Ever since middle school English class, I’ve felt an affinity towards Athena. She’s the ancient Greek Goddess of wisdom and war, and that combination has resonated with me all this time.
So why this reflection on Athena? It’s getting close to Halloween!
Normally Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday. I love it. The costumes, the candy, the chance to be a kid again. I guess it’s not a big surprise, since I’m also a big fan of Renaissance faires. I love an excuse to dress in costume, to see others do the same, and act a little silly.
This year, I’ve been a little ‘meh’ about Halloween. I wasn’t really getting into it. Watching my favorite Halloween-y movies wasn’t helping. Roaming through the Halloween aisles in stores wasn’t doing it…
But I was invited to a Halloween party that took place last night, and I needed to decide what to dress as. I have a Halloween box of goodies, so finding something wouldn’t be a problem, but I wasn’t really motivated by the box. (See below for some of the fun examples of things in the Halloween box!)
Until … I thought to be Athena. Then I was excited!! (This was maybe Tuesday.)
You may have noticed that I haven’t been blogging as much lately. I’m at the point in the semester where things are super busy. On top of that, I’ve had a certain situation I can’t really blog about superimposed over the normal craziness.
This situation-who-shall-not-be-named resonates very much with the Goddess of Wisdom and War. She’s cheering me on as I stand up for myself. She IS me as I stand up for myself.
So this year, I was Athena for pre-Halloween.
When I Googled “Athena costumes” to get ideas for accessories, I found the search to be unsatisfying. A bit surprisingly, there weren’t many “trashy” Athenas, which was good, but many of them had long flow-y robes with pink accents. Though you do see a lot of art depicting Athena in a long robe, this isn’t how I envision her. A long robe would get caught in battle!!
Instead I picture her more like this:
I figure the difference in outfit is associated with if she’s at war. Long flow-y robes? No war. Breast plate, helmet, short skirt? War. I guess my costume is indicative of battle mode, which feels appropriate.
War is never a desired thing, but in the cases where you have to go to battle for yourself you’d want Athena at your side giving you sound council. The costume was fun, and it was a fun reminder that I have her within me.
Happy Halloween!