The Virtue of Hospitality

(Mount Olympus, where I and the other Gods live)




My Mortal Readers,

Today I have decided that I will talk about another very important topic. Today I wish to talk about hospitality, and it’s importance.

As a goddess, it is not often that I am really offered hospitality. I live on Mount Olympus and you mortals really never think about offering a god a place to stay. I’ve always imagined what it would be like to be mortal, and to get to live in a home with other regular people. To be a traveller and after a long journey be taken in by a kind family, how wonderful that would be. However because of who I am, it would never happen. My farther would never allow me to live freely with other humans. But, that is no matter. There are rare opportunities that when in disguise, I am able to live with other people.

There have been times that when disguised as a mere human, I have been invited in by kind people. In fact, before even Odysseus was alive, before the Trojan war began, I was invited in by a kind family. I was in fact conducting a test, seeing how kind humans really were. I had walked into the small down on the shores of southern Greece, walking on the street, attempting to looking as poor as possible. Literally the first house I came by, though it was not big nor was it grand, the people inside opened the door and eagerly took me in. They offered me food and shelter and allowed me to stay the night. These poor people, who had barely enough food for themselves, took me in without a second thought.

This is when I developed my love for the human race. It was because of the pure idea of hospitality that I fell in love with the mortals of the earth. Therefore I feel that in helping mortals, I should use hospitality to not only comfort people, but to teach them good values. That is why when Odysseus needed to flee from Calypso, I knew that I could use hospitality to help him. I knew that if I wanted to get him off the island as soon as possible, he would need a place to stay. I thanked the gods for the virtue of hospitality, because I was able to lessen Odysseus’ pain.

See, this is the thing about hospitality. It shows all, including my stubborn father, that humans are good people. That they can open their hearts, show emotion for others, and truly care about their fellow humans. This if anything must show the other Gods that humans really are complex, good people. The Phalacians didn’t need to bring in Odysseus, nor did they receive any gain from it. They didn’t know that I would look down upon them in favor. They did it because they knew it was the right thing, not because they got something out of it.

But like all virtues, hospitality can have a dark side. I seem to find that everything humans or gods to can have negative connotations, and can be used for evil. The immature goddess Calypso, who is barely a goddess at all, used hospitality not as a way to show care for other humans but to deceive them. She offered her hospitality to Odysseus, and tricked him into staying on her island. She didn’t do this for the betterment of him, but for her own personal gain. She loved Odysseus, and the longer he stayed the better for her. The only reason he ever found his way off the island in the first place was because of me. Calypso contorted this beautiful virtue into evil, and we must be weary of those who will do the same in the future.

- Pallas Athena

(The) Who Wrote a Song Dedicated to Me?!?

My Friends, Enemies, and Acquaintances,

So the other day, I was enjoying some family bonding time with my father, when he brought up something so unbelievable, it me ask him if he was telling the truth. He mentioned to me that a new song had been released, that was about me! Not only that, but Zeus also added that the song is by a famous British band – The Who! The conversation went something like this:

“Oh, my favorite daughter, did you hear the news?”

“What news?”

“Oh dear…”

“What? What is it, father, is it bad?”

“Oh no, no, nothing bad at all! Sorry I startled you, my dear daughter.”

“Well, father, do not keep me in suspense, tell me!”

“I guess I will tell you… so you know you’re a famous goddess and all, am I correct?”

“Yes, father, everyone knows that!”

“Well, you are so famous that…”

“Yes…”

“…well, there’s this band called The Who and…”

“YES…yes father I know that band well! The British rock sensation!”

“…they just released this new song that is called 'Athena'.”

There was a brief pause. It couldn’t possibly be true. My father Zeus was lying. “Father, are you sure? Are you telling the truth to your daughter or not?!?”

“I am being completely honest with you, Athena. The Who worships you, Athena. They absolutely adore you!”

For once, I had this feeling that finally, I was gaining more respect and attention. By releasing a song by a popular band, perhaps I will gain respect by not just people, but gods and goddesses as well, I thought. The only problem was that I did not have access to the song, and I longed to hear it. But there was still hope.

