Mythology
Athene
|
|
Athene,
the goddess of wisdom and war, was very helpful. A reason that Athene was an
aid was when Athene helped turn Arachne into a spider so Arachne would always
be able to weave beautiful works and not be sentenced to Hades. This happened after she challenged
Arachne to a spinning contest. Arachne spun a beautiful scene with a boy and
a girl on their wedding day, while AtheneÕs depiction of Mount Olympus was
too hard for the crowd watching. After seeing AtheneÕs tapestry, Arachne went
into the nearby woods and hung herself. When Athene found her, she turned
Arachne into a spider. Another example of a time she was benevolent was when
Perseus had to slay the dreaded snake-haired Medusa. Athene gave him a shield
to help him fight Medusa. When battling his vicious foe, Perseus used the
shield to make Medusa look at her reflection, turning herself into stone.
Without the shield, Perseus could have easily been killed by Medusa. In
addition, she created the flute, the plough, the ox-yoke, the horse bridal,
and the chariot to help man in his everyday work. For all of the reasons
given above, Athene has been a tremendous assistance to man. |
|
By Amanda,
June 2005 |
