The myth of the Greek goddess Athena. Mysterious Athena. Myths of Ancient Greece: Athena. Wise warrior
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Myths and Legends * AthenaAthena
Athena(other Greek. Ἀθηνᾶ , also found spelling Athenaia, Mycenae. a-ta-na-po-ti-ni-ja: "Atana the Mistress") - in ancient Greek mythology, the goddess of organized war, military strategy and wisdom, one of the most revered goddesses of Ancient Greece, the eponym of the city of Athens. In addition, the goddess of knowledge, arts and crafts; warrior maiden, patroness of cities and states, sciences and crafts, intelligence, skill, ingenuity.
In Rome, Athena was identified with Minerva.
The pre-Greek origin of the image of Athena does not allow revealing the etymology of the name of the goddess, based only on the data of the Greek language. The myth of the birth of Athena from Zeus and Metis (“wisdom”, Greek. metis, “thought”, “reflection”) of late origin - the period of formation of classical Olympic mythology. Zeus, knowing from Gaia and Uranus that his son from Metis would deprive him of power, swallowed his pregnant wife (Hes. Theog. 886-900) and then with the help of Hephaestus (or Prometheus), who split his head with an ax, he himself gave birth to Athena, who emerged from his head in full combat armor and with a war cry(Apollod. I 3, 6). Since this event allegedly took place near the lake (or river) Triton in Libya, Athena received the nickname Tritonides or Tritogenei. The birth of Athena is depicted in this myth from the standpoint of the heroic mythology of the patriarchy period, in which the male organizing principle was especially prominent. Athena is, as it were, a direct continuation of Zeus, the executor of his plans and will. She is the thought of Zeus, carried out in action. Gradually, the motherhood of Metis takes on an increasingly abstract and even symbolic character, so that Athena is considered the offspring of Zeus alone and assumes the functions of the deity of wisdom, just as Zeus took them from Metis.
And Fina is one of the most important figures not only in Olympic mythology, in its significance it is equal to Zeus and sometimes even surpasses him, rooted in the most ancient period in the development of Greek mythology - matriarchy. She is equal in strength and wisdom to Zeus (Hes. Theog. 896). She is honored after Zeus (Horat. Carm. I 12, 17-20) and her place is closest to Zeus (Plut. Conv. 2). 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" (glaycopis), the Orphic hymn (XXXII 11) - "variegated snake". Athena is the patroness of snakes (Verg. Aen. II 225-227); in the temple of Athena in Athens, according to Herodotus (VIII 41), there lived a huge snake - the guardian of the acropolis, dedicated to the goddess. The origins of Athena's wisdom in her chthonic past go back to the image of the goddess with snakes of the Cretan-Mycenaean period. An owl and a snake guarded the palace of the Minotaur in Crete, and the image of the goddess with a shield of the Mycenaean time is a prototype of Olympian Athena. Among the indispensable attributes of Athena is the aegis - a goat-skin shield with the head of a snake-haired Medusa, which has tremendous magical power, frightens gods and people (Hom. Il. II 446-449).
A powerful, terrible, owl-eyed goddess of the archaic, the owner of the aegis, Athena in the period of heroic mythology directs her strength to fight the titans (Hyg. Fab. 150) and giants. Together with Hercules, Athena kills one of the giants, she piles the island of Sicily on the other, peels off the skin from the third and covers her body with it during the battle (Apollod. I 6, 1-2). She is the slayer of the gorgon Medusa and bears the name "gorgon slayer" (Eur. Ion. 989-991, 1476). Athena demands sacred reverence, no mortal can see her. There is a myth about how she deprived the young Tiresias (the son of her favorite Chariklo) of her sight when he accidentally saw her ablution. Having deprived the young man of sight, Athena at the same time endowed him with a prophetic gift (Apollod. Ill 6, 7; Callim. Hymn. V 75-84). Great was her anger at Arachne, who dared to question the piety of the gods. Classical Athena is endowed with ideological and organizing functions: she patronizes heroes, protects public order, etc. She puts Cadmus on the throne, helps Danae and his daughters, as well as Perseus, a descendant of Danae, who killed Medusa (Apollod. II 4, 2; Ovid. Met IV 82 next). Zeus sent Athena to help Hercules, and he brought the dog of the god Hades out of Erebus (Hom. II. VIII 362-369). The goddess patronizes Tydeus and his son Diomedes, whom she wanted to make immortal, but abandoned this plan, seeing the wild cruelty of Tydeus (Apollod. Ill 6, 8). Athena's favorite was Odysseus, an intelligent and courageous hero. In Homer's poems (especially the Odyssey), not a single more or less important event is complete without the intervention of Athena. She is the main protector of the Achaean Greeks and a constant enemy of the Trojans, although her cult also existed in Troy (Hom. II. VI 311). Athens is the protector of Greek cities (Athens, Argos, Megara, Sparta, etc.), bearing the name of the "city protector" (Hom. II. VI 305).About the huge statue of Athena Promachos ("vanguard fighter") with a spear shining in the sun, adorned the Acropolis in Athens, where the Erechtheion and Parthenon temples were dedicated to the goddess. The main epithets of Athena, endowed with civil functions, are Poliada (“city”) and Poliuhos (“city ruler”). A monument to the glorification of the wise ruler of the Athenian state, the founder of the Areopagus, is the tragedy of Aeschylus "Eumenides".
And fina is always considered in the context of artistic craft, art, and craftsmanship. She helps potters (Hom. Epigr. 14), weavers (Hom. Od. VII 109-110), needlewomen (Paus. X 30, 1), the builder of the Argonaut ship (Apoll. Rhod. I 551), and working people in general (Hes opp. 429-431) and is called Ergana ("worker") (Soph. frg. 760), the patroness of artisans (Plat. Legg. XI 920d). Athena helped Prometheus steal the fire from the forge of Hephaestus (Myth. Vat. I 1; II 63-64). Her own products are genuine works of art, such as the cloak woven for the hero Jason (Apoll. Rhod. I 721-768). Athena is credited with inventing the flute and teaching Apollo to play it (Plut. De mus. 14). Her one touch is enough to make a person beautiful (she elevated Odysseus with a camp, endowed with curly hair, clothed with strength and attractiveness; Hom. Od. VI 229-237; XXIII 156-159). She endowed Penelope on the eve of the meeting of the spouses with amazing beauty (XVIII 187-197).
And Fina is the goddess of wisdom, Democritus considered her "reasonableness"<...>. The wisdom of Athena is different from the wisdom of Hephaestus and Prometheus, she is characterized by wisdom in public affairs (Plat. Prot. 321d). For late antiquity, Athena was the principle of the indivisibility of the cosmic Mind (Plot. VI 5, 7) and the symbol of the universal wisdom of the world (Procl. Hymn. VII), thus her qualities are sharply opposed to the riot and ecstasy of Dionysus. As the legislator and patroness of the Athenian statehood, Athena was revered - Phratria (“fraternal”), Bulaya (“advisory”), Soteira (“savior”), Pronoia (“seer”).
Although the cult of Athena was spread throughout mainland and insular Greece (Arcadia, Argolis, Corinth, Sicyon, Thessaly, Boeotia, Crete, Rhodes), Athena was especially revered in Attica, in Athens (the Greeks associated the name of the city of Athens with the name of the goddess - the patroness of the city ).
According to the myth, Poseidon first came to Attica, struck the ground on the Acropolis with his trident, and a source of sea water arose, which was shown in historical times in the Erechtheion (according to another legend, he created a horse). Behind him, Athena appeared, who struck the ground with a spear and grew an olive tree (olive tree). According to the decision of the judges, Athena was declared the winner, since her gift is more useful, the city was named after her, Poseidon was angry and tried to flood the earth with the sea, but Zeus forbade him.
According to the mentions of Callimachus and Nonnus, Kekrop the snake was their judge, either Cranaius or Erysichthon was also called the judges.
