Chapter Astræa to Athena of A by Brewer's Readers Handbook

They were supposed to be directly derived from the ancient mimi of the Atellan Fables.—Scott: The Drama.

Atha, a country in Connaught, which for a time had its own chief, and sometimes usurped the throne of Ireland. Thus Cairbar (lord of Atha) usurped the throne, but was disseated by Fingal, who restored Conar king of Ulster. The war of Fingal with Cairbar is the subject of the Ossianic poem Temora, so called from the palace of that name where Cairbar murdered king Cormac. The kings of the Fir-bolg were called “lords of Atha.”—Ossian.

Athalie, daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, and wife of Joram king of Judah. She massacred all the remnant of the house of David; but Joash escaped, and six years afterwards was proclaimed king. Athalie, attracted by the shouts, went to the temple, and was killed by the mob. This forms the subject and title of Racine’s chef-d’œuvre (1691), and was Mdlle. Rachel’s great part.

(Racine’s tragedy of Athalie, queen of Judah, must not be confounded with Corneille’s tragedy of Attila, king of the Huns; nor with Atala, q.v.)

Atheist’s Tragedy (The), by Cyril Tourneur. The “atheist” is D’Amville, who murdered his brother Montferrers for his estates (1611).

Athelstane, surnamed “The Unready,” thane of Coningsburgh.—Sir W. Scott: Ivanhoe (time, Richard I.).

“Unready” does not mean unprepared, but injudicious (from Anglo-Saxon, ræd, “wisdom, counsel”).

Athena [Juno] once meant “the air,” but in Homer this goddess is the representative of civic prudence and military skill. Athena, in Greek mythology, is the armed protectress of states and cities.