#there’s multiple references to other parts of the Trojan war/other myths and also some references to other media lol

[mitsybubbles]

This was my final project for a Mythological Receptions and Adaptations course where I adapted the Apollo sections of the Iliad to explore his POV and feelings during it

I wanted to focus on the struggle of not being able to change the outcome of something you know will happen and also his bond with Hector of Troy

[flyingthehedge]

Herbarium: Apple

Witches, it is almost apple season and as such, I have come to throw a herbarium post your way about the magical and medicinal uses of the glorious, tasty apple!

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Venus

Element: Water

Powers: Abundance, Healing, Immortality, Love

Magical Uses and History: Sometimes referred to as the Witch's Fruit because its seeds resemble a 5-pointed star, apple is ripe with history and folklore. The history of the magical and ritual uses of the apple is lengthy, dating back thousands of years. As early as 8,000 B.C., evidence from the Nile, Tigris, Euphrates, Indus, and Yellow River valleys suggests the apple was highly valued and cultivated crop. Furthermore, the apple plays a prominent role in myths from around the world, often being associated with magic, immortality, death, knowledge, and love. It has been called the Fruit of the Gods, Fruit of the Underworld, and the Silver Bough. In fact, the name Avalon is likely derived from the old Irish word meaning "the place of apples."

In an old Scandinavian Saga, Edda, Idunn (or Iduna) kept apples that were eaten by the Gods to ensure eternal youth. A similar myth appears in Greek folklore where Hesperides guards the apple trees that provide the same gift of youth and immortality to those who eat them. Apples also played a prominent role in Diana's Festival on August 13 in Greece where apples were prepared still on their boughs as part of the ritual meal. And while the Bible never explicitly states the tree of knowledge is an apple tree, it has long been believed to be so. In Celtic mythology, a branch of apple with buds, flowers, and ripened fruit, known as the Silver Bough, was thought to be a magical charm that would allow the bearer to walk between the land of the Gods and the Underworld freely. Apples are also mentioned in an old English ballad, Thomays the Rymour, where the Fairy Queen warns Thomas against eating any of the apples during the feast for to do so would mean he would not be able to walk among the living again. Finally, it is believed the Trojan war was started when the Goddess Eris threw an apple into the midst of a group of goddesses, claiming it was for "the fairest."

Due to its association with death and the Underworld, apples often adorn Samhain altars or are buried as offerings to the Dead so they may have something to eat during the long winter months ahead. Strong cider brewed from apple is sometimes referred to as Witch's Brew and placed on altars or poured on the ground for the same reasons. The wassailing tradition is still maintained in parts of England, especially Somerset, where on the Twelfth Night (Yule) cakes and cider are offered to the trees as libations for the spirits. Guns are often shot and pans banged together afterward to drive away evil and negative spirits.

The number of love spells using the apple is countless. Apple blossoms are added to love sachets, incense, and brews to increase spell potency and bring the caster love. Furthermore, an apple can be held in your hand until warm then given to your love interest. If they eat the apple, then they love you too. The most famous apple love spell, however, was popular among unmarried women across Europe. Simply peel an apple in one piece and throw the peel over your shoulder. The letter it forms is said to be the first letter of your future husband. Margaret Atwood brings light to this tradition in her book Alias, Grace where Mary and Grace try to figure out their future husbands. Mary is unable to peel multiple apples in a single go, foretelling her death in the near future. Other love spells include counting the seeds; even for marriage soon to come, odd for no marriage in the foreseeable future, a cut seed foretelling a tumultuous marriage, and two seeds cut foretelling widowhood. To ensure fidelity, cut an apple in half and have your lover eat one half while you eat the other.

Apples are also used in fertility spells. Barren women in Kirghizstan are said to roll around under an apple tree in order to become pregnant. In some parts of Europe, apple trees are planted at the birth of a son as an indicator of his health and virality. Furthermore, the apple is viewed as a life-giving fruit among the Celts and Welsh. Due to its potency of the drink created from fermented apples, they may have been linked to orgiastic rites.

The apple also has a long history of healing uses. The old Welsh proverb, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" rings with truth, as the apple contains properties that reduce fever, thus keeping the doctor away. An apple can also be cut into three pieces and rubbed on the affected area then buried during the waning of the Moon to banish illnesses. Gardeners would pour apple cider onto freshly-tilled soil to breathe life back into it prior to planting.

