Athena: Private Life of a Greek Goddess

Athena: goddess, shape-shifter, helper of heroes, fashion guru,
patron deity of Athens and a bit of a daddy’s girl. She’s also one
of the most elusive and puzzling characters in Greek mythology. In
this episode, Mary and Charlotte ask who exactly is Athena? Is she
a female role model for feminine power? More importantly, what
exactly is a god in Greek mythology?  Part of Athena’s appeal
is that she bucks the perception of Ancient Greece as inflexibly
misogynistic. For Charlotte, discovering Athena as a girl was part
of what drew her to the classical world. And, as Mary’s mother once
said (to the young Mary): “If Athens was the kind of society you
tell me it was in which women had no power,I don't understand why
their patron deity was a goddess.” Many years later, Mary - and
Charlotte - still struggle to answer this question, which is part
of what makes her so enduringly fascinating.  In uncovering
Athena’s story and contradictions, they also reveal the origins of
the phrase ‘under the aegis’, where Nike shoes got their name from,
and why - if Athena were around today - she’d probably be Mark
Zuckerberg’s corporate guru.  @instaclassicpod for Insta,
TikTok and YouTube @insta_classics for X email:
instantclassicspod@gmail.com Mary and Charlotte recommend some
further reading: For the Greek texts and myths to which we refer:
Homer, The Odyssey, tr Emily Wilson, Norton, 2018 Homer, The Iliad,
tr Emily Wilson, Norton, 2023 Aeschylus, Oresteia, in James Romm
and Mary Lefkovitz, eds The Greek Plays, 2017 (a really useful
anthology of 16 translations of Greek plays). The Eumenides which
we discuss is the third play in Aeschylus’ trilogy on the murder of
Agamemnon and its upshot. The title means ‘Kindly Ones’, a
euphemism for the Furies who are pursuing Orestes for the mudder of
his mother. Timothy Gantz, Early Greek Myths, Johns Hopkins, 1996
(a mighty two-volume tome, for the serious student) Charlotte
Higgins, Greek Myths, Vintage, 2022 Susan Deacy, Athena, Routledge,
2008 discusses the overall character of the goddess. On polytheism
generally, L Bruit Zaidmann and P Schmitt Pantel, Religion in the
Ancient Greek City, Cambridge 1992, is one of the clearest
introductions (the full text is available online).  Instant
Classics handmade by Vespucci Producer: Jonty Claypole 
Executive Producer: Natalia Rodriguez Ford Video Editor: Jak Ford
Theme music: Casey Gibson   Learn more about your ad choices.
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