The day I got to hear the song finally arrived. Personally, I believe that it is a good song, but not everything mentioned in the song is relevant to my life. It also talks about how the I had betrayed the singer of the song and that he still wishes I could come back to him to fill the missing spot in his heart. The verse “She’s just a girl, she’s a bomb” is a little too personal for me. Who is this person? Could there be another Athena, perhaps? No, that couldn’t possibly be true. I am the one and only Athena, as far as I know. I am the original Athena, anyways. Therefore the song had to be created in my honor.

Gods, goddesses, and everyday people, you must listen to this song. To the gods and goddesses who are not particularly fond of me, please reflect on how you have treated me. Hopefully you will realize that there is no need for jealousy. And in turn, please give me the respect I deserve. I have received much more respect from everyday people, so why can’t you do the same? Think about all the good things I have said about you or done to you, and please listen to “Athena” by The Who. Hopefully listening to the song will change your mind.

Happy May!

Signed,

Pallas Athena <3

P.S. Click on the link to listen to "Athena" by The Who!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkRx3NZ-qp4

Deception: A Needed Tool

My Mortal Blog Readers,


As I sit on Mount Olympus I constantly think to myself. As my brothers fight and cause trouble to you humans, I take advantage of the quiet to ponder ideas. One that continues to come back to me is that of deception. The ability to disguise yourself from others, and perform tasks without relieving your identity. How vital a tool, my mortals. To be able to perform actions without ever have to give away your identity. The amount of help someone can receive because of this, it can be nothing but a good thing.

Some criticize me for my use of deception. However, how else I am supposed to help the heroes who truly deserve it? They expect me to be able to do everything, to perform miracles while simply being me in front of mere mortals. How dare they hold me up to this pinnacle, as if I was a goddess myself... Oh wait, I am. Well, regardless the problem is still all the same. If I want to help people I must disguise myself.

I mean, what am I supposed to do. The rules are simple: I can help whatever mortals I want but I most not do so while in my godly form. I care for people, you all know that. And the only way I can express my care is if I do it while disguised. I have done this countless times for Odysseus. I helped convince the Princess Narcica to go and find Odysseus so that he could be brought into town. I helped convince his own son Telemachus to go after him. I instilled confidence and ability in these people to insure that Odysseus gets home in one piece, and does so quickly. Do you honestly think I could have done this in my true form? Of course not!

If I even dared to show my true form to these two mortals, there would not even be the question of relieving my identity. They would simply disintegrate in front of my true form, the light radiating around my body scorching their poor souls. I am the goddess of heroic endeavor, yet people expect me to help heroes while staying true to my godly form. It is impossible. Even us God’s have limits, and this is one of them.

However, deception can be a bad thing. When the Titans ruled this universe, they constantly used deception to cause destruction and enslave you mortals. They even tried to convince my father, the Lord Zeus, that it was impossible to stop them. They attempted to deceive him by showing him untrue visions of a war he would lose, and Kronos even attempted to disguise himself as Mother Earth, Gaea, to convince Zeus from persisting in his efforts. Luckily for you, humanity, this did not work. However this does teach us an important lesson. Deception is a double edged sword, and in the hands of an inherently evil person, can be used as a deadly weapon.

So, maybe deception does have a bad side, but this will not deter me in my efforts of using it. It may be fighting fire with fire, but the fire of good is strong enough to engulf the fire of evil. Us Gods will use this power for good, and I can say confidently that I will never stray from that promise. My life is not dedicating to myself, or to my fellow gods. My life is dedicated to the service of Zeus through the service of you, the people. If that means I need to deceive others by disguising myself, then so be it. I shall not be deterred. For some, deception may be a weapon used to promote evil. However for me, it is a tool that is vital in the countering of such evils.



- Pallas Athena

Welcome Back!

To my Fellow Friends and Creatures of Various Sorts,

As the Greek goddess of wisdom, arts and crafts, spinning and weaving, and textiles, I strongly believe that I am superior to all other gods and goddesses except Zeus.  I respect Zeus deeply because he is my father, and he respects me since he has informed me that I am his favorite child.  I am the only child of Zeus who is allowed to access his thunderbolts and carry his shield at any time.  As for the other gods and goddesses, I think that they should be disregarded entirely.  No other god or goddess is as wise as me, or is as powerful as my father.

