by Joan Inong

Created on: September 19, 2008

Athena is one of the most well-known of the Greek goddesses. Out of all the gods and goddesses, she is also one of the less frivolous.

Because she was born out of Zeus's head, Athena is known as the goddess of wisdom. Her power also extends over heroism, agriculture, weaving, pottery, and other crafts. As proof of her goodly deeds, she aided Odysseus as he fought to return home (as well as his wife, who had to weave a tapestry in order to delay her marriage to another man). She was called "Pallas Athena" in the Odyssey. With most wars in mythological history, Athena's aid immensely helped the "good" side in coming out victorious (take into consideration the Trojan war). As Ares's counterpart (as goddess of war), Athena takes quite a different approach from Ares's more "conventional" one. Instead of provoking wars, she instead helps out the heroes (or, of course, the side that she believes is rationally correct). In the war against the giants, Athena helped her father, Zeus, and the hero Heracles (Hercules).

Athena is often depicted as glorious and very respectful in art. Usually, she will have an owl around her (as the owl is often associated with wisdom), or else she holds a shield with Medusa's snake-y head on it. To many, she might appear like Justice: she holds a shield and sports a helmet. She is also often depicted with olive branches or a serpent, a cock, or a lance. She is dressed much like the typical Grecian would, but her stature appears more magnificent and larger than life.

With that in mind, Athena is one of the better tempered goddesses. Because she is ruled by reason, her counsel is most often needed (compare to Aphrodite's counsel on love). However, unlike Apollo, whose reason is most often obscured by his temperament, Athena's reason is quite...reasonable. When she is angered, she has reason to do so. For instance, when Odysseus was trying to get back home, he followed her counsel because he did not want to make Athena angry; her power is almost as strong (if not equally strong) as her father's.

Athena is perhaps the picture of the independent woman. She has no husband and she bore no children. Unlike most goddesses who took lovers, even mortal lovers, Athena was really independent. As so, she remains one of the strongest gods in Greek mythology. Her ability to persuade others and her confidence in her prophecies make her a goddess that should be dealt with carefully and respectfully.

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