In Attica, Athena was the main deity of the country and the city of Athens, the patroness of the Athenians. Athens reached its greatest power and prosperity under Pericles. New buildings on the acropolis were erected in 16 years. A wide marble staircase led up to the acropolis, a rocky hill located in the center of Athens. Climbing the stairs, the traveler approached the Propylaea - the main entrance to the acropolis. Through the Propylaea, the "road of sacred processions" went out onto a vast square, where a giant bronze statue of Athena - Promachos (leader in battle), cast by Phidias, towered. The glitter of the golden helmet and the spear of the goddess was seen by the sailors who were far out to sea.Parthenon
Above all the buildings of the acropolis stood the Parthenon - the temple of Athena the Virgin, which was the main temple of the goddess ("parthenos" in Greek - "virgin"). The entire temple, including the roof tiles, was built of white Pentelian marble. The length of the temple was 69.5 m, width - 31 m, i.e. its area was more than 2 sq. km. The building was surrounded by 40 columns 10.43 m high.
Athena Parthenos
(Reconstruction of the statue of Athena Parthenos from
gold and ivory by PhidiasIn the center of the temple stood a gigantic statue of Athena by Phidias, covered in gold and ivory. Thin plates of ivory covered the face and hands of the goddess, the cloak, helmet and shield were made of gold. The width of the foot of the statue was 8 m, the height of the statue was 12 m. In the 17th century. The Turks, who owned Greece, set up a store of gunpowder in the Parthenon, which exploded, destroying half of the ancient temple. Every year in August, Panathenaias ("all-Athenian") were held, dedicated to all the "areas of activity" of Athens at once. Once every four years, the Great Panathenaic was held with musical and gymnastic competitions. The celebrations began at night with a torchlight procession and ended with a festive procession of the Athenians.
The procession ascended the sacred road and entered the temple to bring a gift to Athena peplos, a robe woven by the hands of noble Athenians from the finest expensive wool with gold embroidery. Especially for the holiday, "Panathenaic amphoras" were prepared, with a volume of 26 liters, on which scenes of competitions and the goddess herself were depicted. Amphora filled with olive oil, went to the winner of the competition. It is from these amphoras that the goblets that are presented to the winners at the present time originate.
Agricultural holidays were dedicated to Athena: 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. The feast of the great panathenas, the apotheosis of Athena, the wisdom of the state, was of a universal character. Erichthonius was considered the founder of the panathenaic, and Theseus was the reformer. Solon organized the annual panathenaic, Peisistratus established the great ones. Pericles introduced competitions in singing, playing the cithara and flute. On the Panathenaic, sacrifices were made to Athena and the transfer of the peplos of the goddess took place, on which her exploits in gigantomachia were depicted.The invention of the flute
The myth about the invention of the flute (Aulos) by the goddess is mentioned by many authors. (In Boeotia, Athena, the inventor of the flute, was even revered under the special name Bombilea, that is, Athena "bee", "buzzing"). Pindar says that one of the Gorgons, Medusa, groaned terribly as she died, and the other, Euryale, groaned when she looked at her sister, and Athena invented a flute to repeat these sounds. According to Corinna, the goddess taught Apollo to play the flute. Epicharmus mentions that she played the aulos before the Dioscuri.
According to a more detailed story, Athena made a flute from deer bone and came to the meal of the gods, but Hera and Aphrodite ridiculed her, and she, looking at her reflection in the water, saw how ugly her cheeks swelled when playing, and threw the flute into the Idean Forest , or threw the flute into the waters of the Meander. The thrown flute was picked up by the satyr Marsyas. (Pausanias also mentions a statue of Athena beating the Silenus Marsyas, who raised his flute). The myth continues with the story that in playing the Palladin Flute, the satyr was defeated by Apollo and flayed. Aristotle gives his interpretation of the myth. In his opinion, the real reason for Athena's actions is that playing the flute is not related to mental development.Faun Marsyas teaches the young man Olympius to play the flute
(Basin Petr Vasilyevich)Once, wandering through the fields of Phrygia, the faun Marsyas found a reed flute. She was abandoned by the goddess Athena, noticing that playing the flute invented by herself disfigures her divinely beautiful face.
Athena cursed her invention, saying that whoever picks up this flute will be severely punished. Not knowing about the words of Athena, Marsyas picked up the flute and soon learned to play it so well that everyone heard this unpretentious music.
Marsyas became proud and challenged Apollo, the patron of music, to a contest. Apollo came to the call. Marsyas could not extract from the flute such marvelous sounds as flew from the golden strings of the cithara of the leader of the Muses of Apollo - Apollo won.
Enraged by the impudent challenge, he ordered the unfortunate Marsyas to be hung by the hands and skinned from him. So paid Marsyas for his courage. His skin was hung in a grotto in Phrygia and later it was said that she always began to move, as if dancing, when the sounds of the Phrygian reed flute reached the grotto, and remained motionless when the majestic sounds of the cithara were heard.Participation in Gigantomachy ()
Although, according to the early mythological scheme, titanomachy occurred even before the birth of Athena, but later authors, starting with Euripides, often mixed giants and titans. Athena's participation in the Gigantomachy is a popular plot. This battle is localized on the Phlegrean fields. Although in the battle with the giants, Athena called on the help of the gods of Hercules, she herself also distinguished herself. Gigin tells the story that after the death of Epaphus, Zeus, together with Athena, Apollo and Artemis, threw the titans into Tartarus, prompted by Hera.
Other details of the battle with the giants were depicted on the shield of the statue of Athena Parthenos. In Euripides' tragedy Ion, Athenian women discuss this image: Athena, holding a shield with a Gorgon on it, opposes Enceladus. Athena also drove a chariot with a pair of horses against Enkelada, and when he took flight, she brought down the island of Sicily on him. Athena tore off the skin from Pallas and covered her body with it. Callimachus highlights Athena's concern for her horses after the battle
Trojan War
Judgment of Paris (bone of discord) Hera, Aphrodite, Athena and Paris
According to myths, Athena participates in the Judgment of Paris, where she unsuccessfully seduced Paris with a career as a successful commander, and in further events of the Trojan War, where she acted on the side of the Greeks and bestowed special patronage on Odysseus and Diomedes (see below).
The goddess of discord, Eris, offended by the fact that she was not invited to the wedding feast of Peleus and Thetis, decided to take revenge on the gods and threw an apple with the inscription "Most Beautiful" on the feast. Immediately between the three goddesses: the wife of Zeus Hera, the warrior Athena and the goddess of love Aphrodite, a dispute arose: who rightfully owns the apple? The goddesses turned to Zeus, but he refused to be the judge. Zeus gave the apple to Hermes and ordered the goddesses to be taken in the vicinity of Troy to the beautiful son of the king of Troy, Paris, who must choose the most beautiful of the three goddesses. Each of them began to convince Paris to give the apple to her, promising the young man great rewards. Hera promised Paris power over all of Asia, Athena - military victories and glory. Paris gave the apple to Aphrodite, who promised to reward him with the love of any woman he chose. At the same time, in enthusiastic terms, she described to him Elena the Beautiful, the daughter of the Thunderer Zeus and Leda, and the wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta. This led to the abduction of Helen by Paris, which was the cause of the Trojan War. Paris became the favorite of Aphrodite, and she helped him in everything. Hera and Athena hated Paris and all the Trojans.
Athena and the Trojan horse
The connection of Athena with the Trojan horse that ended the war is extremely close. Firstly, the idea of the horse belongs to her, secondly, the horse is called an offering to her, thirdly, she contributes at every step to the capture of Troy with its help. Euripides notes that Ilion is destroyed by the "malice of Pallas" and her strength.
So, Epeus built a Trojan horse according to her plan and with her help. Quintus of Smyrna in the poem "After Homer" details that Epeus learned his craft from Athena (XII 85), Athena appears in a dream to Epeus (XII 109-121). In three days, thanks to Athena, the horse was completed (XII 154), and Epeus asks Athena to bless his work (XII 159-163). Epeus later dedicated his instruments to the temple of Athena Mindia. (Inhabitants of Metapontus showed in the temple of Athena these iron tools with which Epey built a horse).
In addition, Athena took the form of a messenger and advised Odysseus to hide the Achaean heroes in the horse. Further, the goddess brought the food of the gods to the heroes who were about to enter the horse, so that they would not feel hungry.