Apples can be used in a number of spells including:

    Divination

    Love Spells

    Healing Magic

    Prosperity Magic

Please note there are hundreds of other magical uses not mentioned here. The list is too lengthy to include in one post.

Medicinal Uses: Apples are commonly used to reduce fever (and historically scurvy) due to high levels of antioxidants and vitamin C. Apple cider vinegar is also used to treat fevers and sunburns. Early research also suggests eating apples may reduce your chances of cancer, especially of the esophagus and larynx, diabetes, and lung cancer. Research also suggests eating three apples a day increases weight loss.

Preparation and Dosage: Internally- If running a fever, eat an apple, drink apple juice, or eat applesauce immediately to boost the immune system and reduce the fever. Apple cider vinegar can also be taken internally to reduce a fever. Simply mix 2 tsp of apple cider vinegar with 1 tsp honey in a glass of warm water and drink 2-3 times a day until fever breaks. Externally- To reduce fever, place a towel soaked in a 1:2 part mixture of apple cider vinegar and water on your forehead or abdomen. Change towels after they have absorbed your body heat until fever eases. For a bath, mix 1 cup apple cider vinegar in a warm bathtub and stay in the water for 5 to 10 minutes. To treat sunburns, spray the affected area with a 1:1 mixture of apple cider vinegar and water, dabbed a vinegar soaked washcloth on the affected area, or take a cool bath mixed with 1 cup of apple cider vinegar.

Want to print a copy of this for your Book of Shadows? Click below for your free copy! Please visit here to download and print your own copy.

[tipsycad147]

Hippolyta – Queen of the Amazons and Daughter of Ares

A daughter of the Greek god of war Ares and a Queen of the famous Amazon warrior women, Hippolyta is one of the most celebrated Greek heroines. But who exactly was this mythical figure and what are the myths that describe her?

Who is Hippolyta?

Hippolyta is at the center of several Greek myths, but these vary in certain regards that scholars aren’t certain if they refer to the same person.

It’s possible that the origins of these myths centered around separate heroines but were later attributed to the famous Hippolyta. Even her one most famous myth has multiple different renditions but that is quite normal for a mythological cycle as old as that of Ancient Greece.

Nevertheless, Hippolyta is well-known as the daughter of Ares and Otrera and a sister of Antiope and Melanippe. Her name translates as let loose and a horse, words which have largely positive connotations as the ancient Greeks revered horses as strong, precious, and almost holy animals.

Hippolyta is best known as a queen of the Amazons. This tribe of warrior women is believed to be based on the ancient Scythian people from north of the Black Sea – a horse-riding culture famous for its gender equality and fierce women warriors. In most Greek myths, however, the Amazons are a female-only society.

Hippolyta is arguably the second most famous queen of the Amazons, second only to Penthesilea (also cited as Hippolyta’s sister) who led the Amazons into the Trojan War.

Heracles’ Ninth Labour

Heracles Obtains the Girdle of Hippolyta – Nikolaus Knupfer. Public Domain.

The most famous myth of Hippolyta is that of Heracles’ Ninth Labour. In his mythological cycle, the demi-god hero Heracles is challenged to perform nine labors by King Eurystheus. The last of these was to acquire the magic girdle of Queen Hippolyta and deliver it to the daughter of Eurystheus, princess Admete.

The girdle was given to Hippolyta by her father, the god of war Ares, so this was expected to be a major challenge for Heracles. However, according to the more popular versions of the myth, Hippolyta was so impressed by Heracles that she gave him the girdle willingly. She was even said to have visited his ship to give him the girdle there personally.

Complications nevertheless ensued, however, courtesy of the goddess Hera. A wife of Zeus, Hera despised Heracles as he was a bastard son of Zeus and the human woman Alcmene. So, in an attempt to thwart Heracles’ Ninth Labor, Hera disguised herself as an Amazon just as Hippolyta was aboard Heracles’ ship and began spreading the rumor that Heracles was abducting their queen.

Outraged, the Amazons attacked the ship. Heracles perceived this as deception on Hippolyta’s part, killed her, took the girdle, fought off the Amazons, and sailed away.

Theseus and Hippolyta

Things become more complicated when we look at the myths of the hero Theseus. In some of these tales, Theseus joins Heracles on his adventures and is a part of his crew during his fight with the Amazons for the girdle. However, in other myths about Theseus, he sails separately to the land of the Amazons.

