Olympos: Athena, Goddess of Wisdom

Studio Tablinum: Athena was not only the Goddess of Wisdom but anche a patron of the war who did not hesitate for a moment to fight her enemies. She overseeing the noblest part of the defense to war in order to “good causes.” The bloodiest aspects of the war were, indeed, assigned to the god Ares, as we write some months in August. Athena was the daughter of Zeus and the Oceanid Metis, the story of her birth is very special. Zeus received from his divine grandparents Uranus and Gaia a sinister prophecy:

if he have generated another son, he, when he grew up he would kill him.

So the Father of the Gods, who he did not want losing his status, decided to make the insane act of swallowing his newborn.

And so, nine months later, Zeus began to suffer a massive migraine that threatened to drive him madso for last resort, persuaded Hephaestus to hit him a blow on the head of the ax. From the wound caused came out Athena, already fully armed.

Athena’s holy objects were the lance, the aegis and helmet. The olive tree and little owl was sacred to the goddess. The Goddess of Wisdom was also called “Glaukopis” for her blue-eyes.

His wisdom in peace time was devoted to agriculture, handicraft, weaving and metallurgy. Attributable to Athena was the construction of the largest ship of that time: the ship Argo, which is used by Argonauts heroes . Her is also the invention of olive oil, even today excellent product from Greece.

In war, her wisdom was the prerogative of the warriors with cunning and shrewdness. sometimes she decide to make a gift of his powers to her protected mortals, one of them The most famous was the wily Odysseus.

Athena is Frequently accompanied by Nike, goddess of victory, which symbolically is brought in the right palm of the Goddess, how to assimilate the wisdom during the battle with the victory itself.

The Goddess Athena fight with the God Poseidon for the sovereignty of Attica and Athens. Poseidon with a blow of his trident made to gush out una sorgente di acqua marina from the ground of the city while Athena made appear an Olive Tree. The dispute was resolved in favor of the Goddess of Wisdom thanks to athenians women determined the victory of Athena.

Athena was sculpted by Phidias in a famous chryselephantine statue, now lost, Athena Parthenos that was in the Athenian temple dedicated to her: the Parthenon. Frequently, resting on his shoulder is the little owl, its symbol “par excellence”.

The cult of Athena was spread in all of Greece, from Sparta, to Megara and Argos; Also into Troy she received a special honors, identified with a very old idol called Palladio, the same one that was stolen during the night from the heroes Odysseus and Diomedes, this act was mentioned as one of the causes of the defeat of Troy during the ten-year war.

The Trojan prince Paris was one of the heroes less loved by the Goddess of Wisdom. He was the cause of the Trojan war itself with the rape of Helen, but there was anche through more personal reason, as we saw some months ago dealing with the vicissitudes of Aphrodite. Paris During the famous “Judgment” chose Aphrodite, instead of Athena or Hera. During the Trojan War she sided with the Achaeans. She especially protected Odysseus and Menelaus and, under the walls of the besieged city, she crushed and defeated Ares.

Athena is known as one of the three virgin goddesses, she never marries and shows no sexual interest in males, referred to as virgin because she was able to remain independent. Despite this reputation, Hephaestus want to couple with her.

 

One day the God of Fire, tried to rape her in his forge, but the goddess was able to escape from him and Hephaestus reached the apex bathing Athena’s leg.

From the ground, so fertilized, was born Erichthonius, the Goddess Athena, anyway had gone, considered him a legitimate child. When he grew up, unbeknownst by the Olympians, lo rende immortale, she put him under the custody of the king of Athens, Cecrops. When Erichthonius grew up dethroned the king of Athens Amphictyon and became a king.

One of the most cruel tales was the story about Arachne *: the young women Arachne boasted of being a good weaver, Also better than Athena, who was the owner of That female art. Furious, the Goddess of Wisdom defy Arachne to a weaving race. In effect Arachne wove very well but the theme was derisively towards Zeus. Transformed Athena Arachne into a spider, forcing her to weave her spun for eternity.

Athena, however, was more benevolent with the semi-divine hero Perseus by helping him in the killing of the Gorgon Medusa. She gave him her shield, the aegis, and the hero was protected during the fight with the Gorgon.

Perseus chopped off the head of Medusa and gave it to Athena and she decorate the aegis like with that terrible trophy.

