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Athena

War, Fortifications and the Defense of Towns, Good Counsel, Heroic Endeavor

Domains:

Olympian

Category:

5E Alignment:

5E Domains:

5E Symbol:

Greek Name

Transliteration

Latin Spelling

Translation

Αθηνη

Athênê

Athena

Minerva

ATHENE (Athena) was the Olympian goddess of wisdom and good counsel, war, the defence of towns, heroic endeavour, weaving, pottery and various other crafts. She was depicted as a stately woman armed with a shield and spear, and wearing a long robe, crested helm, and the famed aigis--a snake-trimmed cape adorned with the monstrous visage of the Gorgon Medousa (Medusa).


Myths


The more famous myths featuring the goddess Athene include:


  • Her birth from the head of Zeus, fully-grown and arrayed in arms.

  • Her contest with Poseidon for dominion of Athens in which she produced the first olive tree and he the first horse.

  • The War of the Giants in which she buried Enkelados (Enceladus) beneath Mount Etna and made her aigis from the skin of Pallas.

  • The attempted violation of the goddess by Hephaistos (Hephaestus), who spilled his seed upon the earth and produced Erikhthonios (Erichthonius), who she then adopted as her own son.

  • The assisting of Perseus in his quest to slay the Gorgon and the Argonauts in their quest for the Golden Fleece.

  • The assisting of Herakles (Heracles) with his twelve labours.

  • The weaving contest with Arakhne (Arachne) who was transformed by the goddess into a spider .

  • The blinding of Teiresias (Tiresias) for seeing her naked while bathing.

  • The Judgement of Paris in which she competed with Hera and Aphrodite for the prize of the golden apple.

  • The Trojan War where she sided with the Greeks in battle, but attacked their ships with a storm when they failed to punish Oilean Aias (Ajax) for violating her Trojan shrine.


These and many other myths are detailed over on the Theoi Project page.

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