Olive, Latin name Olea europaea L., is an evergreen tree of Mediterranean origin, but it is also cultivated in regions with similar climates, such as California, South Africa, and Australia. Today, there are over a thousand different varieties known. In the Mediterranean region, among the shrubby vegetation of maquis, wild olives with thorny branches and small fruits also grow. This beautiful tree with silvery leaves can live to be two thousand years old. The olive flower is yellowish-white in color and has a pleasant scent, while the fruit is elongated or round in shape. During ripening, the green color of the unripe fruit changes to reddish and finally to a more or less dark reddish-purple or black color. Precious olive oil is exclusively obtained from the fruits of the cultivated species.
The olive appears in numerous myths and folktales of people across the Mediterranean. In ancient Greece, it was dedicated to Athena, the goddess of wisdom, protector of justice, arts, and sciences. Athena was one of the most powerful deities in the Greek pantheon, the capture of the strength and wisdom of her father Zeus. Since ancient times, she has been the goddess of well-planned and thoughtful warfare, which ends in victory, and the protector of cities that have her dedicated statues – palladiums – in their temples. The city was unconquerable as long as the palladium was present in it.
The myth of the dispute between Athena and Poseidon tells us how the Greeks obtained the olive tree. Once, Poseidon, wanting to rule over Attica, struck the Acropolis with his trident, right next to the temple of the goddess Athena. At that moment, a spring of seawater appeared at the same spot, from which the sound of ocean waves crashing could be heard when the southern wind blew. Wanting to take control peacefully, Athena planted the first olive tree next to the spring. Poseidon, angered by this, challenged her to a duel, but Zeus intervened and ordered them to present their dispute for public debate. The trial consisted of the highest divine council, and the witness was the first inhabitant of Attica, Cecrops, a snake-man born from the earth. It was decided that the olive tree Athens has the right to the land because it gave a more beautiful gift – an olive tree.
On the site where the described mythological event took place, the Erechtheion temple was built during the Peloponnesian War, around 420 BC. This place is also considered the holiest place on the Acropolis, where people have been building their temples since ancient times. Athena’s olive tree grew next to her temple, in front of the Erechtheion, and next to the olive tree was the grave of Cecrops, the snake-man. The tree that the goddess planted still existed in the 2nd century, and the current one dates back to 1917.
The olive tree also grew next to Athena’s altar in Plato’s Academy, and olive trees were also planted in the Asclepion near Epidaurus, a temple dedicated to Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine.
Opposite the city of Epidaurus, on the Greek island of Aegina, there is still the Aegaeon, a rectangular sacred space made of white stone. Olive trees have been planted inside the enclosed area since ancient times. The Aegaeon is dedicated to Eacus, the son of Zeus and the nymph Aegina, who ruled the island and was unmatched in his honesty, so much so that even the gods themselves took him as a judge in their disputes. Because of his righteousness, he became one of the judges in the underworld who judge the dead for their transgressions after his death.
Under the protection of the goddess Athena, many mythical heroes were, such as Odysseus and Heracles. Odysseus dug around the Cyclops Polyphemus with a staff made of olive wood, while Heracles wore a wreath made of olive branches and wielded a club made of olive wood as a weapon. In the central temple of Olympia, Zeus sat on a throne. In his right hand, he held a statue of Nike, the winged goddess of victory, and in his left hand, a staff with a golden eagle at the top. He wore a wreath on his head that resembled an olive branch, a symbol of strength.
In Olympia, there grew a type of wild olive tree called the “olive of beautiful wreaths,” and it was customary to make wreaths for the Olympic games from its branches. To celebrate the winners, both male and female, in the games of the goddess Here that took place before the Olympic Games, there was a competition for girls to become the “High Priestess of Hera.”
According to myth, the goddess Leto gave birth to Apollo, the Sun god, on the island of Delos, between an olive tree and a palm tree. In Egypt and Palestine, Leto was known as Lat, the goddess of fertility of palms and olives. The palm tree symbolized birth, and the olive tree symbolized new life, both associated with the winter solstice and the young Sun. One of the greatest treasures associated with the olive tree is the oil obtained by pressing its fruit. Ancient peoples believed that the energy of the Sun was trapped in olive oil. They identified it with the spirit of God and called it liquid gold. Sacred olive oil and olive branches were used during holy rituals, such as anointing the sick, at the time of death, during priest initiations, coronations of kings, consecration of altars and crypts, and in sacrificial offerings to the gods and similar occasions. The healing power of olive oil has been known since ancient times. Today, science has also confirmed that olive oil has beneficial and protective effects on almost all bodily systems and overall extends lifespan. According to scientific knowledge, olive oil has a positive effect on the growth and development of a child, as it contains, uniquely in the plant kingdom, a quantity of fatty acids in a ratio similar to mother’s milk.
The olive tree has always been the tree of heroes, the tree of Odysseus and Hercules, their strength and victories. It was planted in sanctuaries not only in honor of the goddess Athena but also in honor of all those honorable people who, with the nobility of their souls, were worthy of that tree and its protection. The olive tree has become a symbol of righteous peace, permanence, and longevity. It reminded the Greeks of Athena, of her purity and thoughtful fighting spirit. It was Athena’s olive tree.