Dictionary Of God And Godedesses

Atropos 37SYNONYMS Athene; PALLAS ATHENAE (maidengoddess of Athens); MINERVA (Roman).CENTER(S) OF CULT Athens but also Argos,Sparta, Gortyn, Larisa (Thessaly); Lindos andIlion (Homer’s Troy).ART REFERENCES the Parthenon frieze and othersculptures and iconography throughout theGreek world, including notably the Athena ofPhidias (Varvakeion) and the metope of Olympiain which she assists HERAKLES to support the sky.LITERARY SOURCES Iliad and Odyssey (Homer);Theogony and Hymn to Pallas Athene (Hesiod).Athena is a principal goddess of the Greek pantheonand, according to Hesiod, the daughter ofMETIS (wisdom) born fully armed from the headof ZEUS. A goddess of battle and allegedly a snakegoddess, she is a deity who also stands for disciplineagainst the more unruly conduct of such asHERMES and POSEIDON. Her most famed sanctuaryis the Parthenon. The olive tree is sacred toher, particularly that grown by tradition on theAcropolis, whose oil was given to the victors inthe Panathenaia festival. According to legend sheoffered the olive to mankind. Her symbol is theaigis—the skin of a sacrificial goat. She is alsoassociated with ship-building and with domesticcrafts including wool work and spinning—Athenian women have traditionally woven thepeplos at the Panathenaia festival. In legend she isthe destroyer of Ajax and lures Hector to hisdeath, while supporting such heroes as Perseusagainst the Gorgon monster, and Diomedesagainst ARES. She also acts as a moderating influencein Achilles’ conflict with Agamemnon, themost notable instance of her characteristic abilityfor self-control.AthiratFertility goddess. Western Semitic (Canaanite).In Old Babylonian texts of Hammurabi she isidentified as the daughter-in-law of the king ofheaven. She is also known from pre-Islamic southernArabia as a consort of the moon god AMM.See also AŠERAH.Aticandika (exceedingly great)Distinct form of the goddess DURGA. Hindu(Puranic). One of a group of nine deities, knownas the “nine durgas.”AtlCreator god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. The sun deity representing the fourthof the five world ages each of which lasted for2,028 heavenly years, each heavenly year beingfifty-two terrestrial years. Assigned to water andpresided over by CHALCHIUHTLICUE. Accordingto tradition, the age ended in a cataclysmicdestruction caused by a deluge during which allthe human population were turned into fish.Illustrated by the “Stone of the Four Suns” [YalePeabody Museum]. Also 4(Atl), Atonatiuh andChalchiutonatiuh.AtlahuaMinor god of lakes and fish hunters. Aztec (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. One of the groupclassed as the Mixcoatlcamaxtli complex.AtroposGoddess of fate. Pre-Homeric Greek. Accordingto Hesiod, one of the daughters of ZEUS andTHEMIS. One of an ancient trio of MOIRAI withLACHESIS and KLOTHO. She is responsible for thefinal part of a mortal life, the unturning inevitabilityof death, and she is depicted holding a pair ofscales. The name of the plant Atropa belladonna(deadly nightshade) derives from her.