ATHENA PAGE THREE
continued from page two

Athena's favorite companion when she was a child was a girl called Pallas, and the two were inseparable, honing their fighting skills and sharing good times. Pallas was the daughter of the river god Triton.

One time, during a practice sparring session, Athena accidentally mortally wounded her best friend. Grieving sorely for her death, Athena made a wooden image in her likeness, which was called the Palladium. She also took on her name as part of hers and henceforth was often referred to as Pallas Athena.

One of the few times that Athena showed petulance was in her weaving contest against the mortal named Arachne. This young woman fancied herself the world's best weaver, in her arrogance even daring to compare herself favorably against Athena.

Hearing this impudence, Athena took on the guise of an old woman and appeared at Arachne's house to give her some friendly advice to respect the all-powerful gods.

Arachne was too vain to listen and told the "old woman" to be gone. "Let the great Athena try her skill against mine, and if I lose she can do whatever she pleases with me," she boasted.

The great goddess of wisdom, arts and crafts and war had heard enough! That's when Athena dropped her disguise and revealed her true identity. All the bystanders, who had gathered to marvel at the dexterity of Arachne's divine weaving, fell to their knees in reverence and awe, except for Arachne, who in her conceit remained unmoved.

Game on! The two began their weaving contest, and for a while Arachne held her own against Athena, even sarcastically poking fun at the gods through the tapestry she crafted  -- Arachne took the foibles and mistakes of the Olympians and ridiculed them in her art.

Finally Athena had enough, realizing that this foolish woman was far too self-absorbed to be capable of rehabilitation. The goddess simply touched the impudent mortal on the forehead, making her feel the shame she had brought upon herself.

Aghast at the realization of her blinding egotism, Arachne ran off and hung herself from a tree.

Feeling sorry for the hanging Arachne, Athena brought her back to life, but so that mortals learn that it doesn't pay to compare themselves to the gods, she changed Arachne into a spider.

There she sits, Arachne and her descendents, forever weaving their web, testament to the folly of vanity.

Athena’s special city was Athens, patronage of which she won from Poseidon by giving the city the olive tree which King Cecrops judged to be a better gift than the water spring that Poseidon provided.

Both gods wanted Athens as their own, and Poseidon struck the side of the mountain with his trident, causing a salt spring to burst forth.

Wise Athena in turn created the olive tree, which provided people with food, oil and wood for their fires. Needless to say, her gift was far superior, and she was awarded Athens, which was named in her honor.

Athena's tree is the olive and her bird is the owl, also a symbol of wisdom. Other symbols of this awesome goddess are the fearsome Aegis, her helmet, shield and spear, and she is often pictured holding Nike, the goddess of Victory, or an owl, signifying her wisdom.

Athena was frequently represented in works of art, with the pinnacle being the three statues by the great sculptor Pheidias:

The first was the celebrated colossal statue of the goddess, of gold and ivory, which was erected on the acropolis of Athens; This statue represented the goddess in a standing position, bearing in her hand a Nike four cubits in height. The shield stood by her feet; her robe came down to her feet, on her breast was the head of Medusa, in her right hand she bore a lance, and at her feet there lay a serpent.

The second was a still greater bronze statue, made out of the spoils taken by the Athenians in the battle of Marathon;

The third was a small bronze statue called the beautiful or the Lemnian Athena, because it had been dedicated at Athens by the Lemnian islanders.

A great number of statues, busts, reliefs, coins and vase paintings of Athena still exist today. The attributes which characterize the goddess in these ancient works of art are:

The helmet, which she usually wears on her head, but in a few instances carries in her hand. It is usually ornamented in the most beautiful manner, decorated with griffins, heads of rams, horses, and sphinxes.

The aegis, the protective armor of Zeus, which he permitted her alone to utilize;

The round Argolic shield, in the centre of which is represented the head of Medusa.

Objects sacred to her, such as an olive branch, a serpent, an owl, a rooster, and a spear. Her garment is usually the Spartan tunic without sleeves, and over it she wears a cloak called the peplus, or, though rarely, the one called the chlamys.

The general expression of her figure is thoughtfulness and earnestness; her face is rather oval than round, the hair is rich and generally combed backwards over the temples, and floats freely down behind.

The whole figure is majestic, and rather strong built than slender: the hips are small and the shoulders broad, so that the whole somewhat resembles a male figure.

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