Athena the god :: essays research papers

Athena The god Athena, back in time when Greece was making its mark in history as one of the great civilization of the Ancient World, there was a great deal of emphasis on the Gods and Goddesses. To the Greeks the world was governed by the Gods and they were the reason many things happened in the world, mostly things that where unexplainable. The goddess Athena was one of the many gods or goddesses that played a large role in Greek mythology. Even though Athena was the patron saint of Athens she supported other Greeks outside of Athens, such as, Achilles, Orestes, and especially Odysseus. Athena is know to be the goddess of war, guardian of cities, patroness of arts and crafts, and promoter of wisdom (Classical). Athena’s name actually came form the Cretan and Mycenean name Athene which predates the Greeks by about 1,500 years. The ending ‘-ene,’ was set aside for royalty and goddesses, like Helene. She was also called by some Greeks as Pallas Athena. Not many people know where the name Pallas came from. Some legends say she obtained it from the giant Pallas that she killed in the war of the gods and giants (Athena Parthenos). Another legend says that Athena accidentally killed her childhood playmate Pallas. By taking Pallas’ in front of her own, Athena shows the grief that she endured for the loss of her friend. Athena had such an impact on the Greeks that the Romans adopted her and called her Minerva (Classical). The origins of Athena’s name are not the only discrepancy that historians have had. The origin of where Athena came form is also a discrepancy. Zeus feared that he would be overcome by a son greater than he born from the intelligent Metis. To prevent this Zeus ate Metis. There for, Athena, in the most common legend, was born fully grown out of Zeus’s forehead. Another legend, this one form Crete, says Athena was hidden in a cloud. Zeus hit his head on the cloud and caused Athena to appear. Out of all the cities that Athena helped and protected Athens claimed her as there own (The Myths). The Atheans believed that the first king of Athens, Erichthonius, was a descendant of Athena. Even though Poseidon was greedy of earthy kingdoms, he challenged Athena for the city. The both of them appeared before the court of gods and goddess to make a judgment.