Some versions of this myth have Theseus abduct Hippolyta, but according to others, the queen falls in love with the hero and willing betrays the Amazons and leaves with him. In either case, she eventually makes her way to Athens with Theseus. This is what starts the Attic War as the Amazons were enraged by Hippolyta’s abduction/betrayal and go on to attack Athens.

After a long and bloody war, the Amazons were eventually defeated by the defenders of Athens led by Theseus (or Heracles, depending on the myth).

In yet another version of the myth, Theseus eventually leaves Hippolyta and marries Phaedra. Enraged, Hippolyta leads the Amazonian attack on Athens herself to ruin Theseus’ and Phaedra’s wedding. In that fight, Hippolyta is either killed by a random Athenian, by Theseus himself, by another Amazonian by accident, or by her own sister Penthesilea, again by accident.

All these endings exist in different myths – that’s how varying and convoluted the old Greek myths can get.

Symbolism of Hippolyta

Regardless of which myth we choose to read, Hippolyta is always regarded as a strong, proud, and tragic heroine. She is an excellent representation of her fellow Amazonian warriors as she’s both intelligent and benevolent but also quick to anger and full of vengeance when wronged.

And while all her varying myths end with her death, that’s largely because these are Greek myths and as the Amazonians were a mythical tribe of outsiders, they were usually viewed as enemies of the Greeks.

Importance of Hippolyta in Modern Culture

Hippolyta’s most famous and classic mention in literature and pop culture is her role in William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Aside from that, however, she’s also been portrayed in countless others works of art, literature, poetry, and more.

Of her modern appearances, the most famous is in the DC comics as the mother of Princess Diana, a.k.a Wonder Woman. Played by Connie Nielsen, Hippolyta is an Amazonian queen, and she rules over the island of Themyscira, also known as Paradise Island.

Details of Hippolyta’s father and Diana’s father vary between the different comic book versions – in some Hippolyta is a daughter of Ares, in others, Diana is a daughter of Ares and of Hippolyta, and in others Diana is a daughter of Zeus and Hippolyta. Either way, the comic book version of Hippolyta is arguably very similar to that of Greek myths – she’s portrayed as a great, wise, strong, and benevolent leader to her people.

FAQs About Hippolyta

What is Hippolyta the goddess of?

Hippolyta is not a goddess but a queen of the Amazons.

What was Hippolyta known for?

She is known for owning the Golden Girdle which was taken from her by Heracles.

Who are Hippolyta’s parents?

Hippolyta’s parents are Ares and Otrera, the first queen of the Amazons. This makes her a demigod.

Wrapping Up

While playing only a background character in Greek mythology, Hippolyta is seen as strong female figure. She features in both the myths of Heracles and Theseus, and was known for her ownership of the Golden Girdle.

https://symbolsage.com/hippolyta-greek-mythology/

[muthur9000]

Aeschylus

Father of the Greek Tragedy

Photo By Unknown - “Bibliothek des allgemeinen und praktischen Wissens. Bd. 5” (1905), Public Domain

Aeschylus (c. 525 - c. 456 BCE)was one of the great writers of Greek Tragedy in 5th century BCE Classical Athens. Known as ‘the father of tragedy’, the playwright wrote up to 90 plays, winning with half of them at the great Athenian festivals of Greek drama. 

Perhaps his most famous work is Prometheus Bound which tells the myth of the Titan punished by Zeus for giving humanity the gift of fire. All of his surviving plays are still performed today in theatres across the world. 

An innovator of the genre, Aeschylus is said to have described his work as 'morsels from the feast of Homer’.AESCHYLUS’ LIFE 5th century BCE Athens was blessed with three great tragedians: Aeschylus, Euripides (c. 484 - 407 BCE), and Sophocles (c. 496 - c. 406 BCE). 

The senior of the three, Aeschylus was born in Eleusis in c. 525 BCE. Aeschylus’ father was Euphorion, and ancient sources claim the family belonged to the aristocracy. Living through the Persian wars, Aeschylus almost certainly participated in such famous and decisive battles as Marathon and Salamis. 

His brother Kynegeiros was killed in the former battle and his other sibling Ameinias fought at the latter. Aeschylus’ epitaph, said to have been self-penned, stated nothing of his success as a playwright but only that he had fought at Marathon. 

