In Greek mythology, there are many, many gods and goddesses that the people prayed to on a regualr basis for everyday things we take for granted. There was usually a different diety for anything a person wanted to pray for: love, money, children, success or almost anything else one could think of or want. People today are amazed at the number of gods there were and how people could remember which god did what. We study these today but still get easily confused, which is understandable. Athena was a very prominent goddess, especially in Athens and she is also featured throughout The Odyssey. Many confuse her with Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Actually, Athena is known as the goddess of war, practical reason, wisdom, and handicraft. She was also known as the protectress of the city of Athens.
Athena�s birth in itself, not to mention the other feats she was acknowledged for, is interesting. She is the daughter of Zeus and a mortal woman named Metis which means cunning. When Zeus found out that Metis was pregnant, he became fearful that the resuliting child would surpass him in strength. Not knowing what else to do, he swallowed Metis whole. For some reason, this caused him to have a terrible headache so he asked another god to split open his skull with an axe. Athena sprang out from Zeus� head fully grown holding a spear (Stockton).