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Entreaty to Athene

Grey-Eyed Athene, you have called to me.

You have guided my hand around the needle that threads

You have moved my mouth around poem and song

I hear your voice as it builds mine

I stand strong behind your shield and spear

I wield them when my own will falters

Great Athene, Owl-eyed Athene, whose name I bear with humility and pride,

I have heard your call

I offer you these words that you may hear mine

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Some information about the Greek Goddess of wisdom, Athena. 🦉

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“Poets transport us to a world vaster or more beautiful, gentler or more fervent than that which was given to us, different in itself, and in truth almost impossible to bear.”

(spontaneous archive moodboard for @expatesque)

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Athena and Her Retinue

My relationship with Athena is a lot more personal and direct than mine with Artemis or Aphrodite. That relationship will probably color this post, so keep it in mind.

Like Artemis, who is also a maiden goddess, Athena lacks (explicitly) romantic relationships and children. But she does have other relationships. In fact, given the wide range of Athena’s spheres of influence, she has connections to nearly every other major deity and nearly every aspect of human life.

Athena is Zeus’ daughter and could be argued to be the most like him in temperament, authority, and power. She is born from his head, either the daughter of Metis, the Titan, or of Zeus’ metis, his mind. She can wield his thunderbolts at need. Alongside Zeus, Themis, and Dike, Athena is the patron of courts, law and custom, and legal authority. 

As Demeter is the goddess of grains and crops, Athena is credited with the invention of agricultural technology, such as the plow and rake. She is also the first to have bridled a horse. Although they rule over complementary spheres, there are few myths of them interacting (unless I’m unaware of a huge number of myths).

Athena and Poseidon have a pretty famous relationship: they compete over a lot, and Athena tends to win. But their spheres of influence are very complementary – horses, ships, destroying Ajax – and my personal experience with them does not include malice or antagonism. Rather, they tend to feel to me like extremely close friends who bicker or spar, like conflict is the basis of their relationship. If we regard Poseidon as the fathomless, tameless might of the oceans that cover more than two-thirds of the planet, and Athena as the essential spirit of human civilization and innovation, then it makes sense why there would be conflict. He is boundless and wild, while she is the one who tames nature and aids humanity in ruling it. Again, though, I don’t feel that this has to mean they dislike each other. They are Zeus’ brother and sole-born daughter, “alike in dignity”. Their combined force is formidable.

Athena is the patron of womanly skills: weaving and sewing, for instance. It would not be out of place for a housewife to honor Hestia, Hera, and Athena as she tended to her home and family.

Athena and Hephaistos jointly rule over craftspeople and the useful as well as elegant arts. Complex civic infrastructure – highways, bridges, levees – would doubtless fall under their influence, as would arts and crafts fairs or local studios. I tend to see them as partners or comrades who work toward a common goal but don’t necessarily have a personal relationship.

Athena, Hermes, and Apollon can all be regarded as patrons of education. Athena is the goddess of human innovation, and she is constantly depicted teaching mortals ways to make their lives easier and more successful. Hermes, of course, invented writing and is known for his quick wit. Apollon was associated particularly with the education of young men as they became full citizens, with philosophy and the study of truth. I have a personal association of Athena with river-gods/river spirits that I think may be related to the role of river-gods and nymphs as protectors of the youth of a community. However, I don’t know how much of this is personal, local, or just previously unrecorded.

Athena and Artemis are uniquely independent goddesses – they are maidens and warriors, and both fiercely guard their chastity. Personal experience/interpretation is that they are besties and hang out a lot, with Athena taking the wise older sister role and Artemis basically being a hoyden. Because, you know, she is. 

Athena and Dionysos have a Complex Relationship.

Athena and Ares are both gods of war, but Athena rules over war as a means to end, to protect the state or gain certain advantages, whereas Ares revels in war and bloodshed for its own sake. I think they work more complementarily together when guarding civic order; both might be seen as patrons of police (as police should be, at least), for instance.

