Athena - goddess of war and wisdom in Greek mythology

Ancient Greek Athena - the goddess of war, wisdom, crafts, knowledge and arts. Such a spectrum is due to the nature and activity attributed to the deity of the Hellenes.

Athena - the fifth child of Zeus, according to the legend, was born in an unusual way. The main god of Olympus secretly from Hera married Metis. But soon Zeus learned that his son would overthrow him from the throne. This was reported to him by Moira (or Uranus and Gaia - according to other sources). An angry god, in order to prevent the loss of power, swallowed the pregnant wife. After that, his head ached badly, and he asked Hephaestus to cut it. From the head of Zeus appeared a new deity - Athena.

The goddess of war is different in character from Ares, who also patronizes the battles. The latter embodies ill-considered aggression and unreasonable courage, while Athena is associated with strategic planning. She is also called the goddess of a just war. In contrast to Aphrodite - the embodiment of femininity and love - the patroness of battles has the features of masculinity. Athena helped her fans in a difficult moment - thanks to the correct strategy, they managed to overcome the most serious difficulties, to defeat the enemies. Therefore, Nika (Victory) became a frequent companion of the goddess.

According to legend, the daughter of Zeus from childhood was very curious and showed an interest in science, so my father decided to make her the patroness of knowledge. Athena - the goddess of war, wisdom and crafts - more than once told the ancient Greeks non-standard, but effective solutions. She taught Erichtonia the art of harnessing horses, and Bellerophon taught the taming of a winged horse, Pegasus. Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom, helped Danai construct a huge ship on which he reached Greece. Some myths ascribe to the deity the patronage of peace and prosperity, marriage, family and procreation, the development of cities, and also healing abilities.

According to the legend, for the right to give his name to the capital of Hellas, two contenders battled: Poseidon (patron of the seas and oceans) and the goddess Athena. Photo archaeological finds and other evidence indicate that in ancient times the city was an architectural masterpiece: white stone palaces, giant stadiums and carved churches. God Poseidon promised that the Greeks would never need water if they called the capital by his name. And the patroness of wisdom offered the Hellenes the eternal abundance of food and money and presented a seedling of olives to the townspeople. The Greeks made their choice, and today the capital of Greece bears the name of the goddess, and the olive tree is considered its sacred symbol.

The temple of the goddess Athena - Parthenon - is located in the Acropolis at an altitude of about 150 m above sea level, it is a gigantic white stone building, a masterpiece of architecture. Inside it is a statue of the goddess, made of gold plates and ivory. From all sides the temple is surrounded by 46 huge slender columns.

The supreme deity of Greek mythology is considered to be Zeus, but the cult of Athena echoes with the more ancient period of Hellenic history - matriarchy. Therefore, the goddess can be considered close to Zeus in importance or even equal to him.