When the plan is put into action, the defector Sinon tells the Trojans that this gift to Athena will always guard their city instead of palladium. The dedication of the horse to Athena (and even the corresponding inscription on it) is mentioned by many authors.Laocoön
Athena gives bad signs (earthquake) after Laocoön's proposal to destroy the horse; rejoices when the Trojans do not believe Laocoon and decide to drag the horse into the city, and sends snakes on the sons of Laocoön. The goddess herself invisibly helped the Trojans to drag the horse to the temple of Athena. Homer mentions that Athena is forcing Helen to move away from the Trojan horse. Tryfiodorus describes in more detail that Helen came to the temple of Athena and walked around the horse three times, calling the heroes by name, but Athena appeared, visible only to Helena, and forced her to leave.
And on the night of the fall of Troy, Pallas sat on the acropolis, shining with her aegis. When the beating began, she screamed and raised her aegis.Athena's Inventions
Athena was considered the founder
* States,
* chariots,
* ship
* flutes and trumpets,
* invented war.
* a ceramic pot, a rake, a plow, a yoke for oxen and a bridle for horses.
* taught weaving, spinning and cooking
* Established laws and the Areopagus (the highest court in Athens).Athena, motherhood and marriage
Nevertheless, Athena also patronizes married women. The women of Elis prayed to Athena to get pregnant.
Athena helped Penelope delay the day of the new wedding. In the Odyssey, Athena endowed Penelope with reason (II 116), gives her sweet dream(I 360, XVI 451, XIX 604, XXI 358). When Penelope asks Athena for Odysseus (IV 762-767), the goddess sends the ghost of Iftima to her to reassure her (IV 796-838). Athena inspires Penelope with a desire to appear to the suitors (XVIII 158), puts Penelope to sleep for a while and bestows beauty on her (XVIII 188-196).
Athena inspires Penelope with the idea of organizing a contest (XXI 1).
Avga was a priestess of Athena Alea from Tegea, who was seduced by Hercules, and she threw the child in the sacred area of \u200b\u200bthe temple of Athena (or hid it in the temple), because of this, either the earth ceased to bear fruit, or a plague began, and the oracles announced that the wicked were contained in the temple .
When the father decides to expel Avga, she turns to Athena for help, and the goddess remembers Hercules. By the care of Athena, the box with Avga and Telephos was transferred across the sea.Athena and ships
Already in Homer, Athena acts as the patroness of shipbuilding and navigation. In one of the author's comparisons, the nameless ship's architect is called a pupil of Athena. Homer also notes that earlier Athena patronized the architect Ferekl, who built a ship for Paris (according to Kolluf, the goddess did not approve of his work).
According to the instructions of Athena, the architect Arg from Thespius created the ship Argo. Apollonius calls this ship the creation of Athena of Eton. On the nose, Athena strengthened a piece of the Dodona oak trunk, which could divinate. After the completion of the voyage, the ship Argo was placed at the behest of Athena in the sky.
Danai, on the advice of Athena, built a 50-oared ship with two bows, on which he fled with his daughters.
Athena sends a fair wind to Telemachus, Theseus, the Achaeans returning from Lemnos. The image of the face of Pallas was on the Athenian shipsAthena the Artisan
The art of work is noted by Homer, calling her the mentor of a metal craftsman. Daedalus learned his art from Athena. The poet Alexander of Aetolia claims that the statue of Aphrodite is the work of Athena herself.
Hesiod points to her connection with artisan carpenters. Athena polished Peleus' spear. She helps the potters. Solon calls the craftsman knowing "the work of Athena." The epigrams speak of the dedication to Athena of the tools of the carpenter's trade and the tools of the farmer's labor.
Athena teaches the arts to the daughters of Pandareus, and she also teaches crafts to Eurynomus, the daughter of Nysa, and probably the daughters of Leucon, as well as the girls in general to crafts.
It is also said that she, along with Hephaestus, taught people crafts, and she and Hephaestus, in turn, were taught by the Cyclopes.
In later texts, Athena is considered the inventor of the crafts and arts for which she is revered.
Arat notes that to make the simplest celestial globe, you need "the craft of Athena."Athena the weaver
Homer mentions that Athena made her own and Hera's clothes herself and taught the Theakian women the art of weaving. Hesiod says that Athena made a dress for Pandora. Apollonius of Rhodes describes in detail the images on the cloak that Athena Ithonis presented to Jason, without mentioning whether the goddess herself wove it.
According to Corinna, Athena taught Metioche and Menippe, the daughters of Orion, how to weave. In Ovid, the weavers of the Miniades are "detained by Pallas" and her labor, not wanting to worship Dionysus. Seneca mentions the "Palladina work" of the maids who made the clothes of Hercules, as well as Phaedra, who abandoned the "craft of Pallas."
Athena patronizes the art of weaving, but Plato emphasizes that her mentor in this art is Eros. An ancient statue of Athena in Erythrai depicted her with a spinning wheel in each hand.
The spinning wheel is a gift from Athena. The loom is called the occupation of Athena, and the weavers are called servants of the "cause of Athena." A popular plot of epigrams is the dedication to Athena of weaving tools; dedication of weavers to the temple of Athena the Spinner. Propertius mentions the "Euripilian fabric of Kos Athena".
The poetess Moiro from Byzantium (3rd century BC) recounted the legend of how a certain Alcinoe from Corinth hired the weaver Nikandra, but did not pay her for the work, she prayed to Athena, and Alcinoe fell in love with the Samian Xanthus, left her family, after which threw herself into the sea
Marcianus Capella interprets the story of Hesiod, explaining that Athena-Tritonia endowed the Soul with clothes, that is, with a body. The philosopher Proclus notes that “one of the demons from the genus Athena turns out to be the patroness of the weaving trade, and Athena herself is sung as the one who weaves the arrangement of intelligent species in some other, demiurgical sense”Athena the Healer
It was said that Asclepius received from Athena the blood of the Gorgon, with the help of which he resurrected the dead. According to Euripides, Athena gave Erichthonius at birth two drops of Gorgon's blood, which he in a golden ring gave to Erechtheus, and the last to Creusa (one drop is healing, the other is poisonous).
Athena appeared in a dream to Pericles and indicated the herb to heal his slave, who had fallen from the roof of the acropolis under construction, the Propylaea, the grass was called Parthenium, and Pericles erected a statue of Athena Hygieia. The base of the statue of Athena Hygieia by the sculptor Pyrrhus was found on the acropolis. The altar of Athena Hygieia was in the deme of Acharna.
Alexander the Great, having recovered, arranged competitions in honor of Asclepius and Athena. The goddess Hygieia was called the daughter of Asclepius and Athena Hygieia. Athena, who looked like a statue of Phidias, appeared to the sick orator Aelius Aristides in a dream and led him to make an enema from Attic honey, after which he recovered.In Rome, Athena was identified with Minerva. Roman festivities of Minerva are devoted to two large passages from Ovid's "Fast" (III 809-850; VI 647-710). Throughout antiquity, Athena remains evidence of the organizing and guiding power of the mind, which streamlines cosmic and social life, glorifying the strict foundations of a state based on democratic legislation.
Original entry and comments on
Ancient Greek mythology is very bright, due to the many gods and goddesses represented in it. One of the extraordinary representatives is the beautiful fair-haired goddess Pallas Athena. Her father, none other than the supreme god Zeus himself, the lord of heaven. In its significance, Athena is not inferior, and sometimes surpasses her imperious father. Her name is immortalized in the name of the Greek city - Athens.
