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Jul. 1st, 2011 at 6:51 PM
| The other Athena A Nurses Week tribute to Florence Nightingale |
| By Joy Shiller |
 Athena, goddess of wisdom in ancient Greece, was symbolized by the owl. But there was another Athena. Born on 5 June 1850 (Verney, 1970), she was the devoted and constant companion to one of the most prominent figures in Victorian history. Florence Nightingale was born in 1820 to an extraordinarily wealthy British family who lived primarily at Embley, a manor house in Hampshire. The family spent summers at Lea Hurst, a mansion in Derbyshire. During the high social season, they stayed at the luxurious hotels of London. Despite her privileged existence, Nightingale suffered from bouts of depression. In 1849, following a seven-year courtship with Richard Milnes, she declined his marriage proposal. She became so despondent that her family’s close friends, the Bracebridges, invited her to join them on an extended vacation to Egypt and Greece. Chameleons and tortoises Nightingale always had a passion for animals, finding solace in their presence. While vacationing in Egypt, she had two chameleons that slept in her bed. In Greece, she acquired two tortoises (Mr. and Mrs. Hill) plus a cicada named Plato (Woodham-Smith, 1983). One day, she was visiting the Parthenon in Athens and saw a baby owl being tormented by a group of boys. She bought it with a few coins and named her Athena. Initially, the owlet fought and scratched at everything that came close to her (Verney, 1970). Athena even ate Plato (Woodham-Smith, 1983). She was so ferocious that the only way Miss Nightingale could coax her into a cage was to mesmerize her using a method she had learned from Richard Milnes. Eventually, the mischievous bird calmed down, acquired some manners and ate from Nightingale’s hand (Verney). Nightingale traveled everywhere with the owl in her pocket (Woodham-Smith) and taught the bird to bow and curtsy to anything near her (Greyfield, 2005). Athena had become a “balm to [Nightingale’s] wounded psyche” (Gill, 2004). After 10 months of vacationing with the Bracebridges, Nightingale returned to Embley. While sitting on the sofa between her mother and sister Parthe, she pulled a bag from her pocket. To their surprise, Athena’s little head peered from the bag (Verney, 1970). With this latest addition to the estate, the butler was given the additional responsibility of supplying mice to accommodate the owl’s diet (Nash, 1936). |
Seven inches of pomposity Athena rapidly adapted to the luxuries of her new English home, although she still had her ways. A pompous bird, she developed the attitude of an aristocrat. Her preferred places were the library and the middle of an armchair in front of the fire, which she seemed to believe was arranged just for her. She did not tolerate strangers, dogs or children, but appeared to enjoy visiting with the Bracebridges, who communicated with her in Greek. She was quite emotional and possessed a variety of distinct sounds to express her feelings. Although her antics were sometimes comical, Athena was not a bird to be laughed at. She was courageous for her size. There was very little that could intimidate this 7-inch creature (Gill, 2004; Verney, 1970). In 1851, Florence Nightingale left home for three months to study nursing in Kaiserswerth, Germany. In a letter to her mother, she described her experiences and provided specific instructions about the care of her pet: “Athena must not make blots and she must have sand and not drink the ink” (Vicinus & Nergaard, 1990). Although her mother and sister did not support Nightingale’s decision to become a nurse, she relied on them to care for the owl during her absence. Athena even accompanied them on their excursions in Germany and to Carlsbath Baths, when they went for the cure (Gill, 2004; McDonald, 2009). Parthe actually became quite attached to the little bird (Gill). After Nightingale returned from her studies, Athena only left Embley to travel to Lea Hurst and London. Although the owl’s health was relatively good, she was subjected to “fits,” whereby she would fall down and remain unresponsive for an hour or more. Once warmed, she would come out of her “fit,” as if nothing ever happened (Verney, 1970). Tragedy In October 1854, tragedy struck at Lea Hurst. Florence Nightingale was in London making final preparations for her nursing expedition to Scutari, Turkey, during the Crimean War. In the midst of the confusion, Athena was neglected. The anguish, cold and loneliness were more than the little bird could withstand (Verney, 1970). On the day of Nightingale’s scheduled departure, Athena was found by Mary Watson, the housekeeper, lying on her side. This time, it was not a fit. Athena had died. Watson brought the dead owl to Nightingale in London. When it was placed in her hands, she said, “Poor little beastie; it was odd how much I loved you.” It was the only time Nightingale cried during that hectic week of preparation (Bostridge, (2008). Her departure was delayed for two days until Athena was sent to an embalmer (Verney, 1970). Nightingale blamed her sister’s irresponsibility for the owl’s death (Gill, 2004). Parthe later remarked that the unfortunate incident was symbolic of the death of her sibling’s “old life” (Bostridge). Throughout the Crimean War, Nightingale sometimes wrote letters that reflected her homesickness. In one of those letters, she wrote about a vision she had of her deceased companion:
