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Athena, Greek goddess of wisdom, of household arts
and crafts, of spinning and weaving, of textiles. Inventor of
the flute, the plough and the ox-yoke, the horse bridle and the
chariot. Athena, goddess of war, guardian of Athens, the city
named for her; defender of heroes, champion of justice and civil
law.
According to legend, Athena sprang fully-grown and
fully-armed from the head of her father, Zeus, ruler of the gods
on Mount Olympus. It is told that he swallowed his pregnant first
wife, Metis, meaning wisdom, so that she would not bear
a child stronger than he. In some versions of the story, Athena's
birth was assisted by the blacksmith, Hephaestus, who opened
Zeus's head with a stroke of his axe. This metaphor may suggest
two possible interpretations and pose two questions. Was Zeus
demonstrating his power by giving birth without a woman's help,
or was he sharing his power with his daughter? Certainly, Hephaestus,
a son of Zeus by his second wife, Hera, would appear to be an
unlikely "midwife."
(Source PALLAS ATHENA, GODDESS OF WISDOM by Elinor
Stebbins)
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Athena are provided below.
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