Who is Athena
The appearance of Athena is shrouded in secrets, from the text of the ancient source of Theogony it follows that Zeus learned that his wise wife Metis should give birth to a great daughter and son. The ruler did not want to give his reins of government to anyone, and swallowed his pregnant wife. Later, feeling strong headache, Zeus asked the god Hephaestus to hit him on the head with a hammer - this is how Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom, appeared in all her weapons. Possessing the strategies and tactics of waging just wars, Athena succeeded and also became the patroness of many types of crafts:
- public order - Athena in public affairs, established the highest court in Athens;
- shipbuilding and navigation - the architects Ferekl, Arg and Danai, under the mentorship of Athena, created their own ships, one of which Argo was sent by the goddess to heaven;
- metal craftswoman - the statue of Aphrodite is considered the work of Athena herself;
- weaving and spinning craft - she made clothes for herself and other goddesses. Athena taught women to weave. The spinning wheel is a symbol of Athena;
- music - a trumpet and a two-horned flute, the invention of Athena;
- healing - healed and resurrected with the blood of the Gorgon medusa;
- patroness - in many other positive aspects. Athena is loved for her timely assistance. Hercules, Odysseus, Perseus, Achilles, Jason, Telemachus are the heroes of ancient Greek mythology who called Athena in difficult moments.
What does Athena look like?
The Greek goddess Athena is traditionally depicted in military attire, with a majestic bearing in her hand a spear shining in the sun. Homer, the ancient narrator of the epic poem The Iliad, describes Athena as a bright-eyed, sharp-eyed, full of power in golden armor, a beautiful, but "not soft-hearted" Virgin. The artists depicted the goddess with a stern, thoughtful face, in a long hoodie (peplos) or shell.
Symbol of Athena
In mythology, each piece of clothing, the background around the deity is replete with various symbols that have a sacred meaning. These archetypes are the link between humans and gods. Knowing these symbols, images arise with the help of which one or another character can be identified. The symbolism of Athena is easily recognizable:
- Athena's helmet - made of iron, decorated with 4 horses, or a monster with a snake tail;
- spear - one of the statues of the goddess adorned the ancient acropolis in Athens, her shining golden spear, the first thing sailors saw when returning to the city;
- aegis - a shield made of goatskin, with the image of the Gorgon Medusa;
- Nike - a figurine of the goddess of Victory in the hand of Athena;
- the owl is a symbol of wisdom;
- the snake is a gift of foresight.
Children of Athena
The ancient Greek goddess Athena was considered a chaste virgin, Eros himself ignored the request of his mother, the goddess Aphrodite, to shoot an arrow of love at Athena, as he was afraid to even fly past because of the goddess’s menacing gaze. Nevertheless, the joys of motherhood were not alien to Athena and she raised adopted children:
- Hygieia - the goddess of health, is considered by one source the daughter of Asclepius (healer) and Athena;
- Erichthonius is the son of Gaia and Hephaestus, according to legend, Hephaestus chased Athena and dropped the seed on the ground, Gaia considered this a shame for herself and refused to raise her son. Athena secretly raised Erichthonius. The goddess Athena is often depicted with a snake; researchers believe that this is a symbol of Erichthonius.
The myth of the goddess Athena
Ancient Greek mythology describes gods who are like people: they love, they hate, they strive for power, they crave recognition. The myth about Athena is interesting, in which Kekrops, the first Athenian king, could not decide who should be the patron of the city. Athena and Poseidon (the god of the ocean) began to argue, Kekrops suggested that the gods resolve the dispute as follows: invent the most useful item. Poseidon carved a source of water with a trident, Athena hit the ground with a spear and an olive tree appeared. Women voted for Athena, men for Poseidon, so Athens had two patrons.
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 of wild nature, subordinating it to 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 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 the victory in 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 ordinary life 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.
The goddess Athena is one of the most famous goddesses of the ancient Greek pantheon, no one, even Zeus, can compete with her remarkable abilities, and the capital of Greece bears her name:
Athena (ancient Greek Ἀθηνᾶ or Ἀθηναία - Athenaia) - one of the most revered goddesses of ancient Greece, included in the number of the twelve great Olympic gods, the eponym of the city of Athens. In addition, the goddess of knowledge, arts and crafts; warrior maiden, patroness of cities and states, sciences and craftsmanship, intelligence, skill, ingenuity. In the hypostasis of Athena Pallas (Παλλὰς Ἀθηνᾶ) is the goddess of organized war, military strategy and wisdom. She is equal in strength and wisdom to Zeus (Hesiod, "Theogony" 896). She is honored after Zeus (Horace, "Poems" I 12, 17-20) and her place is closest to Zeus.
To study Athena, we will follow a non-standard path and, instead of studying mythological aspects, we will first try to establish the genesis of her name, which is considered unknown.
Athena in numismatics
We will use artifacts with the name of Athena, in particular, numerous ancient Greek coins minted in her honor. They usually show the head of Athena in a helmet, a totem (owl), an olive branch and a short name - ΑΘΕ :
There are options with a shorter name - ΘΕ:
Below are only reverses of coins with the inscription ΘΕ:
It was also possible to find a coin on which the name of Athena is represented by a single grapheme - Θ :
One example does not reflect the mass practice of circulation of such coins in the ancient era, however, it can be considered significant: to write the name of Athena, the ancient Greeks could get by with two or even one symbol, which in Ancient Egypt the sun is indicated:
The same symbol was used in ancient Greek for the letter "theta". It turns out that there is a genetic connection between the ancient Egyptian hieroglyph of the sun and the ancient Greek letter "theta", due to which, from the moment it appeared in the ancient Greek alphabet, it was considered sacred. It was thanks to her sacred qualities that the name Sabaoth was formed in the Greek language: ΣΑΒΑ (ancient Egyptian "star") => ΣΑΒΑω (sacred ω added) => ΣΑΒΑω Θ (sacred Θ added at the end).
In the ancient Egyptian language, the sun god was called "Ra", but in the era of the Middle Kingdom he had a synonym - Aten(gr. ΑΘΕΝ ; option - IΘΕΝ):
Obviously, for a number of rulers of Ancient Egypt, the name of the supreme god Ra was taboo - instead of it, it was allowed to call the sun god by the name "Aton", which means "It" in translation. The meaning of the name was revealed with the help of a determinative in the form of a symbol of the sun. But it is important for us to note that such names had a short form - by analogy with Amon => Min and Atum => Tum, i.e. short form of the name Aten is ΘΕΝ (Ten). The derivatives of this name are well known by such names and theonyms: Theon, Tion, Theona, Fiona, etc. At the end of this morphological chain (at the transition Θ=>Z) is the name "Zeus" - the head of the ancient Greek pantheon.
Reduced version of the name ΘΕΝ - it's simple ΘΕ or in extreme cases - Θ . And the name ΘΕ when the ending was added to it male[-οσ], became a household word in the meaning of "god" (ΘΕΟΣ).
So the names ΑΘΕ , ΘΕ and Θ , which we met on coins - are derivatives of the name Aton (Eaton) in the meaning " Athena". At the same time, as we see, Θ in the form of a symbol of the sun was the only significant grapheme in the name of Athena.
The coins with Athena have one more feature: the vast majority of them have a crescent moon (see also ill. 2):
11.
Middle of the 5th century BC.
If there is a crescent, then the presence of the sun on the coin is most likely. It is represented explicitly by the letter Θ , borrowed from ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. The compositional neighborhood of the moon and the sun in ancient times was of a routine nature:
12.
The sun is depicted as an 8-beam star with a hemispherical bulge in the center. Approximately 300 BC
This iconography is also consistent with the well-known version of the letter "theta" in the form of a disk with rays:
But it should be noted that in iconography the number of rays of the solar disk did not have of great importance: there could be 4 or more, but traditionally, in accordance with the sacred letter "theta", preference was given to the 4th. This approach was reflected in votive paraphernalia, where 4-spoke wheels, which were unreliable from a practical point of view, were often used:
14.
Source: B.A. Rybakov, "Paganism of the Ancient Slavs".
Due to the allusion to the symbol of the sun, the spoked wheel was also considered sacred:
15. 16.
ill. 15: Solar god IAO on gemma; a separate close-up shows the wheel of the solar quadriga.
ill. 16: Triptolemus on a chariot with winged serpents, vase drawing; the chariot is represented by only one wheel and footboard.
