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Tag Archives: Athena

Athena and Arachne: How the Spider Came to Be

Or, The Girl Who Told the Truth about the Gods By Nicole Saldarriaga, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom I’d take a look at the humble spider. Though spiders may not qualify as the most terrifying of creatures, their inclusion in a popular myth about Roman goddess, Minerva, certainly clues us into what the Greeks and Romans

The Owl of Athena: Symbol of Wisdom

by Ed Whelan, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom Many animals were associated with Greek and Roman gods; they were believed to represent some aspect of the god or goddess. A good example of this is the Owl of the Greek goddess Athena. The Owl of Athena was one of the most important religious symbols in ancient

Athena in Ancient Literature

by Sean Kelly, Managing Editor, Classical Wisdom She’s one of the most famous and prominent of the Greek deities. Her symbol – the owl – still stands proudly, millennia later, as an emblem of wisdom. Yet what do the ancient texts actually say about her? Who is she, and what does she do? What do

Women in the Odyssey: Goddesses, wives, lovers, and threats

By Ed Whelan, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom Traditionally, ancient Greece is seen as a patriarchal society where women were marginalized and oppressed. Yet, despite this, some women were able to be independent and play an important role in the Hellenic world. In the Odyssey of Homer, women play a significant role in the 20-year travels

Marcus Aurelius and the Sophists on Justice

by Donald Robertson, author of “How to Think like a Roman Emperor” What is it, then, that arouses your discontent? Human wickedness? Call to mind the doctrine that rational creatures have come into the world for the sake of one another, and that tolerance is a part of justice… (Meditations, 4.2) The virtue of justice

Homer’s Real Story: The Truth Behind the ‘Iliad’

Written by John Martin, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom For the nearly three millennia since the Iliad’s creation, its grand story remains undiscovered. Homer’s masterpiece was a brilliant exercise in telling a new kind of story while letting his listening audience think that they were hearing another (more familiar, more easily accessible) one.  The blind poet,