Ancient Greek Athena is the goddess of war, wisdom, crafts, knowledge and arts. Such a spectrum is due to the nature and activity that the Hellenes attributed to the deity.
Athena - the fifth child of Zeus, according to legend, was born in an unusual way. The main god of Olympus secretly from Hera married Metis. But soon Zeus learned that his son would overthrow him from the throne. This was reported to him by moira (or Uranus and Gaia - according to other sources). The angry god, in order to prevent the loss of power, swallowed the pregnant wife. After that, his head ached badly, and he asked Hephaestus to cut it. From the head of Zeus, a new deity appeared - Athena.
The goddess of war differs in character from Ares, who also patronizes battles. The latter embodies reckless aggression and unreasonable courage, while Athena is associated with strategic planning. She is also called the goddess of just war. In contrast to Aphrodite, the personification of femininity and love, the patroness of battles has the features of masculinity. Athena rescued her admirers in difficult times - thanks to the right strategy, they managed to overcomethe most serious difficulty, defeat the enemies. Therefore, Nika (Victory) became a frequent companion of the goddess.
According to legend, the daughter of Zeus from childhood was distinguished by curiosity and showed interest in the sciences, so her father decided to make her the patroness of knowledge. Athena - the goddess of war, wisdom and crafts - more than once suggested to the ancient Greeks non-standard, but effective solutions. She taught Erichthonius the art of harnessing horses, and Bellerophon the taming of the winged horse, Pegasus. Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom, helped Danae construct a huge ship on which he got to Greece. Some myths attribute to the deity patronage of peace and prosperity, marriage, family and procreation, urban development, as well as healing abilities.
According to legend, two contenders fought for the right to give their name to the capital of Hellas: Poseidon (patron of the seas and oceans) and the goddess Athena. Photos of archaeological finds and other data indicate that in ancient times the city was an architectural masterpiece: white-stone palaces, giant stadiums and temples decorated with carvings. The god Poseidon promised that the Greeks would never need water if they named the capital after him. And the patroness of wisdom offered the Hellenes an eternal supply of food and money and presented the townspeople with an olive sapling as a gift. The Greeks made their choice, and today the capital of Greece bears the name of the goddess, and the olive tree is considered her sacred symbol.
The temple of the goddess Athena - the Parthenon - is located in the Acropolis onat a height of approximately 150 m above sea level, it is a giant white stone building, a masterpiece of architecture. Inside it is a statue of the goddess, made of gold plates and ivory. From all sides the temple is surrounded by 46 huge slender columns.
Zeus is considered to be the supreme deity of Greek mythology, but the cult of Athena echoes the more ancient period of Hellenic history - matriarchy. Therefore, the goddess can be considered close to Zeus in importance or even equal to him.
