Athena
Athena literally
only had one parent, her father Zeus,
from whose head she was born. Zeus suffered a terrible headache when Hephaistos
hit him over the head with a sledgehammer and opened his scull. Out came the
full-grown Athena in full armour with a cry of war.She was usually
called Pallas Athena or Parthenos, virgin, being a virgin goddess. Greece's
capital Athens
and the temple Parthenon
were both dedicated to and named after her. Interestingly, when
Greece became Christian the Parthenon was in stead converted into the church
of another Virgin: Mary, mother of Jesus.
The most important
celebration of Athens was the Panathenea, dedicated to the goddess and held
every four years. According to myth, Athena had earned the title of patron
goddess of Athens after a competition
Athena also had many epithets:
Aeantis, Aethyia, Agoraea, Alalcomeneis, Alcidemos, Alcis, Alea, Ambulia,
Anemotis, Apaturia, Archegetis, Areia, Aristobula, Asia, Axiopoenos, Boulaea,
Celeutheia, Chalcioecos, Chalintis, Chryse, Cissaea, Colocasia, Coria, Coryphasia,
Cranaea, Cydonia, Cynthia, Cyparissia, Ergane, Hellotia, Hippia, Hippolaitis,
Hygieia, Ilias, Ismenia, Itonia, Larissaea, Lindia, Longatis, Narcaea, Nedusia,
Nike, Oleria, Onca, Oxyderces, Paeonia, Pallenius, Panachaea, Poseia, Parthenos,
Phratria, Polias, Poliatis, Poliouchos, Promachorma, Promachos, Pronaea, Saitis,
Salpinx, Scilluntia, Sciras, Soteira, Sthenias, Telchinia, Tihrone, Tritogeneia,
Tritonia, Zosteria.