Athena Pallas - the daughter of Zeus, the goddess of wisdom in ancient Greece. Goddess Athena - what does she look like and what does she patronize? goddess athena short description

The goddess of wisdom and knowledge, the invincible warrior, the protector of cities and the patroness of sciences, Pallas Athena enjoyed well-deserved respect among the ancient Greeks. She was the favorite daughter of Zeus, and it is in her honor that the modern one is named. Pallas Athena helped the heroes of Greece with wise advice and did not leave them in moments of danger. The ancient Greek goddess taught the girls of Greece weaving, spinning and cooking. It is believed that it was Pallas Athena who invented the flute and established the Areopagus (high court).

Appearance of Pallas Athena:

Majestic posture, large gray (and according to some sources, blue) eyes, blond hair - her whole appearance suggests that you have a goddess in front of you. Athena Pallas, as a rule, was depicted in armor and with a spear in her hand.

Symbols and attributes:

Pallas Athena is surrounded by male attributes. On the head is a helmet with a high crest. A shield (aegis) is obligatory present - it is decorated with the head of Medusa Gorgon. The ancient Greek goddess of wisdom Pallas Athena is accompanied by an owl and a snake - symbols of wisdom. It is noted that the goddess of victory, Nike, was her constant companion. The sacred olive tree can also be called a symbol of Pallas.

Athena Pallas is surrounded by male attributes: on her head is a helmet with a high crest, in her hands is a shield adorned with the head of Medusa Gorgon

Strengths of Pallas Athena:

Although Athena was one of the most "sensible" goddesses of the ancient Greek Pantheon, nevertheless, she was characterized by a certain favoritism. This, in particular, is hinted at by the myths of Odysseus and Perseus.

Parents:

Pallas Athena was born unusually and spectacularly. Once Zeus was predicted that his wife - the goddess Metis - would give birth to a son who would be smarter and stronger than his father and overthrow him. But first, a daughter had to be born. Zeus, not wanting to be overthrown, swallowed the pregnant Metis. Soon he felt a severe headache and ordered Hephaestus to cut his head with an ax. Athena was born from the head of Zeus. The goddess was already fully armed at birth.

The goddess was born from the head of Zeus and was already fully armed at birth

There are other, less common versions of who the parents of the ancient Greek goddess Pallas Athena were. According to some myths, her mother was the nymph of the river Triton, and her father was the god of the seas, Poseidon.

Place of Birth:

It is impossible to unequivocally state exactly where the goddess Pallas Athena was born: different myths point to different places. So, she could be born near Lake Tritonis or the river Triton, in Crete, in the west of Thessaly, in Arcadia, or even in the town of Alalcomene in Boeotia. The most common version is that the birthplace of Athena is still Crete.

Personal life of Pallas Athena:

The goddess Athena Pallas was a virgin and was proud of it. However, she raised an adopted son. That's what the myths say. Once the god of fire Hephaestus turned to Zeus with a request to give him Athena as his wife. Since Zeus had previously promised Hephaestus to fulfill any of his desires, he had no choice but to agree. Yes, the Thunderer had to agree to marry his beloved daughter, but he, nevertheless, advised her to defend herself.

Majestic posture, big gray eyes, blond hair - her whole appearance suggests that you have a goddess in front of you.

According to one version, the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom had to turn to the god of fire for a weapon. Hephaestus, not at a loss, tried to take possession of the goddess. However, the maiden Athena was not going to enter into an intimate relationship - neither with Hephaestus, nor with anyone else. Athena Pallas rushed away from the overly excited god, and he chased after her. When Hephaestus caught up with the maiden, she began to defend herself and even wounded him. Hephaestus spilled the seed on the ground, and soon the baby Erichthonius was born. He was born Gaia - the earth from Hephaestus.

