GREEK MYTHOLOGY

Hercales

In Greek mythology, Heracles was a divine hero, the son of Zeus and Alcmene who where the king and queen of all gods. He was the greatest of the Greek heroes. Was a champion of the Olympian game fighting against beats and monsters. The Romans adopted the Greek version of his life, but added some detail of their own, some of it linking the hero with the geography of the Central Mediterranean. Extraordinary strength, courage, ingenuity, and sexual prowess with both males and females were among his srongest characteristics and attributes. Although he was not as clever as the likes of Odysseus or Nestor, Heracles used his gifts on several occasions when his strength did not work, such as when laboring for King Augeias, wrestling the giant Antaeus, or tricking Atlas into taking the sky back onto his shoulders. Together with Hermes he was the patron and protector of gymnasia and palaestrae. His iconographic attributes are the lion skin and the club.

Work Cited: Encyclopedia information about HerculesThe Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. http://www.answers.com/main/Record2?a=NR&url=http://www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ More from Encyclopedia

Athena

In Greek mythology, Athena was the goddess of civilization, specifically wisdom, weaving, and crafts . Athena's wisdom shows the technical knowledge employed in weaving, metal-working, but also includes the extraordinary intelligence of such figures as Odysseus. The owl and the olive tree are sacred to her. She is attended by an owl, wears a goatskin breastplate called the Aegis given to her by her father Zeus. She is often shown wearing a helmet and a shield with Gorgon Medusa's head on it, a votive gift of Perseus. Athena is an armed warrior goddess that is said to be a helper to many other gods. She never had a lover, and thus was often known as Athena Parthenos ("Athena the virgin").

Work Cited: "Athena." The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. Answers.com 20 Dec. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/athena