The Name Giving Of Athens Story With Moral Lesson/Summary

In a mythical time in the past, Ancient Athens, a walled city and a great state, was the cradle of civilization, especially in Greek mythology. Its original name was Aktaio or Akti, taken from its first king, Aktaios.

Its second name is Cecropia, derived from the name of King Cecrops. A half-man and half-snake strange creature that develops the city in all its glory.

During those times, the gods wanted to have cities under their protection. The gods longed for the humans to honor them and wanted to build temples and bring gifts to them.

Eventually, the gods saw the prosperous land of beauty and wanted to name it after them and became its patron. Two gods wanted the same city and ended up quarreling with each other.

The most persistent rivals were Athena, the goddess of wisdom, and Poseidon, the sea god.

Athena, the goddess of wisdom, courage, and war, was the daughter of Zeus and the nymph Metis. Weirdly, Zeus swallowed Metis whole, for he heard in a prophecy that his child with her would rule the sky.

Sometime later, Zeus suffered from a headache that worsened over time, which caused his great suffering. Hephaestus, the god of fire and smithing, helped his father by taking an ax and opening Zeus’s head.

From there came the now full-grown woman with armor, spear, and shield. Zeus proclaimed her name to be Athena, the goddess of wisdom.

Unlike Athena, Poseidon was the brother of Zeus and the god of the sea. He was one of the children eaten by their father, Cronus, and later freed by Zeus.

Another vital aspect of Poseidon was his power to make earthquakes.
These two gods showed interest in Cecropia to be their city.

Zeus thinks of a solution to solve their dispute.

He decided that each of them would make a gift for the city, and King Cecrops and the mortals living there would determine what gift was the best, and whoever won would be the city’s patron.

The time comes to set the battle on Acropolis Hill. The remaining gods of Olympus arrived and had a panoramic view of the city.

Cecrops and the residents of Cecropia also went to the hill to watch and be the judge of the gifts of Poseidon and Athena.

The first to present his gift was Poseidon. He stepped forward, and with his trident, he struck a rock. Instantly, a spring of water gushes forth from the ground. It formed a lake and was called the Erechtheida Sea.

He assured that the citizens would have water and no drought. However, the people weren’t enchanted with his gift, for the water tasted salty like the waters of the sea he ruled.

Next, it’s the turn of Athena to give her gift to Cecropia. She stepped forward and planted a seed on the ground. Immediately, an olive tree grew from the ground with lots of fruit.

The citizens of Cecropia loved the gift of Athena the most, for it would give them food, oil, and firewood.

After both gods had offered their gifts, Zeus asked the opinion of King Cecrops about who will be the winner. The king glanced at the lake of salty water and the tree of Athena.

He thought the tree was the first in the country and would bring glory to the city with this unique and valuable gift.

Therefore, King Cecrops proclaimed that Athena’s gift was most helpful and was entitled to the city’s patronage. And so the city was renamed Athens, after the goddess Athena.

Poseidon, on the other hand, couldn’t accept defeat. He cursed the city for never having enough water, and the city began to have problems with water scarcity.