Athena’s Transformation

I believe that Athena, over the course of The Odyssey, has grown tremendously as a god. The epic began with Athena being timid in the presence of other powerful gods, such as Poseidon, to taking a stand by revealing herself to be on Odysseus’ side of his conflict with Poseidon. She not only reveals herself to mortals, but also to Poseidon, knowing that there may be consequences for doing so. Athena becomes sure of herself, and confident in her powers, over the course of The Odyssey.

In the beginning books of The Odyssey, Athena stays hidden from Odysseus, specifically in book six, when she refuses to “appear to [Odysseus] undisguised. / She stood in awe of her Father’s brother, lord of the sea / who still seethed on…against / the great Odysseus”(178: 362-65). At this moment in time Athena is still somewhat afraid (as afraid as a god can be anyway) of her uncle Poseidon’s power, and refuses to openly defy his wishes, and help Odysseus. Athena will help Odysseus, as she does earlier in book five when she “countered [Poseidon] at once. /  The… winds she stopped right in their tracks, / commanding them all to hush…/ And the goddess beat the breakers flat in front of Odysseus”(164: 421-25), but not openly. Always will she disguise herself. This quote could be used to disprove my argument, except for the fact that Athena does nothing until after Poseidon had “lashed his team…/ gaining Aegae port where his famous palace stands”(164: 419-20). Athena lets Odysseus fend for himself in Poseidon’s storm, doing nothing to help Odysseus, until Poseidon leaves. Then she saves him. Basically what happens is Athena hides until after Poseidon leaves.

Towards the end of The Odyssey, in book twenty, Athena does reveal herself to support Odysseus:

’I am a goddess, look, the very one who / guards you in all your trials to the last. / I tell you this straight out: / even if fifty bands of mortal fighters / closed around us, / hot to kills us off in battle, / still could you drive away their herds and flocks.’ (411-12: 50-55)

In this dialogue, Athena promises not to let Odysseus die, and that she will do whatever is necessary to achieve that objective.

Athena fulfills her vow in book twenty-two when she “looms out of the rafter high above [the suitors], / [brandishing] her shield of thunder, terrifying the suitors out of their minds…”(448: 311-13). At this point Athena reveals herself fully to the suitors, and Odysseus, showing, once and for all, whose sided she is really on. True, Poseidon has given up on punishing Odysseus by this point, but he still doesn’t know which of the gods sustained Odysseus throughout his trial, though he probably suspects Athena. Athena doesn’t know that. All she knows is that Poseidon really didn’t want Odysseus get home, now he is home, she helped him, and has now shed her last disguise. For Athena, this is the point at which she cannot turn back. Before, she could deny that she helped Odysseus, but now she can’t. She is committed to Odysseus.

In book twenty-four, Athena also reveals herself, and not just to Odysseus and his companions, but also to many other people that could, possibly, end up praying to Poseidon to help them against both Odysseus and Athena. Athena says in a “piercing voice that stopped all fighters cold, / ‘Hold back, you men of Ithaca, back from brutal war!’ [And] terror blanched their faces, / they went limp with fear, weapons slipped from their hands…”(485: 583-87). Even though Athena is still in the form of Mentor, the power of her words and voice, coupled with the thunderbolt that strikes at her feet soon after, leaves little doubt in the minds of the kin of the suitors who the speaker really is, and there could not be a more obvious demonstration of the support that she and Zeus are giving to Odysseus(though the bolt is thrown to warn him, not so much as to intimidate the other mortals with him).

This moment could show that Athena still does feel a little hesitant about revealing herself to mortals, but there is a myth of Zeus revealing himself to a mortal, and they being destroyed because his power and brilliance are too much for a mortal soul to withstand. Athena staying in disguise even in the end, when there is little or no doubt as to who she really is, could really be a shield for the mortals around her. No one will ever know for sure.

I think that one of the main reasons Athena is able to grow and change so much is that she knows that Zeus, as well as most of the other gods, are on her side, and Odysseus’ side. This is evidenced in book one when Athena asks Zeus, “’why, Zeus, why so dead set against Odysseus?’”(79: 85). And Zeus replied, “’what nonsense you let slip through your teeth…./ No, it’s the Earth-Shaker, Poseidon, unappeased, / forever fuming against him…’”(79: 77-82). At this moment we see that Zeus really has no problem with Odysseus, and that only his respect and understanding for his brother keep him from just sending Odysseus home. Also in book one, Zeus tells Athena, “’Lord Poseidon, I trust, will let his anger go. / How can he stand his ground against the will / of all the gods at once––one god alone?’”(80: 93-95). In this conversation Zeus as much as says that if Poseidon wants to continue to punish Odysseus, he will be stopped, by choice or by force.

The fact that Zeus is Athena’s father is also a key point in her growth. Athena is somewhat protected, though she doesn’t really need it, from any harm that could come to her(from Poseidon or any other entity), by Zeus’ power. Athena knows that should anything happen that she can’t deal with, Zeus will help. Also, Poseidon is her uncle, which lends Athena a bit of security. What Athena doesn’t realize at this point is that she really doesn’t need protection. She herself is one of the most powerful gods(or goddess) on Mount Olympus. Should she need it, Athena is more than enough a defense for herslf.

To further illustrate Athena’s growth, I would like to use Telemachus’ journey to point out similarities between the two journeys, and discuss motives, and effects therein. I believe that doing so will make the points clearer, and help explain some of the things that happen.

In the beginning of The Odyssey, Athena knows that she wants to help Odysseus, but it takes Zeus telling her that it’s all right, and pointing her in the right direction before she will do anything. Even then, she is reluctant to exercise her power to help him, still unsure of what will happen when she does. Then, Athena reaches a point where she decides to make a stand, and reveal herself to Poseidon, and the enemies if Odysseus. At that point Athena really becomes more than she was before, because she gains the confidence to do what she thinks she should, without worrying about what might happen as a result. She knows that she can handle just about anything thrown her way.

This is related to Telemachus’ journey from first hating the suitors, but not doing anything about it, to, at Athena’s bidding, going on a quest to find information about Odysseus. At some point during his travels, Telemachus starts making decisions on his own(also as Athena does), as he does in book fifteen when he tells Pisistratus, “’don’t drive me past my vessel, drop me there. / Your father’s old, in love with hospitality; / I fear he’ll hold me, chafing in his palace–– / I must hurry home!’”(325: 222-25). At this point it is the smart choice, and not the easy choice that is chosen, just as Athena chooses the course of action that will solve Odysseus’ problem with the least bloodshed. She commands everyone to stop fighting, and gives them a peaceful solution to the problem. She could just kill all Odysseus’ enemies. That also would be a solution.

Telemachus, once home, makes as much of a stand against the suitors as he can, berating them and even, to a certain extent, taunting them. This echoes the point at which Athena reveals herself to Odysseus, and the families of the suitors. In both cases neither can turn back. They must face their fears, Athena’s being Poseidon, and Telemachus’ being the suitors. In both Athena’s and Telemachus’ stories all that is needed is a little kick out the door, so to speak. Once they get started, they are both able to start to figure things out on their own, and learn by that. This leads to their growth. Both Athena and Telemachus are set on a journey; they return triumphant, and also changed (for the better).

Athena undergoes a huge transformation during The Odyssey, from timid in the presence of elder gods, to realizing her power, and taking her place as one of the most powerful gods or goddesses of Mount Olympus. Athena “grows up” over the course of the epic, which for a goddess doesn’t mean so much physically, as it does mentally, and emotionally. Athena is able, at the end of the book, to stand up for what she believes is right, and know that everything will be all right.