Athena
Greek mythology · deity · wisdom, strategic war, crafts
Goddess of wisdom and disciplined warfare, born fully armed from the head of Zeus. Patron of Athens, of heroes like Odysseus, and of weavers and craftsmen.
Stories
The Birth of Athena
Warned that a son of Metis would overthrow him, Zeus swallows his pregnant consort. In time he is seized by a splitting headache, and Athena springs from his head, fully grown and fully armed.
The Wrath of Poseidon
Trapped in the Cyclops' cave, Odysseus blinds Polyphemus to escape, then cannot resist shouting his real name. Polyphemus prays to his father Poseidon, whose vengeance scatters Odysseus's fleet and delays his homecoming ten years, with only Athena's favor bringing him home.
The Slaying of the Suitors
Home at last and disguised as a beggar, Odysseus strings the great bow that no suitor could bend and turns it on the men who devoured his house. With Telemachus beside him and Athena overhead, he clears the hall; Penelope tests him one last time with the secret of their bed.
Hector at the Scaean Gate
Hector alone stands outside the walls as Achilles comes on like fire. Athena, disguised as his brother, tricks him into standing his ground; he dies asking that his body be returned, and Achilles drags it behind his chariot instead.
The Judgment of Paris
Uninvited to a wedding, Eris rolls a golden apple marked "for the fairest" among the goddesses. Hera offers Paris empire, Athena victory, Aphrodite the most beautiful woman alive. He chooses Aphrodite, and Helen's face launches the Trojan War.
The Contest for Athens
Poseidon strikes the acropolis and a salt spring gushes; Athena plants the first olive tree. The city judges the olive the better gift, takes the goddess's name, and the sea god's grudge salts Athenian history.
Perseus and the Gorgon
Sent for Medusa's head as an impossible tribute, Perseus is armed by the gods: winged sandals from Hermes, a mirror-bright shield from Athena. He strikes without meeting the petrifying gaze, and from the Gorgon's severed neck springs the winged horse Pegasus.