Athena

  

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Name and meaning: the name Athena means: goddess of wisdom

Goddess of: the goddess of wisdom and military victory. She taught weaving and sewing and other crafts to the women and agriculture to men. She would give advice and stood by on any danger. Athena protected the heroes as they went out to war and saved them on their coming back.

Family: Zeus and Métis and the parents of Athena. The aunts and uncles of Athena are Poseidon, Demeter, Hades, Hera and Hestia. Her siblings are Ares, Aphrodite, Hermes, Hephaestus, Artemis and Apollo. Athena never married and had no children.

Athena's symbol: a spear

Athena's symbol: an owl

Athena's symbol: an olive tree

Some myths about Athena...

Athena’s birth

When Métis became pregnant Zeus ate the child as soon as it was born because, according to a prophecy at that time, Métis would bear a son who would pose a severe threat to Zeus. Nine months passed by and then suddenly Zeus started feeling a strong pain in his head and asked Hephaestus to comfort him. Hephaestus opened Zeus' head with an axe without hurting him. Athena sprang out of Zeus' head. She was already an adult, wearing armor with a shield in her hands and uttering warlike cries. From the first moment goddess Athena came into the world, she won the heart of Zeus and became his favorite child. However, she never received a mother's care. That's why she possesses more masculine than feminine attributes.

Athena and Arachne

Arachne was a maiden and she boasted that she was better at weaving than Athena herself. Athena, disguised as an old woman told the girl to take back what she had said. Arachne refused but realized who she was talking to. The goddess and Arachne had a weaving contest and Arachne filled her canvas with images of the gods’ failures. Athena couldn't help admiring but was in raged. She touched the girl’s forehead and Arachne turned into spider. Athena claimed that Arachne and all her descendants would hang from threads and be skillful weavers.