Olive

The origin of this tree can be found in the Greek mythology for which it represented an icon of peace and prosperity. As told by the legend, in fact, the tree is due to a competition between two Greek gods: Athena and Poseidon. When Zeus, god of the Olympus, married Metis, he was predicted by Gea and Uranus that one day his wife would have had two children the second of whom would have tried to steal Zeus’s throne.
In order to avoid that the prophecy would happen, Zeus, considering that Metis was already pregnant of their first child, ate his wife. (Yes I know this sounds weird but according to Greek mythology, gods had supernatural powers that allowed them to do everything they wanted, especially Zeus, the king of all gods).
After many days, Zeus suffered of terrible headaches that were so strong that he couldn’t resist. For this reason, he invited Hephaestus to hit his head with his hammer. After many requests, Hephaestus accepted it and hit Zeus on his head. From Zeus head’s wound came out a big creature - dressed in a shiny armor – and with a javelin in her right hand. That was Athena, the goddess of war.
The young goddess immediately showed that she wasn’t just able to make war but she was also very wise and smart: that is why she also became the goddess of reason, art, literature, philosophy, commerce and industry. She was the personification of the wisdom and knowledge behind all the known sciences at that time.
As we said, Athena is daughter of Zeus (the strongest of the Gods) and of Metis (the wisest) and from both she inherited their greatest characteristics, so she became, by importance and power, the second divinity of Olympus; the symbol of a perfect and balanced fusion of strength and intelligence.
One day, the superb Athena asked to her father, Zeus, to assign her a region of Greece that needed protection. This made Poseidon furious because he was waiting to have a region assigned by Zeus. From here a big and violent conflict arose in order to have the dominance of Attica, a region of Greece.
Zeus - who was in a very delicate situation - couldn’t decide so he proclaimed a competition between Poseidon and Athena saying that who would have offered the most useful gift to the region, would have had the supremacy. Additionally he left the other Gods decide which of the two gifts was the best one.
When the copetition started, Poseidon with his trident touched the rock under him and a creature, never seen before, came out of it. It was the first horse, symbol of bravery and war strength, which became an important help for human beings since then.
On the other hand, Athena, who was standing beside him, hit the ground with her precious javelin and the first olive tree came out, symbol of the prosperity that peace generates. All the gods decided that Athena deserved to win and, accordingly to this, since that day the capital of Attica was named Athens in honor to the patron goddess.
From that day on, Athena became the goddess of the city of Athens. Some time later, one of Poseidon's sons tried to uproot the Athena tree, but he injured himself in committing the sacrilegious act and died. So the Athenians decided to build the Acropolis on that point of the city and to have the sacred plant of the olive tree be guarded night and day by the soldiers.
It is said that the first olive tree is still standing in front of the Parthenon - which was built by Pericles to honour the Goddess Athena between the 477 and the 432 b. C. - in Athens and that in ancient Greece anyone caught while destroying an olive tree was condemned to death penalty.
Since that moment, this magic plant was used for many different reasons from citizens: to cure diseases, to show big achievements (it was offered during the Olympic games to athletes as gift of Gods), to moisturize their skins, to prepare delicious and healthy dishes, to keep their body healthy, to heat them up during winters and, of course, to show wisdom and knowledge.
Many centuries later, Romans kept the divine symbolism behind olive trees, which were this time protected by the roman goddess Minerva, goddess of war and wisdom. The same thing happened even when Christians took the power. In fact, in the Christian culture, the olive tree still keeps a spiritual and iconic meaning. It is said that Noah after the Great Flood brought out a dove from the ark and this returned with an olive branch in the beak, a sign that water was retreating and that peace would return to earth.
Additionally in the Christian culture, the olive tree is also the symbol of Palm Sunday, which commemorates the triumphal entry into Jerusalem of Jesus, who was welcomed by the crowd that acclaimed him waving branches of olive and palm.
There is a set of mentions of olive tree in ancient Egypt. Its fruits and its branches are represented in statues, drawings and hieroglyphs. The grave of Tutankhamun was adorned by crowns and the jewelry was made out of branches of the olive tree.
On many of the monuments of Ancient Greece it is possible to see a branch of the olive tree in the hand of ancient gods. Athena made an olive tree sprout with a stroke of a spear “the tree, which fruits would be not only suitable as food, but of them unusual liquid could be got, which would serve as food for the men, rich with taste and energy, would be received to ease their wounds and give them strength, capable of lighting up the nights. It is the symbol of the world, victory and life, a fertility tree”. The olive tree was devoted to Minerva.