Conclusion for this section: Athena's name goes back to the ancient Egyptian sun god Aten. Their similarity is due to three aspects:
1) semantic: Athena and Aton refer to powerful gods;
2) phonetic: they have a barely different vocalization of names: ΑΤΟΝ
=> ΑΘΕΝ(Α)
;
3) morphological: the only significant grapheme of the name "Athena" is a symbol of the sun, while the god Aton was the sun.
Mysterious phial of Athena
In the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts (GMII, Moscow) in the hall "Greek Yard" a statue of Athena Pollada is exhibited with an object unusual for the uninitiated public in her right hand:
In the description of the statue, he is not mentioned, but it was possible to establish that he is attributed as a "phiale with an omphalos", however, at the moment we do not know exactly when such an interpretation was introduced into scientific circulation. Probably in the 19th or even in the 18th century, when many obscure questions were answered with a simple answer - "this is phallic symbolism." The error of this approach is visible in many ways:
1. Omphalos was understood as the "Navel of the Earth". For the first time it is found in ancient Egyptian mythology under the name "Ben-ben", meaning the primary hill. The Egyptians left behind many Ben-bens in the form of massive pyramidions, comparable to the height of a person. Over time, however, their sizes became more democratic, the appearance also changed a little, nevertheless their conical shape was preserved:
18.
Pyramidion of Khonsu Hora, Cairo Museum.
2. The "phiale with omphalos" had a strictly defined shape: it was a disk with a small rim or a shallow round container, in both cases having a hemispherical elevation in the center. On the other hand, the Navel of the Earth cannot have boundaries, because, according to mythology, it arose in the middle of an endless sea.
3. In ancient iconography, the omphalos is widely represented on coins: Applelon usually sits on it, i.e., as in the case of the ancient Egyptian Ben-ben hill, the height of the omphalos is comparable to the height of a person:
4. The surface of the omphalos is usually decorated with a recognizable relief (see ill. 19):
Such a relief is never found on "phials with omphalos". The truncated cone of the last omphalos means that this place was intended for Apollo, as in ill. nineteen.
5. A round elevation in the center of the disk is an attempt by the master to depict a ball, but not a cone, which is clearly seen on many artifacts:
21.
IV-III century. BC, Ancient Greece, gold.
22.
Approximately 740 BC, "Museum of Anatolian Civilizations", Ankara.
In a number of cases, craftsmen deliberately gilded the ball in the center to emphasize its emblematic meaning, which is that it is a symbol of the sun. This connotation is exacerbated by the shape of the phial or disk: if you look at them from above, you can see the familiar letter Θ (see ill. 9). In fact, the phial was conceived as a material embodiment of a sacred symbol in order to use it in ritual practices. Therefore, the object in Athena's hand in fig. 17 can rightly be called "solar phial" (SF) or even "Athena", based on her name (see above). Moreover, as you can see, Athena does not show a desire to use the phial as a dish "for libations" - she shows it to the audience to confirm that it is she. The ambivalent meaning of the phial is that it plays the role of a sacred symbol and at the same time serves as an instrument. Its application can be seen in the following image, made on an ancient Greek vase:
Obviously, the former owner of this SF thus saved money and tried to serve as many suffering parishioners as possible, using a smaller amount of incense, which certainly contributed to an increase in the income of the clergyman.
Examples of the use of SF in a funerary cult
The study of the use of SF in the funeral ritual is of interest for several reasons: it allows us to clarify some aspects, including tracing the evolution of the cult and symbolism. To do this, consider a few typical examples.
26.
"Banquet", Etruscan Museum of Guarnacci, Volterra. (See appendix 1)
On the funeral urn, besides the deceased, only the Gorgon Medusa is represented, serving as a solar symbol, ascending to the image of the Bekhdetsky Chorus. In his hand, the deceased holds the SF, which is more like a disk than an item of utensils - he does not use it, but only demonstrates to others. "Banquet" is clearly a misinterpretation. Something like a pancake can fit on the disk, but it is not there. We have to think for the authors of the attribution: the deceased ate the pancake and demonstrates an empty plate, boasting of a good appetite, although he himself is already dead. On the inner surface of the SF is a radiant star, decorated with dots, with a convex core.
27.
"Etruscan Antiquities", lid of a funerary urn, 2nd c. BC, Louvre. (See appendix 2)
The deceased shows an empty phial, which is already deeper than the previous one, while it retains the image of a radiant star with a pronounced hemispherical core. And in this example, it is difficult to imagine that the SF was used as dishes. To the credit of the Louvre staff, they limited themselves to the generally accepted attribution: "phiale with omphalos."
28.
"Etruscan antiquities", cover of a funerary urn, 3rd c. BC, Louvre. (See appendix 3)
In the next example, the deceased also demonstrates an empty phial, which is already devoid of decorations (relief), in addition, it has become even deeper and resembles an ordinary plate with a lost round lump at the bottom. But it does not fall out, making it clear that this is part of the "plate". Attribution - standard: "A man holds a" phial with an omphalos ".
In the book "Roman Sculptural Portrait" (N.N. Britova, N.M. Loseva, N.A. Sidorova), a similar composition is more definitely called "Feasting Etruscan":
29.
National Archaeological Museum, Chiusi, Clay, 3rd c. BC e.
With whom and what the Etruscan feasts, it is difficult to understand. The authors of the interpretation, apparently, believed that the Etruscan ate a full phial of food, leaving a little in reserve with the thought "it will come in handy in the next world." Running a little ahead, it should be noted that such a point of view has every right to exist.
29.
Sarcophagus of Larzia Seyanti, National Archaeological Museum, Florence. Clay, 2nd century. BC.
Unfortunately, we do not know what Larcia is holding in her left hand, so we will focus on general form sarcophagus. Its front wall is decorated with 4 rosettes, two of which - the right one and the second one from the left - are "solar phials". It is likely that they are used as popular decorative elements and nothing more.
31.
Sarcophagus, III century. BC, Louvre.
As in many examples, the deceased shows the audience the SF in the form of a radiant star with a hemispherical core. On the front wall, griffins (see Appendix 4) on both sides hold a solar disk identical to the SF. The composition with griffins is a canonical scene that remained unchanged until the Middle Ages:
32.
Detail of the Scuola San Marco, Venice, 1260.
An accidental coincidence of iconography is unlikely. Thus, we have received clear confirmation that the term "phiale with omphalos" is erroneous.
At the end of the review of funerary paraphernalia, let's consider a curious example of the loss of the sacred symbolism of the phial.
33.
Etruscan burial urn.
The author of this creation, apparently, did not already know about the purpose of the SF and talked about it from practical considerations: if you take with you to another world, then a full phial of porridge, so as not to disgrace yourself with an incomprehensible lump at the bottom.
Conclusions for the section:
1) the practice of using the SF evolves depending on time and place, its original semantics degrades, and then completely takes on vulgar forms, as a result of which the sacred attribute turns into an item of household utensils;
2) in the scientific community there is a misconception about the semantics of SF, which is apparently due to the unwillingness to revise established dogmas or, more likely, to ontological delusions.
Athena in myths
We will not list all the qualities and virtues of this goddess - they are well known - but we will highlight those that are usually in the shadows and have not received proper explanation.
1. These certainly include the myth of the unusual birth of Athena, who was in the head of Zeus (R. Graves, "Myths of Ancient Greece"): when his head began to hurt, he asked to split it, and Athena appeared from there with a war cry and in in full combat gear". This etiological myth has a simple and logical explanation, which briefly sounds like this: Athena was originally Zeus. This is due to the etymology of the name "Zeus", which was mentioned at the beginning:
To be more precise, Athena and Zeus are connected by a common origin through an etymological chain, but at some point the synonymous names took on flesh and each of them took on a life of its own. This example shows exactly how the ancient Greek pantheon arose, and why there are so many variations of etiological myths in it. Ancient historians and just travelers who lost touch with the historical alma mater, visiting Egypt, left behind graffiti like "I was here, but did not understand anything." Although it is obvious that rumors and stories of that time sometimes conveyed real ideas about ancient Egyptian mythology, they were mostly fragmentary information from which it is difficult to compile big picture.
