Athena Facts & Worksheets

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ATHENE (Athena) was the Olympian goddess of wisdom and good counsel, war, the defence of towns, heroic endeavour, weaving, pottery and various other crafts.

See the fact file below for more information on the Athena or alternatively, you can download our 22-page Athena worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

GREEK ORIGINS

• Metis, the first wife of Zeus, was the mother of Athena.
• When Metis was pregnant with her, Zeus, on the advice of Gaea and Uranus, swallowed Metis up, and afterwards gave birth to Athena himself, who sprang from his head.
• It was said Hephaestus split the head of Zeus with his axe, and that Athena sprang forth with a mighty war-shout.
• Others say that Prometheus or Hermes or Palamaon assisted Zeus in giving birth to Athena, and mentioned the river Triton as the place where the event took place.

THE GODDESS OF MANY

• As the goddess of agriculture, Athena is represented as the inventor of the plough and rake.
• She created the olive tree, the greatest blessing of Attica, and taught the people to yoke oxen to the plough and breeding and taming of horses by the bridle.
• In regard to useful arts, she was believed to have made men acquainted with the means and instruments necessary for practising them, such as the art of producing fire.
• She was believed invent nearly every kind of work in which women were employed.
• She was also goddess of all wisdom, knowledge, and art, and represent her as sitting on the right hand side of her father Zeus, and supporting him with her counsel.
• As the patron of the state, she was at Athens the protectress of the phratries and homes.
• She also maintained the authority of the law, and justice, and order, in the courts and the assembly of the people.
• She protected the state from enemies, and thus assumes the character of a warlike divinity, though in a very different sense from Ares, Eris, or Enyo.
• She did not love war, but on account of the advantages which the state gains, she engaged in it.
• She is also the protectress of all heroes who are distinguished for prudence and good counsel, as well as for their strength and valour, such as Heracles, Perseus, Bellerophontes, Achilles, Diomedes, and Odysseus.
• Athena usually appears in armour, with the aegis and a golden staff, with which she bestows on her favorites, youth, and majesty.
• She is a virgin goddess, whose heart is inaccessible to the passion of love, and who shuns matrimonial connection.

ATHENIAN WORSHIP

• Athena was worshipped in all parts of Greece.
• But she particularly served as a guardian of Athens, where the Parthenon served as her temple.
• Among the things sacred to her were the owl, serpent, cock, and olive-tree, which she was said to have created in her contest with Poseidon about the possession of Attica.
• The sacrifices offered to her consisted of bulls, rams and cows.
• Locrian maidens or children were sacrificed to her every year as an atonement for the crime committed by the Locrian Ajax upon Cassandra.

CELEBRATING HER DEITY

• PANATHENAIA was an Athenian festival celebrated every June in honour of the goddess Athena.
• The Lesser Panathenaia was an annual event, while the Greater was held every four years.
• The principal day was the third from the end of Hekatombaion (about August 13th).
• The Greater Panathenaia was celebrated with contests such as music, gymnastics, and equestrian.
• The Pyrrhic dance was also performed at both the Greater and Lesser Panathenaea.

RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER DEITIES

• Athena reared Erichthonius, son of HEPHAESTUS. He was half man, half serpent.
• She is one of three virgin goddesses; the other two were Hestia and Artemis.
• Hera and Athena fought against Paris in the Trojan War since he had awarded the Golden Apple to Aphrodite.
• Hermes and Athena went to the aid of Perseus in his quest to kill Medusa.
• Athena helped Hercules when, as a part of his penance, he was required to drive away the Stymphalian birds.

Athena Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Athena across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Athena worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about ATHENE (Athena) who was the Olympian goddess of wisdom and good counsel, war, the defence of towns, heroic endeavour, weaving, pottery and various other crafts.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

• The Goddess
• Grecian Civilization
• Dramatic Birth
• Testing Athena
• Athena’s Aegis
• Being Strategic
• Crafty Skills
• The Arts
• Words of Wisdom
• Goddess Athena

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Link will appear as Athena Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, October 9, 2019