Athena is known for her patronage of heroes, especially those who are prudent or wise in addition to valiant – Odysseus, Perseus, Bellerophon, Heracles, Achilles (at least at some points), Diomedes, etc. It would make sense that one or more apotheosized heroes might join her retinue. 

However, Athena retains a remarkably solitary character – she is not often depicted attended the way Artemis is with her nymphs or Aphrodite by her Erotes or the Kharites. Most frequently, she is depicted with winged Nike, who is also a handmaiden of Zeus, at her side. Sometimes she is depicted with Pallas, but it seems that Athena moves in and out of the circles of other deities rather than maintaining her own – a feature, doubtless, of how widespread and pervasive her influence is on the whole of human activity. In her role as goddess of crafts, she may be attended by the Kharites. At Zeus’ side, she may be attended as he is, by the Horai, Nike, Pegasus (whom she first tamed) and other daimones. As patron of a university, she may be attended by the Muses, as Apollon is. And so on.

My experience with Athena, therefore, does not involve a retinue in the same sense that many of the other deities have. Rather, I typically find her attended by Nike and/or Pegasus, and in partnership with one or more other ‘major’ deities. But my experience may not be typical.

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(my) epithets for Athena

There was some talk in the Hellenic skype chat of how epithets work and why you might worship a god under various epithets. This prompted me to think about the epithets I most often use for/engage with Athena. In the interest of maybe helping someone else, I figured I’d list out my most commonly used, to illustrate some of the range. These are not all of Athena’s epithets, by a very long shot. Rather, these are the epithets that I most often use in my prayers, offerings, and devotions to her:

Athena Glaukopis: gray-eyed Athena. This is important to me 1) because I like the term “Glaukopis” and it works for me poetically; 2) because her gray eyes link her (imo) to Zeus’ storm-god role

Tritogeneia: there’s no clear etymology for this epithet, but I use it for its poetic echoes.

Pallas Athena: there’s no clear etymology/source on this one, and there’s a lot of contradictory myths. I use it because poetry and it’s been used for so long.

Athena Kissaia: Athena of the growing ivy. A historical but locally applicable epithet.

Athena Kyparissia: Athena of the cypress grove. A historical but locally applicable epithet.

Athena Alektor: Athena of the rooster. The epithet I mutter at in the morning when I’m stumbling down to my car on my way to teaching; I associate this facet with early morning and with education/the act of ‘waking up’ someone to the truth.

Athena Nike: victorious Athena. Self-explanatory?

Athena Hippia/Athena Khalinitis: Athena of the horses/bridler of horses. Patron of the Fairgrounds. UPG is that she is particularly close to Poseidon and to Pegasus as this epithet.

Athena Soteira: of her many, many “saving everybody” epithets, this is my preferred one – Athena Savior.

Athena Ergane: Athena the Worker, the goddess of crafts and making things. I pray to Athena Ergane and dedicate work to her when I am making jewelry.

Athena Paionia/Hygeia: Athena the Healer/of Good Health. I don’t have a relationship to speak of with Apollon, so I’ve gotta take healing where I can get it  :P

Athena Apatouria: Athena the Liar, Athena the Deceiver, Athena the clever plotter.

Athena Agoraia: Athena of the marketplace. I pray to her along with the other gods of the marketplace before major shopping trips or retail choices.

Athena Chrysia: golden Athena. I use this epithet alongside Athena of the Tigers when I’m feeling fancier – I don’t know that it’s at all grammatically accurate, but I wanted a way to color her purple and/or gold for the face of her I celebrate at LSU

Athena Mousaea: Athena of museums/libraries – I treated this as two separate epithets for a while, but I’m increasingly getting that it works for both locales, possibly because they are so close in attitude

Athena Promakhorma: Athena, the Protector of the Anchorage. This is her role as harbor/port goddess, and I often use it in conjunction with my modern, more vague ‘Athena of the River’ when we are having storms.

