Pallas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other meanings of Pallas, see Pallas (disambiguation).
In Greek mythology, there are several male and female deities named "Pallas," as well as a mortal prince.
One Pallas was an epithet for Athena. According to some sources, Pallas was the playmate of Athena, a daughter of the god Triton (or Tritonis), her foster-father. One day, while Pallas and Athena were sparring, Zeus appeared between them with the aegis and Pallas, in her fear, forgot to parry a blow from Athena. She was killed and Athena mourned her by becoming "Pallas Athena". She also carved from a tree trunk a statue of Pallas, the Palladium, which she left with Zeus. Later Electra, whom Zeus seduced, took refuge behind this palladium; Zeus tossed it away and it fell on the land of Ilium (Troy), where Ilus had a temple built for it. Other sources claim that Pallas was an older local god conflated with Athena by the Athenians.[1]
Pallas was also a Titan, son of Crius and Eurybia, husband of Styx. He was the father of Zelus, Nike, Cratos, and Bia (and sometimes, Eos and Selene). This Pallas was the god of wisdom. Aeson or Aethon was the name of his horse.
An archaic winged god is also named Pallas, with wings attached either to the ankles or to his back, like the archaic winged goddesses. He was, according to one tradition, the father of Pallas Athena and tried to rape her. She killed him and tore his skin off to make the Aegis.
Yet another Pallas, a goatish Giant, confronted Athena during the Gigantomachy; she killed him and also turned his skin into the aegis.
Pallas is also the mortal son of the Arcadian king Evander, who valiantly dies at the unmerciful hand of Turnus in the Aeneid.
The last Pallas is the son of Lycaon and founder of the Arcadian town of Pallantion. He was the teacher of Athena, yet also the father of Nike and Chryse, two manifestations of Athena. The incest motif appears yet again, in the form of a consummated marriage between her and her teacher.
"Pallas" is also mentioned in Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven. This "Pallas" refers to a statue of the head of Athena, God of wisdom and reason, who the Raven (a symbol of guilt, depression, sadness, and insanity) haughtily perches upon.
"...But, with mien of lord or lady,
perched above my chamber door
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door
Perched, and sat, and nothing more."
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Apollodorus, Apollodorus: The Library, translated by Frazer, Sir James George (1921), two volumes, Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press and London: William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. Volume 1: ISBN 0-674-99135-4. Volume 2: ISBN 0-674-99136-2.
