The wise goddess with the olive tree - Who am I?

As promised, here is the essay that Eliane presented at Faces of History 2019.

Wie versprochen ist hier der Gastbeitrag von Eliane: ihr Aufsatz, den sie zu Faces of History 2019 vortrug. Eine Uebersetzung ins Deutsche liegt leider nicht vor.

I was wise.

I was even-tempered.

I was the goddess of warfare.

Although Zeus had many children, I, fortunately, was his favorite. As the female counterpart to Ares, I was the goddess of war but also of the sciences and weaving.

How I entered the world of Mount Olympus is rather unusual.

The people of Athens chose me to be their patron for my practical gift.

I was the wise goddess of the sciences but also of cooking and pottery. Although I oversaw all arts and crafts, I was especially known for weaving and spinning. Perhaps I, who was wise and even-tempered, was best known as the goddess of warfare and wisdom. I was the female counterpart to Ares the brave god of war. During the time of the Trojan War, my weapons became famous. I had a stunning spear, a glistening shield, a magnificent helmet, and shinning armor. Famously, the owl and the olive tree were my symbols. My job was protecting civil and cooperative life in the city.

I was the wise and even-tempered goddess of warfare.

There are several legends concerning my origin. One of the stories is told like this. After Zeus married Metis, a titan, he heard a troubling prophecy. If Metis had any sons, they would be more powerful than Zeus, just as Zeus had been more powerful than his father Cronos. Terribly afraid, Zeus thought up a cunning plan. When he was sitting with Metis, he suddenly changed his unsuspecting wife into a fly. After that transformation, he swallowed her, and kept her inside his head. Later on, Zeus started suffering from a terrible headache that felt like a stampede of raging war horses. What a horrible head-splitting headache! In his desperation, he asked one of the other gods to crack his skull open. Trying to be helpful, his son Hephaestus brandished his ax and cracked his father's skull open. From that wound I sprang, surprisingly fully grown and wearing armor. It turned out that I became the favorite child of Zeus.

My birth was truly unusual and remarkable.

There was a radiant city in Ancient Greece. Both Poseidon and I loved the city very much. The gods who resided on Mount Olympus all decided that whichever god created the most useful gift for its people would win the city. Miraculously, Poseidon struck a rock with his trident and brought forth a spring. When the people drank from it, though, the water was salty. I, however, decided to plant an olive tree. Because the people could use the olives and its precious oil, my gift was most useful.

It was decided.

I won.

The people rejoiced.

After this contest, they named the city Athens.

This is how the olive tree won me the beautiful city of Athens.

Fortunately, as the goddess of warfare, I was wise and even-tempered.

My birth was unusual and remarkable.

My life-giving present of an olive tree won the citizens of Athens over and they chose me to be the guardian of their city.

As one of the wiser and most even-tempered goddesses I brought much sense to the Ancient world of Greece and to the gods on Mount Olympus.

Who am I? 

Faces of History - Gesichter der Geschichte

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

Proverbs 1:7

Alle Erkenntnis beginnt damit, dass man Ehrfurcht vor dem Herrn hat.
Sprueche 1, 7

Faces of History is a big highlight of our school year at Classical Conversations. In Essentials, the students of 4th, 5th, and 6th grade learn all about English grammar and creative writing with some math games interspersed. Toward the end of the year, each students gets to pick a character of the cycle we are studying. This year we were learning all about Ancient Empires.

This was Eliane's first year in Essentials. After looking at the choices that Ancient history offers to girls, she opted for a Greek goddess. So she started to research that person, write key word outlines, and compose an essay based on these. She needed to include 3 - 5 sources in her bibliography. For a 4th grader, an essay of that caliper is a big deal! She mastered it well, though! Fortunately, writing comes easy to her. She doesn't mind taking her pen and writing it all down, filling page after page. In the next step, various sentence openers and all kinds of decorations and dress-ups get added to make the text flow better and sound more sophisticated. The entire piece needs to be copied and improved several times.
In the end, the name of the chosen person is not supposed to be mentioned. In order to avoid giving the character away, the voice will be changed from 3rd person singular into 1st person singular. The student will personify the character and even dress up to look like them. How fun to build that costume trying various pieces from our wardrobes, looking for specific accessories and adding some golden bracelets and jewels! Friends and family get invited and an entire evening is filled with guessing these caesars, pharaos, and gods from Ancient times. For the kids it is great fun with just a bit of apprehension added having to present in front of a larger audience.
'Faces of History' (Gesichter der Geschichte) ist einer der Hoehepunke unseres Schuljahres bei Classical Conversations. In dem Kurs Essentials lernen die Schueler der 4., 5. und 6. Klasse alles zum Thema Englische Grammatik und Kreatives Schreiben angereichert mit Mathespielen. Gegen Ende des Jahres duerfen sich die Schueler eine Figur der Geschichte aussuchen entsprechend des Zyklusses, den wir gerade behandeln. Dieses Jahr ist das Altertum unser Thema.

