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BIRTH OF ATHENA 

Athena’s birth caused Zeus a major headache—she emerged from his forehead in full armor, bright-eyed and ready to fight injustice and share her wisdom as her father’s main consultant on Mount Olympus. The birth of Athena can also be connected to the birth of democracy in the ancient Greek city named after her.

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SIBLING RIVALRY 

A brilliant strategist, Athena was however a reluctant warrior who fought at Zeus’s insistence, while Ares (also a god of war) seems to have relished the physical act of slaying the enemy. In the Trojan war, Ares and Athena fought on opposing sides, with Athena supporting the Greeks.

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REGRETS

In a depiction of Athena on a gravestone found near the Acropolis, she appears to be in deep contemplation, perhaps mourning for those lost in battle. Could self-doubt and regret also be part of Athena’s otherwise confident, decisive character?

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ARACHNOPHOBIA 

Arachne boasted that her weaving skills surpassed those of Athena. When the goddess of women’s arts challenged Arachne to a weaving contest, Arache depicted Olympian transgressions against mortal women in her tapestry.  Athena punished Arachne for speaking truth to power by turning her into a spider.

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SERPENTS 

Athena’s curse on the beautiful Medusa included transforming the Gorgon’s hair into a mop top of live snakes. Athena is often depicted wearing an aegis buckle showing Medusa’s severed, snake-infested head as a warning to enemies. At Medusa’s death, the cries of her two sisters—and, in some versions, of the snakes as well—moved Athena to invent the aulos, an expressive wind instrument.

 

THE OLIVE TREE 

Planted at the Acropolis, the original olive tree was Athena’s gift to the city named after her.  Surviving many conflicts and natural disasters, it has become an enduring symbol of tradition and longevity.

 

OWLS AT THE AGORA 

Athena’s sacred bird was the small night owl, a beloved symbol of Athens to this day. In a nod to Athena’s wisdom, the owl can turn its head a full 360 degrees to reveal what to others remains unseen. This piece evokes the hustle and bustle of the Athenian Agora, the city market where citizens bought and sold their wares using owl-adorned tetradrahmi coins.

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ATHENA KNOWS BEST

In Homer’s Odyssey, Athena guides the Ithacan warrior home following Greek victory in the Trojan War, helping Odysseus stay motivated and tirelessly advocating for him on Mount Olympus. When the shipwrecked Odysseus arrives among strangers at Phaeacia, she gives him this valuable advice: “Be bold, for the bold come off best.”