1/5/09

Goddess of the Week: Athena

It's hard not to admire Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom.  She's ultra-smart, beautiful, athletic and very loyal to her champions.  The Athenians knew this, which is why they named their city after her, built her the very cool Parthenon, and ultimately whopped the Trojans.  

But the truth is -- and I mean no disrespect to Athena --  she kind of scares me.  She reminds me too much of those "it" girls who terrified humble, fat me in junior high school.  She's everybody's favorite, but she still can't cut the clueless and socially inept any slack.  Paris, for example.  There he is -- minding his flock of sheep -- when Hera, Aphrodite and Athena descend upon him and demand that he choose which of them is the most beautiful.  Hera promised to make him a king.  Athena promised to make him a great warrier.  Aphrodite promised him Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world.  Truth be told, Paris was not the smartest rock in marble quarry.  He chose love.  He chose Helen.  And Athena made him pay dearly.  Her Athenians destroyed Troy; they destroyed Paris.  Poor, stupid Paris.  And that's the story of western civilization right there: warriors beat poor, stupid lovers.  

What we forget about Athena, after all, is that she is not just the goddess of wisdom. She is also the goddess of war.  Why war and smarts?  Why would she be the goddess of both?  I guess it let the Athenians self-aggrandize themselves pretty well.  It allowed them to excuse a host of sins.  It your goddess demands it, it must be ok.

Whatever the reason, Athena must be doing well for herself today, on this day when most children return to school after their winter breaks and when my newspaper declares, "Israelis isolate Gaza City: Hamas keeps firing rockets; militants, soldiers clash on multiple fronts."

Channel this goddess: carefully.  Smarts and wisdom aren't always the same thing.  Just because you know more doesn't always mean you know best. 

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

He may be dumb, but I must confess, I like Paris in the springtime. Visit my blog one post back, someone left a note for you.

Anonymous said...

And as Paris might counsel, Revenons a nos moutons.

Anonymous said...

Delllaaaaa, translation please!
Isn't it every "eating alone at the lunch table, last chosen, odd girl out" fantasy to be "Athena for a day"?
I believe Jerry Springer does an ocassional show where this desire is it's underpinning.

I just can't get enough of your goddess interpretations and must express my admiration for your ability to connect them to the horrors of junior high. Some great lines M, and the connection to Israel/Gaza, very good.

Margaret said...

Altadena Hiker: Wow! You have some big time followers on your blog, and the fact that they can communicate from the netherworld is especially impressive. Also, I'm even more afraid of French than of Athena. I've studied Italian and Spanish, but it's just plain embarrassing trying to say something in French when you don't know how to say it. The point is: what the heck are you saying?

PA: How truly tragic were my junior high years if I'm still obsessing over them. The other thing about Athena is that she was her father's favorite child, and you know how that can go to a goddess's head.

Petrea Burchard said...

It seems all gods allow us to excuse a host of sins. That must be why we create them.

Anonymous said...

Let us return to our sheep. That's it. Well, of course, there's a whole story behind this quote, but I won't bore you.

Margaret said...

Petrea: I think you must be right.

AH: Let us return to our sheep? I think I understood the French more. Do tell. What the heck does that mean?

Anonymous said...

It's where Paris wants to be. (This French phrase grew from a highly publicized lawsuit involving a shepherd. One lawyer continually tried to divert attention from the actual issues, so the judge kept saying, well, you know. So it really means, let's get back to the point.)

Margaret said...

Ahhh. Now I get it. Thanks for the history lesson, AH.

Anonymous said...



免費視訊聊天 辣妹視訊 視訊交友網 美女視訊 視訊交友 視訊交友90739 成人聊天室 視訊聊天室 視訊聊天 視訊聊天室 情色視訊 情人視訊網 視訊美女
一葉情貼圖片區 免費視訊聊天室 免費視訊 ut聊天室 聊天室 豆豆聊天室 尋夢園聊天室 聊天室尋夢園 影音視訊聊天室 


辣妹視訊 美女視訊 視訊交友網 視訊聊天室 視訊交友 視訊美女 免費視訊 免費視訊聊天 視訊交友90739 免費視訊聊天室 成人聊天室 視訊聊天 視訊交友aooyy
哈啦聊天室 辣妺視訊 A片 色情A片 視訊 080視訊聊天室 視訊美女34c 視訊情人高雄網 視訊交友高雄網 0204貼圖區 sex520免費影片 情色貼圖 視訊ukiss 視訊ggoo 視訊美女ggoo


080苗栗人聊天室 080中部人聊天室ut ut影音視訊聊天室13077 視訊做愛 kk777視訊俱樂部 上班族聊天室 聊天室找一夜 情色交友 情色貼片 小瓢蟲情色論壇 aio交友愛情館


哈拉聊天室 洪爺影城
kk123視訊俱樂部
6K聊天室

情趣用品 情趣用品 情趣用品 情趣 情趣用品 情趣