Originally, Medusa was the most beautiful of the three Gorgons sisters. She was seduced by the God Poseidon into the temple of the Goddess of Wisdom. Athena punished Medusa for the profanation, changing her handsome face into a monstrous sembiance.

Athena became also benefactor of Heracle. During the fight with the Nemean lion she explain to the hero how to cut off the skin of the lion by using its claws. The skin of the lion with the cudgel used during the fight, became one most distinguishing attributes for him.

With Odysseus was almost maternal. Athena help his protégé to return to his beloved Ithaca, changing its appearance from time to time. Interceded on with the witch Circe, and the Oceanid Calypso and feace with the feace princess Nausicaa, helping considerably the hero and in such a way for resumption the way back to its own island.

Athena help her “protégé” to return to his beloved Ithaca, changing its appearance from time to time. Interceded with Circe, and the Oceanid Calypso and the Feces princess Nausicaa, helping considerably the hero to come back in Itaca.

Athena was famous for her wisdom and intellectual strength, a landmark for greek men and women that ask her protection during disputes of all kinds: legal, family and life daily.

Athena had the last word in the event of an equal right of both parties to the dispute. During the Panathenaic party the athenians girls donated the statue of the Goddess am headmade peplos,a propitiatory gift. Next month we will discover the vicissitudes of Dionysus, God of Transgression and Delirium.

Alessandro Cerioli

* Even today, the term Arachne stands for spider

Olympos: Atena, Dea della Saggezza

Studio Tablinum: oltre che Dea della Saggezza Atena era anche una divinità guerriera che non esitava un solo istante a presentarsi in armi dinanzi al nemico, anche se lei sovrintendeva ad un tipo di guerra dagli aspetti più nobili, ossia una guerra di difesa o intrapresa per “giusta” causa. Mentre gli aspetti più violenti della guerra erano deputati al Dio Ares, come abbiamo visto qualche mese or sono.

Atena era figlia di Zeus e dell’Oceanina Metide, e la storia della sua nascita e davvero particolare. Accadde che Zeus ricevette dai nonni divini, Urano e Gaia, un sinistro vaticinio: se Metide avesse dato alla luce un figlio maschio, questi lo avrebbe spodestato. Quindi il Padre degli Dei, che teneva particolarmente al proprio status, decise di compiere l’insano gesto d’inghiottirlo appena generato. Fu così che, nove mesi  dopo, Zeus iniziò ad accusare una fortissima emicrania, che rischiava di farlo impazzire, quindi per estrema ratio, convinse Efesto, il Dio del Fuoco, a calargli sulla testa un fendente d’ascia. Dalla ferita provocata ne uscì Atena,  già armata di tutto punto.

I simboli della Dea Atena erano la lancia, l’egida e l’elmo. Sacri le erano la civetta e l’ulivo. La Dea della Saggezza era definita anche “glaukopis” ossia la Dea dagli occhi azzurri, dal volto celeste.

La sua saggezza in tempo di pace era votata all’agricoltura, all’artigianato, alla tessitura e alla lavorazione dei metalli. E’ attribuibile ad Atena la costruzione della nave più grande di quel tempo: la nave Argo, usata dagli eroi argonauti. Sua è anche l’invenzione dell’olio d’oliva, ancora oggi prodotto d’eccellenza della Grecia.

In guerra la sua saggezza era appannaggio di chi combatteva con furbizia e astuzia; poteva persino decidere di fare dono dei propri poteri ai suoi protetti mortali, uno di questi, il più noto, fu l’astuto Odisseo.

Spesso Atena viene si accompagna alla Dea della Vittoria, Nike, che simbolicamente viene portata nel palmo destro della Dea della Saggezza, come per assimilare la Vittoria stessa e crearne un binomio indissolubile.

La Dea Atena ebbe anche un contrasto importante con il Dio Azzurro Poseidone in merito alla sovranità dell’Attica e delle città di Atene. Poseidone con un colpo del suo tridente fece sgorgare dell’acqua salata dal suolo, mentre Atena fece spuntare una pianta di Ulivo, messa ai voti la disputa si risolse in favore delle Dea della Saggezza. In questa vicenda le donne ateniesi determinarono la vittoria di Atena.

Proprio in questa posizione la Dea Atena è stata scolpita da Fidia nella sua famosa statua crisoelefantina, ora perduta, l’Athena Parthenos che si trovava nel tempio ateniese dedicata a lei dal popolo ateniese: il Partenone. Spesso, poggiata sulla sua spalla, si trova la civetta, suo simbolo per antonomasia.

