Importance

Apart from the title and some indirect references to the goddess in the lyrics, “Athena” by The Who could be perceived as having very little relation to the goddesses’s character in The Odyssey. However, looking at the song from a modern perspective and as someone who is currently reading The Odyssey, the work’s connection to the epic poem and Athena’s leadership in it may be found in seeing the song as a representation of taking what Athena symbolizes — wisdom, strategy, and war — and giving a very modern interpretation of what each of those might look like in the relationship that the song depicts. This is to say that the song looks perhaps more at Athena as an abstract idea or metaphor than an actual person/goddess, which is maybe more relatable for modern listeners. In another sense, the song’s lyrics emphasize the power of the “Athena” character, which brings about an interesting topic of interpretation and connection to Athena’s powerful influence in The Odyssey.

Exposed Perspective

The song, written about Pete Townshend’s rejection by actress Theresa Russell, is delivered from the perspective of a man dealing with his love for a woman and the power that his love gives her over him as a result. This dynamic is made evident by the lyrics “Athena, all I ever want to do is please her/ My life has been so settled and she’s is the reason/ Just one word from her and my troubles are long gone”. In relation to The Odyssey, Athena as a goddess holds a lot of innate power over mortals and could, in theory, do whatever she wanted to them. However, in The Odyssey, she uses her power to help and lead both Telemachus and Odysseus on their respective journeys and is portrayed as benevolent and wise. Despite this depiction, it is hard to imagine that her being a goddess has no impact on their willingness to abide by her advice and leadership. Like in the song, Athena’s control and power is evident — so who’s to say that Athena’s power and mortal’s love of the Greek gods isn’t a mode of persuasion to get Odysseus and Telemachus to fulfill her will? The power dynamic represented in the song could perhaps be translated to The Odyssey upon further inspection of the relationship between Odysseus and Athena and how her leadership — led by her motives to restore order in Ithaca — leads Odysseus and Telemachus to do as she wants and achieve her goals. The song also depicts its Athena as “a bomb”, implying that she is perhaps dangerous and explosive. While Athena is depicted as relatively level-headed and wise in The Odyssey, her modes of achieving her goals could be perceived as immoral. Athena’s use of deception and disguises — like when she appears to Telemachus in Book 1 and Odysseus in Book 13 — in order to lead Odysseus and Telemachus could be seen as a form of manipulation, which could make her dangerous as she exerts her will on the two men without full honesty. Her aid in Odysseus’s slaughtering of the suitors in Book 22 could also show a violent side of Athena that still is not emphasized in the poem.

A New Approach

In terms of leadership and influence, The Who’s “Athena” could persuade audiences of The Odyssey to approach the epic with a more critical lens of the power dynamic between Athena and Odysseus as well as the morality of her leadership in the book and how she uses both to her advantage.