Pallas Athena took Erichthonius under her protection. She fed the baby with her milk and raised him. Erichthonius grew up in her temple and always honored the goddess. It was he who began to hold Panathenaic - festivities in honor of Pallas Athena.

goddess temple

The main sanctuary of ancient Athens and the most beautiful work of ancient art - the temple of the goddess Athena (Parthenon) and today is one of the main visiting cards of Greece. This bright building, as if pierced through by the rays of the sun, rises in the very heart of the ancient city.

The temple of the goddess (Parthenon) is decorated with cutters depicting scenes from her life - one of the main visiting cards of Greece

In the same place - in the Parthenon - was the most famous statue of Pallas Athena by Phidias. Being about 11 m in height, the sculpture was made of gold and ivory on a wooden base. The original of the statue has not survived to this day, but it is known from surviving copies and images on coins.

The main myths about Pallas Athena:

The goddess Athena Pallas is the heroine of many mythological stories.

Among the most famous is the myth of how she gained dominion over Attica, having won the rivalry for the region of Poseidon. Each of the gods made a gift to the city: Poseidon - a water source, Athena - an olive tree. The judges decided that the gift of the goddess is more useful, and gave preference to her. So Pallas Athena won the dispute and became the mistress of Attica, and the city where it all happened was named after her.

Another myth tells how Pallas Athena participated in gigantomachy (battle with giants). On one of the giants, the formidable warrior brought down the island of Sicily, on the other she tore off the skin and covered her own body with it. The details of this battle were depicted on the shield of the statue of Athena.

Frequent companions of the goddess - an owl and a snake - symbols of wisdom, and also Nike - the goddess of victory

Pallas Athena also participated in the Trojan War. She helped the Greeks in every possible way in the capture of Troy, and it is she who is credited with the emergence of the idea that put an end to the many years of siege - about deceiving the Trojans with the help of the Wooden Horse. She prompted Odysseus to place a detachment of Greek soldiers in a huge statue of a wooden horse and leave it at the gates of Troy, while the main forces of the Greeks retreated from Troy, allegedly lifting the siege. The Trojans, after some hesitation, dragged this wooden structure into the city. At night, the soldiers hiding inside the horse came out, opened the city gates and let in their comrades.

Athena is the daughter of Zeus, born in an unusual way. Zeus met with the daughter of the Ocean Metis; when she was pregnant, Zeus swallowed her, as she predicted that after her daughter she would give birth to a son who would become the ruler of heaven. But Zeus himself was such a ruler and therefore did it. After some time, Zeus felt a terrible pain in his head and, in order to get rid of it, ordered Hephaestus to hit his head with an ax. Hephaestus obeyed. He cut the head of the thunderer, and from there came Athena in full warrior clothes with a spear in her hand - and an iron helmet on her head. Beautiful and majestic, she stood before the astonished Zeus, her eyes shone with wisdom.

Athena goddess of wisdom and just war, goddess of organized warfare, military strategy and wisdom, one of the most revered goddesses Ancient Greece, included in the number of twelve great Olympic gods. In addition, the goddess of knowledge, arts and crafts; warrior maiden, patroness of cities and states, sciences and craftsmanship, intelligence, skill, ingenuity. Unlike other female deities, she uses male attributes - dressed in armor, holding a spear in her hands. She is honored after Zeus and her place is closest to Zeus. Along with the new functions of the goddess of military power, Athena retained her matriarchal independence, manifested in the understanding of her as a virgin and protector of chastity. The ancient zoomorphic past of the goddess is indicated by her attributes - a snake and an owl. Homer calls Athena "owl-eyed" and "variegated snake." Among the indispensable attributes of Athena, the aegis is a goat-skin shield with the head of a snake-haired Medusa, which has tremendous magical power, frightens gods and people.

Although the cult of Athena was spread throughout mainland and island Greece (Arcadia, Argolis, Corinth, Sikion, Thessaly, Boeotia, Crete, Rhodes), she was especially revered in Attica, in Athens (the Greeks associated the name of the city of Athens with the name of the patron goddess of the city) .