Athena of the rivers/River: what it sounds like, this is the Athena I pray to for engineering expertise for levees, canals, etc., and also the facet of her that was, y’know, born by the river

Athena Anemotis: Athena of the winds, another epithet I use along the river and during our storms here. 

Athena of the baton: Athena the patron of Baton Rouge, the capital city.

Athena of the Tigers: Athena the patron of LSU specifically, born beneath the live oaks on campus (or what would one day be campus).

Athena of the Acropolions: these are a particular set of lion statues on the bayou side of the peristyle in City Park, and I don’t really use it as an epithet, but I do pray to her specifically in this place.

Athena the Teacher: I didn’t put this one in the list because it’s not an epithet I use, but it is very definitely the role in which I most often pray to Athena. I just wanted to mention it – she is the goddess of wisdom, after all, and her role in mythology is largely helpful to humanity. She teaches skills, helps heroes, and dispenses good advice. I consider her my patron as an educator.

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Steel in her eyes, forged ripples, blue gray as the dawn at sea, cool and distant, silvery mist brightening to a sword’s edge gleam. Her fingers do not callus, do not roughen to catch on the threads thin as a whisper: her skin is cream and silk, her threads pristine. The dusky shade of feathers, sable in shadows, caught in the curls of her hair and the curve of her shining helmet, echoes the wings of owls.

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from Litany to Athena

Source (greekpagan)

Clear-minded Athena, bestower of wisdom, granter of reason, judicious one whose agile mind knows when to be prudent and when to be bold, whose guidance is true, whose advice is ever sound. I praise and honor you, I thank you for your blessings.

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Memory falters;

It fades.

It wisps through the synapses that refuse to fire,

While desperate, bony fingers wrap around streaks of empty air.

As one forgets,

Their knowledge, too, is forgotten.

Speak, share, teach.

Knowledge shared is knowledge preserved.

Athene beckons me,

And I see Her stopping over a fragment of thought.

I muster the strength to breathe it in,

Let it sink into my bones and mesmerize my being.

Knowledge can be lost,

And receiving it can lead to miscommunication.

But finding it is the joy of my life,

And learning how has taught me more than any person ever could.

By Amarantos Argyris (@breathing-in-gilded-dust )

Poem for Athene of knowledge! A pretty graphic is coming soon!

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“Athena holds her spear – a Javelin; see the Glint of sharpened Jade”

— poem at midnight

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Athena Pocket Prayer Beads in Blue Lace Agate: Greek Goddess of Wisdom, Weaving, Strategy, War, Patron of Artisans, Protector of Cities

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Pallas Athene

Athena Fountain, Austrian Parliament, Vienna, Austria.

(Photo by Alexander Bartek)

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Athena By Yama Orce

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The full illustration of Athena! ✨✨✨

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Fred Boissonnas (1858-1946)

/ on the Sacred Rock of the Acropolis, Athens-(?)1903 /

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Some studies of column orders because all I can draw is classical stuff ig

Merch available: creme / slate / rose

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Black-figure Panathenaic Prize Amphora(?): A, Athena between Ionic Columns Topped by Cocks; B, Chariot Race, ca. 490 B.C: Greek, Attic

From the Princeton University Art Museum

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To the Goddess of Libraries

The old temples lie empty, goddess, Their high pillars fallen, bare of color, White and scattered among the green grass Like bones cleaned by carrion birds.

We weep that bronze statues cast by clever Greeks Were smelted by the faithful of newer gods To be bullets or bullion, the spoils and means of war.

We despair that even you undying ones Seem decayed by devouring time, as marble faces crack, As stone arms fall. But idols are not gods.

We deny ourselves your glory, Pallas, That across the world your temples multiply still Even untouched by sweet incense or low prayers of the needy. Every library, every school, every place of learning Is a shrine to you, even as scrolls become books And books become computer screens.

We weep for Alexandria as we build In silicon and circuitry your grandest temple, A library to rival those of ages past And light the ages yet to come.