Athena is the Goddess of wisdom and war.She is also the ruler of Athens, the city of the Gods.Her symbol is The Bowl,sole Daughter of The God Zeus and The Goddess Metis.She has no siblings.
Appearence
Athena in the classical Greece as from the fifth century,became the Goddess of wisdom and also Patroness of weaponery,of metalwork of weapons,in another word the Goddess of War.She led battles (Athena Promachos) or the warrior maiden Athena Parthenos as the disciplined, strategic side of war, in contrast to her brother Ares, the patron of violence.
Relationship
Athena's father,Zeus swallowed Metis ( her mother,a Titan who ruled the fourth day and the planet Mercury ),to prevent her from having offspring, but she already was pregnant with Athena. Metis gave birth to Athena and nurtured her inside Zeus until Zeus complained of headaches and called for Hephaestus to split open his head with his smithing tools. Athena burst forth from his forehead fully armed with weapons given by her mother. She famously wields the thunderbolt and the Aegis, which she and Zeus share exclusively.Some Historians said that Athena was the daughter of Zeus not from intercourse, but when the god had in mind the making of a world through a word (logos) his first thought was Athena.
In the one most commonly cited, Zeus lay with Metis,(the goddess of crafty thought and wisdom ),but he immediately feared the consequences,because it had been prophesied that Metis would bear children more powerful than the conceivor,( even Zeus himself).In order to forestall these consequences, after lying with Metis, Zeus swallowed her inside his own belly,but it was too late,Metis already conceived.
Athena never had a lover and was known as "Virgin Athena". Her most famous temple, the Parthenon in Athens is taken from this title and a recognition of her role as enforcer of rules of sexual modesty.The Athenians also valued the Goddess for her pureness of virginity.
Adventures
Hephaestus attempted to rape Athena, but she escaped him. His semen fell on the ground, and Erichthonius was born from the Earth,(Gaia). Athena then adopted the baby.
Athena put the infant Erichthonius in a small box which she forwarded to the care of three Athenian sisters, Herse, Pandrosus, and Aglaulus(of Athens). The goddess did not tell them what the box contained, but warned them not to open it until she returned. One or two sisters opened the box to reveal Erichthonius, in the form of a serpent. The serpent, or insanity induced by the sight, drove Herse and Pandrosus to throw themselves off the Acropolis.
Another related history to Athena is in this late variant where Hermes falls in love with Herse. Herse, Aglaulus, and Pandrosus go to the temple to offer sacrifices to Athena. Hermes demands help from Aglaulus to seduce Herse. Aglaulus demands money in exchange. Hermes gives her the money the sisters had already offered to Athena. As punishment for Aglaulus's greed, Athena asks the goddess Envy to make Aglaulus jealous of Herse. When Hermes arrives to seduce Herse, Aglaulus stands in his way instead of helping him as she had agreed. He turns her to stone.
With this mythic origin, Erichthonius became the founder-king of Athens, where many beneficial changes to Athenian culture were ascribed to him. During this time, Athena frequently protected him.
Another history also related to Athena is, Medusa and Tiresias.
In a late myth, Medusa, unlike her two sister-Gorgons, came to be thought of by the Classical Greeks during the fifth century as mortal and extremely beautiful, but she had sex with Poseidon in the temple of Athena and Hephasteus . Upon discovering the desecration of her temple, Athena changed Medusa's form to match that of her sister Gorgons as punishment. Medusa's hair turned into snakes, her lower body was transformed also, and meeting her gaze would turn any living creature to stone. In the earliest of myths there is but one Gorgon and the only snakes were two wrapped around her waist as a belt.
In one version of the Tiresias myth, Tiresias stumbled upon Athena bathing,and she blinded him because she was nude.To compensate him for his loss,she sent serpents to lick his ears, which gave him the gift of prophecy.
Athena competed also with Poseidon. They agreed that each would give the Athenians one gift and that they would choose the gift they preferred. Poseidon struck the ground with his trident gaving them a means water, but the water was salty and not very good to drink. Athena, however, offered them the first domesticated olive tree. The Athenians accepted the olive tree and the tree brought wood, oil, and food. Thus by winning this fight over Poseidon, Athena reflect the conflict between matriarchical and patriarchical religions, which she won.
Evolution through History
Athena also was the patron goddess of several other Greek cities, notably Sparta.
Athena also later will help Heclares in the Mythe of beheading Medussa. Greeks related that Athena guided Perseus in his quest to behead Medusa. She instructed Heracles to skin the Nemean Lion by using its own claws to cut through its thick hide. She also helped Heracles to defeat the Stymphalian Birds, and to navigate the underworld so as to capture Cerberos.
Symbols
Her symbol is The Bowl, Which she has on a scept, and always carries it as a sign of her supremacy and power.
Bibliography
http://enwikipedia.org/wiki/athena
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Athena_Parthenos_Altemps_Inv8622.jpg
http://search2.google.com/?link=http://www.goddess-athena.org/Encyclopedia/Athena
http://www.saintseya.com
http://www.mars.dti.ne.jp/~athena/athena/misc/athena-p.gif
Athena is the Goddess of wisdom and war.She is also the ruler of Athens, the city of the Gods.Her symbol is The Bowl,sole Daughter of The God Zeus and The Goddess Metis.She has no siblings.