Agricultural holidays were dedicated to her: procharisteria (in connection with the germination of bread), plintheria (the beginning of the harvest), arrhephoria (giving dew for crops), callinteria (fruit ripening), skyrophoria (drought aversion). During these festivities, the washing of the statue of Athena took place, the young men took an oath of civil service to the goddess.

Appearance and symbols of the goddess

• Huge blue (according to some reports, gray) eyes, luxurious blond hair, majestic posture - such a description already says that she was a real goddess.
• Athena, as a rule, is depicted everywhere with a spear in her hand and in armor. Despite her natural grace and beauty, she was surrounded by male attributes.
• On her head you can see a helmet with a fairly high crest, and in her hands there is always a shield, which is decorated with the head of the Gorgon.
• Athena is the goddess of wisdom, so she is always accompanied by the appropriate attributes - a snake and an owl.

The myth of the flute

As we have said, Athena is credited with the creation of many things, including the flute. According to the myth, one day the goddess found a deer bone and created a flute from it. The sounds that such an instrument made gave Athena incomparable pleasure. She decided to show off her invention and skill at the table of the gods. However, Hera and Aphrodite began to openly laugh at her. It turned out that while playing the instrument, Athena's cheeks swell and her lips protrude, which does not add to her attractiveness. Not wanting to look ugly, she abandoned the flute and cursed in advance whoever would play it. The instrument was destined to find Marsyas, who was unable to escape the later terrible retribution from Apollo.

The goddess Athena is already mentioned in the monuments of the Cretan-Mycenaean writing of the 14th-13th centuries. BC e. (the so-called Linear B) discovered at Knossos. In them, she is called the goddess-protector of the royal palace and the nearby city, an assistant in battle and a giver of the harvest; her name sounds like "Atana". The cult of Athena spread throughout Greece, traces of it remain even after the victory of Christianity. Above all, she was honored by the Athenians, whose city still bears her name.

From time immemorial, festivities were held in Athens in honor of the birth of the goddess - Panathenaea (they fell on July - August). In the middle of the 6th c. BC e. the Athenian ruler Peisistratus established the so-called Great Panathenaic, which took place every four years and included competitions of musicians, poets, orators, gymnasts and athletes, riders, rowers. Small Panathenaic celebrations were celebrated annually and more modestly. The culmination of these festivities was the offering of the gifts of the Athenian people to the goddess, primarily a new robe for the ancient cult statue of Athena in the Erechtheion temple on the Acropolis. The Panathenaic procession is masterfully depicted on the frieze of the Athenian Parthenon, one of the authors of which was the great Phidias. In Rome, celebrations in honor of Minerva were held twice a year (in March and June).

One of the most revered goddesses of Ancient Greece. Athena is one of the twelve great Olympian gods. In addition, she is the goddess of knowledge, arts and crafts; maiden warrior, patroness of cities and states, sciences and craftsmanship, skill, intelligence, ingenuity.

Due to her unusual appearance, Athena is easily distinguishable from other ancient Greek goddesses. Unlike other female deities, she uses male attributes - she holds a spear in her hands and is dressed in armor. On the head is a helmet, as a rule, Corinthian - with a high crest. Her shield - the aegis - is covered with a goat skin and decorated with the head of the Gorgon Medusa. She is accompanied by sacred animals:

• owl (symbol of wisdom),
• snake (also a symbol of wisdom)

Her plant is the olive, a sacred tree of the ancient Greeks.

She was called "gray-eyed and fair-haired", descriptions emphasize her large eyes.

The birth of the goddess Athena was unusual. The most common version is from Hesiod's Theogony. The king of the gods Zeus was predicted when his first wife Metis became pregnant that she would have two extraordinary children: a daughter equal to Zeus himself in wisdom and courage, and a son with the soul of a conqueror who would become the king of the gods and people. Zeus did not want to lose dominance over the world. On the advice of Uranus and Gaia, he tricked Metis into becoming small and swallowed her.

After a while, Zeus felt a terrible headache. To aid in the birth of Athena, Hephaestus hit Zeus on the head with an axe, and Prometheus took her from Zeus's head.

