Zeus' first wife, Metis, became pregnant and was preparing to give birth to a daughter and a son. Zeus became aware that the son born of Metis would rise up and throw him off Olympus. Without hesitation, Zeus swallowed his wife. And then there was an attack - he had an unbearable headache. Unable to endure the excruciating pain, he ordered to split his head. The blacksmith Hephaestus split the skull of Zeus with one blow, and the goddess Athena appeared from the broken head. And the son disappeared, was not born.
The daughter of Zeus, the goddess Athena, had the courage of a lion and the caution of a cat, she was always armed with a spear and a shield, she wore a helmet on her head. Serpents slithered along the edge of her robe, representing inevitability. However, with all the weapons, the warrior maiden had a completely peaceful character. She never let go of the spear, but she never raised it on someone either. Only once did the goddess lightly scratch Hephaestus with it, resisting his harassment.
Stately and proud, Athena was the only goddess on Olympus dressed in battle armor. The visor of her helmet was always raised, the divine face appeared to the whole world. When the goddess Athena took a vow of celibacy and chastity, the main Greek city began to be called after her. From now on, it was the city of Athens.
The Goddess patronized the art of war and martial arts. Under her care were also many peaceful crafts, weaving and pottery, blacksmithing and furriery. Athena gave people the ability to make such necessary things as harness for horses, wagons, plows, rakes, collars, she taught winegrowers, leather craftsmen and coopers. Under her patronage, skilled shipbuilders appeared who knew how to build durable ships for distant voyages.
Often the goddess Pallas Athena was depicted in military armor, holding a spear in one hand and a spindle with yarn wound around it in the other. At the same time, an owl sat on her shoulder, a symbol of wisdom. Athena strove for the superiority of the mind over instincts, preferred a restrained strategy in solving all life issues. She taught people practicality, ambition and perseverance in achieving their goals.
The main position, which was strictly followed by the goddess Pallas Athena, is the consistent development of wild nature, subordinating it to human needs. For this approach, the goddess was condemned by Artemis, who believed that all living things in nature should be outside the influence of man. But Athena's desire to comply with the law, all laws without exception, a respectful attitude to statehood on Olympus was welcomed, many gods supported the warrior goddess Athena in this.
Once Pallas Athena quarreled with the sea god Poseidon. In a fight with him, shewon. After that, the goddess Athena began to reign supreme over Attica. Then she helped Perseus destroy the terrible Gorgon Medusa. Then, with the help of Athena, Jason builds a ship and sails away for the Golden Fleece. Athena Pallas patronizes Odysseus, and he safely returns home after winning the Trojan War. Not a single event on Olympus is complete without the participation of Athena, the goddess of knowledge and crafts, arts and inventions, the patroness of military battles and the ordinary life of ordinary people. Some critical people argue that Athena is the goddess of something indefinite, takes everything under her protection, indiscriminately. One cannot agree with this. Pallas Athena is a versatile and multifaceted goddess.