These experiences and the transformation of Athens’ political structure as it embarked on the road to democracy greatly influenced the playwrights’ work.

AESCHYLUS’ PLAYS WERE NOTED FOR THEIR EXTRAVAGANT COSTUME DESIGNS AND USE OF STRIKING IMAGERY.

Other snippets of biography, which have survived from antiquity, reveal that Aeschylus was once prosecuted for revealing details of the secret Eleusinian mysteries cult but managed to prove his innocence. 

Sometime after 458 BCE Aeschylus travelled to Sicily, visiting Syracuseat the invitation of Hieron I, and around 456 BCE he died on the island in the town of Gela. Aeschylus’ plays were already recognised as classics and their public performances were given particular privileges. 

His son Euphorion and nephew Philocles both became noted dramatists in their own right.

AESCHYLUS THE INNOVATOR

A Greek tragedy was typically performed at important religious festivals such as the City Dionysia where three playwrights each wrote three tragic plays and a satyr play to compete for a prize. Tragedy plays were restricted by certain conventions: 

the theme was almost always mythological with elements of religion and family affairs

I can’t help but draw parallels with Prometheus because of how it revolves around family and parentage and Alien Covenant because it revolves around couples

the number of actors who could have speaking roles was limited (although they could play multiple characters)

Which makes sense because the main focus of the story has always been David and Shaw in Prometheus and David and Walter in Alien Covenant

a chorus consisted of 12 or 15 singers

There are 12 speaking characters in Prometheus: David, Elizabeth Shaw, Meredith Vickers, Peter Weyland, Janek, Charlie Holloway, Fifield, Ford, Milburn, Ravel, Chance, Jackson. Not counting background crew or the projected language speaker or engineer.

There are 15 speaking characters in Alien Covenant: Cole, Rosenthal, Hallett, Ledward, Ankor, Faris, Upworth, Ricks, Karine, Dan Lope, Christopher Oram, Tenessee, David, Walter, Daniels. Not counting dead characters like Branson, Weyland or Elizabeth Shaw.

An innovative playwright, Aeschylus was, according to Aristotle, responsible for adding a second actor for minor parts and, by including more dialogue into his plays, he squeezed more drama from the age-old stories so familiar to his audience. Aeschylus is also credited as the first to use the ekkyklema, a wheeled platform used to change stage scenery, and the mechane, a crane device used to lift actors. 

It might just be a coincidence but the winch which David uses to save both Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway in the silicon storm on LV 223 and the crane used to crush the xenomorph on the lander in Alien: Covenant. Also the spinning platform of the jockey chair in Prometheus and in The Crossing.

He was also noted for his extravagant costume designs and use of striking imagery.

The costumes designed by Janty Yates are pretty amazing for Prometheus and Alien Covenant. And the use of striking imagery can be interpreted by the cinematography and art referenced throughout both movies.

The stories of Aeschylus’ plays illustrate that there is no escape from the bad deeds of one’s ancestors and divine retribution. Other themes which appealed to Aeschylus were the conflict between the individual and the state, between humans and the gods, and against the old enemy Time. Another thread which runs through Aeschylus’ work is his consideration of the threat to reason and persuasion that violence brings.

This sounds exactly like Das Rheingold or the myth of Prometheus or Lawrence of Arabia or Island of Dr.Moreau or Frankenstein. Which both movies are referenced and based on.

As plays were submitted for competition in groups of four (three tragedies and a satyr play), Aeschylus often carried on a theme between plays, creating sequels which followed several generations of a single family. 

That kind of sounds like the David Chronicles(Prometheus and Alien: Covenant) and Ripley Chronicles(Alien, Alien: Isolation, Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection)

One such themed trilogy is Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers(or Cheoephori), and The Furies (or Eumenides), known collectively as the Oresteia. This trilogy model would be copied by contemporary and later playwrights and helped to earn Aeschylus his reputation as the founder of Greek Tragedy as we know it today.

He was the original founder of the trilogy, pretty interesting!

AESCHYLUS’ WORKS

Aeschylus wrote between 70 and 90 plays, of which six or seven survive complete along with various fragments of others, notably The Netfishers (Diktyoulkoi) and Spectators at theIsthmian Games (Isthmiastai). 

