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Old March 29th, 2009, 07:09 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Poetic Justice
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Default Appropriate gift for Athena on the Acropolis?

wrote;

I'm a firm believer in checking in with the
local deity and paying respects when I
visit another country.


OK:-).

Obviously I'll want to give a tip o' the hat
to Athena when I arrive in Athens. When I
go up to the Acropolis, is there some
standard gift one offers to Athena?


Large cattle was always a big hit and you might be the first in
~1750yrs to do so.
But I think food was probably what the average citizen offered.
Cereal/grain and/or meat with a wine libation would do the trick.

But a 'barley cake' might really get you in her good graces.
IIRC barley cake replaced human sacrifice many centuries earlier and
Athena used them herself a couple of times.

For that matter, do the local gendarmerie
tolerate people leaving gifts and/or saying
a few words to the god of the place?


I think if you pass on the 'large cattle' sacrifice you will be fine.

For an Athena offering your best bet is the eastern end of the
Erechtheion where the 'Temple of Athena Polias' is
http://tinyurl.com/c4rpfb

Also if you plan any sea/ocean voyages or crossing you might want to
get into the good graces of Poseidon.
He shares this bldg with Athena and his offering location would be the
columned porch on the right in the photo.
Just don't offer him *anything* to do with olives.
Regards, Walter



...And Paradise Was Lost...like teardrops in the rain...