Athena, goddess of wisdom

Athena was the daughter of Zeus and Metis and one of the twelve Olympian deities the Greeks believed ruled over the cosmos.

She was the goddess of wisdom and war, but also of crafts and weaving. As a patron of heroes, such as Odysseus and Perseus, she plays an important role in Greek heroic tradition and features heavily in the 7th-century epics the Iliad and the Odyssey.

Athena was also one of three virgin goddesses, the other two being Artemis and Hestia.

Athena myth summary

A common epithet for her, and the facet of her worshiped on the Acropolis, was Parthenos meaning “maiden.” She was worshiped all over the Greek world, but her primary cult center was in Athens, the only city that bore her name.

1.

Birth

Athena had a unique birth among the gods. After Zeus had defeated the Titans and became king of the gods, he took the goddess Metis as his wife. It was foretold that she would have two children, first a daughter followed by a son.

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