In May 1855, Nightingale was stricken with Crimean fever and almost died. In an effort to cheer her up during a long convalescence, many sent her gifts. Among them, given by British troops in Scutari, were a terrier dog and a replacement owl for Athena. Unfortunately, that owl succumbed to rats the following year. Nightingale also received a charming book, The Life and Death of Athena, an Owlet from the Parthenon, written and illustrated by her sister Parthe (Bostridge, 2008). Nightingale was especially impressed with the book and, in July, wrote to her sister:
Celebrity status During the summer of Nightingale’s convalescence, reproductions of a drawing of Athena, sitting on a pedestal beside her mistress, appeared in store windows throughout England. The owl had become a celebrity (Bostridge, 2008). By the time Nightingale returned from the Crimean War, she was emotionally and physically shattered. Although she refused all public appearances and celebrations, she did accept from the Duke of Devonshire a silver statue of an owl honoring Athena (Woodham-Smith, 1983). Throughout Nightingale’s life, thoughts of Athena continued to resurface (Gill, 2004). On one occasion, after collapsing in August 1857, she had a disagreement with her personal physician, Dr. Sutherland. Refusing to accept his advice, she wrote a rambling, infuriating letter to him, in which she identified with Athena:
Athena's final home For the remainder of Nightingale’s life, the embalmed and mounted Athena remained at Lea Hurst. Following her death, Athena became the property of Age Care, an elderly care charity that bought the estate (Greyfield, 2005). Age Care loaned the owl to the Florence Nightingale Museum in London and, on 3 November 2004, Athena became part of an exhibition celebrating the 150th anniversary of Nightingale’s arrival at Scutari (Nightingale Museum, 2004). In the same year, Lea Hurst, along with several Nightingale artifacts, including Athena, were put up for sale. Following a series of fundraisers to collect £13,000, Athena became part of the museum’s permanent collection (Greyfield; Prudames, 2004).  According to Alex Attewell, former director of the museum: “Athena is as much an emblem of Florence Nightingale as is a nurse’s uniform. Both show her caring side to perfection … that she was not as driven as some people would have us believe” (Member 2 NurseChat, 2004). Attewell considered Athena the most important acquisition the museum could make. “It says something fundamental about Florence Nightingale” (Prudames, 2004). Nightingale’s beloved pet is now one of the highlights of the museum, where Athena magnets, prints, postcards and finger puppets are sold. She is even showcased on the home page of the museum’s website (Florence Nightingale Museum, n.d.). Athena has assured herself a small, but cherished, place in the history of modern nursing. Certainly, Florence Nightingale would be thrilled if she knew what really became of her devoted little companion. RNL Author’s note: There is a considerable amount of discrepancy as to the details of Athena’s death among Nightingale biographers (Lambton, n.d). For the purpose of this article, the explanation is based on her sister’s book.  Joy Shiller, RN, BSN, MS, CAPA, is a pre-op nurse at The Methodist Hospital at Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas, USA. References: Bostridge, M. (2008). Florence Nightingale: The making of an icon. New York: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux. Florence Nightingale Museum. (n.d.). Home page. Retrieved 5 May 2011 from http://www.florence-nightingale.co.uk/ Gill, G. (2004). Nightingales: The extraordinary upbringing and curious life of Miss Florence Nightingale. New York: Random House. Goldie, S.M. (Ed.). (1997). Florence Nightingale: Letters from the Crimea, 1854-1856. Manchester, UK: Mandolin. Greyfield, D. (2005, December 5). Athena, owlet. Retrieved from http://www.findagrave.com/php/famous.php?page=gSearch &page=gSearch&globalSearchCriteria=owlet+athena Huxley, E. (1975). Florence Nightingale. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons. Lambton, L. (n.d.). Claydon House: Ode to a Nightingale. Retrieved 5 May 2011 from http://www.countryjoe.com/nightingale/claydon.htm McDonald, C.J. (2009, July 20). Pathenope’s owl book. Retrieved 5 May 2011 from http://www.countryjoe.com/nightingale/athena.htm Member 2 NurseChat. (2004, July 29). Florence Nightingale’s pet owl comes home to roost. Retrieved 5 May 2011 from http://forum.nursechat.com/index.php?showtopic=494 – Nash, R. (1936). A short life of Florence Nightingale. New York: The MacMillan Company. Nightingale Museum. (2004, August 1). Athena the owl comes home to roost. Retrieved 5 May 2011 from http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/1123 Prudames, D. (2004, July 29). Florence Nightingale Museum hopes to buy her pet owl. Retrieved 5 May 2011 from http://www.culture24.org.uk/science+%26+nature/medicine/art23327 Verney, P. (1970). Life and death of Athena, an owlet from the Parthenon. San Francisco: Grabhorn-Hoyem. (Limited edition copy of lithographic facsimile of original 1855 book). Vicinus, M., & Nergaard, B. (1990). Ever yours, Florence Nightingale selected letters. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Woodham-Smith, C. (1983). Florence Nightingale, 1820-1910. New York: Atheneum. |
(From RNL [Reflections on Nursing Leadership], the blog of Sigma Theta Tau International nursing honor society, www.reflectionsonnursingleadership.org/Pages)/Vol37_2_Shiller_Athena.aspx
Comments
But yes, very interesting, isn't it? A rather unusual pet...but then, she was an unusual person :)