Athena-Jake Lipman

Athena: Goddess of Wisdom

Birth/Origin: Athena had one of the oddest godly births. Zeus, her father, laid with Metis. It was prophesied that Metis would bear children so powerful that they would be stronger than Zeus. When Zeus heard this, he swallowed Metis whole. Unfortunately for Zeus, he was too late, the child was conceived. Eventually Zeus had an enormous headache. So he got (depending on the story) Prometheus, Hephaestus, Hermes, or Ares to cut his forehead open with a double-headed Minoan Axe. Then Athena jumped out of his forehead fully clothed in battle gear. Athena's birth is a metaphor in many ways. Because Athena was born out of Zeus' forehead, she is the goddess of wisdom.

Reign/Symbols: Athena is the goddess of many things. What she is most known for is being the goddess of Wisdom. She is also the goddess of courage, inspiration, civilization, and many other attributes that have to do with being smart. Athena also has objects that represent her. She is normally associated with owls, olive trees, and snakes.

Athena in the Modern World: Athena's character as a wise goddess has found itself in many modern pieces of art. There are countless books based on Athena and her traits and gifts.
An Example: http://www.chipublib.org/search/details/cn/8310478
Athena is also found in songs and plays. The most popular song is probably the Who's "Athena"
The Song:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkRx3NZ-qp4

Vocabulary Words:
Anthropomorphism: A representation of a deity
Epithet: A word applied to a person to describe an actual or attributed quality

Eponym: A word based on or derived from someone's name

Etiological Tale: Explains the origin of a custom

Myth: A legendary story, that has a hero or a heroic event in it, but there is no natural explanation for why it happened

Pantheon: A public building containing tombs or memorials