reflect her role as the helper of artisans. When Orestes faced charges of killing his mother, Athena served as the judge who oversaw his case.

After finding him not guilty, she became known as Areia. There were others who simply referred to her as the goddess. Other epithets used in ancient Greece for her include:

-Hippa, which means equestrian. This refers to the bridle and her similar inventions.

-Aethyia is the name given to her by followers who lived in Megara

-Hygieia, which means health as she was a healthy woman.

Many of the descriptions of Athena come from Homer. He described her as a beautiful woman with bright or gleaming eyes.

Later translations changed this to mean her eyes were gray or blue and green. Historians believe that she likely earned her association with owls due to his description as it showed that she had the same type of face.

Others believe this association came from the artwork that shows her holding an owl in her hand. Not only did the owl become the Athenian mascot, but it also became associated with knowledge.

Athena appeared in the Odyssey as well as Homeric Hymns. Hesiod mentioned her in Theogony where he gave her an epithet that meant born in Triton. A popular myth claims that after Zeus abandoned her, Athena wandered the world and found Triton.

Triton took her in as his own child and raised her with Pallas, his biological daughter. This led to some questioning whether who her father was, but most now claim that she was the daughter of Zeus and the adopted daughter of Triton.

Early myths also use the terms third born and triple born to describe her. This can refer to the fact that she was the third child Zeus had.

Though she did not have a mother, the terms may refer to the idea that it took both her father and Metis as well as herself for the goddess to come into the world. A later legend claimed that the terms came from the idea that three necessary things vital to human life all came from the goddess.

Birth of Athena

There are many legends surrounding her birth, but most claim that she was the third child born to Zeus and that she had no mother. The most common legend claims that she came into the world as an adult and sprang from his head.

Another story claims that the Greek god worked with the goddess of counsel, a woman named Metis. She was pregnant with Athena when Zeus swallowed the women, which led to her coming from him.

Almost all stories and legends say that she was his favorite child and that he loved her more than his other children. The Iliad states that she was his favorite because she was the only one he birthed.

Yet another version of her birth claims that Zeus and Metis had a relationship that led to marriage. When he learned she was pregnant, the god worried that he would lose his position to her due to an old prophecy.

This prophecy claimed that any children born to the women would be smarter and stronger than their father. He swallowed her not knowing that she was already pregnant with his child.

There is also a story that says Metis was an unwilling partner and tried multiple things to escape the god but eventually became a victim to his wraith.

Legend says that the god had several other wives before settling down with Hera. He developed a headache so bad that he begged someone to cut open his head to relieve his pain. Stories dispute who it was that grabbed the cleaver and ranges from Hermes to Ares.

Athena burst forth and was such a beautiful sight that grown men dropped to their knees in front of her. Helios was so impressed with her beauty that he came to a complete stop in the middle of the sky.

Unlike his daughter Artemis who was the goddess of the outdoors and often shown as wild and unruly, Athena was more civilized and spent much of her time in urban areas. She did not have much of a relationship with her family.

Some say that Hera disliked her because she served as a reminder that another woman had his child. Others say that she loved the new woman as if she was her own daughter.

She also had a complicated relationship with Ares, especially in regard to war. While Ares had a blood lust and would fight for any cause, she believed in only fighting for causes she believed in and had merit.

This also made her a better fighter in battles because she could keep a clear head. Her victories led to her adopting a breastplate that showed her commitment to combat and the heroic ideal.

She eventually became such a strong fighter that others turned to her for advice before battles. One legend claims that she and Poseidon had a deal where they would each grant the other a favor. When she needed his help, he rose from the sea and created a saltwater well to help her people.

Pallas

Pallas is a Greek word that has several different meanings. It can mean someone who holds and uses a weapon or a young woman. Legend says that Pallas was the close friend and adopted sister of Athena after Triton adopted her.

The two women held a sparring match as a fun way to see who was stronger, but an accident led to Pallas's death. Athena was so upset that she began using the young woman's name in her honor.

A different version of the story claims that Pallas as a giant or a Gorgon. Goddess Athena traveled to his region and fought with him. When she won, she turned his skin into a cloak that she wore to show others of her victory.

There are also legends that claim this was one of the names given to her father. In this version, they fought to the death. She had a cloak made from his skin to show that she was the champion.

Most historians believe that the first legend is the oldest. She had a statue built and added to the Trojan Acropolis that showed her as her dead friend. Locals viewed the statue as a talisman and believed that it had mystical powers.

