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Lädt ... Athena: A Biographyvon Lee Hall
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Melde dich bei LibraryThing an um herauszufinden, ob du dieses Buch mögen würdest. Keine aktuelle Diskussion zu diesem Buch. Lee Hall approaches Athena as if she was an historical figure of sorts, starting with her origins as a fertility cult goddess, and following her gradual metamorphosis into a warrior goddess, a female who is acceptable in a male culture, and from there as Greece, and especially Athens, moved into its golden age, the transformation into a beacon of civilization and culture. She shows the beginnings of this transformation happening in Homer's Iliad and Oddyssey, in the former Athena is relentlessly determined to destroy Troy and all its inhabitants, quite unfairly too, given that Hector and Priam were faithful to her and believed themselves blessed by her favor almost to the very end. In the latter, Athena, in her fondness for Odysseus, her desire to settle his problems satisfactorily, she opts, in the end (only after ripping the the rogue suitors wrecking his house) to negotiate a peace through diplomatic channels so that the families of the dead suitors will not feel obliged to take revenge on Odysseus and his family. It was a good read and having finished, there is a certain intriguing arc to the story, but Athena's absolute rejection of everything female, her disdain for women, is disturbing, in the end. The culture from the north, that brought the horse and the bridle and the chariot, was violently male and displaced a matriarchal culture, this much is established prehistory now. Except for sex and breeding, women were pretty much regarded as barely human: any goddess who was to survive this point of view would have to play a deep game, and that ultimately, is the point, I think, that Hall makes although she never quite comes out and says so. Athena, remarkably, succeeds in becoming the second most powerful entity among the Olympians, and it would seem that once she has established that fact, she begins to move on, combining, perhaps, some of the better feminine and masculine qualities together in a new way, her focus on Athens, or rather, with the focus of Athenians on her. Very interesting. **** ( ) By and large I agree with this overview from Amazon…this was a very interesting book…certainly not the be all and end all of books on the subject, but wonderful read and a fresh look at some old ideas. I’d recommend it to anyone interested in Athena or Greek Religion (Contemporary Reconstructionism) – not as the only book, but as one of many that should be read. I checked this on out from the library and I’ll defiantly be getting a copy for my personal library ASAP! Zeige 2 von 2 keine Rezensionen | Rezension hinzufügen
Author Lee Hall takes the unusual tack of melding the hypothetical "life” of one mythological being--the goddess Athena--into a single, chronological narrative. By drawing upon the richness of ancient history, archaeology, and classical art and literature, she follows the metamorphosis of Athena's identity, tracing through it not only the origins of our concepts of justice and revenge, our attitudes toward wisdom and the useful arts, but the disturbing mistrust of women inherited from the ancient world, as well as the struggle between male and female that attended the very birth of western culture.Hall traces the earliest vestiges of Athena back to the fertility and survival rituals of prehistoric Crete. She then follows this diety associated with the "mother goddess” as she migrates to the mainland. But once there, Hall finds, Athena becomes an "honorary male,” complete with helmet, spear, and sheild. The goddess once associated with rituals of nurturing and fecundity now relishes the savagery of war, even masterminds the triumph of the Greeks over the Trojans in Homer's Iliad. Athena forsakes her elemental female virtues and identity as she is co-opted by the male-dominated warrior culture of the Mycenaeans.The third distinctive phase of Athena's career is as the special deity of Athens, wher she makes herself felt in the great festivals, art, and architecture of her city, but here too she must betray her gender as the price of civilization. In completing the transition to urban life, one of her last acts is to drive underground the Furies, trapping and containing the ancient and angry female energy.Athena is thus a profound and often troubling exploration of the changes in human consciousness--especially with regard to gender and power--that brought humanity from fertility cults to the Age of Heroes to a time that embraced civic order and the search for wisdom and beauty. A fascinating story, is is also a boon to anyone looking for an entertaining and comprehensible narrative that effectively weaves together the Homeric epics, Greek drama, and modern archaeological discoveries. Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
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Google Books — Lädt ... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)292.2Religions Other Religions Classical religion (Greek and Roman religion) Theological Orientations and DoctrinesKlassifikation der Library of Congress [LCC] (USA)BewertungDurchschnitt:
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