Athena and Poseidon Contest for Athens
Athena and Poseidon compete for possession of Attica. Poseidon produces a sign of his power at the Acropolis, while Athena offers the olive, and the city ultimately takes Athena's name.
The Story
Athena and Poseidon both claimed the land of Attica and the city that would become Athens.
Rather than settle the dispute through an ordinary battle, the rival gods displayed signs of their divine power.
What did Poseidon give Athens? Ancient tradition associated Poseidon's claim with a source or well of sea water on the Acropolis. The mark of his trident was also shown there in later antiquity.
Athena produced the olive tree.
The two gifts represented very different forms of power. Poseidon brought the force of the sea and his divine authority, while Athena's olive offered a resource associated with cultivation, food, oil and civic prosperity.
Why was Athens named after Athena? In the familiar tradition Athena's gift was preferred, and she became the city's patron goddess.
Poseidon did not simply disappear from Athenian religion after losing the contest. He continued to be worshipped in Attica, and the Erechtheion on the Acropolis preserved traditions associated with both deities.
The contest therefore expresses competition between divine powers while also reflecting the coexistence of several important cults within Athens.
Key Figures
Why It Matters
The contest explains Athena's position as patron of Athens and connects some of the most important sacred features of the Acropolis with the city's mythological foundation.
Traditions & Variations
Ancient sources preserve different details. Poseidon's sign may be described as sea water, a salt spring or, especially in later tradition, the creation of a horse. Accounts also differ over who judged the contest.