Até

The next time you see a little girl in your neighborhood who loves to cause a bit of trouble and seems to laugh at the problems it causes, think of the Greek goddess Até. She was the Greek goddess of ruin and mischief.

In the old times when Greece was a country full of gods and goddesses, Até belonged to the kind of family that people usually avoid. Her mother was Eris, the goddess of trouble and conflict. Some say her dad was Zeus. She had many brothers and sisters, all of whom were involved in causing difficulties. They represented wrongs, lies, forgetting, pain, and fights. They weren’t the kind of gods you’d invite into your home for pizza.

Até took her little tricks way too far one day. Hera, the wife of Zeus, got Até to trick her husband. The god Zeus was the god of thunder and the sky. He was the ruler of all the gods and men. After Até was through with her lies, Zeus swore that his son who was born that day would become a great ruler over man.

Hera was pregnant with twins and Zeus as their father. Hera wanted her favorite, Eurystheus, to be that great ruler. To do that she had to delay Heracles from being born long enough for Eurystheus to be born early and claim the title.

As it usually happens, Zeus found out about the trick. In his anger, he threw Até off Mount Olympus and forbid her ever to return. Since that day, Até has wandered among us on Earth, causing trouble wherever she goes.

Remember that even the most powerful of Mt. Olympus pay a high price when they lie.