Athena was born as an adult woman in shining golden armor, with a sharp spear in one hand, while uttering a loud war cry.

An interesting myth is how Athena gained dominion over the Greek locality of Attica, whose patroness, with the capital named after her, she was considered in the historical era.

According to this myth, Poseidon was the first to come to Attica, hit the ground on the Acropolis with a trident, and a spring arose sea ​​water, which was shown in the Erechtheion in historical time. Behind him appeared Athena, who hit the ground with a spear and grew an olive tree (olive tree). The judges awarded the victory to Athena, since her gift is more useful, the city was named after her, Poseidon got angry and tried to flood the earth with the sea, but Zeus forbade him.

According to mythology, Athena was the patroness and adviser of all male heroes. Unlike Artemis and Hestia, the virgin goddess Athena seeks the company of men. She likes the atmosphere of male affairs and power. She can be their companion, colleague, or confidant without having any erotic feelings for them or needing emotional intimacy.

During the Trojan War, Athena actively acted on the side of the Greeks. She took care of her favorites, especially Achilles, the most formidable and powerful Greek warrior. Athena proved to be the best strategist during the Trojan War. Her intervention brought the Greeks victory in the battle.

Being the goddess of crafts, Athena is also involved in the creation of works of art. She is especially known for her skill as a weaver.

In this regard, there is only one myth about Athena, which speaks of a mortal woman. Athena, as the goddess of crafts, was challenged to a competition in skill by an overly arrogant weaver named Arachne. Both worked with great speed and skill. When the canvases were finished, Athena was delighted with the impeccable work of her rival, but the plots depicted on the canvas infuriated her. Arachne dared to portray the love affairs of Zeus. She wove Leda, caressing the swan, under the guise of which Zeus entered the queen's bedroom in order to take possession of her. In the next scene, Danae was depicted, whom Zeus impregnated, turning into a golden shower; then Arachne wove an image of the maiden Europa, whom Zeus kidnapped, turning into a magnificent white bull.

Athena was terribly angry, tore Arachne's work and hit her with a shuttle. The unfortunate woman could not bear the shame and hanged herself. Taking pity on Arachne, Athena freed her from the loop and restored her life, turning her into a spider forever condemned to weave a web.

The asteroid 881 Athena, discovered in 1917, is named after Athena.

Athena in art and mythology. Part 3. Sculpture

Any ancient Greek work is an attempt to call the divine into a concrete form. Even when working on the sculpture of the winner in the Olympic Games, the sculptor cared least of all about portrait resemblance - he created the ideal image of a person. And work on the statue of a deity was a special mystery. The sculpture was taken to Delphi for the solemn ceremony of consecration, but before that the priests turned to the deity with the question whether this statue was pleasing to him, whether it agreed to pour his divine power into it? And if the signs spoke of divine consent, the statue was placed in the temple.

The most famous Greek temple sculptures have not survived. We can judge their beauty and grandeur only from copies and descriptions. For example, there are about two hundred copies (not counting the images on the coins) of Athena Parthenos, the main statue in the Athenian Acropolis. True, none of them can convey everything that the person contemplating it experienced. And besides, not everyone was honored with such an honor.

Statue of Athena (the so-called "Piraeus Athena").
Bronze. 340-330 BC e.
Height 2.35 m. Athens, Archaeological Museum of Piraeus.

The statue was discovered among others in 1959 in Piraeus, at the intersection of Georghiu and Philo-na streets in the cla-do-howl room - those are not-yes-le-ku from the ancient harbor. The sculpture-tu-ra was hidden in this room from the troops of Sul-la in 86 BC. e.

The soul of the majestic artistic activity of the heyday of Hellas was Phidias (c. 488-432), a friend of Pericles, who softened both in architecture and in plastic the former severe severity of the form, turning it into a sublime and at the same time graceful beauty. Contemporaries and descendants glorified his colossal chrysolephantine (made of gold and ivory) statues of the gods.