I believe that I am well respected by my people, but not by my fellow gods and goddesses.  People seek me whenever they need help in making the right (and ultimately wise) decision.  However, the gods and goddesses (disregarding my father) believe that I am just the daughter of the most powerful god, Zeus, and am therefore unimportant.  I am most certainly not unimportant!

Being the daughter of Zeus is the second-most important role in Greek mythology.  Suppose the other gods and goddesses know this.  They may declare that I am not important, but internally they may think otherwise.  It is common knowledge that I play a powerful role in Greek society.  I guess what I am saying is that I think the gods and goddesses who do not respect me are plainly and simply jealous of me.  It angers me that they have a sense of jealousy towards me, but I just have to accept this as fact.  So in actuality, they do not think that I am inferior to them in any way – they are just envious for the goddess I am.

In fact, just recently I helped a wonderful but extremely self-centered and overly emotional man named Odysseus return to his homeland, Ithaca, after being thrown off track by Poseidon.  I was the chosen one out of all the gods to help Odysseus return home!  Obviously, I must have some common sense and importance, otherwise I would have not been chosen, let alone been successful in returning Odysseus home.

Speaking of Poseidon, I believe he is the worst of all gods and goddesses, maybe even worse than Hades, the god of the underworld.  He is so overblown in his language, and he does everything he can to make other gods, goddesses, and people feel bad.  Though he often claims that he was not the cause of distress, he most certainly is.  It is his nature.  He was born like that.  Sometimes, you have to do everything you can to avoid these gods, goddesses, or people.  If your nature is good, and you carry yourself in a strong fashion, with pride, you will be better respected than someone who does not show these traits.  The people notice this, but the gods and goddesses see through this, because they know better.  I want everyone to have a solid foundation of the goddess I really am since I believe that my powers are underestimated.

Keep checking my blog – new updates will be coming soon!

Fondly,

Pallas Athena <3

Why I'm Writing

(My favorite portrait)

Gods and Mortals,

My name is Athena, daughter of Zeus. I am the Goddess of Justice, War, and Wisdom to name only a few. Blogging has never really been my thing, as I find it more of an activity for mortal men then for those who inhabit Olympus. However due to recent events, I have found it paramount to record what is happening on the mortal world.

I am a goddess, and I am the daughter of Zeus, but I care for the mortals who serve us. Unlike my father and my brothers, I find that people are worth protecting. That is why I have begun aiding Odysseus, a hero from Ithaca. He served in the Trojan War, and though a great hero, has had serious trouble returning home. Fate has turned against him and my brother Poseidon has certainly done everything in his power to slow his journey. In fact, if Poseidon had his way, I imagine the hero would be dead.

I don’t know exactly what I shall do, but I must do something. My brothers and father are angry that I have a liking for humans, but I can’t help it. They treat the mortals as if they are slaves, that they do not understand the concepts of free will and intelligence. But my father is so wrong! These people do exercise free will, and they are intelligent. They use their intelligence to build great monuments and temples for us, yet my father continues to neglect them. The ruler must care for those who he rules, and if my father will not care for them, I will.

Though I must be careful; as a goddess I cannot become too directly involved in the mortal world. I will need to disguise myself, as my godly form would blind the common man. Even if they did see me, could you imagine the controversy it would cause? The gods cannot be seen taken sides with mortals, or our level of impartiality when it comes to justice would be destroyed. So, I shall help Odysseus but only in small ways. I will do what I can, and I pray that that will be enough.

But, I feel for the poor man. All he wants to do is return home to his wife who dearly misses him, yet for 10 years he has been forced away from his home. His poor wife waiting for the day he will return, or the day where she will receive news of his death. It often seems that the world is very unfair, and that the good are constantly trampled over the evil. I have lucky enough to be born into a life of supreme power and privilege, and if I can do anything in my life let me be able to amend and better the lives of others.  Let it be known to all that read my blog that I will aid Odysseus in his journey, and I will make sure he returns home. After all, I am the goddess of heroic endeavor.

-          Pallas Athena