The wild olive tree which was planted at the entrance to the temples was devoted to Apollo, and on its branches were hanging gifts to god. The wooden hammer of Hercules, by the way, was also made of olive tree, as well as the scepters of kings, statues of gods and battle instruments of the heroes.
In Rome the olive tree was considered the victory and purity symbol. Men were bringing garlands or the crowns made of olive tree.
Historia del OlivoIn the sources of Christianity the world was presented on the gravestones in the form of a pigeon holding in his beak a branch of an olive tree as an image of Noah’s Ark who returned with a branch of an olive tree, declaring that the water had run. In the Bible there is a set of mentions of oil and olive tree. It was the sign of the victorious fighters and the award of the winners in Olympic Games. On the medals of the emperors the branches of olive tree symbolized the piece which was offered by them to the territories subordinated to their state.
The Koran refers to olive tree and its oil in the following way: “God is the light of heaven and the earth. Its light is like the light of an oil lamp in a niche … is switched on thanks to the blessed tree of olive, to the tree which is neither eastern, nor western; the oil shines without touching the fire: it is the light of light”
The olive tree was a totem in ancient Greece The origin of the Olive tress in the city of Athens is explained through the intervention of the Goddess Athena. This goddess was the daughter of Zeus (supreme God of Greek mythology) and Metis who symbolised prudence and cunning. Athena was a warrior Goddess whose attributes were the spear, helmet and aegis era una divinidad guerrera cuyos attributes are the spear, helmet and aegis (Zeus' magical attribute according to some authors was a goat-skin wallet and according to others, it was the shield protected by the head of Gorgon whose eyes turned to stone anyone that looked at it). In addition Athena was Goddess of justice and wisdom and protector of arts and literature. Her sacred animal was the owl and the olive tree was one of her most recognised symbols. The reason that the olive tree symbolised the Goddess is explained through the following mythic passage:
Poseidon, God of the seas and Zeus' brother, coveted earthly kingdoms and so claimed the possession of Attica, driving his trident into the Athenian Acropolis which became a well of salt water. Later, Athena came to town and took it in a very peaceful way calling Cecrops, first King of Athens, as a witness. Athena made an olive tree spring from just next to the well. Poseidon, in anger, challenged the goddess, but Zeus intervened and ordered the formation of a divine tribunal to decide which of the two Gods should be enshrined in the city. Thus, the tribunal formed by the Olympic deities, after listening to the testimony of Cecrops decided to side with Athena. It was determined that it was she who had the right to own the land because she had given the city the greatest gift: the first olive tree. Thenceforth, the city adopted the name of Athens and the olive tree planted by Athena was revered for centuries in the Acropolis symbolising the victory.
In Greece the olive tree symbolises peace and prosperity, as well as resurrection and hope. This was demonstrated by the events after the burning of Athens by the Persian King Xerxes in the V century BC. Xerxes burned the entire Acropolis city, within which was the centenary of olive trees of Athena, which was also burned. However, when the Athenians entered the scorched city, the olive tree had already grown a branch, symbolising the rapid recuperation and renovation of the Athenians in the face of adversity.
Roman coin with a representation of Athena and the olive tree
Tetradrachm minted in Athens on the front is Athena with the Attic helmet decorated with an olive tree and on the back is an owl with an olive branch
Hercules also, one of the most well-known mythological heroes, is related to the olive tree. Even though he was very young Hercules managed to kill the Cithaeron lion which was ravaging the countryside, using only his own hands and a wooden stake from a wild olive tree. This act indentified the olive tree with strength and resistence. Hercules is also famous for his twelve labours ("Herculean labours") commissioned by his cousin Eurystheus in order to atone his sins after he killed his family in a blind frenzy. During these labours he used various weapons, including a club, which is one of the most significant attributes of Hercules, along with the lion skin. This club was made of the wood from an olive tree and if it was dug into the ground it began to take root to until it converted into tree. Amongst other things, with this club Hercules managed to corner the Nemean lion in a cave and then he strangled it with his own hands.