Statue of Athena Parthenos from the Library of Pergamon with the temple of Zeus Sosipolis from Magnesia on the Maeander in the background, Pergamon Museum Berlin

According to Pliny the Elder, on every detail of the sculpture, starting from the pedestal on which Athena stood, and ending with her helmet, mythological scenes were depicted: on the pedestal - the birth of Pandora, on the shield on both sides - the battle with the Amazons and the struggle of the gods with the giants, on sandals - a battle with centaurs.

Statue de Phidias par Aimé Millet (1889). Hauteur environ 2,50 m. Orangerie du jardin du Luxembourg

Phidias, the best sculptor of that time, worked on the sculpture for nine years. Only he was able to entrust the citizens with the creation of the image of their heavenly patroness. It was nine years of prayer, nine years of complete immersion in work. Every day, Phidias prayed and asked, whatever the Virgin Goddess wanted to infuse some of her power into the sculpture, what else to do so that Athena would protect the city and its inhabitants? After all, it was very important for every Athenian to know that gods live next to them. That you just need to turn your eyes to the Acropolis and its temples in order to feel their patronage.

A significant part of the treasury of the policy went to the creation of this sculpture. Its wooden frame, 13 meters high, was covered with a ton of gold, and its face and hands were made of selected ivory. The two-meter statue of the goddess of victory Nike, which Athena held in her hand, seemed tiny. Athena Parthenos was truly majestic! It's hard to imagine what a person could create!

Every year, in honor of Athena, the inhabitants held festivities - small Panathenays, and every five years - Great Panathenays, when the most worthy girls of the policy carried sacrifices and peplos - clothes specially woven for the goddess over these five years. It was a beautiful ceremonial procession.

Phidias and his students made excellent sculptures that adorned the Parthenon. Many of them are more or less well preserved and are now in the British Museum. On the eastern pediment stood a group depicting the birth of Pallas, on the western - a group representing her dispute with Poseidon about which of them should belong to the protection of Attica

Athena Varvakeion

The most complete and reliable copy is the so-called. "Athena Varvakion" (National Museum, Athens), marble.

The statue that stood in the center of the temple and was its sacred center Athens Parthenos was made by Phidias himself. It was upright and about 11 m high, made in the chrysoelephantine technique (that is, from gold and ivory on a wooden base).

The fate of this sculpture is sad... But, perhaps, there is somewhere such a place, a high mountain, where the Gods still live in their temples. And no tyrants and fires can destroy them. Maybe someday, following the ancient Greeks, we will learn to feel their presence. After all, the Acropolis with its temples and gods is not only a physical place.

The sculpture has not survived and is known from various copies and numerous images on coins. In one hand, the goddess holds Nike, and the other leans on a shield. The shield depicts Amazonomachy.

It is believed that on the shield of Athena, among other statues, Phidias placed himself and the images of his friend Pericles (presumably in the form of Daedalus and Theseus). By the way, this turned out to be fatal for him - he was accused of insulting a deity, thrown into prison, where he committed suicide with poison, or died of deprivation and grief. The peculiarity of the relief on the shield is that the second and third plans are shown not from behind, but one over another. In addition, its theme allows us to say that this is already a historical relief.

A copy of the shield depicting the battle, the so-called. Strangford Shield, British Museum

A copy of the shield of the statue depicting the battle is considered to be the so-called. The Strangford Shield in the British Museum.
Another copy kept in the Louvre

Another relief was on Athena's sandals. It depicted a centauromachy.

The birth of Pandora, the first woman, was carved on the pedestal of the statue.

The navigator Pausanias in his guidebook describes it like this:

Plaster cast-reconstruction of Athena statue based on the Roman copy after Phidias" Parthenos.

“Athena herself is made of ivory and gold ... The statue depicts her in full growth in a chiton to the very soles of her feet, she has the head of Medusa made of ivory on her chest, in her hand she holds the image of Nike, approximately four cubits, and in her other hand - a spear. At her feet lies a shield, and near the spear is a snake; this snake is probably Erichthonius. (Description of Hellas, XXIV, 7).

