How was Athena born? Athena, the daughter of Zeus, was produced without a mother and emerged full-grown from his forehead. An alternative story was that Zeus swallowed Metis, the goddess of counsel, while she was pregnant with Athena so that Athena finally emerged from Zeus.
Athena is "born" from Zeus's forehead as a result of him having swallowed her mother Metis, as he grasps the clothing of Eileithyia on the right; black-figured amphora, 550–525 BC, Louvre.
The Birth of Athena
After a few months, Zeus developed a splitting headache and asked Hephaestus (or in some versions, the Titan Prometheus) to help him relieve the pressure. Hephaestus took up his axe and split open Zeus' head, and out jumped Athena, fully dressed in armor.
Athena (Minerva), the goddess of war and wisdom, had a strange birth. Her father Zeus (Jupiter) had swallowed his pregnant consort Metis (“wisdom”), because he was afraid she would bear a son who would overthrow him.
She stated that Zeus' death was necessary if humanity was ever to be freed, and would aid Kratos throughout his quest.
Perhaps partly because of the strange circumstances of her birth, Athena is often cited as Zeus's favourite child. He also greatly admired her strength of character and fighting spirit. Some believe Athena was Zeus's first born child, which might, somewhat unfairly, suggest why he chose her as his favourite.
Hephaistos had a strong desire for Athena, but as a virgin goddess she ran away from him. He was not able to catch her – but he ejaculated and the seed fell on her leg. She wiped it away with a piece of wool and the seed fell on Gaia, the Earth, making her pregnant.
Zeus finally became enamored of the goddess who was to become his permanent wife — Hera.
Zeus heard a prophecy that the child Metis bore after she gave birth to Athena would become the lord of heaven, so, to prevent this from happening, he swallowed Metis while she was still pregnant with Athena.
According to a Homeric Hymn, there are three goddesses whom Aphrodite “can't persuade or decieve”, i.e. who don't feel sexual desire and are perpetually virgins. They are Athena, Artemis and Hestia. So, we are sure that Zeus did never have affairs with any of those three.
She sacrificed herself because she didn't want Zeus to die. It was pretty clear that dying and reaching a higher plane of existence changed her.
Some of her names are helmet head, Athena the wise, and others. Athena was an armed warrior goddess. The Parthenon at Athens was her most famous shrine. She never had a true lover or someone to hug and hold her; all she had was her loving mother, caring father and most of all her brothers and sisters.
Athena and Poseidon entered into a contest to be the patron of Athens. Poseidon produces a spring of water but it was salty. Athena bested Poseidon by producing an olive tree on the Acropolis. Poseidon also raped Medusa—a mortal who had the reputation of being beautiful—in Athena's temple, desecrating it.
War goddess, Athena was one of three vying for the title of the “Fairest Goddess” along with Hera and Aphrodite (Ovid, Heroides V). Despite promising Paris glory in war, Athena lost to Aphrodite, who had vowed to let Paris marry the most beautiful woman in the world (Ovid, Heroides XVI).
And Poseidon challenged Athena to combat. Zeus, however, demanded that the quarrel be submitted to the arbitration of the gods. Then the male gods sided with Poseidon, while the goddesses favored Athena. Since Zeus withheld his vote, the goddesses were in the majority so that Athena won.
Zeus's notable spouse, Hera, holds a significant role as the goddess of women, marriage, family, and childbirth. Intriguingly, Hera is not only Zeus's wife but also his sister. Their union began with Zeus employing a clever ploy—he transformed into an injured bird to elicit Hera's compassion and affection.
Who hasn't Zeus slept with? According to a Homeric Hymn, there are three goddesses whom Aphrodite “can't persuade or decieve”, i.e. who don't feel sexual desire and are perpetually virgins. They are Athena, Artemis and Hestia. So, we are sure that Zeus did never have affairs with any of those three.
Before his marriage to Hera, Zeus consorted with a number of the female Titanes (and his sister Demeter). These liaisons are ordered by Hesiod as follows: (1) Metis; (2) Themis; (3) Eurynome; (4) Demeter; (5) Mnemosyne; (6) Leto.
23 She is a female goddess, but she is also a soldier, which traditionally is a male role. Throughout Greek history, Athena's cult eventually came to replace that of other palace-citadel goddesses, so she fulfilled the role of female deity for a large geographical area.
Hestia is Athena's girlfriend, although they have mostly kept their relationship a secret. The two get along very well, both as long time members of TGOEM and as romantic partners.
She has male counterparts: Ares, the god of reckless war, and Hermes, the trickster god. Significantly, her male counterparts represent the more chaotic versions of Athena's skillsets. In the Iliad, for example, Athena battles Ares one-on-one and easily dispatches him with a well-timed and thrown rock to the neck.
Aphrodite, daughter of Zeus and the goddess Dione, is known as the goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, passion and procreation.
Apollo: Zeus' Best-Known Son
He is often described and portrayed in art and literature as the ideal male beauty, with a strong, muscular and athletic build.
Poseidon's favorite demigod son, Percy Jackson, was noted to be nearly the spitting image of his father, with the same black hair, sea-green eyes, and brooding look.