2. According to another myth, Athena's father was Eaton: "Others say that her father was a man named Eton, king of the city of Eton."(ibid.). It may seem strange to some, but the myth of the birth of Athena from the father of Eaton is not much different from the previous myth, in which Athena appeared from the head of Zeus. The fact is that the name "Eaton" is a complete analogue of the name "Aton". In Egyptology, there is still no clarity on this issue - it is likely that the names "Iton" and "Aton" had parallel circulation (the generally accepted transliteration is Jtn). Well, since the name "Eaton" or "Aton" went to Athena, therefore her father is the mentioned Aton / Eaton, who served as an etymological tracing paper for the name Zeus (see ill. 34).
3. R. Graves notes that "the name of the city of Etona was used in both masculine and feminine"(ibid.). The example of Athena points to the truth of Graves' words: ΑΤΟΝ => ΑΘΕΝΑ . Androgynous metamorphoses are found primarily in ancient Egyptian mythology, and then became part of ancient Greek. We see this in the statue of Athena (ill. 17), whose athletic build and face is more like a man's, and only the female peplo suggests that Phidias himself was confused, not knowing who he should sculpt - a man or a woman. Hesiod also drew attention to the masculine qualities of Athena: "In strength and wisdom she is equal to Zeus"(Hesiod, "Theogony" 896). In addition, Athena is the only goddess who uses male paraphernalia, in particular weapons: a helmet, a spear and a shield.
4. In Ancient Greece, it turns out, there was no clarity even with the beginning of the worship of Athena: "The myth of Eton says that the Etonians, according to them, began to worship Athena long before the Athenians"(R. Graves, "Myths of Ancient Greece"). If we keep in mind that the worship of Aten/Eton originated in ancient Egypt long before the advent of the Greeks, then the Itonians should be recognized as right. The only thing to be clarified is that the Etonians, according to the myth, themselves got confused in the name of their city, calling it "Iton" or "Itona" (see above), and then "Itona" automatically becomes Athena.
5. "Plato identified Athena, the patroness of the city of Athens, with the Libyan goddess Neith"(ibid.). The proximity is due to the fact that both were warriors and walked with weapons.
6. One of the most popular epikles of Athena is Pallas. There have been centuries-old disputes about its origin, but one important circumstance, as a rule, is not taken into account: in ancient Greek mythology there were 4 characters with such names and nicknames:
Pallas Athena (Ἀθηνᾶ Παλλὰς).
Pallans (titan) - titan, son of Crius, husband of Styx.
Pallas (giant) - A goat-like Giant slain by Athena. According to one legend, his name was the source of the epithet of Pallas Athena.
Pallant (son of Pandion) - son of Pandion, brother of Aegeus, killed by Theseus.
Pallantus was so popular that he was also noted in Latin mythology:
Pallas (Latin mythology) - the son or grandson of Evander, Prince Latsia.
According to one of the etiological myths, "as a girl, Athena accidentally killed her playmate Pallas when they came together in a playful fight, armed with a sword and shield. As a sign of grief, she added the name Pallas to her name"(R. Graves, "Myths of Ancient Greece"). According to another myth "Athena, born of Zeus and raised by the god of the river Triton, accidentally killed her foster sister Pallas, daughter of the river Triton"(ibid.). The third myth tells that Athena killed the titan Pallantus, tore off his skin and covered her body with it during gigantomachy, which is why she was called "Pallas" (Pseudo-Apollodorus. Mythological Library I 6, 2). The obvious artificiality of the myths only indicates that their authors had no idea about the origin of the Pallas epikles and were engaged in fantasizing.
The name "Παλλασ" - serves as a dialectal variant of the name "Πολλοσ" with the meaning "powerful", "strong". If we assume that this is a short form of the solemn name, then the full one will be "Απολλοσ" (Apollo). In turn, "Apollo" goes back to the name of the greatest temple of antiquity, dedicated to Khor-Ra (Khor Bekhdetsky) - "Pr-Ra" (Per-Ra). In ancient Egypt, many names were formed in the same way - from the name of a particular temple, a similar practice spread throughout the Oikumene. The indisputable authority of the sun god Apollo served to spread this name, including in its short form Απολλοσ<=>Πολλοσ (Pollos). Thus, the name "Pallas Athena" has a translation - "Aton Temple of Ra". But we know that "Aton" and "Ra" are synonymous names, so their bunch had a natural origin.
In this context, the connection of Athena with the goat-like Giant Pallant (see above) receives a proper explanation, if by it we mean Amon-Ra, who has the characteristic image of a goat:
35.
7. Most sources insist that Athena used a goatskin as protection, and Herodotus (IV.189) finds an explanation for this: "The Greeks borrowed the robe and aegis on the images of Athena from these Libyans. Only the clothes of the Libyan women are leather, and the pendants on the aegis are not snakes, but belts, otherwise the robe is of the same cut. Even the name itself indicates that the clothes on the images Pallas of Libyan origin. After all, Libyan women wear woolless goat skins over their clothes, trimmed with fringe and dyed with madder. From this word "ayges" the Hellenes took [the name] of the aegis. Similarly, the Hellenes learned to ride four horses from the Libyans ".
R. Graves does not agree with Herodotus and gave his explanation for the "goat" skin: "Aegis is the magical shield-like weapon of Zeus, made by Hephaestus and adorned with the terrifying head of the Gorgon Medusa. However, Zeus did not even use it in battle. Right hand he throws lightning, and with his left he shakes his aegis and catches up thunderclouds. Zeus often passes on the aegis to Apollo and especially to Athena, who wear it as a symbol of Zeus' power. It is generally accepted that the word "aegis" (Greek αἰγίς) is not associated with a goat (аіх), but goes back to an obscure pre-Greek root that is included in many mythological names. But later Greek mythographers explained the origin of the name by the fact that the aegis was made from the skin of the goat Amalthea". However, Almalthea, according to mythology, was an ordinary goat and did not possess miraculous powers.
The confusion seems to be related to the word itself. αἰγίς , which is also found in the pelagonism Αιγαίον πέλαγος ("Aegean Sea") with an unclear etymology. But it immediately clears up, provided that in ancient times any sea was called "sacred", i.e. in Greek - Αγιος πέλαγος ("Holy Sea"). This is confirmed by the Coptic word AЄIK - "to sanctify" (the Coptic language inherits the ancient Egyptian), from the ancient Egyptian etymon of which, as a result of metathesis during the transition from one language to another, the ancient Greek word ΑΙΓ was formed, and then - ΑΓΙ (-οσ): АЄIK = > ΑΙΓ => ΑΓΙ.
On one of the rare ancient Greek coins with the profile and symbols of Athena, we find the word ΑΙΓ:
36.
Ancient Greek coin, 331-316 BC
I think the last example proves the absurdity of the words of Herodotus, who linked the holy goddess with a goat.
The shield of Athena also served as her aegis, therefore it was sacred (ἅγιος), which was facilitated by the head of the Gorgon Medusa on it:
37.
Shield of Athena (Shield of Strangford), 200-300 AD
There are many misconceptions associated with Medusa the Gorgon, mostly of a fabulous nature. In reality, this is a polymorphic character, ascending to the god Bes and Horus of Behdet. Thus, the Gorgon Medusa personifies in this case all the power of the sun god. This example once again demonstrates the specifics of the myth-making of ancient authors, who fantasized uncontrollably, based only on fragmentary knowledge or without it at all.
Civilizational aspects associated with Athena
1. The image of Athena, which has become part of the global culture, continues to be fraught with riddles, some of which were discussed above. But not all. In particular, the large crest of Athena's helmet attracts attention:
38.
Statue of Athena Promachos, Phidias.
From the point of view of protective qualities, it seems to be completely useless, moreover, it was usually made from horsehair (plume), therefore, now it is perceived as an ornament, which is what historians are currently doing, considering such attributes to be decorative elements of ammunition. But a number of circumstances cast doubt on the common point of view, since, first of all, it is necessary to distinguish the modern emancipated society from Antiquity, saturated with religious ontology, symbols and superstitions. One of the evidence for this is the sacred shield of Athena discussed above with a kind of solar deity, Basileus (see below).
