About Athena

Birth of Athena

540 BCE

Zeus swallowed Metis while she was pregnant with Athena in fear she was going to overthrow him of his throne, as it was said in the prophecy that she soon will. Metis ended up giving birth to Athena in Zeus's head. Athena was now fully grown and clothed and decided she was finally ready to get out of Zeus's head. So she gave Zeus a series of horrible headaches and eventually Zeus had enough. Hephaestus took and ax to Zeus's head and out popped Athena.

Pallas and Athena

500 BCE

Pallas was Athena's greatest friend, and she would practice warfare and combat skills with her. One day they were practicing, and Pallas was killed. Some stories say that Athena herself kills him while in combat, other stories say that Zeus came down and killed him because he thought Pallas was going to kill her. However, to pay respect to him, Athena added his name to her own, becoming Pallas Athena.

Patronage of Athena

480 BCE

Once Athens became a prospering city, under the rule of their great king Cecrops, there was a very public battle between Poseidon and Athena for which god would be the patron deity of Athens. Poseidon brought forth a stream of seawater through a crack in a rock made from his trident. Athena planted an olive branch. Cecrops decided Athena's gift would be more beneficial than Poseidon's making Athena the patron goddess of Athens.

The Myth of Archne

440 BCE

There was a mortal, Arachne, who boasted that her skill at weaving was better than the gods. Athena, being the goddess of crafts as well, gave Arachne the chance to repent, but Arachne refused. So Athena challenged her to a weaving duel. Arachne's tapestry depicted the plight of mortals from the gods, and Athena's tapestry depicted the punishments of mortals. Arachne's was better, but Athena wouldn't have it, so Athena changed Arachne into a spider, the fate of weaving for the rest of her days.

Athena aids Odysseus

400 BCE

Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, is written in the "Odyssey" to be on his way home from the Trojan War with his men, when they meet their fair share of trials and tribulations. After killing the son of Poseidon and slaughtering the cattle on Helios' island, Zeus sends thunderbolts to wreck their ship, drowning all the men except Odysseus. Athena, after 7 years, uses her wit and eloquence to talk Zeus into letting Odysseus go, and he lets Odysseus go. She is forever known as the "Helper of Heroes".

Athena created Medusa

300 BCE

When Medusa had an affair with the sea god Poseidon, Athena punished her. She turned Medusa into a hideous hag, making her hair into writhing snakes and her skin was turned a greenish hue. Anyone who locked gaze with Medusa was turned into stone.That myth came around the first century BC.