In Greek mythology, Athena represented wisdom and strategic warfare.
Athena was associated with intelligence, reason, crafts, justice, and disciplined military strategy. Unlike Ares, who represented the violence and fury of battle, Athena was linked with planning, defence, and the protection of cities. She was also a patron of weaving and other skilled crafts.
Athena was traditionally born fully armed from Zeus’s head after he swallowed her mother, Metis. This unusual birth emphasized her connection with Zeus’s authority and wisdom. She became one of the most important deities in Greek religion.
The owl was Athena’s sacred bird, and the olive tree was closely associated with her. Her major sanctuary was the Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens. Athena’s Roman counterpart was Minerva, although the Roman goddess had a somewhat different religious development.