Legend said that no one could destroy the city as long as her statue was there. During the Trojan War, Cassandra hoped to save the statue and refused to leave its side. Ajax the Lesser carried her away from the statue, which infuriated Athena so much that she released a storm that nearly wiped out the soldiers.

The Dark Side

The Greek goddess also has a connection to Medusa. Legend says that she was a young woman who followed Athena and worked in her temple in Athens. Poseidon was so obsessed with her that he ignored her vow of chastity and brutally raped her in the temple.

Athena was so upset at what he did to both the young woman and her temple that she transformed Medusa into the classic mythical creature with snakes for hair who could turn men to stone.

Her dark side also appears in a poem written by Callimachus. Called Hymn 5, it tells the story of the Greek goddess bathing in secret on Mount Helicon. Tiresias, who was the son of one of her close friends, spotted her in the spring by accident and attempted to flee.

She was so upset at the thought of him seeing her naked that she turned him blind. Even when her friend begged her to reverse her decision, she refused. She instead gave the young man the gifts of seeing the future and communicating with birds.

There are also stories of her taking men to Mount Olympus for judgment. Athena only did so when she felt she couldn't deliver judgment. She would take the men directly to Zeus. Some claim she had no concerns over what happened next.

Facts about Athena

Athena was the Goddess of War, the female counterpart of Ares.

She was the daughter of Zeus; no mother bore her. She sprang from Zeus's head, full-grown and clothed in armor.

She was Zeus's favorite child.

The Feast of Bath was a ritual held in honor of the goddess in Panathenaea. It took place at the end of the season and ran for five days. The festival required the removal of her clothing from a statue built in her honor. After washing the clothing and purifying the status, guests would take part in various crafts.

Bryn Mawr College has a large sculpture of her on display as she is a patron of universities.

Phi Delta Theta calls her their official goddess and uses an owl as their mascot in her honor.

In addition to the owl, her other official mascot is the olive tree.

Legend says that Athena invented the flute but never attempted to play it.

Though she never had any children, she adopted Ericthonius who was both a serpent and a man. She kept him safely tucked in a chest.

She appeared on a silver coin, which is one of the earliest depictions of her from around 380 BC.

Many refer to her as the patron goddess of heroes and those who act heroically.

Among the crafts that she enjoyed doing include weaving and spinning.

Not only did she enter the world fully grown, but she also wore clothing and armor.

A famous sculpture shows her standing with one had on Nike to show their victorious nature.

Where did Athena Live? What is Athena's Roman name?

Known for protecting civilized life, she was the Goddess of the City.

According to some sources, Athena was praised for her compassion and generosity.

Athena was a patron of the arts and crafts, especially when it came to spinning and weaving.

In later poetry, Athena embodied wisdom and rational thought.

Athena served as a guardian of Athens, where the Parthenon served as her temple.

Her most important festival was the Panathenaea, which was celebrated annually at Athens.

She is referred to in poetry as "gray-eyed."

The owl was her bird, and the olive tree was hers.

Athena reared Ericthonius, son of Hephaestus. He was half man, half serpent. Athena put the infant in a chest and gave it to others to watch over, forbidding them to open it. When they did, she drove them mad as punishment.

Athena invented the flute, but she never played it.

Hermes and Athena went to the aid of Perseus in his quest to kill Medusa. Looking directly at Medusa would turn any man to stone, so Athena provided Perseus with her polished shield. Using it, he was able to see Medusa as if looking in a mirror. Again, Athena guided his hand as he cut off Medusa's head with his sword.

Hera and Athena fought against Paris in the Trojan War since he had awarded the Golden Apple to Aphrodite.

The sacred image of Athena, a wood statue called the Palladium, protected the Trojans as long as they had it.

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Athena * Facts about the Greek Goddess of Wisdom and War

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Athena facts, information and stories from ancient Greek mythology. Learn about the Greek goddess of wisdom and war, Athena.

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Story of how the Olympians defeated the Titians

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Zeus was the youngest son of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. When he was born, his father Cronus intended to swallow him as he had all of Zeus's siblings: Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Demeter and Hera. But Rhea hid the newborn in a cave on Mount Dicte in Crete.

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CRONUS (Kronos) - Greek Titan God of Time, King of the Titans (Roman Saturn)

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In Greek mythology Cronus was the King of the Titans and the god of time, in particular time when viewed as a destructive, all-devouring force. He ruled the cosmos during the Golden Age after castrating and deposing his father Uranus.