Greek Gods

              Athena ( Greek: Ἀθηνᾶ, Latin: Minerva ) is the goddess of wisdom and war. She is the virgin patron of Athens, which built the Parthenon to worship her. However, as the goddess of war, her field of expertise was not violence, that is the domain of Ares, god of war. She is the goddess of the more disciplined aspect of war, such as strategy.
Athena was born fully-armed from the forehead of her father Zeus, this is because he swallowed her mother, Metis, while she was pregnant with Athena.
Her symbols are: the owl, signifying watchfulness and wisdom; the aegis (small shield) showing the snaky head of Medusa.



Athena and Poseidon competed for Athens, each providing a gift for the city. Poseidon struck a rock with his trident and caused a spring of water. Athena planted a seed in the ground and turned into an olive tree. The citizen liked this gift better and named their city Athens; Athena become the patron of the city.