As its logo for sustainable development, the Group has chosen the owl of Athena, a Greek symbol of wisdom.
Greece is the crucible of western culture (sharing particular resonance with Indian culture): the roots of the humanist ideal are to be found there. Even today, the philosophy of the Ancient Greeks continues to shape our thinking. In mythology, Athena (Minerva for the Romans) is the patron goddess of the city of Athens. The daughter of Zeus, king of the gods, she was said to have sprung full-grown from his head, fully armed and helmeted. She has independent power and her chief quality is intelligence, which takes two forms:
War, in terms of strategy rather than heroism and destructive force, which are the preserve of her brother Ares (Mars in Roman mythology). In this context, Athena is depicted in armor. She is Athena Nike, the goddess of victory.
Wisdom, as well as science and technology (making her the goddess of engineers!) and peace, with the symbol of the olive tree, which she gave as an emblem to Athens, the city she founded. She is "Athena of the bright blue eyes" depicted with her owl, the bird whose look can pierce the darkness and whose head swivels to look both ways, forming a vision of the future from the lessons of the past. It is the "wise owl" character used by Disney.
We could find no stronger symbol to embrace an almost universal field of cultural reference, the temporal challenge of sustainable development (future generations), the role of women in society, and the conviction that to meet these challenges, the human race will never find a better methodological tool than wisdom, which, in spite of everything, is responsible for humanistic hope turned toward action and the future.