Homer’s Hymn to Minerva

Women in Ancient Greece and in the associated myths had very little agency in determining their futures. Unfortunately, almost two millennia later, not much has changed in that regard. While British women were not sold around and entirely owned by their spouses in the 19th century as Greek women were, that doesn’t mean that they did not share this lack of freedom. I don’t believe it to be accidental that Percy Bysshe Shelley chose to translate the Homeric hymns that praise the three goddesses that were more “liberated” than most. In their essence, all of the ancient deities were cultural constructs made up according to the social standards of the time. Thus, they all embody human flaws and ideals which guide people towards a life that fits all of the societal norms imposed by the patriarchy. Due to the fact that the world was, and still is, dominated by male figures of power, one can only imagine just how unfairly women were portrayed for thousands of years. Even a cursory glance at historical writings can lead us to this conclusion. Thus, I believe it’s worth taking a look at the very few exceptions to the rule that can be found, which are fortunately made more accessible to us through translations, such as those made by Shelley. 

“Homer’s Hymn to Minerva” is worth analysing for several reasons. Many refer to Minerva as the strongest woman in Greek mythology, so strong that even the men loved and worshipped her. She’s well known for always coming to the aid of heroes and Athenians, as well as being one of the “chaste” goddesses. The way in which praises are brought to this deity of wisdom and strategic war is very telling of how she was constructed by the people of Ancient Greece. One of the epithets used to describe the divine being is “Tritogenia,” referencing either her most common place of worship, near the stream called Triton, or the way in which she was born. The word’s origin dates back to what we would now call “head.” This references the goddess’ unique birth, rising from her father’s forehead fully grown. In my study of how the portrayal of the gods in different domains of the arts were related to the ways in which people living in ancient times interacted and perceived one another, I came upon fascinating results in regards to Minerva, or, if we are to call her by her Greek name, Athena. It is very much clear that the myths that we all know and love today were predominantly created by men. Thus, almost every woman that was portrayed by them was depicted not only as inferior to men, but also predominantly trapped in the realm of femininity viewed through the redundant lenses of the male perspective. Minerva is a particularly controversial figure for a variety of reasons. Unlike other feminine deities, she was not constructed for women’s worship. She was the goddess of wisdom, but perhaps more importantly, in several depictions she is shown as being a punisher of women that either challenge her wits or simply fall victim to the patriarchy. The story of Medusa, an extremely beautiful priestess of Athena that was raped by Poseidon, the god & ruler of the sea, inside her temple, lends itself as a good example. Pallas Athena punished the victim, Medusa, to an eternity of monstrosity and fear. 

The concept of Athena is that of an ideal woman from the perspective of a society that is dominated by men and their misogynistic views, hence why so many literary depictions of her often use epithets and metaphors that normally wouldn’t be used for women. However, some would argue that for the British women of the 19th century, even such a depiction can be interpreted as somewhat inspiring. Minerva might not have been intended as a pure symbol of feminism that is completely independent from men and that has agency over her own life, but that is the way in which many people began to interpret her. I would dispute this for several reasons. Firstly, I would argue that using Athena as a symbol of feminism in later writings and translations, such as Shelley’s, is quite demeaning in the sense that it goes against the entire cultural and social history for which she stands. In my opinion, taking a concept that was created by men, and more importantly for men, and trying to disguise it as a progressive take on the way in which women are perceived is morally wrong. Minerva/Athena stood for the impossible standards that women had to endure, able to garner sympathy only as chaste helpers of men. 

Bibliography

Robert Bowie Johnson Jr., Athena and Eden: The Hidden Meaning of the Parthenon's East Façade (Solving Light Book, 2002), 29-39.