His first play was presented in c. 499 BCE and he claimed his first of 13 festival victories in 484 BCE. 

His complete surviving plays are:The Persians (472 BCE) - set after the Greek victory (less than a decade earlier) over the Persians at Salamis and Xerxes’ return to Persia.

Lawrence of Arabia involves a battle with the Persians

Seven Against Thebes (467 BCE) - about the cursed Labdacids and the siege of Thebes. It is the third part of a trilogy which included Laius (part I) and Oedipus (part II).

David is often referred to having an Oedipus complex

Suppliants (unknown date but after Seven Against Thebes, possibly c. 463 BCE) - about the Danaids myth. 

Which could be said about trying to defeat the xenomorphs, seen as a repetitive task that can never be completed.

First in a trilogy, now lost, known as The Danaid Trilogy, part II being The Egyptians and part III The Danaids.Oresteia (458 BCE) - a trilogy about the aftermath of the Trojan War comprising Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers (Choephori), and The Furies (Eumenides). Proteus, the accompanying satyr play, does not survive.Prometheus Bound (c. 457 BCE) - this play is disputed by some scholars as the work of Aeschylus and it may have been staged by Euphorion in his father’s name. 

It deals with Zeus’ punishment of the Titan Prometheus, who stole fire from the gods and gifted it to humanity. It is the first part of a trilogy with part II being Prometheus Unbound and part III Prometheus the Fire Carrier, both now surviving only in fragments.

Here are some samples of his work:

Strength speaks, Prometheus Bound, lines 5-10

Prometheus speaks, Prometheus Bound, lines 499-502

Prometheus speaks, Prometheus Bound, lines 1076-85

Chorus, The Suppliants, lines 674-678

Chorus, Seven Against Thebes, lines 758-64

Chorus, The Persians, lines 910-17

Information from: https://www.ancient.eu/Aeschylus/

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Prometheus Analysis | Alien Covenant Analysis |  Mythology Prequels Project | The Crossing Analysis |  Advent Analysis

[xenawarriorbusiness]

The Dan Scrolls (for Episode 05 of XWB, Season 1.4 of XWP) by Dan Cassino

There are a couple of interesting things about this episode from a mythological standpoint, and what amounts to some very clever work with Pandora, reinforcing my notion that this show is way smarter than it gets clever for.

The main point of interest is the setting of the episode: when it picks up, our heroines are by a riverbank outside of Lerna. The waters of Lerna are famous: according to legend, the region didn’t have any waters until Poseidon rescued a princess (Amymone) from being raped by a satyr. In what was apparently an effort to woo her, he created the springs, which apparently worked, as she bore him a son, the hero Naupilus (not the one who was involved in the Trojan War).

The mystical origins of the waters of Lerna led to all sorts of shenanigans. The waters were reputed to be so deep that no one could reach the bottom. It was so deep, in fact, that there was a portal to the underworld at the bottom. Of course, no portal to the underworld is unguarded, and this one was guarded by the Lernaen Hydra (of “cut one head off and two grow in its place” fame) that was eventually killed by Hercules (though I don’t know if Herc already killed it in his show).

To appease the Hydra, so it wouldn’t come and kill the locals, Autolycos’ twin half-brother (I know) started a cult dedicated to protecting the gate, generally by making sacrifices to the hydra, which consisted of sending livestock into the lake, where they could sink to the bottom and be consumed by the monster. Which means that they had an opportunity for an in continuity Bruce Campbell double role, and they missed it, which is unforgivable. There were also, apparently, more sinister activities being carried out by the cult as sacrifices to Dionysus, who was thought to have descended to Hades through the Lernaen gate. Among these was thought to be human sacrifice.

It may seem weird that there’s a medieval style castle in the middle of the Peloponnese, but that’s actually on point. Lerna was the site of one of the most impressive fortresses of antiquity, called “The House of Tiles.” Dating from the 23 rd Century BCE (early bronze age) it had multiple floors, staircases, and, critically, a terra-cotta tile roof: something that didn’t become common in Greek architecture until 1600 years later. This would have made it resistant to being set on fire, which was one of the major ways you took down enemy fortifications in bronze age warfare.

