General Information about Athena
Athena is the goddess of wisdom and courage in warfare, law, justice, strength and battle strategy. She is also the goddess of mathematics, the arts, crafts, skill, inspiration, and civilization. Her Roman manifestation, Minerva, had similar qualities. There are several versions of how Athena was born, but the most commonly known version is that Athena was born for Zeus's forehead and was wearing a full suit of armor.
Unique Qualities
Athena is very different from the other Greek goddesses. She is one of three virgin goddesses in Olympus, the other two being Hestia and Artemis. She had several demigod children, but they were born through her thoughts. Athena also tends to side with the male gods on important decisions. She is a very reserved and intellectual goddess. She like tactics and strategy and is one of the smarter gods, but she is more subtle.
classical beliefs and worldviews through Athena
In Sparta, Greece, women had many of the same rights as the men. Sparta had a very strong military force, so while the men were out fighting, the women did a lot of the male jobs. Athena is a women equivalent to the males of ancient Greece.
Common themes in the myths about Athena
In practically all of the myths about Athena, she is on the victorious side. This is because she picks her sides carefully and thinks her every move through thoroughly. Athena also sides with the male gods during many conflicts.
Relevance of Athena to modern readers
Athena represents a. strong, independent women in a world ruled by males. Today's readers can look up to Athena because of her success even when the odds were not quite in her favor.
Shared experiences between Athena and modern humans
Athena has had many experiences that today's reader can relate to. Athena was betrayed by Medusa in one myth. Medusa was one of Athena's "followers" and had agreed to stay a virgin throughout her life. She was very beautiful, and Poseidon wanted to be with her. The myths say several things, but in the end, Medusa loses her virginity to Poseidon and betrays Athena. Many people today are betrayed by their friends can relate to how Athena felt about Medusa afterwards. Athena is also very thoughtful about sides she picks and things she does of others. When Athena and Poseidon wanted the city of Athens to be name after themselves, they each gave the city a gift. Poseidon gave the city a harbor and the people liked it, but the water was salty so they could not drink it. Athena gave the city the olive tree. The fruit, branches and oil of the tree were all very useful to the people, so they chose Athena, which is why the city is named Athens. When friends give each other presents, they think about what the other person would want, not what they would want.