Il culto di Atena era diffuso in tutta la Grecia: Atene, Sparta, Megara e Argo; anche a Ilio ricevette onori particolari, fu identificata con un vecchissimo idolo chiamato Palladio, lo stesso che fu trafugato nottetempo dagli eroi Odisseo e Diomede, questo atto fu menzionato come una delle cause della sconfitta di Ilio durante la decennale guerra.

Il principe troiano Paride fu tra gli eroi meno amati dalla Dea della Saggezza, oltre che ad essere la causa scatenante della guerra stessa, con il ratto di Elena, ci fu anche un aspetto più personale, come abbiamo visto qualche mese or sono trattando le vicende della Dea Afrodite. Paride durante il famoso “giudizio” scelse Afrodite, scartando Atena e la Madre degli Dei Hera. Da qui la sua animosità nei confronti del principe.

Durante la guerra di Ilio parteggio per gli Achei. Protesse soprattutto Odisseo e Menelao, e durante una disputa sconfisse anche il Dio della Guerra Ares, sotto le mura della città assediata.

Come la Dea della Caccia Diana, Atena, era una divinità riottosa al sesso maschile e la sua verginità era nota a tutto l’Olimpo, ma durante una visita al Dio del Fuoco Efesto, in cerca di nuove armi probabilmente, Efesto, che era stato appena abbandonato da Afrodite, si invaghì della Dea della Saggezza a tal punto che cercò di farla sua con la forza, Atena si ribello ma Efesto, giunto all’apice, bagnò la gamba della Dea. Disgustata Atena si ripulì la gamba da quella sozzura e la gettò a terra. Dalla terra, così fecondata, nacque Erittonio, che la Dea Atena, comunque fosse andata, considerò suo figlio legittimo. Lo allevò all’insaputa degli Olimpi e sempre a loro insaputa lo rese immortale, non potendolo crescere ed accudire lo pose sotto la custodia del re di Atene, Cecrope. Quando Erittonio crebbe spodesto il re di Atene Anfizione e divenne lui stesso re.

Crudele fu la vicenda che vide la Dea della Saggezza punire la sventurata Aracne*. Aracne si vantò di essere una tessitrice migliore di Atena, che di quest’arte era la protettrice. La Dea della Saggezza andò su tutte le furie e sfido Aracne in una gara di tessitura. In effetti Aracne tessé in modo sublime, ma il tema era derisorio nei confronti del padre Zeus. Atena, decisa a non subire altri affronti, trasformo Aracne in un ragno, obbligandola a tessere la sua tela per l’eternità.

Benevola fu con l’eroe semi divino Perseo aiutandolo nell’uccisione della Gorgone Medusa, donandogli il suo scudo, l’egida, che protesse l’eroe durante lo scontro con la Gorgone. Come ringraziamento Perseo dono il capo mozzato di Medusa ad Atena che ella uso per decorare l’egida come un terribile trofeo. In verità Atena stessa fu la causa della mostruosità di Medusa. Originariamente Medusa era la più bella delle Gorgoni, ma ebbe l’ardire di farsi sedurre dal Dio Azzurro Poseidone che, senza badar troppo all’etichetta, la fece sua nel tempio della Dea della Saggezza. Venutolo a sapere, Atena punì Medusa per la profanazione, mutandole l’aspetto e rendendola mostruosa.

Anche il semi divino Eracle fu aiutato da Atena. Durante la lotta dell’eroe con il leone nemeo spiego ad Eracle, dopo che ebbe abbattuto la fiera, come scuoiarlo usando gli stessi artigli per tagliarne la spessa pelle. La pelle del leone divenne uno dei tratti distintivi di Eracle, insieme alla clava usata durante la lotta.

Con Odisseo fu invece più che benevola, potremmo dire: materna. Atena aiuto il suo protetto a tornare nella sua amata Itaca, mutando le sue sembianze di volta in volta. Intercesse con la maga Circe, con l’Oceanina Calipso e con la principessa feace Nausica, aiutando considerevolmente l’eroe e facendo in modo che riprendesse la strada del ritorno verso la sua isola.

