Description

Athena, according to Greek mythology, was the goddess of wisdom, the olive tree, strategy and war. According to Gaia’s advice, the child she would give birth to would surpass him in strength and wisdom. So Zeus, fearing that he might have the same fate as Saturn, swallowed Mitida. However, he began to suffer from severe headaches and called on Hephaestus to help him. Hepheastion struck his head with a large hammer and the goddess Athena was thrown from inside in armor (Theogony verses 886-900). The ivory statue of the goddess Athena, created by Pheidias, best represents the different natures of the goddess. The goddess was standing, dressed in a long tunic up to her feet. Her breast was covered with the aegis, which had the mermaid’s head in the center. There was a Sphinx on the front of the helmet and griffins on the side. In his left hand he held a Victory and in his right a spear. At the foot of the statue was the serpent and the shield that were painted with representations from the battle of the Amazons and the Battle of the Giants. Athena participated in the Battle of the Giants alongside Zeus. He exterminated the giant Damastor, who tried to climb Olympus and Pallanta. Pallanta’s brother, Egelados, put him on his feet, but Athena chased him and threw a huge piece of rock at him, which later formed the island of Sicily.