Dieses Jahr war Eliane das erste Mal in Essentials. Nach einem Ueberblick ueber die Auswahl der Figuren, die das Altertum fuer Maedchen bietet, fiel ihre Wahl auf eine griechische Goettin. Sie sollte nun diese Person recherchieren, fuer alle benutzten Quellen Stichwort-Mitschriften anlegen, und darauf basierend ihren Aufsatz verfassen. 3-5 Quellen sollten in ihrer Bibliografie enthalten sein. Fuer eine Viertklaesserin ist ein Aufsatz dieses Ausmasses keine Kleinigkeit! Doch sie hat es prima gemeistert! Gluecklicherweise faellt ihr Schreiben leicht. Es macht ihr nichts aus, mit Stift und Papier loszulegen und Seite fuer Seite zu fuellen. Nach der Rohschrift werden im naechsten Schritt verschiedene Satzanfaenge, Ausschmueckungen und Stilmittel eingebaut, um den Text fluessiger zu gestalten und ihn besser klingen zu lassen. Der ganze Aufsatz muss im Zuge dessen mehrere Male abgeschrieben und verbessert werden. 
Schliesslich soll der Name der Person nicht verwendet werden. Um die Figur nicht zu verraten, wird der Text von der 3. Person Singular in die 1. Person Singular umgeschrieben. Nun geht es darum, diese Geschichtsfigur zu verkoerpern: passende Kleider und Accesoirs zu finden, eventuell sogar Waffen, Helm und Schild aufzutreiben, um den Look des Altertums zu treffen.  Freunde und Familie werden eingeladen, die einen ganzen Abend damit zubringen, die verschiedensten Kaiser, Goetter und Pharaonen der Antike zu erraten. Fuer die Kinder ist es ein grosses Vergnuegen - natuerlich beigemischt mit einer Portion Aufregung, die der Vortrag vor einem groesseren Publikum bringt. 

Eliane in the midst of her friends who ranged from Queen Esther to Cleopatra
Eliane inmitten ihrer Freundinnen. Von Koenigin Esther bis zu Cleopatra war alles dabei.

Eliane has the advantage of having watched her sister in this event a few times. She saw Miriam disguising herself as Judas Maccabee in Cycle 1 and having a ball with her thick, black beard and a sword. She saw Miriam turning into the times of the Reformation as Martin Luther's wife Katahrina von Bora. I am beginning to see how this Faces of History is a true rite of passage for the kids. It takes some guts to step in front of a crowd all disguised and dressed up and present your essay. The children see the continuity of it: While the older siblings take part in it, the younger siblings watch them getting dressed up and practice their piece. They know that after a few years, it will be their turn.

Eliane hat den Vorteil, ihre grosse Schwester schon ein paar mal bei diesem Ereignis erlebt zu haben. Sie sah Miriam, wie sie sich fuer das Altertum als Judas Maccabaeus verkleidete und sich in einen dicken, schwarzen Bart verhuellte und ein grosses Schwert trug. Sie erlebte, wie Miriam in die Reformation eintauchte und als Martin Luthers Frau Katharina von Bora erschien. Ich spuere mehr und mehr, wie Faces of History zu einem echten Ritus des Aelterwerdens wird. Es braucht schon eine Menge Mut, sich in voller Verkleidung vor die Menge zu stellen und seinen Vortrag zum Besten zu geben. Die Kinder sehen den Zusammenhang: Die aelteren Geschwister nehmen daran teil und die juengeren Geschwister erleben das Verkleiden und das Ueben ihres Vortrages. Und sie wissen, dass nach ein paar Jahren sie selbst an der Reihe sein warden. Das erleben sie als ganz selbstverstaendlich. 

Cycle 1 - Ancient Empires. Miriam in her first year at Faces of History as Judas Maccabee
Zyklus Altertum. Miriam in ihrem ersten Jahr bei Faces of History als Judas Maccabaeus.

Cycle 2 - Medieval Times. Miriam as Katharina von Bora, wife of Martin Luther.
Zyklus Mittelalter. Miriam als Katharina von Bora, die Frau Martin Luthers.

Olevander dressed up as a pirate: hook, sword and all.
Olevander als Pirat verkleidet komplett mit Hacken und Schwert.

So I shouldn't be surprised when I hear Olevander talking and envisioning himself in that role. "I want to be Zeus when I do it.", he already announced. Or: "I need to pick an obscure character that NO ONE can guess." Those voiced thoughts show me how very much he sees himself taking on that challenge that isn't even his until 4th grade. I love it! This is outside of Halloween or theater productions. He likes dressing up anytime. He doesn't need an occasion for it. As the pictures show,  periodically he will get some disguise out or another and pretend play.

Es sollte mich also nicht ueberraschen, wenn ich Olevander reden hoere, wie er sich selbst in dieser Rolle sieht: "Ich wuerde am liebsten Zeus sein, wenn ich mitmache.", hat er schon verkuendet. Oder: "Ich muesste mir Jemanden ganz unbekanntes aussuchen, damit mich NIEMAND erraten kann." Diese laut ausgesprochenen Gedanken lassen ahnen,  wie er sich das vorstellt und die Herausforderung in Gedanken schon annimmt, obwohl er noch lange keine 4. Klasse ist. Das gefaellt mir! Das hat nichts mit Halloween oder Fasching oder einer Theatervorstellung zu tun. Er verkleidet sich gern, ganz egal zu welcher Zeit. Er braucht keinen Anlass dafuer. Wie die Bilder zeigen, verkleidet er sich von Zeit zu Zeit gern mal als Dieser oder Jener und spielt dann diese Person.

Olevander dons his knight outfit.
Olevander zeigt stolz seine Ritterausruestung.

Attending an Ancient Greek party as Greek gods and goddesses.
Wir sind zu einer Party zum Alten Griechenland eingeladen. Wir haben uns als Goetter des Olymps verkleidet.

I'll try to attach Eliane's essay to give you a chance to guess who she was this year. :)
Ich werde Elianes Vortrag anhaengen, um jedem die Chance zu geben, selbst zu erraten, wer sie war. :)