Come avrete compreso siamo di fronte a una divinità che faceva delle sue qualità, la saggezza e la forza intellettuale, un caposaldo. Non a caso sia gli uomini che le donne greche erano soliti chiederle consiglio in merito a diatribe di ogni genere: legali, famigliari e della vita di tutti i giorni. Atena aveva sempre l’ultima parola in caso di egual ragione di ambo le parti in disputa. Durante le feste Panatenaiche le fanciulle della città di Atene donavano alla statua della Dea un peplo tessuto da loro stesse, in segno propiziatorio.

Il prossimo mese scopriremo le vicissitudini dell’estroso Dioniso, Dio della Trasgressione e del Delirio Mistico.

Alessandro Cerioli

*Ancora oggi il termine aracne significa ragno

Olympos: Zeus the King of the Heaven

Studio Tablinum: In the coming months I will keep you company with a series of articles on classical Greek Mythology.

Each month will be dedicated to a god of the Pantheon. For timing reasons I’m focused on the twelve main gods, that we could considerer the most important, as the months of the year. Some have tickled me, asking me to write about all three generations, and I will not deny that I was attracted to the idea of starting from the union between Uranus and Gaea and the creation of the first deity, from the overthrow of father Uranus by his son the Titan Cronus, the emasculation of Uranus and the birth of a new divine order: the famous golden age for men. Cronus and his sister-wife Rea generated the third generation, the best knowned among the people and the one that I’m discussing in these articles, the Olympians, until the overthrow of father Cronus by the youngest son Zeus, who freed the Cyclopes, imprisoned at birth by father Uranus in the center of the earth;Zeus receveid from Cyclopes the thunder and lightning, symbols of power and domination.

We don’t need to transform these article in an encyclopedia page but only in a pleasant discussion on classical myth, for further information I suggest you to read the “Dictionnaire de la Mythologie”, by Prof. Pierre Grimal, an unparalleled opera.

I would rather offer the items that put the classic myth amazing: so I’m writing about the emotions they felt the gods, their disputes, the love values and betrayal, all stories will be in a key understandable and sometimes ironic.

Are you ready?

So we begin.

The deity treated this month of January is the figure of the father of the gods, Zeus.

You should know that when Zeus was not on Olympus, to postpone the ongoing and sometimes violent disputes among the other gods, he was on the earth intent on his favorite pastime: adultery. The mother of the gods, Hera, knew all about “weakness” of her husband and sometimes she tryied to put a drag to Zeus intemperance and, most of the time, she getted so terribly angry.

The father of the gods was usually take the form of animals, humans, or even natural elements in order to achieve “the purpose” fixed.

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In the case of the attempted seduction of Europe *, a beautiful girl, she was happily basking in the sun of the East when a white bull, nice and mild, which made her climb on his back and suddenly, he running through the waves of the sea and kidnapped her. As you have guess, it was Zeus in disguise. Zeus brought Europe in the island of Crete and there abused her. From this union was born the future King Minos of Crete.

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Other times, Zeus chose a more regal animal, as in the case of Leda, Queen of Sparta. To deceive her, he turned into a white swan. From this bizarre union Leda layed two eggs from which the divine twins Castor and Pollux and the most beautiful woman in the world, Elena where born.

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The culmination of Zeus seductive cunning was reached in the case of the daughter of King Acrisius, the beautiful Danae. Danae was imprisoned at the behest of his father, alarmed by a prophecy that he wanted killed at the hands of his nephew, in a secret room, built entirely in bronze, the father of the gods, turned into a golden rain that penetrated into the room and “bath” Danae, from this union we will have the well-knowed hero Perseus, Medusa’s winner.

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This is the funniest story: Zeus dressed the role of King Amphitryon and abused of queen Alcmene. Her husband, unaware of all, had left her wife in order to avenge the death of her brothers; during his absensence, the servant of the king, named Sosia, ran back to announce to the queen that the king had obtained justice for her borthers. But when he arrived in front of the queen’s bedrooms, he found, in his own likeness, the messenger of the gods Hermes, guarding outside; We could imagine the astonishment of the servant. The confusion was all for the king when his queen swored to be lain with him for three nights. From this union was born the best-known demigod of classical mythology, Hercules.

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We can not leave out the only homosexual seduction of the father of the gods, fall in love with a shepherd, from the perfect features, Zeus transformed himself into an eagle and abducted him, leading him to Olympus, this young man, called Ganymede, became the official cupbearer of the gods.