Helmets with crests were also used in the army of Ancient Rome:
39.
Ancient Roman helmet, reconstruction.
The crest can be either longitudinal or transverse, in addition, we note a semicircular red plume on the helmet. However, in ancient Greece, such helmets appeared even earlier:
40.
Attic helmet.
Attica is a historical region of Greece. The very name "Attic helmet" suggests that such helmets appeared primarily in Athens, the heart of Attica. Again we see a semicircular crest, but has it always been like this, and what served as its prototype?
41. 42. 43.
ill. Fig. 41: Bronze statuette of Athena Promachos, 600-575 BC, Archaeological Museum of Himera, Sicily.
ill. 42:
ill. 43: Bronze helmet, 8th c. BC, Archaeological Museum of Argos.
44.
Sun God Ra, Ancient Egypt.
Therefore, Athena from archaic times, in the image and likeness, wore a disk on her head, but it should be so, since her prototype is the sun god Aten. One may wonder about the independent origin of the practice of wearing a disc, but we do not find confirmation of it. On the other hand, the ancient Greeks did not have to invent anything, since they contemplated these gods with a disk on their heads with their own eyes, being in Egypt.
Thus, the disk on Athena's head, and later the crest, were originally votive attributes. From this point of view, the "crest" of Apollo has the same nature as that of Athens:
45.
God Apollo on the solar quadriga.
It is noteworthy that Homer called Attic crested helmets κόρυς (korus), i.e. practically "Horus" - the name of the ancient Egyptian sky-solar god, who wore a disk of the sun on his head (see ill. 44).
2. The Parthenon is considered the greatest monument of ancient Greek culture, but for some reason it is called "Maiden's chambers" (Παρθενών - parthenon, Parthenon), which is a good example of the level of academic science. Of course, the best minds of mankind have been and continue to work on the justification of the absurd epikles for hundreds of years, because at stake is, no less, but the whole "cradle of European civilization", but things are still there. It seems that the cause of the delusion lies in the paradigm blinders, which do not allow one to look at the word "Parthenon" with an impartial look. Rejecting them, you can immediately find a familiar phrase (see above), applied to the names of temples - ΠΡ-ΑΘΕΝ (Greek), which in ancient Egyptian means "Temple of Aten" or Athena, as you like (see above) . Moreover, it is no secret to anyone that the Parthenon is dedicated specifically to the goddess Athena, but she is successfully overlooked in the temple that bears her name.
Nevertheless, it is interesting to assess how “greatest” the temple was by comparing it with other ancient temples, because after the era of the “Great Pyramids” it was religious buildings that served as an indicator of the power of the kingdoms:
46.
Dimensions of ancient temples and complexes.
This does not include the temple complex at Karnak, which overshadows all the temples combined with its size. As you can see, the Parthenon is in the "civilizational tail", which indicates the real place of Ancient Greece on the scale of civilizational achievements. But it should be so, given the "flawed" origin of the god Aten, to whom Athena ascends. In general, the "Great Greek Civilization" is the result of the delusions of the thinkers of the past, and at the present time - of tourist advertising.
3. Consider another SF of unsurpassed quality and complexity of execution:
47.
Bosporus kingdom, Kul-Oba burial mound. Mid 4th century BC.
The SF is made in the form of a radiant star, in which there are 12 large rays and 12 smaller ones, which hints at the knowledge by the author of the SF of the daily division of time into 24 hours. Each ray and, accordingly, "hour" bears the image of a Gorgoneion with a mane. Earlier we noted that gorgoniones often have beards and mustaches, and on this SF only manes, over which snakes writhe:
The totality of the data shows that the generally accepted interpretation based on ancient Greek mythology is erroneous. More precisely, the Gorgon Medusa is a special case of another character, who, generally speaking, does not always have a female appearance. We know that he originally had a lion skin and a mane, was a trickster dwarf and teased with his tongue hanging out. This is an archetypal image of the god Bes. Combining his name with the lion, whose name is also borrowed from the ancient Egyptian language (rw/lw), we get Bes+a lion - Basileus. Moreover, Bes originally had the attributes of a lion, and the addition of the name of the latter is obviously associated with a desire to strengthen the connotation with royal status. Surprisingly, the etymology of the name "Basileus" is also not known in the scientific community. And again, the reason for this is partiality and narrow-mindedness.
4. We began this work with a consideration of coins, and we will finish our study with them.
49.
Seleucus III Soter (Keraunus), 226-222 BC.
If you just look at the coin, you can read ΣΕΛΕΥΚΟΥ, the ending of the name of which is -ΕΥΚΟΥ, the dialect version of the name ΣΟΛ (the sun god) - ΣΕΛ remains as the root. The sun god Apollo sits on the omphalos, and the name of the folk god of the sun, ΒΑΣΙΛΕΟΣ, completes the overall picture. You involuntarily ask yourself the question: is there a real historical character here? ..
It is traditionally believed that in Ancient Egypt there was no minting of coins familiar to the Greco-Roman era, but then it is not entirely clear where the coins with ancient Egyptian symbols came from:
50.
Silver didrachm, Tire, Phoenicia, 360-332 BC
Legend: on the obverse - Melkart rides a seahorse, below - waves and a dolphin swimming to the right;
on the reverse - an owl under the left wing carries a hook and a flail, to the right - Phoenician letters.
The sawtooth symbol on the obverse is an ancient Egyptian hieroglyph meaning water. On the reverse there is an eagle owl, whose body is borrowed from the Egyptian god Horus (falcon), under the wing he holds insignia - Nehekh (hook) and Heka, symbols of power of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh. But the most curious thing is in two inconspicuous symbols called "Phoenician letters":
There are no Phoenician letters in the inscription - these are ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs that are read as YAHU, i.e. Yahweh. It turns out that Yahweh personifies lunisolar dualism and nothing more. Moreover, earlier we came across another character with identical semantics - Solomon.
Who could mint coins with ancient Egyptian symbols and hieroglyphs in ancient times? To some extent, the following artifacts serve as an answer:
51.
Bronze upper die of an Athenian tetradrachm found in Egypt and reverse of a silver Athenian coin of the 4th c. BC.
The discovery in ancient Egypt of ancient Greek coins could be explained by the penetration from neighboring Greece, but here we have a complete set of tools for the production of "owls" (coins with owls). It is important to emphasize that today it is the only one.
Applications
1. Etruscan funerary urn. Archaeological Museum of Fiesole near Florence.
2. Cover of a female tomb from Tuscany, terracotta with traces of polychrome decoration, Archaeological Museum of Florence, 3rd century BC. BC.
3. Etruscan funerary urn, Chiusi, Tuscany.
4. The word "griffin" (Greek γρύφων) has an obscure origin. It seems acceptable etymology from the phrase Hor + Aton. It explains its solar semantics and at the same time chthonic: the head is borrowed from the sky-solar god Horus, and the lion's body symbolizes power over all life on earth. Apollo on a griffin, 380 BC:
Pallas Athena is a representative of the highest world all-conquering power, one of the most revered goddesses of Ancient Greece, one of the twelve great Olympic gods. She was revered as the goddess of knowledge, arts and crafts; warrior maiden, patroness of cities and states, sciences and craftsmanship, intelligence, skill, ingenuity.
The image of Pallas Athena is of genuine interest to many researchers who talk about the sacred meaning of myths about her deeds, name and attributes.
Athena stands out from the rest of the Greek pantheon. Unlike other female deities, she is dressed in armor, holds a spear in her hands, and is accompanied by sacred animals.
Mandatory attributes of her image are:
- helmet(as a rule, Corinthian - with a high crest),
- aegis(shield), covered with goatskin and adorned with the head of Medusa Gorgon,
- goddess Nike as an accompaniment
- olive- the sacred tree of the ancient Greeks,
- owl,
- snake.
What do these attributes mean?
Helmet and shield- these are traditional military symbols, because Athena is a warrior maiden, which many interpreted as a symbol of equality between men and women, as well as a symbol of mastery in the art of war, since Athena is the goddess of a just war.
