The abundance of works of art that depict the labors of Herakles certainly makes it a difficult task to select which work of art to study. Not only is the range of labors vast but also the depictions are numerous. Thus, it is quite daunting to have to pick one work of art out of the seemingly infinite collection on the Classical Art Research Centre. The example chosen here from this database for the purpose of study is a depiction of Herakles slaying the dreaded hydra. It is simply titled Herakles and the Hydra, Iolaos With Torches, Athena Seated.
This fascinating work of art dates from circa 400 to 300 B.C. It is currently located in the collection of St. Petersburg’s State Hermitage Museum. It is a red-figure Chous. Its shape is certainly
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She sits with a graceful, almost languid posture as she watches Herakles fighting the hydra. She is so relaxed that she is almost reclining and she has one leg crossed over the other, gracefully portraying her attitude. The spear that she has in her arm is leaning uselessly to the side. It is odd to see a woman with such composure looking on unconcernedly as a young man fights a menacing monster. Yet, this woman is completely unperturbed. Her face is as serene as her body. The calm attitude apparent in this woman makes much more sense when the viewer realizes that the seated woman is actually the powerful goddess Athena. Even though she holds her spear she wears no armor. This makes it more difficult to discern who she is. It is not surprising to see Athena watching Herakles, however, and it makes sense for her to be in this scene, for Athena is, of course, Herakles’ patron. Athena is often found in other portrayals of the labors of Herakles and in his other endeavors, as well. One might well ask why she shows such a lack of concern for Herakles. Those who have seen other such depictions of gods and goddesses following the activities of mortals will know that this is common in such stories. Gods and goddesses rarely, if ever, intervene in such efforts. Characters like Herakles must learn to fight on their own, and that is precisely why Athena is allowing Herakles to fend for himself. Athena also displays such lack of concern for Herakles as she has faith in the potential of Herakles. She has no fear of Herakles losing this battle, as she believes in Herakles’ power and his ability. Herakles is one of Athena’s favorite demi-gods and she follows his pursuits with alacrity. Athena’s attentiveness towards Herakles is often exhibited in works of art depicting Herakles’ labors. Therefore, it is no surprise to see her viewing the spectacle as it unfolds with a proud
Athens, Greece was a center piece of Ancient Greek artwork, their painted vessels became popular throughout history. Exekias and the Aegisthus Painter used the space and techniques available to covey a story, creating a center piece for conversation. In 550BCE the workshop of Exekias in Athens produced a terracotta, black figured amphora with scenes on both sides. The main side feature a scene from the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur.
Athena is a major character throughout the book of The Odyssey and is known as the goddess of wisdom and battle. Throughout the course of the book, it is evident that Athena has a weak spot for the main character, Odysseus. Odysseus is trying to return home after the Trojan War, as the other Greek hero’s have already done, however he faces multiple challenges a long the way. Fortunately, for Odysseus, Athena was there to guide him through a few of these troubling situations.
Odysseus doesn’t allow Athena to take full control and fix the situation entirely. He instead asks Athena for guidance and an opportunity to be able to execute his ideas and plans. Fortunately, Odysseus was successfully with his nearly all of his plans, but these grand triumphs are slowly feeding his pride and ego.
She is portrayed as the average Greek woman, but in reality is very cunning. Though both these women are two different characters, their roles are similar, and they both are equally powerful. They are cunning; teach Xenia; develop Odysseus’ character; and an important role in their families. Athena is the cunning Goddess who guides Odysseus back to Ithaca for his family and countrymen without letting him know her reality – she disguises herself every now and then to help him by testing him and his knowledge.
