Athena
Jacopo e Domenico Tintoretto, Minerva Protecting Peace and Abundance from Mars, 1576, Sala dell’Anticollegio, Palazzo Ducale, Oil Painting on canvas, 148 x 168 cm.
Kathy Yang
Athena was a special child, she was the only child born by Zeus himself. Zeus feared that a son would take his place as prophesied, so Zeus ate his wife Metis to prevent the birth of Athena. But soon Zeus had a splitting headache. He called Hephaestus and cut his head open to find out why. Then, Athena in full armor sprang out of Zeus' head with a spear in her hand. (Maria, Vedio.3) Athena was born. Athena owes much of her bravery and virility to her father and her mother's wisdom. (Morford et al. 177) But because she was a daughter, Zeus did not see Athena as a threat to his throne.
Most people think of Athena as the goddess of war and crafts, but Athena was also the goddess of peace. This is what we see in the painting Pallas Athena Drives Away Mars, which could also be called Minerva Protecting Peace and Abundance from Mars. This is a 1576 oil painting by Jacopo Tintoretto. (Google Art & Culture)
In the painting, Athena is the woman in the center. She tried to push one man away with one hand and placed another woman's shoulder to comfort her. The male being pushed away is Mars, the god of war, and Mars represents war. One of the women protected by Athena represents peace and the other represents abundance, which can be seen in their headdresses. In this painting, Athena is the embodiment of peace, and she is trying to push away the war to preserve peace and abundance. This can also be judged from the light and shade in the painting. Behind the two women of peace and harvest, there is a rising sun, its color is bright, the sun will illuminate the land, meaning a new life is coming. Where Mars is located, the light is much dimmer, and the composition is also behind the overall center, so we can see that the war is not welcome. Athena stood in the middle as a mediator, hoping that the war would stop or go away and that the peace and abundance of the city would be preserved for the new day.
This painting is a little different from Athena in our books. Most people praise Athena for her bravery and wisdom, but this painting perfectly illustrates the tenderness of Athena's bravery. We might think that Athena is the goddess of war, and she can wear a full suit of armor and lead the people to defeat the enemy, and then the painting should be Athena wearing the suit of armor to defeat the enemy and defend the city. However, Athena in this painting just stretches out a hand and pushes Mars, the symbol of war, away from peace and abundance. Athena is not wearing armor or holding a weapon, but she is very protective of what she is trying to protect. This painting can be said to be a perfect combination of female gentleness and male valor. Athena is like a mountain blocking the war and the people, separating the two.
The painting "Pallas Athena Drives Away Mars" adds some femininity alone on the basis of the interpretation of Athena's valor in the books. It seems that there is no war but there is war in the painting.
For me, this painting has a very good moral. What society needs more now is this kind of gentle courage, and this kind of courage can also exist in women. Valor does not mean that we have to fight to prove our courage and strength. Often it just takes us, men and women, to stand up for what we cherished. I think this is the deeper meaning of the painting besides the bravery of Athena.
Felicia Du
In Jacopo Tintoretto’s Minerva Protecting Peace and Abundance from Mars, the Greek heroine Athena (also known as Minerva in Roman myth) is depicted protecting two vulnerable women from Mars, the God of Wars. Unlike Mars, although Athena is also a Goddess of war, her power represents tactic, protection, and defendant. (Borthwick, 385, 391) By pushing away wars, Athena made peace and abundance remain intact.
As Gaea and Uranus suggested, Zeus swallowed his consort Metis to prevent the birth of a threat. When Athena jumped out of Zeus’ head regardless of his prevention, however, she was viewed as harmless because of her gender according to the lecture “Destination Athens: Athena and her city” by Marie La Fond. (00:01:55 – 00:05:25) This reflected the patriarchy of ancient Greeks. No matter how powerful a female is, it is impossible to overthrow her father’s throne. Although this is not true in modern society, this phenomenon was taken for granted by ancient Greeks. Furthermore, Athena’s power, wisdom, and the masculinity of her virgin nature all came from the male, in that she is a female son of a male mother (Zeus). (Morford et al. 177) Females were often being portrayed as powerless and vulnerable, like Peace and Abundance in the oil painting. Although before Athena arrived, there are two of them, metal rods and a few helmets scattered at the bottom left, Peace and Abundance didn’t even try to resist. Their naked body without any scratch or bruise is the evidence of subordinate. This reflected the low status and respect of women. The Babylonians even have a hideous custom: a native woman must have sex once in her life with a stranger at the sanctuary of Aphrodite. Pretty or high SES women can quickly fulfill the law, but some may waste three or four years for this law. (Herodotus, 1-5) Males can go to the sanctuary of Aphrodite as much time as they can, but for females who already had once or married, having sex with other males is a disgraceful crime. The subordination of Peace and Abundance reflected the disparity of status between genders and the privilege of men. In ancient Greeks, women were more like properties than humans. This message made me uncomfortable and disgusted. I wish women can rebel and fight for their dignity as the epics honored knights, whereas the most ancient paintings and literature only honored compliance and beauty among women. That is why I like Athena more than other Goddesses.
Fortunately, Athena appeared timely and protected them from Mars. She is the goddess of practical wisdom, cunning intelligence, war, and civilizing. (Marie, 2022) As she is also the patroness of women’s household arts, especially spinning and weaving, Athena has a close relationship with females. In addition, her wisdom of handicrafts includes chariot-making, shipbuilding, and sometimes metalworking. The setting in the oil painting is on a ship. Athena hopped on the ship as the sunrise, and embraced Peace and Abundance while expelling the God of bloodbursting wars. Although she can expel Mars with her weapon, she chose to rest it on her shoulder and use her hands instead. This reinforced the idea of male privilege – Mars will not be punished by his intention of rape. Athena’s action also can represent her wisdom. Since Mars did not physically hurt these women yet, it is better to ease the fight. As both Athena and Mars are God of wars, their fight might cause catastrophic consequences. Athena’s choice might not be the most satisfying activity for me, but it is the most beneficial for the majority. As a goddess of civilization and protection, Athena cares about the well-being of both human and human efforts, including the handicrafts, buildings, and the city. Finally, like Peace and Abundance’s name represented, Athena’s protection brings happiness to the world.
Works Cited:
Borthwick, E. “Two Notes on Athena as Protectress.” Franz Steiner Verlag, 1969, https://www.jstor.org/stable/4475611.
La Fond, Marie. “Destination Athens: Athena and her city.” Greek and Roman Myth. University of Washington, February 2022, https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1514816/pages/lesson-3-video-lectures?module_item_id=14661581
Morford, Mark, et al. Classical Mythology. 11th ed., Oxford UP, 2019.
O., Morford Mark P, et al. “Athena.” Classical Mythology, Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 2019.
“Pallas Athena Drives Away Mars - Jacopo e Domenico Tintoretto - Google Arts & Culture.” Google, Google, https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/pallas-athena-drives-away-mars/gQEKiOsmXlKHQA?hl=en.
“Save Venice Inc.: Dedicated to Preserving the Artistic Heritage of Venice.” Save Venice Inc. | Dedicated to Preserving the Artistic Heritage of Venice, https://www.savevenice.org/project/mercury-and-the-three-graces-the-forge-of-vulcan-minerva-mars-and-peace-bacchus-ariadne-and-venus.