The Owl of Minerva, Minerva Interiors, Ross-on-Wye

ABOUT MINERVA

In Romano-Etruscan mythology, Minerva was the goddess of wisdom. As the Romans conquered other states they integrated the other cultures with their own, thus she became identified with the Greek goddess Athena.

Minerva was also Goddess of wisdom and learning, meditation, inventiveness, accomplishments, the arts, spinning and weaving, and commerce. Minerva was identified with Pallas Athene, bestower of victory, when Pompey the Great built her temple with the proceeds from his eastern campaigns.

Minerva and Mars are honored at Quinquatras, five days at the Spring equinox. But Minerva has many aspects, attributes, names and epithets

As the daughter of Jupiter and Juno, Minerva was considered to be the virgin goddess of warriors, poetry, medicine, wisdom, commerce, crafts, and inventor of music. Ovid called her the "goddess of a thousand works." The Romans celebrated her worship from March 19 to 23 during the Quinquatrus, the artisans' holiday.

THE OWL OF MINERVA (the symbol of Minerva Interiors)

Our symbol is taken from a rare silver Athenian four-drachma coin dating from c440–410BC The coin was perhaps found in Athens. One side of the coin shows the head of Athena (Minerva), patron of Athens. The other side shows her two favourite symbols, the owl and the olive. The letters next to the owl are ancient Greek letters, an abbreviation of ‘of the Athenians’ Where is it now?