Château de Dampierre, Yvelines, France. Attempt to reconstruct the statue of Athena in the Parthenon at the scale of one fourth, by Henri Duponchet (1794-1868).

Athena Parthenos, 2. Jhd. n. Chr. (Gipsabguss, Original im Griechischen Nationalmuseum Athen

Title: Six Greek sculptors Year: 1915 (1910s) Authors: Gardner, Ernest Arthur, 1862-1939

Statue of Athena. Pentelic marble. Found in Athens, near the Pnyx. Known as the "Lenormant Athena", this statuette copies of the Athena Parthenos by Pheidias.

Louvre Museum

Athena Parthenos dite Minerve au collier

Louvre Museum: Greco-Roman collection

Palazzo Altemps - Rome

Athena Porte Doree

Austria, Vienna, Austrian Parliament Building

Athena_Partenos_from_Prado

Athena Lemnia (Copenhagen Botanical Garden)

Lemnos Athena is a bronze statue of the goddess Athena, created by the famous Greek sculptor Phidias in 450-440. BC e. Not preserved, known from copies. “Phidias did not always sculpt the images of Zeus, and did not always cast Athena, dressed in bronze armor, but he turned his art to other gods and adorned the Virgin’s cheeks with a pink blush, usually hidden by a helmet, which covered the beauty of the goddess” .

Plaster casts in Pushkin Museum, Moscow

According to Pausanias, the sculpture was made by the citizens of Athens, who lived on about. Lemnos, with the aim of presenting it as a gift to his native city, thanks to which he received such a nickname. It probably stood somewhere near the Propylaea.

Athena Lemnia. Glyptothek.Munich

The second of the Dresden reconstructions. Cast in the Pushkin Museum

Athena Lemnia (Bologna)

Reconstruction of the Acropolis and Areopagus in Athens

Goddess Athena. Sculptural group "Athena and Marsyas" by Myron. Fragment

Museum Willet-Holthuysen, a Amsterdam

Athena (Museumsberg, Flensburg)

Pallas Athene, Bildhauer

Statue "Pallas Athena" (St. Petersburg and Leningrad region, Pavlovsk, from the north side of the Pavlovsk Palace)

Der Hofgarten des Schlosses Veitshöchheim.nahm seinen Anfang im 17. Jahrhundert als Fasanerie und wurde im 18. Jahrhundert weiter ausgestaltet und erweitert. Die Sandsteinfiguren stammen von Johann Wolfgang von der Auwera, Ferdinand Tietz und Johann Peter Wagner.
Haeferl - own work

Statuette of Athena in pentelic marble, found at Epidaurus, bearing a dedication to Artemis

The 5 central figures of the west pediment of the Temple of Aphaia, ca. 505-500B

Arte romana, atena, II secolo da un orginale greco della scuola di fidia del V secolo ac..Ancient Roman statues in the Museo Archeologico (Naples)

Athena at Pilate's House in Seville. Roman copy of a Greek original.

Statue of Athena; torso: 180-190 AD, supplementations: Renaissance and Baroque era; marble; Museum: LiebieghausAthena. Leptis Magna, Tripolitania. Roman copy from 5th c. Greek original

Statue of Athena on the orangery of Schloss Seehof.

thena, West pediment of the old temple of Athena Polias (Acropolis of Athens)

Bayreuth, Hofgarten, Neues Schloss, Athene/Athena (Kopie) von Johann Gabriel Räntz (um 1755)

Roman marble statuette of Athena. Leptis Magna, Tripolitania; copy of an original from the end of the 5th ct. BC. Istanbul Archaeological Museums .Athena of the Hope-Farnese type. Marble, Roman copy from the 1st-2nd centuries AD after a Greek origina

In Sochi

Athena. Tripoli-Nationalmuseum,Göttin Athena-Medus

Estatua romana de la diosa Atenea en el patio principal de la Casa de Pilatos, (Sevilla, Andalucía, España)...Sculpture of Athena found on Heraclea Lyncestis archaeological site in Macedonia

Athena Athene or Bellona mit Drache auf Helm Friedrichsflügel Neues Palais Sanssouci

Marble statue of Minerva in the Ballroom at the Royal Castle in Warsaw (André Le Brun).

