Palladium: Blessing or Curse?
--Bruce Schneier, Cryptogram, Aug. 15, 2002
Goddesses and Horses
Athena, born full-grown from the head of Zeus, was trained in the fighting arts. She accidentally killed her friend, Pallas, during a game. It saddened her so much that she appended the name of her friend to her own. A statue of Pallas Athena in full armor, known as the Palladium, stood guard over the ancient city of Troy. Legend held that as long as the statue was safe, so was the city. During the 10th year of the Trojan War, Odysseus and Diomed stole the statue. The city soon fell to the nefarious Greeks, who hid inside a wooden horse.
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