Athena

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Greek Name of the Goddess

Athena

Roman Name of

the GoddessMINERV

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Symbols associated with the god

• An animal: Owl• A plant: Olive

tree•Weapons: golden

shield, helmet, spear

• Color: Gold

Athena gave her olive trees to the

people of the Athens. Athena

taught them about how to eat olives for human diet.

Athena’s mother, Metis, made some

weapons for Athena before she was born. Athena

became a goddess of wisdom, justice,

crafts, and war.

The Domain Athena Rules…

Athens

Athens was the domain/area Athena ruled. Athens was one of the biggest and most famous city-states of Greece. Athens was famous for significance of

Athenians’ knowledge and art. Athenians thought that statues and other artworks were very significant and valuable. Name ‘Athens’ came from name ‘Athena.’

Relatives of Athena• Father: Zeus• Mother: Metis• Uncles: Poseidon & Hades • Aunts: Hestia & Demeter & Hera• Half-brothers: Ares & Apollo &

Hephaestus & Hermes• Half-sister: Artemis

Weapon

Spear

Not as an weapon, but for protection, Athena also used her golden helmet and shield. As the goddess of war, Athena had weapons that were very useful during the

wars.

Special Powers• Athena could persuade people easily

with her wisdom.• Athena could control the wars and

easily help the soldiers to win because she was the goddess of war.

• Athena could make useful items at will and strength since she was also a goddess of crafts.

Special Personality Traits of Athena

• Athena was very wise and smart since she was born to be the goddess of wisdom.

• Instead of punishing, Athena let the people have reflections on themselves and figure out what they did wrong. Looking at this side, Athena was very kind.

• Athena was fair and just because she was the goddess of justice.

• Athena was good at fighting in the wars.

Myth – Athena and Arachne• In this famous Greek myth, there lived a young lady called

Arachne who was very talented at weaving. However, since everyone complimented Arachne’s great talent at weaving,

she started to become haughtier. Whenever Arachne’s friends or other Athens asked her if she was taught by the

goddess Athena to weave, she answered that she was never taught by anyone. Also, sometimes, she insulted the

goddess by saying that Arachne herself would win if she competed against Athena in a weaving competition. In order to punish Arachne, Athena came down from the Olympus and appeared at Arachne’s house as an old

grandmother. However, Arachne insulted the goddess once again and Athena reached the summit point of her anger. She changed herself back into the form of a goddess. She

shouted aloud to Arachne that she will allow her to compete against herself as Arachne has been wanting.

Myth- Athena and Arachne (continued)

• Arachne and Athena started to weave at the same time and they ended weaving at exact same time, too. Both of them were amazing and nearly equal in their works’ qualities. Athena’s work was showing and representing the bravery of twelve gods and goddesses. However, Arachne’s work was illustrating how foolish the gods and goddesses of Olympus were. When Athena found out what the work illustrated, she became angrier than she had been ever before. Athena ripped and tore Arachne’s beautiful, but haughty work. After she destroyed Arachne’s work, Athena insulted Arachne front of many people for being very boastful and mean towards the gods and goddesses. Arachne felt shameful, so she hung herself in a tree branch. Later on, Athena felt sorry for Arachne a little, so the goddess changed dead Arachne into a small weaving animal called spider. Arachne was born alive again and weaved as a spider until she died.

Other Interesting Facts

• Athena was Zeus’s favorite daughter• Athena supported Greece during the

Trojan War• Athena was very talented at weaving• Athena was given birth inside Zeus’s

head o Zeus was afraid that if Metis gave

birth to a boy, the boy would be kill him. So Zeus gulped Metis and Metis gave birth to goddess Athena inside Zeus’s head.

Bibliography

• Slide 1: http://www.assistant-guide.com/tourism-greece/gallery/athens/mount_olympus_3.jpg

• Slide 4 & 8:http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/goddess_symbols_Athena.htm

• Slide 10 & 11: Bulfinch, Thomas. Legends of Greece and Rome.