I: Good morning folks and welcome to “Greek Talk” with our special guest today the very gracious bright-eyed Athena of Mount Olympus who has come all this way to Earth to tell us about herself. Good morning Athena! How good it is of you to take time to speak with us.
A: Good morning my devoted Englishoneans! I am Athena, the great goddess of wisdom, war, the useful arts and the city. Primarily the city of Athens, which I’m sure, you know, was named after me.
I: Really? How did it come to be named after you?
A: Oh my persistent uncle, Poseidon, god of seas argued tirelessly against me about who was to rule the city. So to settle the argument Zeus issued a challenge. It was decided that we would each give the city a gift. Whoever gave the most useful gift would win the city. Poseidon, dear as he was of water, struck a rock with his trident giving them a stream. But the water was salty and couldn’t be drunk. I, on the other hand, thought long and hard about what to give the people. I finally decided to give them their first olive tree. The tree gave them wood, olive oil for fuel and of course, olives to eat. So, it was decided that my gift was more useful. I had won the challenge. Thus, in honor of me the people named the city Athens and built an elaborate temple—the Parthenon—in which they placed a giant statue of me.
I: Oh what a good story showing your great wisdom and thoughtfulness. Perhaps you could tell us the story of your birth—how you came into the universe. Is it true that you have no mother?
A: My father was once married to Metis, the first goddess of wisdom. But when Zeus heard a prophecy that Metis would have a son that conquered him he swallowed her. While living within Zeus my mother created a robe and helmet for me, but after awhile the hammering from her work started to give my father a headache. Zeus didn’t know the cause of his headache so he had his son cut open his head. No sooner had Hephaestus swung his ax when I came out, fully grown and adorned in my helmet, armor and cape. It is true that many people don’t consider Metis my mother because it is from the head of my father that I came into the universe. I do love and respect my father. And I am his favorite daughter. He lets me borrow his chariot and weapons and he even gave me a beautiful and powerful shield—the aegis. But be careful not to look at the monster’s face on the shield, for if you do you will turn to stone.
I: Tell us, what is that horrid creature on your shield and how has the shield possessed such a power to turn people to stone?
A: This horrid thing is the face of Medusa, a female monster with snakes for hair. If anyone ever looked at the face of Medusa they would turn to stone. I helped the great hero Perseus kill Medusa so he gave me her head as a gift of thanks. That is why her head is on the shield and that is why people turn to stone if they look at her head on the aegis.
I: I’ve heard that you often protect full armies, seeing as how you are the goddess of war. During the Trojan War, who, in particular, did you support?
A: I do protect many warriors and armies, too. But I only support those men that fight with a right purpose in mind. Even still, I much prefer that they solve their problems using their minds—that is the wise way. Now, during the Trojan War I was in full support of the Achaeans, and completely against that mortal, Paris, who had the audacity to deny me the golden apple. Everyone knows that I am the fairest. Foolish promises Aphrodite made, giving away married women. I could have made Paris wise so that he wouldn’t make foolish decisions as he did choosing to give the apple to the goddess of love. Yes, it was my job to protect the Achaeans, to warn them of danger and lure them away from harm, to make sure that they won the war and that Helen was returned. Oh, I remember the poor hero, Odysseus, and his family, who suffered for so many years. The vengeful Poseidon, god of seas, came down on Odysseus with such wrath, but I was convinced that Odysseus had done nothing to wrong the gods so I worked night and day for years to return Odysseus to his kingdom, so that he, in turn, could avenge the suitors that plagued his wife.
I: You mentioned earlier, that you are the goddess of useful arts, as well. Please tell us about some of your fine inventions.
A: Ah, yes. How I loved to create tools and objects that helped human civilization. I invented the chariot, ships, the flute and the trumpet. I wanted farmers to grow more food, so I gave them the rake and plow. I showed people how to build yokes and tame horses. And I even invented a machine that could be used to weave cloth-- the loom, by which I myself spent many hours weaving tapestries.
