By J. Ray
Redstone Review

PINEWOOD SPRINGS – The ancient Greeks had a fanciful myth to explain just about everything. The story of how Athens was named also reveals how two great gifts were given to mankind. It began when the people of Attica first settled down to build a city. The god Poseidon and the goddess Athena both claimed the honor of naming it. To avoid conflict, Zeus ruled that whoever bestowed the greatest gift to the people could name the city. –Poseidon, god of the sea, went first. He struck a large rock with his trident, and a horse sprang forth. The people were amazed since no one had ever seen a horse before. Athena now had to outdo Poseidon. She struck the earth with her spear and an olive tree full of fruit suddenly appeared. Zeus declared her gift would be of greater benefit to the people, so the city was named for Athena. The popular goddess was worshipped everywhere in ancient Greece. A large marble temple called the Parthenon was built in her honor on the Acropolis in Athens. Even in ruins, its beauty is known throughout the world.

According to myth, “Athena sprang fully formed from the head of Zeus,” which suggested her intelligence. Called Minerva by the Romans, she was considered the goddess of both wisdom and war. She is usually portrayed in armor with a shield, helmet, and small owl messenger, proclaiming her protection of Athens. Athena left the brutality of battle to the war god Ares, while taking personal charge of military skill and strategy.  She engaged in war only to defend the oppressed and aid the weak. She gave important advice to many of the popular heroes of Greek mythology including Odysseus, Perseus, Heracles, and Jason. Needless to say, Athena received a large number of prayers on ancient battlefields.

Athena was also known as goddess of the air, giving breath to all living creatures. She reminded athletes of the importance of training. She cautioned that a race wasn’t always won by the swift, but by the wise. As a popular goddess, Athena was the subject of numerous stories. One concerned a young girl named Arachne, who was the best weaver in all of Greece. It was said that her gossamer cloth was made from “sunlight and threads of gold.”  She boasted she could weave even better than the queen of the air. When Athena heard of this, she challenged Arachne to a weaving contest. Whoever lost could never weave again.

All the gods of Olympus came to watch, marveling at the skill of the young maid.  However, at the end of three days, the cloth woven by Athena was judged to be the most beautiful.  Heartbroken, Arachne wept bitterly since weaving was her whole life. Athena was so moved, she proposed a solution. She would give the girl a new form so she could go on weaving as much as she wanted. The goddess touched Arachne on the shoulder, turning her into a spider that ran off happily to a shady spot and began to weave a beautiful web.

J. Ray is a historian, free-lance writer and former teacher.  She lives in Pinewood Springs.

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