Hercules lying under an olive tree
Bisotun relief (Iraq) where Heracles appears lying on a lion's skin in the shade of an olive tree (shown in the white square)
The olive tree, being considered a sacred tree, was often used as an offering to the Gods from the mortals. This is demonstrated in the story of Theseus, the national hero of Attica, who also has the presence of the olive tree in the story of his life. Theseus was the son of Aegeus, king of Attica, and throughout his life he had many adventures. On of them was the confrontation with the Minotaur on the island of Crete. Before beginning his adventure, Thesus begged protection of Apollo in return he gave an offering to the God of a sacred olive branch from the Acropolis of Athens. This custom came from the Roman culture as testify the writings of Livy.
Also worth mentioning as an example is that of Orestes (the son of Agamemnon) and Clytemnestra who, by order of Apollo, killed their mother and her lover Aegisthus after they murdered his parents. Orestes prayed to Apollo to atone for his crimes and gave as an offering an olive branch.
Olive branch as an offering
The olive branch was handed over to the gods as an offering
The olive tree as well as being present in classic mythological literature, is also present in traditional religious celebrations. Collective festivals held in each polis in honor of the gods was a key moment in the Greek cult. So each city, or polis designed their own festival calendar, they even to competed with each other to achieve the best celebration.
One of the most famous celebrations in Athens was the Panathenaic festival, celebrated in the honour of the Goddess Athena, protector of the city. It used to be celebrated in the month of July and lasted various days, during which they had horse races, gymnastic exhibitions, competitions and various musical and literary shows. To the winners of the competitions they gave them a prize of an amphora (ceramic vase, as below) with olive oil that had been cultivated in the Attican olive fields sacred to Athens.
Amphora panathenaic for virgin olive oil
Panathenaic amphora of the sixth century BC. which represents a track meet. This vessel was given to the winners with virgin olive oil
The central act of this celebration was the procession that went through much of the city and culminated in the Parthenon Temple situated in Acropolis. This procession was immortalised in the hands of sculptor Phidias, all along the Parthenon frieze. The objective of the procession was to extend the offering of a robe or mantle to the goddess Athena to cover her. All members of the community participated in the procession, including the magistrates, priests, the winners crowned with a crown made from olive branchs, the maidens from the most important families bearing the offerings, the elderly carrying olive tree branches, warriors...
Sporting games celebrated in the city of Olympia, situated in Peloponnese, are another of the most important Greek religious festivals. In this case they were celebrated with an interval of four years to honour the God Zeus. Their origin isn't known for definite. Some traditions date back to the fifteenth century BC in commemoration of the victory in the race of Pelops against Oenomaus, however another legend attributes the beginning of the Olypmic games to Dorian Hercules which places the date in 776 BC. The truth is that from this year onwards, the games held in Olympia formed a part of the Panhellenic Games, and they were converted into the most important and prestigious Games over other festivals such as Pythian Games celebrated in Delphi in honour of Apollo and Isthmian Games held in Corinth in honour of Poseidon.
During the celebration in Olympia, one of the challenges that took place was the Pentathalon which consisted in five separate challenges: a running race, long jump, discus, javelin and wrestling or boxing. As well as the Pentathalon there was chariot racing, horse races and wrestling competitions. During the Olympic Games, not only were there physical tests but also intellectual tests. This is shown by the existence of literary and oratory competitions. The olive tree was present in the Games through being the prize. It was a braided crown of wild olive branches that were handed to the winners of the games, identifying itself again with victory. The athlete was recognised as a true hero and his triumph was a source of pride for his home town.
The goodness of the olive tree was also demonstrated with the tradition that Higinio presents in his texts relating how the Greeks situated in the bays of the main entrance to their houses and small olive branch as a symbol of protection from evil spirits on the outside.
Greek mosaic with representation of figures and olive branches
Greek mosaic representation of men carrying olive branches Fertility was another one of the olive tree's attributes. Athena was Goddess of fertility and as has been previously mentioned, her symbol was the olive tree which was one of the trees most cultivated in Greece and its fruit fed the Hellenes for centuries. As a result, the families who looked to gain fertility in their soils, looked to this tree. Testimony of this identification of the olive tree with fertility are the processions which were held in honour of the God Dionysus in which the community carried flowers, fruit and olive branches.
And so the relation between the Greek society and the olive tree was very intense. The demonstrationss of how special this tree was for the Greek society were abundant. It symbolised strength, victory, fertility, resistence and it was a sacred element when offered to Gods. Also, virgin olive oil was considered as an object of great value by being offered as the prize to the winners in the competitions.