BASK Apsardze

ATHENA PALLADA Athena is one of the most important goddesses in Greek mythology. Athena sprang full-grown and armored from the forehead of the god Zeus and was his favorite child. Zeus swallowed his wife Metis as she had been about to give birth to Goddess Athena and assimilated her into his own body. Mother Earth and Father Sky had advised him to do this so as to prevent any of his descendants from robbing him of his kingly rank, for it was destined that the most brilliant children were to be born to the Goddess Metis. Shortly afterwards Zeus was tortured by an intolerable headache. To cure him Hephaestus split open his skull with a bronze axe and from the gaping wound, shouting a triumphant cry of victory, sprang Athena - fully armed and brandishing a sharp javelin. The earth echoed with a terrible sound, the sea trembled and its dark waves rose. At the sight, all the Immortals were struck with astonishment and filled with awe. Great Olympus was profoundly shaken by the beauty, dash and impetuosity of the bright-eyed Goddess. Her functions are many: she is venerated among the great divinities for her quality of warrior-Goddess, as Goddess of the arts of peace and as Goddess of prudent intelligence. To Athena the warrior - her oldest manifestation - belong the epithets Promachos ('who fights in the foremost ranks') and Alalcomeneis ('who repulses the enemy'). She is the protectress of towns and the guardian of acropolises. The pacific Athena protects various industries. She is preeminently the Ergane of working woman, and is the patron of architects and sculptors, as well as of spinners and weavers. She also protects horses and oxen. The olive tree owed to her its fruit. Her wisdom, which earned her the epithet Pronoia (the Foreseeing), made her the counselor-Goddess and the Goddess of the Assembly. Athena's emblem is the owl.

ATHENA PALLADA

Athena is one of the most important goddesses in Greek mythology. Athena sprang full-grown and armored from the forehead of the god Zeus and was his favorite child.

Zeus swallowed his wife Metis as she had been about to give birth to Goddess Athena and assimilated her into his own body. Mother Earth and Father Sky had advised him to do this so as to prevent any of his descendants from robbing him of his kingly rank, for it was destined that the most brilliant children were to be born to the Goddess Metis.

Shortly afterwards Zeus was tortured by an intolerable headache. To cure him Hephaestus split open his skull with a bronze axe and from the gaping wound, shouting a triumphant cry of victory, sprang Athena - fully armed and brandishing a sharp javelin. The earth echoed with a terrible sound, the sea trembled and its dark waves rose. At the sight, all the Immortals were struck with astonishment and filled with awe. Great Olympus was profoundly shaken by the beauty, dash and impetuosity of the bright-eyed Goddess.

Her functions are many: she is venerated among the great divinities for her quality of warrior-Goddess, as Goddess of the arts of peace and as Goddess of prudent intelligence.

To Athena the warrior - her oldest manifestation - belong the epithets Promachos ('who fights in the foremost ranks') and Alalcomeneis ('who repulses the enemy'). She is the protectress of towns and the guardian of acropolises.

The pacific Athena protects various industries. She is preeminently the Ergane of working woman, and is the patron of architects and sculptors, as well as of spinners and weavers. She also protects horses and oxen. The olive tree owed to her its fruit. Her wisdom, which earned her the epithet Pronoia (the Foreseeing), made her the counselor-Goddess and the Goddess of the Assembly. Athena's emblem is the owl.