ipl-logo

Why Is Athena Important In Ancient Greece

1160 Words5 Pages

Within Ancient Greece people were polytheistic, worshipping many different gods and goddesses and using their stories to explain the unexplainable. One of these divine, important figures to the Greeks was Athena, a very wise goddess who often shared her knowledge with the Greeks. She was worshiped largely by the Greeks, especially in the city of Athens which patronized her for her impeccable skills. Since her traits were admired by people of many different professions and she is seen competing with other gods and mortals in a very large number of myths, she is one of the more widely known goddesses. Athena was born from the head of Zeus, king of the gods, fully grown and dressed in armor ready to win battles due to her extraordinary brainpower and extremely sharp reflexes (Downing and Ceccarelli). Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and …show more content…

One famous myth about Athena that shows that she is competitive is the contest for the patronage of Athens, Greece. Within this myth, King Cecrops seeked to choose a patron god to bless his city, and was considering both Athena and Poseidon. Rivalry began between the two gods/goddesses and almost lead to great war, until finally Athena suggested that they should hold a contest to find who would patronize Athens. Guidelines for the contest were as follows, each god/goddess was to provide a gift to the city and the most beautiful but still useful would win and be deemed the official patron. When Poseidon heard this news, he immediately summoned all of his mighty power and created a spring to provide water to the city. Citizens rushed around the spring and ran to drink the gifted water, only to find that it was not freshwater but saltwater. Saltwater

Show More
Related

  • Greek Gods In Ayn Rand's Anthem

    851 Words  | 4 Pages

    She birthed the first race of humans and gods called Titans. To all gods and human alike, she was the supreme goddess. The Titan Prometheus was also a Greek god who was a clever trickster. He stole fire from the workshop of Hephaestus and Athena on Mt. Olympus and gave them to humankind as well as the mastery of metalwork. He was then, punished by Zeus for stealing the fire to give to the

    Read More

  • Athena Research Papers

    946 Words  | 4 Pages

    Athena Meta description Athena is a powerful goddess in Greek mythology, known for her wisdom, courage, industry, justice, and skill in warfare. She is the patron goddess of Athens, having helped to protect and build the city. Introduction Athena is a comprehensive business system designed to help streamline operations and simplify processes.

    Read More

  • What Is Athena's Role In The Odyssey

    604 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the first book of the Odyssey, women, mainly the goddesses, played different roles during Odysseus’ adventure to return home to his wife Penelope and son Telemachus. Other than the Muse from the beginning of Book I that told the story of Odysseus that led to him and his crew being captured with Calypso who posed as seductive and predatorily toward him and his men, Athena, Goddess of Wisdom had played a big role in the story. For example, most gods have their own opinions and tend on pitying mortals for their actions however, I felt like Athena had the sense of helping Odysseus get back to his home of Ithaca. She spoke to her father Zeus about Odysseus: “But my heart breaks for Odysseus, that seasoned veteran cursed by fate so long far from his loved ones still, he suffers torments off on a wave-washed island rising at the center of the seas” (Book I, 57-60).

    Read More

  • How Does Athena Influence On The Odyssey

    932 Words  | 4 Pages

    The first eight books of The Odyssey by Homer, tell the story of Odysseus long journey home. According to the epic, Odysseus is the only Greek survivor of the Trojan War who has not returned home. However, along with his soldiers, he is trying to get back to his home in Ithaca. In his journey home, Odysseus faced Calypso, sea monsters, lotus-eaters as well as a giant. Moreover, Odysseus intelligence and the assistance of Athena made him survive these adventures.

    Read More

  • Strong Women In The Odyssey

    531 Words  | 3 Pages

    Also, when Odysseus returned home, she turned him into an old man, a homeless beggar. Homer narrates that, ¨Athena disguises Odysseus as a beggar and directs him to the hut of Eumaeus.¨ She plans with Odysseus and Telemachus, helping them to get revenge on the suitors. Athena had a huge amount of power, and the strength of her character helped Odysseus throughout his journey.

