Zeus and Hera: archetypal images of father, spouse, and wife. Athena: virgin and mother in Greek religion

Karl Kerényi Zeus and Hera: archetypal images of father, spouse, and wife

Zeus symbolizes a flash of awareness, enlightenment, a moment of illuminating, divine inspiration – and at the same time, a unifying law for all Greeks. The cult of Hera is much more archaic and ancient, and the comic role assigned to her in mythology contradicts the widespread veneration that archaeology and linguistics testify to. Athena, although twice the daughter of her royal father, embodies much more of Hera than mythologists and poets have attempted to show. Kerényi unveils the mysteries of the play of divine archetypes on the stage of two thousand years of Hellenic history, buried under layers of simplifying, utilitarian interpretations.

That during great upheavals in Europe, the gathering of intellectuals of Eranos focused its efforts on exploring ancient myths may seem like academic escapism, a retreat from the horrors of the world into an ivory tower. On the contrary: to understand the nature of archetypal forces within our own soul, we must comprehend the true history of religions, the real figures of the gods. Thus, we discover that by turning away from the primal, wild, and fierce forces within our psyche, denying them the respect they deserve, we unknowingly fall completely under their power – and here the Destroyer of Worlds bursts forth from modern laboratories, while the most innovative political ideas lead to unprecedented barbarism.

Karl Kerényi. Athena: virgin and mother in Greek religion

The awe-inspiring goddess, influencing the fates of both men and women, Athena combines in herself the virgin daughter of a father and the inspiring mother of the spirit. Kerényi carefully examines the numerous aspects of her myth, demonstrating the deepest understanding of the female mind in its ferocity and in its dark, animalistic nature, particularly evident in the symbolism of the owl, goat, horse, and Gorgon. The archetypal image of Athena becomes the mythological foundation of communal and political consciousness, individuality, and the strength of mind.