Athena

Daughter of Zeus, and only by him, the Goddess Athena was not generated by any woman. She leaped from the head of Zeus, already adult, dressed with her armor. Great Olympus was profoundly shaken by the dash and impetuosity of the bright-eyed Goddess.

The poetical epithet for Athena, glaukopis, was more of a play upon words: it can be translated as "owl-eyed", but it can also refer to the sea-green or olive-green color of the Goddess's eyes.

The most used expression to describe her is "the bright eyed". She is the first of the three virgin Goddesses, also known as Maiden, Parthenos, and from this name was taken the name to the most important Temple dedicated to her, the Parthenon.

In the most ancient account, the Iliad, Athena is the Goddess of ferocious and implacable fight, but, wherever she can be found, she only is a warrior to defend the State and the native land against the enemies coming from outside.

She is, above all, the Goddess of the City, the protectress of civilized life, of artesian activities, and of agriculture. She also invented the horse-bit, which, for the first time, tamed horses, allowing men to use them.

Athens is her city; the olive tree, created by her, is her tree; the owl, is the birth consecrated to her. Although certain scholars have seen in Athena a personification of moisture, it seems more probable that she was in origin a storm and lightning — Goddess. Hence her normal attribute, the aegis — which in primitive times signified the stormy night — and her epithet as a Goddess "of the brilliant eyes". But Athena very quickly lost this meteorological character.

Her functions are many: she is venerated among the great divinities in her quality of warrior-Goddess, as Goddess of the arts of peace and as Goddess of prudent intelligence.

The pacific Athena protects various industries. She is preeminently the Ergane, or working woman, and is the patron of architects and sculptors, as well as of spinners and weavers. She also protects horses and oxen. Her wisdom, which earned her the epithet Pronoia (the Foreseeing), made her the counselor — Goddess (Boulaia) and the Goddess of the Assembly (Agoraia).

Athena is as benevolent in peace as she is redoubtable in war, and rends valuable service to mankind. Her skill was revealed in the humblest handicrafts: she invented the potter's wheel and made the first vases. But above all she excelled in woman's work. The art of weaving cloth and embellishing it with wonderful embroidery has no secrets from her. The Immortals rely on her skill and it was she who embroidered Hera's veil. She is jealous of her accomplishments and allows no one to surpass her.

Although Athena's activities are chiefly concerned with useful work she is not averse to artistic creation. Certain traditions originating in Boeotia attributed to her the invention of the flute. They said that the Goddess had thought of blowing into a stag's horn, pierced with holes, in order to imitate the plaintive whistling sound made by the Gorgon when Perseus cut its throat. But in Athens it was said that Athena had not persevered with her musical efforts because the Olympians had laughed at her when she blew out her cheeks and pursed her lips. So she had contemptuously tossed the flute aside and pronounced a curse against any person who picked it up. The satyr Marsyas, who dared to take possession of the instrument was cruelly punished for his imprudence.

In poetry she is the incarnation of Wisdom, Reason and Purity.