Athena: A Positive Role Model for Women Today

As a man, it is nearly impossible for me to truly know what a woman would desire in a positive role model. Being a man in a “mans’ world” I can only see and try to understand the struggles that many woman go through today. To me an ideal role model for modern women would be, someone who can overcome the obstacles of a patriarchal society while not compromising their personal ethics and morals. Role models need to have both strength and sensitivity while dealing with adversity. The Greek goddess Athena is a powerful role model for the women of today by embodying all of these virtues.

The goddess Athena was the Daughter of Zeus and Metis. When Metis became pregnant, Zeus devoured her. He did this because of a prophecy, which said that Metis would have a son who would grow to dethrone him. Later, Zeus developed a severe headache, which was relieved by splitting his head open with an axe. From this open wound sprang Athena. Being born unwanted and motherless was very traumatic, but Athena left Zeus’ body prepared. She was born fully dressesed in armor and armed with a spear and shield. Women today are born into a world where genders are not treated equally. Athenas wiliness to defend herself is something that woman today can admire.

Athena or Minerva (Roman) was the goddess of wisdom, military tactics, weaving and crafts. In these areas she dominated male oriented things, such as masterminding the fall of Troy by building the Trojan horse. The invention of the chariot is also credited to her. In fact she was more proficient at war than men were. She was also the goddess of military victory and winning strategies, where Ares or Mars (Roman) was just the god of war. Athena is known as the protector of heroes and cities. She is portrayed by artists of ancient Greece as tall with calm features, majestic, and described as the goddess with gray eyes. She makes a good example that women don’t need to be confined from excelling at things that are controlled by men.

Athena was also very accomplished in more feminine and creative areas such as weaving and embroidery. It is said that she invented the pottery wheel and created the first vases. According to Stephen Harris and Gloria Platzer, “Athena combines the strength and aggression of the male archetype with the commitment to family and the domestic bonds of the female.”(107). It is very important for a leader or role model to have a balance of assertiveness and compassion. Athena displays both of these traits.

It can be argued that Athena is too militaristic and “manly” to be a proper role model for women. In fact the label of a successful woman being an “Athenian woman” is not always a compliment. Nancy Hathaway says that, “The typical ‘Athenian woman ‘ is described as unbalanced, out of touch with her body, intellectually alive but emotionally clueless, logical rather than intuitive, living solely for work.”(219) It is possible to say that Athenas’ character can be perceived as being too masculine and that she avoids being intimate with men in order to assimilate into the male dominated world of the gods. This argument is unfounded considering the wide range of accomplishments, which are attributed to her. Although Athena was a virgin, she was a compassionate mother. She protected her son Erichthonius and kept him closely guarded inside her temple or within her aegis (goat skin cloak or shield). It is also said that she is responsible for the creation of the first flute and that she invented the trumpet. These are instruments that are used for recreation and enjoyment.

Athenas’ character also gives off a sense of power. This power aides her in overcoming the boundaries of the submissive “traditional woman” of the time. She doesn’t allow herself to be confined to a life of domestic tasks. She boldly ventures into things that have been dominated by male gods. Her abilities are in no way suppressed in order to be complacent to anyone. Independence and self-reliance are melded together with wisdom, which earn her a special place within the Hierarchy of the gods. Woman today can interpret her stories to say that they can find a place within the world while being true to their feelings and not holding themselves back.

The Greek goddess Athena embodies traits that can be useful to woman of today such as independence, self-reliance, and assertiveness. Her performance in tasks that were traditionally performed by both sexes is testimony to her reluctance to be meek in a patriarchal society. She also has a good balance of masculine and feminine values. She managed to complete “male” oriented tasks while remaining creative and compassionate. After carefully looking at Athena’s accomplishments modern woman can conclude that she is a great role model.

Works Cited

Harris, Stephen L, and Platzner, Gloria. Classical Mythology: Images and Insights.

Mountain View: Mayfield 2001

Hathaway, Nancy. The Friendly Guide to Mythology. Harmondsworth: Penguin 2001