Athena is the only deity besides Zeus to appear not only in all three epic triangles in Homer (for Achilles, Odysseus, and Hektor), but in Herakles’ triangle as well (cf. her close relationships with other heroes: Tydeus, alluded to at Il. 5.826, and Telemachus, in the opening books of the Odyssey). This suggests that Athena possesses a uniquely important role in ancient Greek epic and its divine economy. As noted earlier, Zeus supports the epic hero, but does not act on his behalf. Instead, Athena is the divine actor or agent, expressing and embodying his will, while Zeus, almost like the Ugaritic El, rarely acts or intervenes himself, except to thunder and hurl lightning once in each epic (Il. 8.75-7; Od. 12.415; this is also Yahweh’s favorite heroic deed; cf., e. g., 1 Sam. 7: 10; Ps. 46: 6). He does, however, act in ways that harm those around the hero, for instance when he slays the crew who profane Helios’ cattle in the Odyssey (12.415). Zeus - again, like El - prefers to allow the younger generation of gods to execute the plot. Of this younger generation of divine actors, Athena is the one Zeus seems to admire and trust the most.
Athena mediates between Zeus and the epic protagonist, embodying (and expressing) the divine will toward the hero. Partly as a result of her acting in place of Zeus, Athena serves as a divine version of the epic protagonist in each poem, having Achillean characteristics in the Iliad, but Odyssean qualities in the Odyssey. Thus in the Iliad she defeats Ares by a neck wound (21.406), just as Achilles will slay Hektor by wounding him in the neck (22.324-6). In the Odyssey, on the other hand, she is more likely to use disguise and spin lengthy narratives (as at 1.105-318; 13.221-99). Each epic has her working closely in tandem with the protagonist, a relationship occasionally signaled grammatically by the use of the dual number to describe her teamwork with Achilles and Odysseus (II. 22.216-8, 446; Od. 13.372-3). Furthermore, the climax of each epic is an instance of overdetermination, accomplished by Athena and the respective protagonist: Achilles’ slaying of Hektor in Iliad 22, Odysseus’ slaying of the suitors, which is jointly planned (Od. 13.375ff.) and jointly executed (22.233-309). Athena briefly (and grimly) parodies these functions when she deceives Hektor as he is about to face Achilles, encouraging Hektor to take a joint stand with ‘‘her,’’ as she pretends to be his brother, Deiphobos (Il. 22.231). Below, in a comparison with the Ugaritic goddess, Anat, we will reconsider Athena’s deception of Hektor, and of Pandaros (at Il. 4.88-104), in the comparative light of Anat’s treatment of Aqhat.
World History
