Once, a long, long time ago first king of
Athens, King Cecrops (quite an extraordinary king himself as he was part human
and part snake) set out to find a patron deity for his city state; already a
prosperous and vibrant city. He called on Athena and Poseidon because both in
fact desired to be the patron of this beautiful city. Their rivalry was so
intense that they almost went to war and just as they were about to attack each
other, Athena, with her typical, wise approach suggested that they should hold
a contest for the city. With King Cecrops the judge they set up the contest and
decided that whoever presented the city with the best gift would be rewarded with
the city itself as the grand prize.In the midst of a huge crowd, with King Cecrops
presiding over the contest they went up to the Acropolis to present their gifts
to the city. Poseidon was to go first, and he lifted his massive
trident (three pointed spear) and struck the earth with it. At the point where
the spear struck, a frothy spring burst out producing a sea which is now called
Erekhtheis. The people loved it but as they went closer to taste the water, to
their dismay the water was salty. Don’t forget that Poseidon was ruler of the
sea and the water sources he controlled were inevitably salty, just like the
seas he ruled.When it was Athena's turn her act was far less
dramatic. She quietly knelt and buried something in the ground which in time
grew into an olive tree. This turned out to be a much more useful gift,
granting the Athenians, not only the olives themselves as sustenance, but also
a source of oil for their lamps and for cooking their food as well as the wood
from the olive tree to build their boasts and houses. Clearly Athena's gift was
deemed by far the better by Cecrops and he declared her the winner, and the
patron deity of Athens
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