As we mark our 200th issue, it seems an appropriate time to visit our namesake, the Roman goddess Minerva. A deity of wisdom and war, born fully grown, and armed, from the head of her father Zeus/Jupiter, Minerva – and her Greek counterpart Athena – played an important part in Greek and Roman religion.
A similar goddess, also associated with an owl, was worshipped by the Mycenaeans and Cretans, and consulted by them for wisdom in leadership. For the Etruscans, she was Menvra, a goddess of applied wisdom and practical thought. In both the names Minerva and Menvra (‘Athena’ may just reflect her role as the patron deity of Athens), we see the Indo-European prefix men-/min-, which appears too in the early references to the goddess, and in our words ‘mental’ and ‘mind’ today.
The owl of Minerva has long been considered a symbol of wisdom, invoked, for example, by German philosopher Hegel. The goddess is depicted frequently in Greek and Roman art – and in numerous sculptures, paintings, and engravings since – wearing her helmet (often adorned a griffin, signifying mental and physical strength) and with her aegis, bearing the protective image of a gorgon. The sort of outfit one might expect for a strategising warrior goddess.
Living among ruins