"Athena" and "Phevos" (Greek Αθηνά and Φοίβος; pronounced /aθiˈna/ and /ˈfivos/) were the mascots for the 2004 Summer Olympics, held at Athens. Phevos is a transcription of the modern Greek pronunciation of Phoebus, an epithet of Apollo. The mascots (right) were said to represent the Greek gods of wisdom (Athena) and light and music (Phevos, or Phoebus), paired as brother and sister, and were very loosely modeled after an ancient Greek terra cotta daidala from the 7th century BC (illustrated, below left), being identified as a "doll" in the heavily Greek Orthodox public culture of the modern nation.

See the entry for the ancient daidala, which were emphatically not toys. The mascots have been emblazoned on a variety of items for sale, including pins, clothing and other memorabilia .

In a penultimate twist, most high school graduates will quickly recognize that the twin of Phoebus Apollo is actually Artemis, not Athena. But the final twist may lie in the choice of the phallic archaic votive figure that was recommended by curators at the National Archaological Museum, on which the mascots were based.

Controversy

During the Games, a newly-organized Greek Society of the Friends of the Ancients— devoted to the preservation of Ancient Greek culture— sued over the images of the gods, claiming that they "savagely insult" ancient Greek mythology. They are demanding €3 million ($3,705,300 USD approximately) and a ban on the images.

The Athens 2004 Olympic Organizing Committee claimed that the mascots represent "participation, brotherhood, equality, cooperation, fair play [and] the everlasting Greek value of human scale."

External links

• Official mascot page