I would suggest that the ur-plot for this episode consists of King Gregor’s advisor being part of the Lernean mystery cult, and secretly trying to sacrifice the baby to the monster in the lake and/or Dionysus. Doing so would guarantee the safety of the community for a time; it would also be something that he would need to keep from the ruler, who wouldn’t have been part of the cult. A failure to sacrifice the child would have meant disaster for the community, and a very nice moral dilemma for our heroines, which is basically the same one they wind up dealing with.

So, what’s Pandora doing in there? Well, because of its connection with the Hydra, Dionysus and the underworld, Lerna was often referred to as a major source of evil in the world (“Lerna Malorum Omnium”). Given that Pandora was responsible for releasing evil into the world, and did so from the underworld (her name means “she who sends up gifts,” with the “up” implying a chthonic connection) it’s actually super-clever that they would situate her at Lerna, a known site of evil emanations.

It’s also clever to pair Pandora with a baby. It’s common to think of Pandora as being the woman who released evil into the world, but the myth is actually way more problematic than that. Before Pandora, all people were men, and they lived forever, and they ate fruit all the time. Then Hephaestus made Pandora, and she opened her jar, and released all of the evils – including mortality and child birth – into the world. Since then, people have lived and reproduced and died, and had to eat things other than fruit. She’s an Eve figure, responsible for the existence of all babies and children.

[tipsycad147]

Athena in the Homeric Epics: Rediscovering Her Complexity

Bas-relief sculpture of the Roman goddess Minerva recovered from the ruins of Herculaneum (Image in the public domain)

For the purpose of this project, I focused on Athena as she is represented in the Homeric epics and related tales. Although Athena’s worship began well before that time and has intriguing possible connections to prehistoric goddess worship, and also continued into the Roman period with multiple synchronisations, I wanted to reexamine the character of the goddess as captured in the older Greek myths. Greek and Roman mythology is commonly taught in schools, including allusions to it as an original source of Western culture, and the Homeric epics in particular are often held up as some of the earliest extant literature. The passing familiarity that results from this kind of exposure can give an impression that Athena is a warrior goddess, or a goddess of wisdom, although most people have trouble remembering exactly the role she played in the Iliad; the myth most commonly associated with Athena is the story of Arachne, which is one of the few where the goddess alone takes centre stage. The story of Arachne emphasises the goddess’ patronage of weaving as a useful household art, but the short vignette hardly captures the dynamic vitality of Athena’s character as she appears throughout the earlier epics. By comprehensively reviewing her appearances in the Homeric epics, this project strives to rediscover the complex nature of Athena in the Archaic period and to understand how that persona of the goddess might be approached in the context of contemporary women’s spirituality.

In the Homeric epics, Athena’s primary role is as a warrior: she is commonly referred to as “heaven’s triumphant maid,” “the martial maid,” or as the “all-conquering.”  Her other most frequent epithet is “blue-eyed maid,” which may also be translated as “shining-eyed” or “gleaming-eyed.” In Homer’s tales, references to her mastery or patronage of weaving are only side-lights. In a couple of instances, she appears in human form as “a fair virgin in her beauty’s bloom, / Skill’d in the illustrious labours of the loom,” and it is specifically mentioned that when Hera wanted to impress Zeus with her beauty, she wore a robe woven by Athena, but no specifics of this weaving are mentioned. The vast majority of Athena’s appearances refer to her wearing armour or being in disguise.

Ancient Coins with Images of Athena ( © Marie-Lan Nguyen / Wikimedia Commons)

Her varied appearances are the first example of Athena’s complexity. She does not conform to simple ideas of gender for either the ancient Greeks or for us. Her role in the Iliad, in fact, is due in part to this masculine attitude: she was one of the three goddesses who claimed the golden Apple of Eris (Discord). Paris, judging between the three, refused Athena’s offered bribe of wisdom and skill in war. Instead, he judged in favour of Aphrodite, accepting from her the love of Helen, the most beautiful mortal woman. Aphrodite approached Paris using the wiles of beauty and the promise of love to win him over; Athena, and Hera, who also lost, approached him almost as an equal, trying to win him over with offers in the masculine realms of rulership and war. Afterwards, Hera and Athena had a solid alliance because of their loss, and Athena often acts on Hera’s behalf.

