ATHENA – MINERVA

Ela era filha de Zeus sozinho. Nao nasceu de nenhuma mae nasceu completamente crescida do cérebro de Zeus. Era uma deusa poderosa e rude mas que só entrava em batalhas para defender os céus das invasoes inimigas. Era a Deusa da cidade protetora da vida civilizada e do artesanato, foi inventora do arreio que permitiu aos homens utilizar os cavalos, mas era sobertudo a deusa da sabedoria.

Era filha favorita de Zeus que confiava nela para carregar suas armas, como o poderoso raio e o trovao.

Palavras corriam descrevendo-a como olhos cinzentos que emitiam luzes. Das três deusas virgens ela era a líder, chamada de Parthenos, e seu templo era o Parthenon. Ela era encarnaçao da sabedoria, da razao e da pureza.

Athenas era sua cidade favorita, a oliveira, criada por ela era sua árvore, e a coruja seu pássaro.

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Athena

"Man lies low in a destruction that is his due; so, too, may any other also be destroyed who does such deeds." [Athena]

Birth: Athena was born, according to some, of the head of Zeus, after he had swallowed the pregnant Metis 1, but the Libyans say otherwise

Childhood : It is said she was brought up by Alalcomeneus but, according to the Arcadians, Athena, as soon as she was born, was handed over to Pallas 2 by Zeus, and reared by him till she grew up. But still others say that when Athena was born she was brought up by Triton. Pallas 3 was a little girl who played with Athena when they were small girls; Athena killed her while they were playing and, being grieved for her death, Athena made a wooden image in her likeness, which was called the Palladium.

Athens ajudged to Athena: It was in the time of King Cecrops 1, the first king of Attica, that Athens was adjudged to Athena. She introduced the cultivation of the olive-tree, the making of clothing, carpentry and other arts.

Virgin goddess and birth of Erichthonius 2: Athena is a virgin goddess: some say that Tiresias was blinded by Athena for having seen her naked body. Hephaestus attempted to embrace her but she would not submit to him, and he dropped his seed on the leg of the goddess. In disgust, she wiped off the seed with wool and threw it on the ground; and as she fled and the seed fell on the ground, Erichthonius 2 was produced.

Erichthonius 2 grows up hidden: Athena brought him up unknown to the other gods and hid the child Erichthonius 2 in a chest, which she gave to the daughters of Cecrops 1 to guard, but the girls opened the chest and a crow gave the secret away. The girls, driven mad by the goddess, threw themselves into the sea. In time Erichthonius 2 became king of Athens.

Promised wages should be respected: Athena caused Alcinoe 2 to fall in love with another man and leave husband and children; this she did to avenge a woman named Nicandra who had come to spin for Alcinoe 2, and after having worked for a year was turned out of the house without receiving the full wages Alcinoe 2 had promised to give her.

No mortal can be best: Arachne, who had gained fame in the Lydian towns for her skill in the art of spinning and weaving wool, competed with Athena in that art and, being defeated, was turned into a spider by Athena.

Helping to heal: Asclepius, the great healer, received from Athena the blood that flowed from the veins of Medusa 1, and while he used the blood that flowed from the veins on the left side for the bane of mankind, he used the blood that flowed from the right side for salvation, and by that means he was able to raise the dead.

Paris' choice: During the Judgement of Paris Athena promised him victory in war, but he prefered the hand of Helen that Aphrodite offered him .

Some interventions during the war and favourite mortal:

In one occasion during the Trojan War Athena took the shape of a valiant spearman and looked for Pandarus 1 in order to make him break the truce between Trojans and Achaeans. On another occasion Athena took the form of Deiphobus 1, brother of Hector 1, to delude the latter and make him face Achillis. In one the fights during the war Athena (and Diomedes 2) wounded Ares.

Athena was once wounded too: Teuthis who had joined the army against Troy had a quarrel with Agamemnon at Aulis, because of which he returned home, but before leaving he wounded Athena in the thigh, who had tried to persuade him to go to war.

One of her favourite protÈgÈs was Odysseus, whom she helped in his wanderings.

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Index

Mythology