    Read More

  • Roles Of Women In The Odyssey

    643 Words  | 3 Pages

    Similar to Circe, as a “seer” (1.234). or immortal, Athena has a lot of power. Also, Athena is worshiped by most mortal men and women demonstrating that she is an influential figure in ancient Greek society. Athena has proved herself an important figure because the Parthenon was built in her honor. As well as this

    Read More

  • How Did Athena Influence Roman Civilization

    484 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Roman civilization, strongly influenced by ancient Greeks, adopted several aspects of Greek religion and mythology, combining them with their beliefs and creating a unique religious system. This cross-cultural exchange developed in the adaptation of various Greek gods into the Roman pantheon, while they were frequently altered to associate with Roman values and lifestyles. The Greek goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite, was associated with Venus in Roman mythology. Like Venus, she conserved her role as the goddess of love, fertility, and beauty, while also being linked with prosperity and victory (Britannica, 2023).

    Read More

  • Powerful Women In Homer's The Odyssey

    636 Words  | 3 Pages

    Athena is shown to be the most powerful and influential women in The Odyssey, she has power over all mortals, and ways of persuading the Gods to help Odysseus. She’s more dominant than

    Read More

  • Essay On Athena In The Odyssey

    1515 Words  | 7 Pages

    Athena is a major character throughout the book of The Odyssey and is known as the goddess of wisdom and battle. Throughout the course of the book, it is evident that Athena has a weak spot for the main character, Odysseus. Odysseus is trying to return home after the Trojan War, as the other Greek hero’s have already done, however he faces multiple challenges a long the way. Fortunately, for Odysseus, Athena was there to guide him through a few of these troubling situations.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Athena And Penelope In Homer's Odyssey

    1380 Words  | 6 Pages

    Amongst the many women portrayed in the book, the two most important women are Athena and Penelope. Athena is the Goddess of wisdom, courage, law & justice, strength and skills. She plays the role of a mentor in disguise for Odysseus but doesn’t show him the full path to his destination as Athena wants Odysseus to fight and prevail on his own. Penelope is the wife of Odysseus and the mortal queen of Ithaca.

    Read More

  • The Sirens: The Conception Of Women In Greek Culture

    1114 Words  | 5 Pages

    Thus, meaning that they are not like the sirens or the Amazons who seduce men or live for battle and war. But these goddesses were born from Zeus and practically born into the throne and the role they were given. The Goddesses mainly stood for the fertility of women and the sign of life. “Considering their limited role in actual society, there is a surprisingly strong cast of female characters in Greek religion and mythology. Athena, the goddess of wisdom and patron of Athens stands out as a powerful figure blessed with intelligence, courage and honour.

    Read More

  • Athena Disguise In The Odyssey

    677 Words  | 3 Pages

    In The Odyssey, by Homer, Athena influences the lives of Odysseus and his family. In Greek mythology, gods challenge and control mortals. Gods also provide support to mortals and thus, mortals depend and act on behalf of the gods and their decisions. Athena, daughter of Zeus, is the goddess of wisdom, and both Telemachus and Odysseus benefit from her power. Athena possesses the ability to disguise herself and others, and this skill allows her to give advice and guidance.

    Read More

  • The Gods And Mortals In Homer's The Odyssey

    610 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Odyssey, gods like Athena and Poseidon interfere with humans to satisfy their own desires, showing that they are just as imperfect and flawed as the mortals that they rule over. Athena favors Odysseus since he reminds her of herself. He portrays the same cunning, guile, and intelligence as she does; Athena had confided to him that “two of a kind, we are, contrivers, both,” comparing how similar they are. “Of all men now alive,” she says, “you are the best in plots and story telling.

    Read More

  • Athena's Role In The Odyssey

    776 Words  | 4 Pages

    Athena is known as the goddess of war. Odysseus was aided by her ideas on how to regain power through her tactical skills. The fact that the goddess warrior was on his side through the journey home, reclaiming his land, and killing the suitors was a huge advantage. Athena is very intelligent in how she strategizes and won wars in the past. Some may argue that Odysseus is the real hero but there were many times throughout The Odyssey where he needed Athena’s protection and input of logical ideas.

    Read More

  • Annabeth

    692 Words  | 3 Pages

    She has blonde hair, gray eyes, and is a child of Athena, which means she's smart,

    Read More

More about Why Is Athena Important In Ancient Greece

Open Document