I: Oh, yes. It has been said that you were, or excuse me, are the best weaver in the world. In fact, wasn’t there an Arachne, something or other, that challenged you?
A: Oh, Arachne’s head, far too big for her body. She was one of my apprentices and I taught her the great art. People traveled far and wide to examine her tapestries, but her fame went to her head and she boasted about her skills stating that she could weave better than me! So I went to Arachne and challenged her to a weaving contest. I weaved a most beautiful piece of cloth depicting all of us great gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus but Arachne, she constructed a horrid tapestry, making the gods look like fools. I was furious! I grabbed Arachne’s cloth in and heat of rage and ripped it to shreds. I then touched her head and showing mercy didn’t let her die, but changed her into a spider. It was a punishment well deserved.
I: I’m sure it was. I admire your wisdom and creativity and I thank you for sharing so much about yourself. Actually, I know that some of the members of our audience wanted to know a little bit about your father. Could you please tell us a little bit about Zeus?
A: I would love to. My father, Zeus, is king of the gods and god of the sky. He is the most powerful being in the universe and he lives on the top of Mount Olympus. Before my father, Cronus and Rhea ruled Mount Olympus with other titans and monsters. Rhea gave birth to many children, Olympians, but Cronus didn’t want his children to conquer him so he ate his first five. Rhea was furious with Cronus for eating their children so when my father was born she tricked him, giving Cronus a stone wrapped in a blanket. Thinking the stone was the baby he swallowed it and Rhea hid Zeus in a distant land. There, Zeus was safe under the care and protection of the nymphs and he grew up to be healthy and strong. He wanted to conquer his father so with the help of Metis he was able to free his brothers and sisters and together the Olympians fought the Titans. The war lasted for ten years and finally the Titans were conquered. Zeus’ victory made him king of all the gods. Being the generous god he is, he shared his power with his siblings Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Demeter and Hestia.
I: Athena, we’ve heard that Zeus is very fond of women. Can you tell us anything about his relationships with women?
A: (sigh) Yes, my father is all powerful but not all wise. After he swallowed my mother, Metis, he married his sister Hera. But he was not faithful to her. He often fell in love and had affairs with other goddesses and human women. My father was terrible. He was always sneaking around not wanting Hera to know of his affairs. He would change himself into other animals and often tricked women into making love to him. But Hera found out, she knew everything, but of course my father is more powerful; so Hera would punish the women who had his children instead.
I: Tell us a little bit about your father’s powers and his weapons.
A: My father has unlimited powers as king. He often used his powers to change events in history. He decided life on earth and the destiny of every man. When Zeus was angered he punished people. One of his favorite weapons was the thunderbolt. He loved using the sky to express his anger, his weapons thunder, lightning bolts and storms. When my father used his lightning bolts he would send his trained eagle to retrieve them for him. Zeus can basically do anything with his powers that he wants. He can create objects, people and monsters. He can turn himself and others into different animals and shapes. My father’s powers are unlimited.
I: What about humans back in the ancient times? How did they feel about your father?
A: I’d be willing to bet that there were many people that loved my father and many that resented him, but they didn’t have much of a choice in how they treated him or, for that matter, any god. Had they not treated him with reverence and respect he would come down on them with great wrath. After all, he controlled their destiny. But my father was fair and level-headed and he often settled many disputes between his fellow Olympians and between mortals. The Greeks honored my father with sacrifices, temple worship and festivals. One of the most famous and important festivals was the Olympic games, staged in honor of my father. They started in the year 776 B.C.E. and were held every four years at the sanctuary of Zeus in Olympia—a temple that had a beautiful 40 foot statue of my father. I believe these games still run today.
I: Yes, there are still things today set in honor of the gods and of course there is still reverence and respect held for you. In fact, the planet Jupiter was named after your father, Zeus, king of the gods. And we even have a shoe brand—Nike—that was named after your dear friend and companion, Nike, the winged goddess of victory. You immortals from long ago are never forgotten. Thank you so much, Athena, for being here with us today. And, viewers, be sure to tune in next week for another episode of “Greek Talk”. So, till next week, aloha!
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