Athena In Homer's Odyssey, Metamorphoses

Athena is one of the most important goddesses in Greek mythology. Appearing in both The Odyssey, Metamorphoses, and other literatures, she is the goddess of wisdom and military victory. In Metamorphoses and other Roman works, she is called by the name of Minerva. In both works of literature, Athena is shown to exhibit much use of disguise, be worshipped generously, and be merciless to those who she opposes. It is rare to not see Athena using the motif of disguise. In The Odyssey, she disguises herself as many different people, including Mentes, Mentor, and a long list of others. She even disguises other people, such as when she disguises Odysseus as an old beggar. In Metamorphoses, she can be seen disguising herself as an old woman. She, who is having quarreling with Arachne over who has the superior spinning skills, tells the girl that after her boast that her own sewing talents exceed those of Athena’s, she should ask the goddess for forgiveness. This is quite a cheeky move as she herself is Athena. This shows Athena’s manipulativeness and shrewd way of getting what she desires out of other people. As
Because of this, she has no mercy for those who oppose her. In The Odyssey, she assists Odysseus with his revenge against the suitors. Though few of the men are awful people, her plan spares none of them, and even the good men are slaughtered for the actions of the rotten few. We can see this mercilessness once again in Metamorphoses when Athena challenges Arachne. When she is beaten in the weaving contest, Athena decimates Arachne’s work and physically assaults the young girl, causing Arachne to attempt suicide. She does show some sympathy by sparing Arachne’s life and turning her into a spider, however; this is hardly a pleasant fate. Though she is referred to as a rather pretty goddess, it is vital not to provoke her anger, lest one would want to end up a pile of steaming