Know your Goddess: Athena (2024)

Know your Goddess: Athena (1)

Perhaps one of the most recognizable of the Greek Goddesses, Athena is the symbol of wisdom, courage, and was the patroness of the great city of Athens. Athena’s life passion was to protect and lead the people of Athens. She fought for values like justice, truth, and moral values and put it all on the line to protect her beliefs.

Know your Goddess: Athena (2)

She was fearless and was exalted for her heroic endeavors and her unmatched intellect earned her the title of the Goddess of War. What made Athena’s approach unique, was she prioritized strategy over fighting and did not encourage violence. As the daughter of Zeus, Athena embodied similar power, influence, and leadership representing the citizens of Athens.

As a Goddess of the people, Athena did not find companionship in the traditional sense but instead from her community and from within herself. Throughout the Greek world, she is often referred to as Athena Polias or “Athena of the City.” An unwavering trailblazer, Athena’s strength and independence made her an unstoppable force.

Although her wisdom and dedication made her fit to lead, Athena was still met with challenges along the way where she had to prove herself. Most notably was the power struggle with Poseidon for the city of Athens. Both Poseidon and Athena presented the citizens with a gift to demonstrate their ability to lead. As the God of the Sea, Poseidon created a source of water intended to be a resource for the people. In theory this would have been incredibly valuable, but when the citizens went to drink the water, they quickly learned that instead of freshwater it was salt. Relying on her quick-wit, Athena gifted the citizens with an olive tree that met many of the city’s needs: it provided fruit, oil for cooking, and wood to build homes and shelter. It was obvious that she was the leader that could create a better life for her people.

In honor of her inherent wisdom, Athena’s symbol was the owl.

Know your Goddess: Athena (3)

Layering the owl pendant with the Athena Coin necklace is a reminder to trust from within and allow your inner strength to lead the way.

Know your Goddess: Athena (2024)

FAQs

How do you know Athena is calling out to you? ›

She is the goddess of wisdom and of war, specifically when it comes to skill and strategy, practical reasoning, and also the goddess of handicrafts. If Athena is calling to you, you might actually notice more owl motifs. or actual owls, but also sometimes is seen with snakes, either depicted on her cape or her shield.

Why did you choose Athena as your goddess? ›

Answer. → I choose Goddess Athena because she is the goddess of mathematics, battle, war, wisdom and knowledge. Not only is her father, the King of Mount Olympus but she is also a clever and a mighty woman, who always stands up for justice.

What does the goddess Athena symbolize? ›

In Homer's Iliad, Athena, as a war goddess, inspires and fights alongside the Greek heroes; her aid is synonymous with military prowess. Representing the intellectual and civilized side of war, she is the divine form of the heroic, martial ideal and personifies excellence in close combat, victory, and glory.

What was Athena known for? ›

Athena: The Greek goddess of oil, peace & war, also the daughter of Zeus. Athens, the capitol of Greece is named after the Goddess Athena; she is the goddess of Wisdom and War. She is known for her strategic skill in warfare, is often portrayed as a companion of heroes, and is the patron goddess of heroic endeavor.

Was Athena a Virgin goddess? ›

Similarly, the goddess Athena was one of the virgin goddesses of antiquity. One of her epithets was “Parthenos” (Virgin), and her most astounding temple was no other than the Parthenon on the Acropolis Hill. Athena also had the role of enforcing sexual modesty.

How do you know Athena is calling to you? ›

One way to recognize Athena's call is through symbols. Encounters with owls, olive trees, or feelings of wisdom and inspiration may be signs. Keep an eye out for any symbols that seem to resonate with you, as Athena often communicates through these representations.

What is Athena's sacred number? ›

In the metaphysical philosophy of numerology, the number 7 signifies the Greek deity Athena and the Roman deity Minerva, both goddesses of war and the city protectress. People affiliated with the number seven are believed to be insightful, intuitive, truthful, introspective, intellectual, and wise.

What color is associated with Athena? ›

Most often in literature and art, Athena's aegis is characterized by a yellow or gold reminiscent of the gleam of the sun or of metal, which expresses a general divine gleaming brightness but also Athena's specific charis, namely the beauty, vitality and sparkling (or cunning) attractiveness that she can bestow on ...

What is Athena's weakness? ›

Athena's strengths: Rational, intelligent, a powerful defender in war but also a potent peacemaker. Athena's weaknesses: Reason rules her; she is not usually emotional or compassionate but she does have her favorites, such as the beleaguered heroes Odysseus and Perseus.

Is Athena a good or bad goddess? ›

Athena is generally a good goddess as a source of wisdom and patron of crafts. Even her association with warfare is usually the aspects related to patriotism, defence, and strategy. Athena could punish people, most famously Medusa was turned into a Gorgon.

What is Athena's nickname? ›

Goddess Athena, depicted with her helmet, was often referred to as Pallas Athena or simply Pallas.

What things does Athena love? ›

Athena is a Greek goddess known as both Pallas and Athene. In ancient Greek mythology, they often associated her with both warfare and wisdom as well as handicraft, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, strategic warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, the arts, and skill.

What animal is associated with Athena? ›

In Greek mythology, a little owl (Athene noctua) traditionally represents or accompanies Athena, the virgin goddess of wisdom, or Minerva, her syncretic incarnation in Roman mythology.

What is Athena the goddess of in the Odyssey? ›

As goddess of wisdom and battle, Athena naturally has a soft spot for the brave and wily Odysseus.

Who is the Greek goddess of love and beauty? ›

Aphrodite (/ˌæfrəˈdaɪtiː/, AF-rə-DY-tee) is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, procreation, and as her syncretized Roman goddess counterpart Venus, desire, sex, fertility, prosperity, and victory.

What or who did Athena love? ›

Answer and Explanation: In Greek mythology, the goddess Athena is immune to romantic love, so there is no particular lover for her.

Is Athena Zeus wife? ›

Athena is the daughter of Zeus. She sprang full grown in armour from his forehead, thus has no mother. She is fierce and brave in battle but, only wars to defined the state and home from outside enemies. She is the goddess of the city, handicrafts, and agriculture.

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