ATHENA - THE FOUNDING MYTH OF ATHENS...
BEFORE ATHEN BECAME A CITY, TWO POWERFUL GREEK GODS, ATHENA AND POSEIDON, BA LED ITS DESTINY. A FIERCE COMPETITION JUDGED BY THE TWELVE OLYMPIAN GODS TOOK PLACE TO DETERMINE WHO WOULD HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL OVER ATHEN.
THE TWO CONTESTANTS MET AT THE HILL OF THE ACROPOLIS TO SHOW THEIR POWERS WITNESSED BY ALL THE PEOPLE OF ATHEN, THE GREEK GODS AND ZEUS. POSEIDON STRUCK HIS MIGHTY TRIDENT ON THE HARD ROCK OF THE ACROPOLIS, CAUSING THE BIRTH OF AN UNDERGROUND SEA AND RELEASING A SALTWATER SPRING. ATHENA PLANTED A TREE THAT IMMEDIATELY GREW ITS FULL SIZE AND WAS ADORNED WITH PLENTIFUL FRUITS WITH HIGH NUTRITIONAL VALUES AND SEVE L USES.
THE TREE’S HIGH-QUALITY TIMBER MADE ATHENA’S GIFT SUPERIOR, DECLARING ATHENA THE WI ER.
ATHENA FOUNDED ATHEN NAMING THE CITY AFTER HERSELF AND BECOMING ITS PROTECTOR.
THE FOUNDING MYTH OF ATHENS SENDS A MESSAGE NOT TO BE DECEIVED BY APPEA NCE; IT REFLECTS THE POWER OF WOMANHOOD AND WISDOM AS ATHENA DEFEATED THE STRONG, MIGHTY POSEIDON WITH A GIFT THAT APPEARED INSIGNIFICANT COMPARED TO HIS. IT DEPICTS HER AS A POWERFUL WARRIOR.
THE ORIGAMI-SHAPED FLOWER RE-TELLS THIS MYTH. THE CENTRE OF THE FLOWER REPRESENTS ATHENA. WHEN THE FLOWER-SHAPED ORIGAMI IS CLOSE, IT MEANS THE BEGI ING OF ITS BLOOMING AND DEPICTING ATHENA AS A ROBUST AND POWERFUL GOD. AS IT EXPANDS, IT SHOWS ATHENA EMB CING THE WHOLE OF ATHEN, PROTECTING IT. THE VELOCITY OF ITS ROTATION SYMBOLISES ATHENA AS A WARRIOR, STRONG AND COU GEOUS.