The most surprising thing about Zeus, despite his supreme godhead, is the proximity to the man with the same vices and the same weaknesses: it was not uncommon for the father of the gods be turned into a poor beggar or a youth and by those conditions observe the human being, his outbursts and its miseries. We have to consider that for the greek period, Zeus was the supreme deity and from him depended not only happiness, but also the very existence of every creature. This fact was very importantwas something important for faithful of men in him. Yet it was not always easy for the father of the gods, the world was totally different before and he had to fight with cunning and courage to get the power.

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Zeus since childhood had a stormy life and how not to understand it? Can you guess what it’s mean to have as primary experience of your existence to the parent who seeks to “devour” you?

You have to know that the father of Zeus, Cronos, was obsessed with being overthrown by one of his sons, as he did the same against the father Uranus, and in order to avoid his destiny, he devored his Newborn children. to eliminate any possible threat in the bud.

Rhea, the mother who, angered by the behavior of her husband Cronos, decided to grow his last child on the island of Crete, on Mount Ida, nurtured by the goat Amalthea, by bees and Curetes, goblins who took care of him. Fortunately the mother Rhea, the child, after losing so many children in such a hideous way, decided to cheat her husband and made eat a stone to him, covered with a cloth, instead of his son.

When Zeus had full knowledge of their means defy his father Cronus, made him throw up his own brothers and imprisoned him in Tartarus. Cronus, so degenerate father, was later forgiven by Zeus and was transferred in the Isle of the Blessed, intent to welcome the heroes, sons of Zeus.

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At that point, it would seem that everything is decided in favor of the new lord of the sky, but instead it was not so wright: Zeus faced a revolt led by the Titans, the brothers of Cronus, who did not take well the “nephew” in charge of “all things, “then conquered a peak as high as Mount Olympus, Mount Othrys and from there the parts counter. Zeus stood firm in Olympus chief to call and if the gods, gigantic and monstrous, also brothers of Cronus, The Centimani, creatures with a hundred arms and fifty heads and freed from Tartarus the Cyclopes, creatures with one eye, previously imprigionatevi by Kronos, who donated it to Zesu lightning and lightning. Defeated, the Titans were imprisoned in the depths of the earth.

After a short time there was another similar situation that Zeus had to face, the revolt of the Giants. The Giants were the children of Gaea, the wife of Uranus, who decided to side with the children, but with various tricks, Zeus managed to limit her aid to Giants. But, determined to conquer the Olympus, the Giants, began a climb that end with their fall * ruinous.

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Tired, probably of a similar overcrowding reign, Tartarus with the goddess Gaea, mother of the Titans and Giants, dediced to sent against the father of the gods a terrifying monster, Typhon. The monster with his arms encircled all the globe, Zeus lost his first collision and was taken prisoner by Typhon, but soon managed to escape and start a counterattack, Typhon was hitting with lightning and thunderbolts. Finally, Zeus in order to kill Typhon hurled against him a mountain. The mountain, even today, gives us the spectacle of the wrath of Typhon. That mountain is the volcano Etna, in Italy. We could say that Zeus was not stable on the throne of the gods, but always in danger.

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The Titans, You might at this point tell me: “them … yet? …” Well, let me say that these creatures was very stubborn: almost all of them accepted the power of the father of the gods, but not one of them, Prometheus. The Titan Prometheus, against the will of Zeus, made as a gift the fire to the human people. The “rioter” was imprisoned for this on a large rock in the Caucasus, with the burden of an eagle that was flying all day and pecked the liver and the organ that grew back every night to the delight of the prey. Really, Prometheus had also an accomplice, his brother Epimetheus, less clever than him, and as a punishment for this “revolt” Zeus send a punishment that went against the human beings rather than Epimetheus himself, Pandora, universally known for having opened the infamous jar and have released all the evils of the world, only the hope, less quick to ensue, remained in the jar. From this moment, men is subject to all the ills of the world.

But the father of the gods had to remember to the other gods of the Pantheon who was the most powerful in the Olympus. The other divinities attempted several times, to defeat him and get rid of him.

We could say that the only one deity who really held the head to Zeus and to which, sometimes, the father of the gods had to submit to her whims, was his wife Hera, who will know the next month.

Alessandro Cerioli

Notes

* Her name will become the name of european continent.

* I invite the followers to visit the pictures in the “Room of the Giants” by Giulio Romano, Palazzo Tè, in Mantova, Italy.