Interestingly, Athena also acts in Zeus’ name and even uses his symbols: the aegis was originally his, although it appears more often as part of Athena’s equipage; when she takes the form of a bird, it is as an eagle, Zeus’ bird, not an owl; and with his permission, she even wields the thunder and lightning that are Zeus’ identifying characteristics. Thus Athena’s outward signs and symbols are almost universally masculine. In fact, the way she crosses gender boundaries almost seems to deprive her of a gender of her own: she is not described as virgin solely because she had “autonomy and independence.” She is virgin in the literal sense as well; no myth depicts her having a lover, human or immortal, or even to be interested in one.

Her status as transgressing or simply disregarding gender boundaries does grant her unusual freedoms, though, and makes her the ideal intermediary between the goddesses and the gods. Athena’s work on Hera’s errands and her own often involves interacting with Ares or Apollo, or even Zeus. Ares, when fully engaged in his martial bloodlust, seems almost unapproachable, especially by one of the unarmoured goddesses, but Athena faces him without fear. In contrast, although she is approached by other goddesses, Athena is only invoked by a woman in the Homeric epics on behalf of a man. Hecuba, queen of Troy, petitions Athena once, when advised to do so by her warrior son, and pleads for Athena’s mercy on the city, but Athena refuses to hear her. Later, Penelope petitions Athena to watch over Telemachus, the son of Athena’s favourite hero, Odysseus. This petition is successful, but Athena was already helping Telemachus, and did so for Odysseus’ sake, not because of Penelope’s petition. When Penelope bemoans her own situation or asks for help from a goddess, she turns to Artemis, not Athena.

Given these interactions, it is perhaps unsurprising that in her relationship with her devotee, Odysseus, Athena acts more as a comrade or adviser than as a mother. Even in combat and when protecting his life, Athena’s assistance is not described in the way other goddesses’ supervision of their charges is; she is much more likely to take form and engage in combat alongside Odysseus, or to act on his behalf, than to coddle or nurture him. When she does engage in combat, Athena’s approach to fighting is as complex as her gender presentation.

Amphorae with Images of Athena (Left photo: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.) (Center and right photos: Images in the public domain)

In one dramatic scene, she appears on the battlefield to face down her brother Ares, and after he insults her and implies she is merely causing trouble, she picks up a rock and knocks him unconscious with a single blow. In another violent scene, at the end of the Odyssey, she inflames an already tense situation and engineers a complete massacre. But almost immediately thereafter, she overrides Odysseus’ fury and enforces a peace on both sides once her sense of right and wrong has been satisfied. In contrast to Ares’ bloodlust in battle, she seems constantly focused on a purpose; victory in combat is only a means toward an end for Athena.

The greatest single example of her approach to combat is the Trojan horse, the epitome of cleverness and trickery. She inspires the craftsman with its design.After this stratagem succeeds, though, the triumphant Greeks fail to pay her sufficient homage, and in anger she wrecks several ships as they begin their journey home. This episode exemplifies how Athena’s pragmatic approach to combat applies her wisdom in order to satisfy her overriding ideas of justice.

Neither her wisdom nor her justice are at all what many contemporary readers might expect, especially from a goddess. Although she is often called the goddess of wisdom, Athena’s expertise might be better described as cunning. She appreciates trickery and does not shy from it herself, in matters as large as the Trojan horse and as small as appearing in the form of a mortal when addressing those who call on her. Athena disguises herself as a good friend of the person to whom she speaks, both to lead Hector to his death and to answer Penelope’s appeal. Odysseus himself is best known for his cunning and wit, not his abstract knowledge or impartial wisdom, and he frequently relies on Athena’s ability to change his outward appearance. Just as Athena spends most of her time carrying a masculine appearance and doing things that are unexpected of a goddess, she seems to value the same gift for inventiveness in her followers.

Athenian Tetradrachm (Image in the public domain)

Her unique approach to morality is best summed up in a tale that is scattered in fragments throughout the Homeric epics. After Agamemnon, the leader of the Greeks, returned home, he was killed by his wife and the lover she has taken while he was gone. His son, Orestes, avenges his father by killing his mother and her lover. For the terrible act of killing his mother, Orestes is pursued by the Furies who seek vengeance, but he appeals to Athena. She establishes a law court on the Areopagitica to judge his case, and when the court’s vote is tied, she casts the final vote, finding Orestes not guilty. One telling gives her explanation as: “I was not borne by a mother. I, a virgin, sprang from the head of Zeus, my father, and I protect the rights of father and son against those of the mother. And so I shall not take the part of the woman who slew her husband to please her wicked lover.” 

