Athena - Paris, France
N 48° 51.740 E 002° 17.523
31U E 448076 N 5412393
La Danse Triomphale, the name of this statue of the Greek goddess Athena, is located in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France.
Waymark Code: WMM4J1
Location: Île-de-France, France
Date Posted: 07/20/2014
Views: 16
This life-size sculpture depicts Athena (also known as Pallas Athene) in a triumphal dance. She is shown in a long garment called "peplos" and a helmet that bears the head of Erichthonius (who was raised by Athena). In her left hand, she holds a shield. This resin statue is a reproduction of the original statue and is located in the Trocadero Gardens at Warsaw Place. The statue was installed in the gardens in 1988.
A plaque on the statue's base reads:
La Danse Triomphale
A Pallas Athene
Par Qui Les Dieux
vainquirent les
Geants.
A l'intelligence
dominatrice de la
matiere.
Translated to English, this means: "The Athena Pallas to which the gods defeated the giants. A domineering matter." Essentially, this inscription simply means that intelligence is more important than strength. Intelligence representing Athena and matter representing giants.
According to Wikipedia: "In Greek religion and mythology, Athena or Athene, also referred to as Pallas Athena/Athene, is the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, just warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, and skill. Minerva is the Roman goddess identified with Athena.
Athena is portrayed as a shrewd companion of heroes and is the patron goddess of heroic endeavour. She is the virgin patroness of Athens. The Athenians founded the Parthenon on the Acropolis of her namesake city, Athens (Athena Parthenos), in her honour.
Veneration of Athena was so persistent that archaic myths about her were recast to adapt to cultural changes. In her role as a protector of the city (polis), many people throughout the Greek world worshiped Athena as Athena Polias ("Athena of the city"). The city of Athens and the goddess Athena essentially bear the same name (Athena the Goddess, Athenai the city) while it is not known which of the two words is derived from the other."
The following information about the Trocadero Gardens is from Wikipedia: "Jardins du Trocadéro (Gardens of the Trocadero) is an open space in Paris, located in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, bounded to the northwest by the wings of the Palais de Chaillot and to the southeast by the Seine and the Pont d'Iéna, with the Eiffel Tower on the opposite bank of the Seine."