Athene-Statue und Zeus-Kopf am Athenebrunnen an der Karlshöhe in Stuttgart.

Buda-varoshaz-4.....Skulptúra ​​(Atény) on budove Vysokej škole výtvarných umení v Bratislave

Façade du Palais des ducs de Bourgogne Dijon Côte-d "Or Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

Graz, Zeughaus, Fassade Figur Minerva

Neues Schloss Schleissheim, Gartenparterre, “Minerva” (“Athene”) von Giuseppe Volpini

Strasbourg, University

Figura bogini wojny, Ateny na fasadzie Zbrojowni

Roma, Museo nationale romano a palazzo Altemps, statua rinvenuta nel 1627 nel Campo Marzio e riscolpita da Alessandro Algardi per il cardinale Ludovisi come Atena (tipo Giustiniani). Sono di restauro le mani e la parte inferiore del corpo e del tronco.

Mattei Athena Louvre

It became known that the son born of Metis would rise up and throw him off Olympus. Without hesitation, Zeus swallowed his wife. And then there was an attack - he had an unbearable headache. Unable to endure the excruciating pain, he ordered to split his head. The blacksmith Hephaestus split the skull of Zeus with one blow, and the goddess Athena appeared from the broken head. And the son disappeared, was not born.

The goddess Athena, possessed the courage of a lion and the caution of a cat, she was always armed with a spear and a shield, she wore a helmet on her head. Serpents slithered along the edge of her robe, representing inevitability. However, with all the weapons, the warrior maiden had a completely peaceful character. She never let go of the spear, but she never raised it on someone either. Only once did the goddess lightly scratch Hephaestus with it, resisting his harassment.

Stately and proud, Athena was the only goddess on Olympus dressed in battle armor. The visor of her helmet was always raised, the divine face appeared to the whole world. When the goddess Athena also gave chastity, the main Greek city began to be called after her. Henceforth it was the city of Athens.

The goddess patronized the art of war and martial arts. Under her care were also many peaceful crafts, weaving and pottery, blacksmithing and furriery. Athena gave people the ability to make such necessary things as harness for horses, wagons, plows, rakes, collars, she taught winegrowers, leather craftsmen and coopers. Under her patronage, skilled shipbuilders appeared who knew how to build durable ships for distant wanderings.

Often the goddess Pallas Athena was depicted in military armor, holding a spear in one hand and a spindle with yarn wound around it in the other. At the same time, an owl sat on her shoulder, a symbol of wisdom. Athena strove for the superiority of the mind over instincts, preferred a restrained strategy in solving all life issues. She taught people practicality, ambition and perseverance in achieving their goals.

The main position, which the goddess Pallas Athena strictly followed, is the consistent development wildlife subordination to her human needs. For this approach, the goddess was condemned by Artemis, who believed that all living things in nature should be outside the influence of man. But Athena's desire to comply with the law, all laws without exception, respect for statehood on Olympus was welcomed, many gods supported the warrior goddess Athena in this.

One day Pallas Athena quarreled with the sea god Poseidon. In a fight with him, she won. After that, the goddess Athena began to reign supreme over Attica. Then she helped Perseus destroy the terrible. Then, with the help of Athena, Jason builds a ship and sails away for the Golden Fleece. Pallas Athena patronizes Odysseus, and he safely returns home after winning the Olympus. Not a single event on Olympus is complete without the participation of Athena, the goddess of knowledge and crafts, arts and inventions, the patroness of military battles and the ordinary life of ordinary people. Some critical people argue that Athena is the goddess of something indefinite, takes everything under her protection, indiscriminately. One cannot agree with this. Pallas Athena is a versatile and multifaceted goddess.