Goddess Athena

Last Updated on December 18, 2017 by Coven of the Goddess

In the popular stories of Athena, She is one of the oldest Deities in the Greek pantheon and one of their most beloved Goddesses. It is believed that the Dorians, the original Greeks that invaded the Pelasgian in a land that was to later become Greece, found the worship of the Mother Goddess Athena already in place and adapted her into their own pantheon. The Greek economy was largely military, so Athena while retaining her domestic aspects, became a goddess of war. In the classical Greek story of Athena’s birth, She was born from Zeus’s head. Zeus swallowed her Mother Metis in fear she would birth a son that would de-throne him. This adaptation of Athena’s birth emphasizes Zeus’s masculine source of wisdom and reduces the role of women in a patriarchal society. In one Greek story, Athena beat Poseidon in a contest for the city of Athens. Poseidon’s gift, a spring of salt water was beat by the gift of an olive tree from Athena. The gifts were judge by the people and the women’s vote for Athena won, however it cost the women their citizenship and the right to vote again. Again acknowledgement for the Goddess at the cost of submission of the women who worshipped Her.

In older stories she was the daughter of the Titan winged giant Pallas, whom she killed when he tried to rape her. She tanned his skin for her shield and cut off his wings and fastened them to her feet. Pallas’s other daughter, Nike the winged Goddess of Victory always accompanies Athena giving support to the cruelty of their father.

In other myths She is Athene, daughter of the water, born of Lake Triton in West Africa. She was Mother Goddess of Wisdom and protector of Her people. When the Sahara dried up and the great migration occurred, Athene was brought to Crete by the Africans. Her connection of water/wisdom stay with her today.

She is the gentle, intellectual Goddess of the Eastern Mediterranean, the Snake Goddess worshipped by the Minoans where Medusa and Metis are an aspect of her.

The stories of Athena’s origin are endless. She is the Goddess of Wisdom. Intelligence and reason are her gifts. With true wisdom comes strength to bring about transformation. She is also a Goddess of crafts, shape changing and foresight, all her gifts empowering to victorious transformations of one’s life. She lives in every woman, She is the warrior of change to what does not work. She is the Goddess of prosperity of being true to your self. She knows no fear of the unknown. Through wisdom and intelligence she sees life’s challenges and surmounts them to be the Goddess of her kingdom. Her shape shifting abilities allow her to be among Her enemies without losing Herself to them. Her foresight allows Her to see the outcome of Her wisdom applied. She is the Goddess Athena, Goddess , Mother and Sister to all women.