Athena

**__ Athena __** ** Goddess of Wisdom and Craftsmanship ** By Kara Mihalic 

Quick Facts about Athena ** uh-THEE-nuh **
 * **She was the goddess of wisdom and craftsmanship**
 * **Was the daughter of Zeus and Metis**
 * **She sprouted fully grown and clothed out of Zeus's head**
 * **She was normally a nice goddess**
 * **She was one of only a few virgin goddess**
 * **Athens Greece is named after her**
 * **She invented the olive tree for the people of Greece**

media type="google" key="2248717282382606946&hl=en&fs=true" width="400" height="326"   **Background Information:** Athena was the daughter of Zeus and Metis. Zeus and Metis were married when Zeus decided he wanted to have children. Zeus heard from an oracle that he was going to have a son who would takeover his throne. Zeus didn't want that to happen so one day when Zeus and Metis were changing shapes, Metis transformed into a fly and Zeus swallowed her. He thought that swallowing her would be the only way not to have a son who would dethrone him.

Click Here to Find out more about Athena Zeus (Athena's father) Zeus was "The father of gods and men." He is known for his two extreme personalities. He can be very kind and generous. He can also be very mean punish people with cruel tasks.

[|Metis] **Symbols of Athena**
 * **General:** ||  || **<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Sun, golden shield and helmet, spear, spindle, bowl, intertwined snakes, the Parthenon, the seven auras, and <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">the Number 7 ** ||
 * **Animals:** ||  || **<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Owl (wisdom), dove (victory), ram, eagle, tiger, leopard, and other cats. ** ||
 * **Plants:** ||  || **Geranium, tiger lily, oak, cypress, olive tree, Hellebore (Christmas and Lenten roses), and citrus trees** ||
 * **Perfumes**/**Scents:** ||  || **<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Patchouli, dragonÍs blood, musk, indigo, orange blossom, cinnamon, and <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">cedarwood ** ||
 * **Gems and Metals:** ||  || **Onyx, ruby, star sapphire, turquoise, gold, <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">lapis lazuli, and ivory ** ||
 * **Colors:** ||  || **<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Gold, orange, yellow, emerald green, and royal blue ** ||

<span style="display: block; font-size: 130%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive; text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #ecc327; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Georgia, serif;"> <span style="display: block; font-size: 90%; color: #ebce3d; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; text-align: left;"> Medusa was a very beautiful goddess, unlike her sister. But Medusa was raped by Poseideonin Athena's temple. Athena found out and got very angry and and changed Medusa's appearance so that she would look like her sister. She turned Medusa's hair into snakes and any living thing that looked at her would turn into stone. <span style="display: block; font-size: 110%; color: #ebce3d; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; text-align: left;"> Hephaestus tried to rape Athena, but she got away. Instead his semen fell to the ground and Erichaestus was born. Athena then served as a foster mother. Athena put Erichaestus in a box and gave it to her sisters, Herse, Pandrosus, and Aglaulus. She did not tell them what was in the box, but she said not to open it until she came back. One of her sisters opened the box before Athena came back, and she found a serpent in place of Erichaestus. After seeing the serpent, Athena's two sisters threw themselves off the acropolis. <span style="display: block; color: #ebce3d; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="display: block; font-size: 80%; color: #ebce3d; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Another myth is told in the poem Metaphorphoses by Ovid. In the poem it tells that Hermes falls in love with Athena's sister Herse. Hermes wants to find a way to seduce Herse but he needs Aglaulus's help. Aglualus says that she will help him if he gives her money in return. Because Aglualus was greedy, Athena punishes her by telling the goddess, Envy, to make Aglualus jealous of Herse. When Hermes tries to seduce Herse, Aglualus decides she isn't going to help him and he turns her to stone. <span style="display: block; font-size: 110%; color: #ebce3d; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; text-align: left;">
 * __Myths__**