The overall image of Athena that emerges is composed of a mass of contradictions: she is a virgin who appears and acts in masculine ways, an extremely powerful warrior who disdains fighting for fighting’s sake, and a patroness of cunning who renders judgement based on her own sense of justice, being willing to face down the Furies and deny them vengeance in the process. She is, most of all, a figure of extreme practicality, willing to use appearances to get what she wants, but cutting through what she regards as irrelevant to pursue her own goals with single-minded focus.

Although the Homeric epics do not depict women calling on Athena for their own purposes, she is a figure to whom many women can appeal today, faced as they are with shifting gender boundaries and conflicting messages about appearance and behaviour. A woman could call on Athena when she needs to borrow the goddess’ talent for disguise, when she has to cross boundaries and pursue her own goals, and most of all when she is unwilling to be bound by external strictures or expectations about her behaviour as a woman.

The following ritual is designed to attract Athena’s attention for those purposes. The text is assembled out of adaptations of Pope’s verse translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey. It uses bread, wine, and olive oil, staples of Greek life. Wine is specified here because it was the normal drink of the day; if you need to substitute grape juice, that is appropriate too. Olive oil is sacred to Athena because she gave the gift of the olive tree in order to win a competition and become the patron of the city of Athens, which then named itself after her.Athena’s practicality carried the day again: in the Greek period, olive oil was a food and condiment, the primary substance for cleansing one’s skin, and more.

Ritual to Petition Athena

Cast a circle as usual; call the four quarters by inhaling the scents of bread, wine, and oil, then raising the offering of oil to the south (for the sun’s fire that ripened the olives), wine to the west, and bread to the north.

Do a self-blessing, using the olive oil to anoint yourself. Recite:

I sing Athena’s praise and know, you power above, With ease can save each object of your love; Wide as your will extends your boundless grace; Not lost in time nor circumscribed by place. The salted cakes upon the plate are laid, And thus I here invoke Athena’s aid: Daughter divine of Zeus, whose arm can wield The avenging bolt, and shake the dreadful shield I raise to you the bowl with rich red wine Petitioning you to hear this plea of mine. Your gift, the olive, here poured forth as oil In my libation, asks your aid in toil. Athena, ever on your charge attend, And with your golden lamp my need befriend. If you, the ever-wise, put forth your power, Then prudence saves me in the needful hour. The more shall Pallas aid my just desires, And guard the wisdom which herself inspires.

Dip the bread in the olive oil, then eat most of it, and drink most of the wine, leaving a small portion of each to give as an offering.

Turn to each direction, offering your thanks, then open the circle as you usually do. Take your offerings outside to give them back to the goddess.

It is worth noting that the story of Arachne is itself a late addition to the myths of Minerva, the Roman counterpart of Athena; it is first told in Ovid’s Metaphorphoses, and thus provides little insight into the goddess Athena as conceived of by the Greeks in either the Archaic or Classical periods.

2 The translations I am using were done by Alexander Pope, a Catholic, in the 1700s. They are very famous versions of Homer, but are perhaps influenced by Pope’s beliefs and the theology of the time. It is possible and even likely that he substituted “heaven” for “Olympus” in these translations. This is a relatively minor point in comparison with the overall role of Athena, and I am not able to read the original Greek to critique Pope’s work, so I have not done a full textual analysis of theaological points like this. Similarly, Pope felt free to use the names of the deities from the interpretatio romana with the original Grecian ones. For the purposes of this essay, I have used the Grecian names exclusively.

3 Gadon, The Once and Future Goddess, 191.

4 There are stories of an attempted rape, but it is never completed. Athena remains perfectly physically involate.

5 She is also the goddess to whom the Greeks claim it is dedicated. Its status as an offering is why the Trojans were anxious to take it inside their city, since they badly wanted Athena’s protection.

6 Schwab, Gustav. Gods and Heroes: Myths and Epics of Ancient Greece. (Pantheon, 1946.) 595. Frazer and Graves argued that this was a recasting of the triumph of Archaic Greek patriarchy over an earlier matriarchal culture. In this essay, I leave this point aside, accepting the myth as a genuine reflection of the way Athena was seen in the Archaic and Classical periods.

http://www.orderwhitemoon.org/goddess/athena-homeric-epics/index.html