Nika- in ancient Greek mythology, the winged goddess of victory, she often accompanies Pallas Athena, as she is a symbol of a successful result, a happy outcome of something.
Olive- a sacred tree, which is a symbol of wisdom. One of the interpretations of the symbolism of this tree is given by the Neoplatonist Porfiry: “... the olive as a symbol of Divine Wisdom. This is the tree of Athena, Athena is wisdom… Being ever-blooming, the olive has some properties that are most convenient for marking the paths of the soul in space… In summer, the white side of the leaves turn up, while in winter, the lighter parts turn in the opposite direction. When flowering olive branches are stretched out in prayers and supplications, they hope that the darkness of dangers will be turned into light ... So the cosmos is controlled by the eternal and ever-blooming wisdom of intellectual nature, from which a victorious reward is given to the athletes of life and healing from many hardships.
Owl- in ancient Greek mythology, it is a symbol of wisdom and knowledge due to the fact that the natural behavior of the bird reminded the Hellenes of the lifestyle of philosophers seeking solitude, and the ability of an owl to see in the dark made it a symbol of insight.
Snake- also a traditional symbol of wisdom.
Athena Pallas is the heroes in ancient Greek myths and help them accomplish their deeds. She helps Perseus defeat the Gorgon Medusa, and Cadmus defeat the dragon and become the king of Thebes. It was the warrior maiden who became the patroness of Hercules and more than once helped him in his exploits. Athena also patronizes the heroes of the Iliad and the Odyssey. And there are many such examples in Greek mythology. The goddess Athena always accompanies the heroes.
Who are these heroes? "Hero" literally from ancient Greek means "valiant husband, leader." And it seems to me that the word “leader” is decisive here, i.e. the one who leads other people, and you will agree that no matter how successful and bold the ruler is, but if he is devoid of wisdom, then many of his undertakings will be doomed to failure. A wise person is guided by a thought, but not a chaotic one, as is often the case in our daily life, but one based on love, in other words, deified. “A person must be able to control his thoughts” .
Let us turn to the legend of the birth of the warrior goddess.
Her birth is unusual. The most common version is told in Hesiod's Theogony, which tells that Athena's father was Zeus - the main of the Olympian gods, who owns the whole world, and her mother - Metis, or otherwise Metis, in ancient Greek mythology, she personified wisdom and was the first wife of Zeus.
Uranus (God of Sky) and Gaia (Goddess of Earth) predicted to Zeus that his wife would bear him a son who would surpass him. To prevent this, when Metis became pregnant, Zeus lulled her with affectionate speeches and swallowed it, after which Athena, who united the wisdom of her father and mother, was born from his head on the third day. Her birth was helped by the god of Fire Hephaestus and one of the titans, the protector of people Prometheus. Hephaestus struck with a hammer on the aching head of Zeus, and accepted Athena Prometheus (his name literally means “thinking before”, “foreseeing”).
What is a legend in allegorical terms?
Here is what Herodotus writes in his historical treatise: “As for the customs of the Persians, then ... They usually make sacrifices to Zeus on the tops of the mountains and call the entire heavenly vault Zeus. That is, Herodotus associated the Persian god Ahura Mazda with the ancient Greek father of the gods Zeus.
In the book Masters and Their Abodes by Mark and Elizabeth Prophet, it is written: “The ascended masters teach that the supreme God of Zoroastrianism, Ahura Mazda, is Sanat Kumara. The name "Ahura Mazda" means "The Wise Lord" or "The Lord Who Gives Knowledge".
In other words, Zeus (Ahura Mazda - Sanat Kumara) is the god of Reason, who, united with wisdom (Metis), created the daughter Pallas Athena.
Now it seems strange to us unusual birth goddesses. However, in The Secret Doctrine H.P. Blavatsky, in particular, in the cited fragments from the book of Dzyan, it is written: “... Will-Born Masters, aspired by the Spirit of Life-Giver ...”
Here is the interpretation given in the book by T.N. Mikushina on this matter:
In various ancient teachings... Higher Spirits are mentioned... which are "first-born" by Brahma, born of Reason... "
In other words, thought was the fundamental principle of all things, and the Highest Lords, or Gods, were originally born precisely with the help of its life-giving power.
From this we can safely conclude that Pallas Athena is the embodiment of divine thought, divine will, or spatial thought. And we know that thought is energy, and in Agni Yoga it is written that “of all the creative energies, the thought remains the highest”, hence the veneration of the ancient Greeks to the goddess who stands next to Zeus. “Even an earthly thought can move dense objects – one can imagine all the creative power of the thought of the Higher World!”
Hence the diversity of the activities of Pallas Athena. She is not only a warrior goddess, but also the patroness of crafts, arts, cities, a healer, a soothsayer, a weaver, i.e. it is everywhere and in everything that requires the presence of thought.
And if we remember that legends are given to people for a reason, then we can imagine what cosmic power the goddess Athena was endowed with, she combines the wisdom of Metis, the power of Hephaestus' fire and the power of Prometheus's foresight. “Cosmic Breath is the fire of Space. All cosmic manifestations are saturated with fire, and thought… is fire.”
Pallas Athena was given many names and epithets that revealed the functions of the goddess, helping people understand her meaning: Areya - the redeemer, Bulaya - council, Aglavra – light-air, Poliuhos – city defender, Ergana - a worker - all these are the names of the goddess, one way or another personifying Divine Wisdom. She was given various epithets to help understand and explain her functions.
Homer, for example, uses the epithet "glavkopis" (Greek: γλαυκῶπις), i.e. owl-eyed or light-eyed. Indeed, the goddess's large shining eyes are often emphasized in the descriptions. Even in this trifle, great wisdom slips through, symbolically encrypted in ancient legends: “Fire ... is seen only in the eyes. The word does not express it, and the inscription does not depict it, for its flame is in the thought that is not expressed through the bodily shell. Only the mirror of the eye lets through the sparks of higher thought. Those eyes will discern sparks of cosmic rays, which gross vision will simply call the light of the sun.
Not surprisingly, for the ancient Greeks, the importance of Athena was equated with Zeus, and sometimes even surpassed him.
Let's not ignore the most famous middle name of the goddess - Pallas. According to one legend, Athena received a second name when she defeated the goat-like flying giant Pallant, who wanted to commit violence against Athena when the titans rebelled against the gods, but the goddess crushed the giant, tore off his skin and made her shield out of it.
If we decipher this allegory, we will get the following interpretation.
In man, the spiritual world and the physical world are united. When a person manifests the divine world through himself, he becomes god-like; when he renounces God, then, more and more immersed in matter, he becomes like a beast. That is why in ancient legends (and not only in Greek) half-humans-half-beasts are most often depicted as wild, vicious creatures that do not know how to control themselves and bring destruction, for example, remember the well-known legends about centaurs or werewolves. That is why the victory over the beast, i.e. carnal, elevates these creatures with a part of himself (for example, the wise centaur Chiron is the teacher of heroes). Therefore, allegorically, Athena's victory over a titan with animal features is a victory over lower matter and its use for divine purposes.
As a result, according to the Russian philosopher and philologist A.F. Losev, Athena and all her achievements are before us, as it were, a direct continuation of Zeus. She is the executor of his plans and will, his thought, realized in action. She is like fate and the Great Mother Goddess, who is known in archaic mythology as the parent and destroyer of all life.
Professor Z.S. wrote about the sacred meaning of Pallas Athena. Shelomentsev in the essay "Athena-Sophia-Menfra": "The Goddess on Earth, carrying Divinity to our world as Divine Grace. She was allowed by the Almighty to carry not only the wisdom of the Father, but also His plan for our earthly world. She acts as an ideologue of Divine Wisdom, as a theorist, leader and organizer. She is the Goddess of wisdom, crafts and just war and, when necessary, enters the battle, expressing her constant readiness to defend the Truth with her armor.
Today, there are few who honor Pallas Athena as the goddess of Truth and divine Wisdom, who still stands guard over this world. Therefore, I would like to end this article with a poem dedicated to her.
dedication
“…the whole world is a gift from God to you…
to get to know yourself and the world around you.
Athena Pallas. "Word of Wisdom"
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