Due to the fact how the ancient Greek gods Athena, Ares and Hephaistos all relate to war and other topics relating to war, Spartans were more than devoted to following their religion further which led them to their brutal preparation for war and strategies. Also, many ancient Greeks and modern historians believe that the Gods directly intervened within human affairs such as Hera, the wife of Zeus, driving Hercules insane leading him to murder his own wife and five children or even Perseus having a confrontation with Athena and Hermes in which they provided him with the needs to defeat Medusa: Hermes provided Perseus with winged sandals and the sickle which was used by Kronos to castrate Uranus; whilst Athena gave Perseus her shield which is said to be mirrored on the inner side so you could see your enemies behind you, and as you had to look directly into Medusa 's eyes to be turned to stone this was the only way that Perseus could see her without
In The Odyssey, by Homer, Athena influences the lives of Odysseus and his family. In Greek mythology, gods challenge and control mortals. Gods also provide support to mortals and thus, mortals depend and act on behalf of the gods and their decisions. Athena, daughter of Zeus, is the goddess of wisdom, and both Telemachus and Odysseus benefit from her power. Athena possesses the ability to disguise herself and others, and this skill allows her to give advice and guidance.
She wears a headscarf, which at a glance immediately sets her apart from society (Abdel-Magied, 10:44). She is also an accomplished woman. She has been a race car engineer, a boxer, and a leader on an oil rig (Abdel-Magied, 1:10-1:25, 6:23-6:38). But most people would never assume these things about her just by looking at her. Abdel-Magied is brave enough to ask “why not?”
Athena, knowing that she set up everything perfectly, helps Oddyseus finally get the help he needs from King Alcinous and his people in order to bring him closer to home. Another way Athena shows her cunning strategies is in Book 7 as she covers Odysseus in a mist and disguises herself as a little girl as they go into town to see the king and queen of Scheria. …says, “Pallas Athena, harboring kindness for the hero, drifted a heavy mist around him, shielding him from any swaggering islander who’d cross his path” (7.15-17). Athena, drifting the mist around Odysseus, helps him traverse smoother and easier into town. This allowed him to concentrate on how he is going to present himself to King Alcinous instead of
The Odyssey, gods like Athena and Poseidon interfere with humans to satisfy their own desires, showing that they are just as imperfect and flawed as the mortals that they rule over. Athena favors Odysseus since he reminds her of herself. He portrays the same cunning, guile, and intelligence as she does; Athena had confided to him that “two of a kind, we are, contrivers, both,” comparing how similar they are. “Of all men now alive,” she says, “you are the best in plots and story telling.
She does this by the evolution in the book of how people view
Even after this, Athena feels like she deserves more credit for Odysseus’ journey home than he gives
Athena is known as the goddess of war. Odysseus was aided by her ideas on how to regain power through her tactical skills. The fact that the goddess warrior was on his side through the journey home, reclaiming his land, and killing the suitors was a huge advantage. Athena is very intelligent in how she strategizes and won wars in the past. Some may argue that Odysseus is the real hero but there were many times throughout The Odyssey where he needed Athena’s protection and input of logical ideas.
In the first paragraph she states her purpose of why she is standing
In the myth of Argos and Odysseus, the author and artist both bring the myth to life by using the emotion of the scene to give the viewer a graphic perspective. In the poem, the author describes the dog as neglected and treated with dishonor, but shows its loyalty to its owner. In the painting, the artist illustrates the owner to be loving toward the dog. Alexander Pope’s “Argus”and Theodoor Van Thulden’s Argos Recognizes Odysseus both expel a mournful tone to display the characters feelings towards each other. The painting shows that people have to choose between their desires and their responsibilities, while the poem shows how consistent loyalty earns the greatest respect, especially when being neglected by the rest of society.
Zeus also expects the gods to listen to him when he asks them to not interfere and prohibits them in acting upon the fate of the war, and in return the divine respect him and ask him for his opinions. For example, Athena and Hera ask: “Father Zeus, you won’t get angry with me for what I say, will you?” (5:500). Further, even though Zeus has this neutral position amongst the Trojans and Greeks, at times he seems to still favour the Trojans above the Greeks. This is seen when Zeus provides strength to the Trojans to drive away the Achaeans from battle.