Athena has many titles and epithets, including Athena Parthenos (“Athena the Virgin”), Athena Promachos (“Athena Who Battles in the Front Line”), or simply Athena. She is the virgin patroness of Athens, and her primary cult statue was created by Phidias for the Parthenon; it still stands in the Parthenon museum today. Athena is the goddess of strategy and tactical warfare.
Athena was born from Zeus’ head fully-grown with armor on when Zeus had swallowed Metis (goddess of wisdom) in an attempt to prevent his father Cronus from overthrowing him as king of the gods – because Metis had given birth to Athena inside his head he couldn’t be harmed by her. It was from this act that she got her name: “athena” derived from “metis”, meaning ‘wisdom’. Her mother’s name was “Pallas”, meaning ‘battle’, which demonstrates that she was not named after any other gods or goddesses but herself.
She was raised by Triton, who taught her many useful skills including metalworking; she became famous among mortals for these skills (some accounts say she invented metalworking herself).
Athena is often portrayed as a warrior or an athlete rather than as a woman in a flowing dress. In artworks such as sculptures or paintings, she is often depicted with armor and a helmet holding her shield. She sometimes wears sandals and carries a spear or shield. Her symbols include the owl and the olive tree (which became associated with peace because of its ability to regenerate after being cut down).
