Athena Biography of God

Athena is the goddess of wisdom, the goddess of fair war and victory, one of the most revered goddesses of Greece. Athena is the daughter of Zeus, the most powerful god throughout Olympus, the god of heaven, thunder and lightning.

The rest of the Greek gods obey Zeus, he has power over people, establishes social order, distributes good and evil on Earth. But it is fair to note that the beloved daughter is not inferior to him not in strength, not in wisdom. Many legends describe that Athena sits on the throne next to Zeus. Athena’s mother is the wise oceanid Metida, the first wife of Zeus. Athena is attributed to the invention of a flute, chariot, ship.

Among her merits are the development of laws and the establishment of a higher court in Athens. She is the personification of literacy and justice. Athena gives wisdom and knowledge, teaches people to arts and crafts, helps needlewomen, weavers, and pottery. With the growth of Greek culture, the wise warrior also becomes the patroness of science. The daughter of Zeus - the goddess of wisdom - was the object of worship in all ancient Greece, poets chanted her, sculptors and artists admired her.

In the numerous works of sculptors, artists and poets, the daughter of Zeus appears before us in complete combat weapons: on it, the sparkling military armor, a brilliant helmet, in the hands of the goddess holds a spear and a shield. But with all its combat appearance, it is distinguished by extraordinary beauty. She has gray-blue eyes, blond hair, divine figure and magnificent posture.

Athena patronizes the heroes of Greece, gives them wise tips and helps out during danger. So, the goddess of wisdom contributes to the Perseus in reprisal with the gorgon jellyfish, who, with her gaze, turned everything living into stone. Athena supplied Perseus with a copper shield, brilliant like a mirror in which he looked so as not to meet the eyes of the Medusa-Gorgon.

And thanks to this, he was able to chop off her head. One of Athena's favorites is Odysseus. His goddess accompanies through many years of wandering, and ultimately contributes to his return to the native island of Itaku. Upon returning to his homeland, the goddess turns the Odyssey into a poor old man, and thus saves him again, providing him with the opportunity to take revenge on his offenders.

Athena acts as an assistant to Heracles in the fight against the titans, with her help he removes from Ereba the dog Aida Kerber. Zeus's daughter supports Diomeda in battle exploits. It helps Prometheus to take out the fire from the forge of Hephaestus, and to Jason - to return the golden rune. Athena is a keeper of cities, their walls and fortresses.

She is a defender of cities such as Troy, Athens, Sparta, Argos. In her honor, the city is named - the capital of Greece - Athens. Annually, Panafines were held in the city of Athens - a celebration in honor of the goddess of wisdom, accompanied by musical and sports competitions, a festive procession with torches, offering gifts and sacrifices. Athena was devoted to the following agricultural holidays: - holidays associated with the germination of bread - Prheristuria; - Fruit maturation holidays - callic; - holidays of preventing drought - skiophores; - The holidays of the start of the harvest - plinteria and others.

The sacred tree of the daughter of Zeus is olive olive, in the Greek people, called the "tree of fate." Everywhere the satellites of Athens are an owl and a snake - symbols of wisdom. There are not few legends and myths about the goddess Athena. One of the most common in modern literature is the myth of Athena and Arachnia. Arachna is a skillful embroiderer and weaver.

Excessively proud of her talent, she called Athena to a competition for weaving art and lost with shame. Unable to withstand this, Arachna tried to take her accounts with her life, but Athena prevented this. In punishment for pride and a contempt for the gods, the goddess turned her into a spider so that she always hung and always wove. Translated from the Greek, the word "Arachne" translates the "spider".

Repeatedly in Greek mythology there is a description of hostility between Athena and Ares - the god of cruel, bloody war. But, with Athena nearby, the goddess of the victory of Nick, and ultimately Athena always turns out to be a winner. In honor of the goddess of wisdom, many temples and sanctuaries have been built. Fidium - the greatest ancient Greek sculptor and architect - were erected by the statues of Athenos Partenos, Athena Lemonia, Athena Promakhos, Athena Arere.

Unfortunately, not one of these works has survived to our days. Athena - the embodiment of wisdom and beauty - today remains an object of admiration and the muse for many sculptors, artists and poets.