Athena Reigns A Goddess Supreme Poem by Terence George Craddock

Athena sprang from Zeus's
head fully armed and clothed
born from her father's head
leaving Zeus with a colossal
splitting headache of legendary scale
making a migraine pale
into mortal insignificance
from the heads of mortals

ideas are birth born
from the head of Zeus
a goddess was born?

Athena Greek goddess
of war wisdom handcrafts
a three fold mystery a warrior goddess
as Athena Promachos wearing a helmet holding
a spear she was believed to lead Greek soldiers
into close quarter combat battle a strange contrast to Athena
as Ergane patron of craft cooking weaving
a wife women's stay at home skills

further mystery contrasted
with Athena Parthenos
Athena the Virgin
a beautiful virgin goddess
Athena the bright-eyed
with gleaming eyes
gleaming silvery eyes
later said to be bluish-green

or gray is patron goddess
of the city of Athens
with additional names
Polias and Poliouchos
derived from polis
meaning city-state

Athena did she give her name
to the city state Athenians
did she dominate their lives?

as Athena Promachos
meaning Athena who fights
in the front line the most
honoured prestigious place in battles
place of elite bravest most skilled
she stood over the Athenians
as the great bronze Athena
a colossal bronze statue 30 feet 9.1 m tall

sculpted by Pheidias
a giant bronze statute
which stood between
the Propylaea and Parthenon
on the Acropolis of Athens
the Athena Promachos

took near 9 years to construct
a famous Athenian landmark
for almost a thousand years
the top of Athena's helmet
the tip of her spear could
be seen from far away by sailors
anyone approaching Athens
from Attica at Sounion

the Athena Promachos
was erected around
456 BCE to memorialize
the Battle of Marathon
or the Persian Wars
trophies won in the Persian

War were once placed
around the pedestal
of bronze Athena statue

Athena goddess
of war wisdom
and handcrafts
a three fold mystery
had three statues
sculptured by Pheidias
on the Acropolis
a huge 11.5 metre high gold
and ivory chryselephantine

statue cult image of Athena Parthenos
in the Parthenon and the Lemnian Athena
were the three Athena Acropolis statues

the most important festival
on the Athenian calendar
the main festival in Athens
was the Panathenaia celebrated
during the month of Hekatombaion
in midsummer a multi-day ancient
Greek festival held annually in Athens
that concluded on 28 Hekatombaion

the first month of the Attic calendar
the main purpose of the festival
was for Athenians and non-Athenians
to celebrate powerful goddess Athena
who could doubt Athena ranked first
in Athena's honour the Parthenon was built

Athena in the Iliad a goddess with an ability
to transform her appearance to disguise
sometimes called Glaukopis 'owl-eyed'
or 'bright-eyed' gleaming silvery eyes
Athena flies away as an eagle after Zeus
forbids her to interfere in the Trojan war
Athena appears as a waterfowl to deceive
Ares to stop him from fighting for the Trojans

Athena in the Odyssey often appears
as an owl or a falcon to guide Odysseus
his son Telemachus where why when?

Athena possessed many skills abilities
as goddess of war wisdom and crafts
Athena invented many useful items
the ship chariot plow rake weaving pottery
Athena a skilled warrior strategist helped
many heroes to complete their quests

Athena possessed many strange powers
immortal strong intelligent could fly
turn invisible deception create illusions

Athena possesses power to weave hallucinations
Athena possesses power of body transformations
Athena turns Medusa into a snake-haired monster
Athena held in awe esteem dominates Athenian lives
Athena represented by a snake or a serpent symbolizes

Athena's wisdom Athena's connection to the earth
why is a snake wise connection to earth means?
Athena represented by a snake or transformations
manifesting like Zeus turning into specific animals
Athena linked to rams eagles tigers leopards lions
other cats to reflect her courage strength fierceness?
in war or ancient origins with earlier ancient goddess
cultures civilizations associated with birds snakes?

Athena feline qualities courage strength fierceness
essential as a protector of civilization culture cities
symbolizing her power authority over wild beasts
an ancient world power community united protects
Athena's attributes in myths cults depicted sometimes
with a tiger skin or a leopard skin on shield or helmet

screams fierce symbolic abilities Athena protects us


Terence George Craddock (Afterglows Echoes Of Starlight)
Copyright © Terence George Craddock