Athena as Goddess
As I’ve listened to the myths in class, I cannot help but wonder about Athena’s prominent role as a goddess in a primarily male focused society. Athena’s characteristics that women were expected to mimic were separated entirely from those characteristics that the men of ancient Rome strive to mimic. Because Athena is a woman, her significance in Rome is surprising to say the least. She embodies wisdom, but to be wise would be a masculine achievement considering the lack of women in schools. She is a warrior, whereas women were not aloud to fight in wars. She was glorified for being a virgin, which contradicts one of the soul purposes for women at the time: to reproduce. Apparently, Athena’s tendency to be benevolent and disciplined are the only characteristics relevant to women. Even though she is a masculine goddess, Athena is a goddess nonetheless. The Roman’s exaltation of Athena reveals a conundrum when considering the social status women held in ancient times in my opinion. The contrast of goddess status and mortal woman status would be an interesting topic to delve in further research.