Athena
Athena
Athena, a Greek goddess of war, wisdom and arts & crafts, was the daughter of Zeus and Metis. Zeus heard a prophecy that the child Metis bore after she gave birth to Athena would become the lord of heaven, so, to prevent this from happening, he swallowed Metis while she was still pregnant with Athena. When the time came for Athena to be born, the smith god, Hephaistos, opened Zeus' head with an axe, and Athena stepped out, in full armor. The birth of Athena was a favorite topic of Greek vase painters.[1]
Athena was said to be Zeus’ favorite child and therefore had great power. She was said to be a virgin, never married nor had any offspring. As a war goddess Athena could not be dominated by other goddesses, such as Aphrodite, and as a palace goddess she could not be violated.[2]
In Homer’s Iliad Athena inspired and fought alongside many Greek heroes. Also in the Iliad, Zeus, the chief god, specifically assigned the sphere of war to Ares and Athena. Athena’s moral and intelligence were far superior to her brother Ares, whom fought for blood and not mercy. In the Iliad, Athena was the heavenly form of the heroic, military ideal: she embodied excellence in close combat, victory, and glory. The qualities that led to victory were found on the aegis, or breastplate, that Athena wore when she went to war: fear, strife, defense, and assault. Athena appears in Homer’s Odyssey as the goddess of Odysseus, and myths from later sources portray her similarly as helper of Perseus and Hercules. As the guardian of the welfare of kings, Athena became the deity of good guidance, of cautious restraint and practical insight, as well as of war. [3]
In addition to being the goddess of war she was also the goddess of arts and crafts. She invented the flute, the trumpet, the earthenware pot, the plow, the rake, the ox-yoke, the horse-bridle, the chariot, and the ship. She was also the first teacher of the science of numbers, and all women's arts: weaving,
Athena, a Greek goddess of war, wisdom and arts & crafts, was the daughter of Zeus and Metis. Zeus heard a prophecy that the child Metis bore after she gave birth to Athena would become the lord of heaven, so, to prevent this from happening, he swallowed Metis while she was still pregnant with Athena. When the time came for Athena to be born, the smith god, Hephaistos, opened Zeus' head with an axe, and Athena stepped out, in full armor. The birth of Athena was a favorite topic of Greek vase painters.[1]
Athena was said to be Zeus’ favorite child and therefore had great power. She was said to be a virgin, never married nor had any offspring. As a war goddess Athena could not be dominated by other goddesses, such as Aphrodite, and as a palace goddess she could not be violated.[2]
In Homer’s Iliad Athena inspired and fought alongside many Greek heroes. Also in the Iliad, Zeus, the chief god, specifically assigned the sphere of war to Ares and Athena. Athena’s moral and intelligence were far superior to her brother Ares, whom fought for blood and not mercy. In the Iliad, Athena was the heavenly form of the heroic, military ideal: she embodied excellence in close combat, victory, and glory. The qualities that led to victory were found on the aegis, or breastplate, that Athena wore when she went to war: fear, strife, defense, and assault. Athena appears in Homer’s Odyssey as the goddess of Odysseus, and myths from later sources portray her similarly as helper of Perseus and Hercules. As the guardian of the welfare of kings, Athena became the deity of good guidance, of cautious restraint and practical insight, as well as of war. [3]
In addition to being the goddess of war she was also the goddess of arts and crafts. She invented the flute, the trumpet, the earthenware pot, the plow, the rake, the ox-yoke, the horse-bridle, the chariot, and the ship. She was also the first teacher of the science of numbers, and all women's arts: weaving,