Tabla de Contenidos
Athena is a goddess of ancient Greece , patroness of several Greek cities, including Athens. She is the daughter of the god Zeus and the oceanid nymph Metis, although some stories tell that Athena was fathered by Zeus without a mother, but instead she was born into the world from her head, already fully grown and wearing all her armor. She is one of the twelve main deities of the Greek pantheon, that is, of the Olympic gods. She was the favorite daughter of Zeus and as such was very powerful.
This goddess has several equivalences in different cultures and mythologies, having syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. She is the equivalent of the goddess Sarasvati from Hinduism, Sulis from Celtic culture, and Neith from Egyptian culture.
She is regarded as the protector and patron of Athens (and other Greek cities), as well as the goddess of wisdom, war, wit, and crafts. Being associated with urban life, it can be said that Athena was the opposite of Artemis, who was the goddess of the outdoors, animals, hunting, vegetation, chastity and childbirth.
Throughout history, artists have represented the goddess Athena in a variety of ways, associating her with a series of symbols that represent different aspects of her origins and mythology. These symbols are:
- The helmet, armor and spear
- The float
- the aegis
- the gorgoneion
- The owl
- The snake
- The olive
Next, we will see each of these symbols separately and why they are associated with the goddess Athena.
The helmet, armor and spear
Athena was the goddess of war, and as such, she is often depicted in battle clothing and equipment. One of the most distinctive and recognizable symbols of Athena is her helmet, almost always placed halfway (to show her face) and crowned with a large crest, in the style of Corinthian helmets. In addition to the helmet, Athena is also depicted in body armor and her weapon, instead of a sword, is always a spear.
The aegis and the gorgoneion
In Greek mythology, the aegis can represent one of two related things. Homer describes it as the shield or buckler carved by Hephaestus for the god Zeus. The second possible representation is the main piece of Athena’s armor: a cuirass of hardened goatskin.
Both the aegis of Zeus and that of Athena have the characteristic feature of being adorned with a gorgoneion, a protection amulet that has the head of a Gorgon, generally that of Medusa. The purpose of the gorgoneion and, by extension, of Athena’s aegis, was to inspire terror in her opponents, since Medusa was a creature with snakes for hair that turned men into stone just by looking into their eyes.
There are two reasons why Athena is almost always depicted wearing a gorgoneion with the head of the Gorgon Medusa. According to mythology, Medusa was a very beautiful woman with a seductive look that captivated Poseidon, the god of the sea. In a fit, Poseidon raped Medusa in the temple of Athena, before the goddess’s eyes. Enraged, Athena transformed the beautiful Medusa into a Gorgon or creature, cursed to never be able to look any man in the eye without turning him to stone. In other words, Athena created the gorgon Medusa.
But he not only created it, but also participated in its destruction, teaching the hero Perseus how to kill it by cutting off its head. After being successful, Perseus presented Medusa’s head to Athena as a gift in gratitude for her help, whereupon Athena placed it on her aegis and began using it as an amulet.
No other Greek goddess (or Roman, for that matter) is represented wearing an aegis with the head of Medusa, which is why it is one of Athena’s characteristic symbols.
The float
According to some historians, Athena is credited with inventing the chariot. Also, according to mythology, Athena taught humans how to tame horses by inventing the bridle or bridle.
This, coupled with the fact that she was the goddess of war, led many artists to depict the goddess in a chariot drawn by a variable number of horses. Whether due to later syncretization with the Roman goddess Minerva or not, Athena’s chariot is usually a Roman chariot.
The owl
The owl is the sacred animal of Athena and one of the symbols most easily associated with the goddess of wisdom. So much so that, even today, the owl remains a universal symbol of wisdom and learning in the Western world.
In ancient Greece, Athena was often referred to as bright-eyed Athena. This epithet in Greek is called Glaukopis , a word that shares origin with the Greek word to refer to the owl, koukouvágia . In fact, in many archaic images of Athena she is shown accompanied by a small owl whose species, Athene noctua, or Athena’s owlet, was named after the Greek goddess.
The snake
In addition to the owl, another animal that symbolizes Athena is the snake, which appears in many paintings and sculptures coiled at her feet or slithering down the edges of her tunic. The snake may be an additional allegory for the relationship between Athena and Medusa, who had snakes for hair.
The olive
Despite not necessarily being the most distinguishable symbol of the Greek goddess of wisdom, the olive tree or branches are symbols that frequently appear in artistic representations of Athena. The olive tree is the symbol of the city of Athens and represents the relationship of the goddess as patron and protector of this city.
According to legend, the inhabitants of a new Greek city were looking for a protective god. Poseidon, who desired the city of Athens, pierced his trident on the Acropolis, from where a spring of salt water gushed out. Then Athena came down from Olympus and conquered the city by giving the Athenians the first olive tree, which she made grow right next to the spring of Poseidon with Cecrops, the first king of Athens, as a witness. Enraged, Poseidon wanted to do battle with Athena, but Zeus intervened, calling a court of the Olympian deities, who decided that Athena’s gift to the city made her worthy of receiving a temple and thus becoming the patron saint.
Since then, the olive tree has been the symbol of the goddess Athena, as well as of the city of Athens, which bears the name of its patron saint.
References
Asale, R. (nd). aegis | Dictionary of the Spanish language . Dictionary of the Spanish language – Tercentenary Edition. https://dle.rae.es/%C3%A9gida
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. (2021, May 28). Athena | Goddess, Myths, Symbols, Facts, & Roman Names . Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Athena-Greek-mythology
Detienne, M., & Werth, AB (1971). Athena and the Mastery of the Horse. History of Religions , 11 (2), 161–184. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1061920
Greenberg, M., PhD. (2020, August 27). Athena’s Symbol: The Complete Guide (2022) . MythologySource. https://mythologysource.com/what-is-athenas-symbol/
JB. (2020, January 2). Why is the Olive Tree so Significant . Olive Tree Boutique Tolo. https://www.olivetreeboutiquetolo.com/post/2017/03/04/the-origin-of-the-olive-tree
Rosales, E. (2018, May 6). Medusa: a rape victim turned monster . infobae. https://www.infobae.com/america/vice/2018/05/06/medusa-una-victima-de-violacion-convertida-en-monstruo/
Trckova-Flamee, A. (2000, 1 November). Hippeia | Facts, Information, and Mythology . Encyclopedia Mythica. https://pantheon.org/articles/h/hippeia.html
