‘At first Chaos came to be, but next wide-bosomed Earth, the ever-sure foundation of all.’[1]
Hesiod’s Theogony is the ancient Greek story of creation. Like the Book of Genesis, it declares that in the beginning there was a void-Chaos, nothingness. However, Genesis decrees that the spirit of God was in the void and became the creator of all, while Hesiod tells of the creation of the gods themselves. This highlights one of the greatest differences between Judaeo-Christian religion and the ancient Greek gods. God is the omnipotent, just, divine ruler of humanity, whereas the Greek divinities shared power and were confined to certain roles. They could fall victim to the powers of other gods, could be tricked, seduced and broke the rules they set for humankind.
They also were fearful.
In the lecture on Zeus, we discussed his status as head of the pantheon. Was he king of the gods or a tyrant?Was he confident or insecure?
Zeus only gained his status by overthrowing his father Kronos. Kronos in turn had gained power through castrating his father Ouranos. Zeus feared being overthrown; when Athena emerged bedecked in armour and wielding a spear, Zeus and Olympus dreaded what she could do.
Athena’s significance in the ancient Greek pantheon is immediate. Rhea and Ouranous prophesised that Zeus’s first wife Metis would bear a son who would overthrow him. Fearing the prophecy and desperate to prevent it, he swallowed Metis whole whilst she was pregnant with Athena. Athena was born anyway, armoured and encompassing her mother’s wisdom. We could also view her as a representation of Zeus’s wisdom as she was born from his head. Instead of the prophesised superior son, Athena was considered Zeus’ equal, an embodiment of Zeus’s attributes; ‘she is like her father, with power that can dazzle the universe.’[2]
Related to the idea of a fearful Zeus, Gelpi wrote that Zeus’s actions towards Prometheus for stealing fire and giving it to humankind seems like ‘the overreaction of a young and insecure ruler’[3] and also notes that in Prometheus Bound, Aeschylus stresses ‘Zeus’s tyrannical misuse of power.’[4] If we associate insecurity with Zeus, perhaps it stems from his fear of a divine rebellion and that leadership was not solely his. Aeschylus’s emphasis that Zeus wrongly used his power to punish Prometheus could be read as Zeus cementing his position as head of pantheon, showing his strength and warning possible insurgents that he is in charge.
Interestingly, Athena is a virgin goddess; Athena Parthenos’s chastity satiates the fear of her producing the son that could overthrow Zeus, although she does foster the child Erichthonios – Hephaistos is unsuccessful in his rape attempt, but his semen is wiped to the ground and Erichthonios is born. The colossal statue of Athena Parthenos that stood in the Parthenon venerated her virgin status, but also emphasised her role as Athena Polias (of the city) protector of Athenians. She held Nike (victory); ‘Indeed the two deities were sometimes combined into a single figure, Athena Nike’[5] which could symbolise Athens’ success. Also, as can be seen in the image of the ancient replica of Athena Parthenos, protected behind her shield is a snake. Erichthonios was associated with serpents and often depicted as half man, half snake.[6] The hidden snake could be seen as Athena Polias guarding both her child Erichthonios and Athens.
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| Athena Parthenos C2 AD, National Archaeological Museum of Athens |
This quote from Theogony illustrates my earlier point; Athena was considered Zeus’s equal, unlike any other in the Greek pantheon. But scholars have had difficulty agreeing on why Athena was referred as Tritogeneia. In fact, Cox wrote that ‘it is strange that this god (…) should have so far disappeared from the memory of the Greeks as to leave them at a loss to account for the epithet.’[8] Not only do we not fully understand its meaning, but the ancient Greeks couldn’t define it! Hesiod’s account of Athena’s birth story says that she emerged from Zeus’s head on the banks of the river Trito. But Cox argues that this could have referred to more than one place, so therefore every stream became the birth place of Athena.[9] Another possible meaning is that Tritogeneia comes from ‘Trito,’ the Aeolian word for ‘head,’[10] relating to her birth from Zeus. A popular translation is ‘third-born,’ referring to Zeus, Metis and herself. Third born could also mean that she was Zeus’s third child. With what I now know about her birthplace being one or every stream, ruled over by the sea god, and Pausanias's reference to the Libyan legend - 'the Goddess is the daughter of Poseidon and Lake Tritonis, and for this reason has blue eyes like Poseidon' [11]- I suggest that perhaps the three involved are Athena, Zeus and Poseidon, or even Zeus, Metis and Poseidon; three parents to create one goddess to equal the power and wisdom of Zeus.
[1] Hesiod, (c. 8th Century BC) Theogony. Available from: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0130%3Acard%3D104 (accessed 22.11.11.)
[2] Deacy, Susan, (2008) Athena, UK: Routledge, 27.
[3] Gelpi, B. C, (1992) Shelley’s Goddess: Maternity, Language, Subjectivity, UK: OUP, 139.
[4] Ibid, 140.
[5] Littleton, Scott, (2005) Gods, Goddesses, and Mythology, Volume 11, USA: Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 975.
[6] Littleton, Scott, (2005) Gods, Goddesses, and Mythology, Volume 4, USA: Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 486.
[7] Hesiod, (c. 8th Century BC) Theogony. Available from: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0130%3Acard%3D886 (accessed 22.11.11)
[8] Cox, William, (1870) The Mythology of the Aryan Nations, Germany: Longman, Greens, 440.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Westmoreland, Perry, (2007) Ancient Greek Beliefs, USA: Lee and Vance Publishing and Co, 47.
[11] Pausanias, (c. 2nd Century AD) Description of Greece. Available from http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160%3Abook%3D1%3Achapter%3D14%3Asection%3D6 (accessed 28.11.11)
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