percism:

WOMEN OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY: ATHENA

Athena is the Greek virgin goddess of reason, intelligent activity, arts and literature. She is the daughter of Zeus, one story of her birth says that she sprang, fully grown in armour, from his forehead and thus has no mother. She is fierce and brave in battle but, only goes to war to defend the state. She is the goddess of the city, handicrafts, and agriculture. She invented the bridle, the trumpet, the flute, the pot, the rake, the plow, the yoke, the ship, and the chariot. She is the embodiment of wisdom, reason, and purity. She was Zeus’s favorite child and was allowed to use his weapons, including his thunderbolt. Her city is Athens. Her tree is the olive. The owl is her bird. 

Among the many myths surrounding Athena, one of her most famous involvements was when Hercules went mad and killed his children. Athena stopped the disaster from getting worse. Just as the insane hero turned to kill Amphitryon, Athena threw a stone at Hercules, knocking him unconscious, so his mortal father was spared. Athena also helped Hercules at many points during his Labors. She provided him with the krotala he used to scare the  Stymphalian Birds, and she carried the apples back to the garden of the Hesperides.

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