*~*About Me*~*

name | Athena (’Aqhna)
role | goddess of wisdom, war, and crafts
symbols | aegis, owl, olive tree

Contest for Athens
Another myth that reveals Athena's nature and importance is found in the story of her contest with Poseidon for the city of Athens.

According to the legend, both deities wanted Athens as the site of their primary sanctuary. In order to settle the duel in his favor, Poseidon created a spring from which salt water flowed.

However, Athena responded by conjuring up an olive tree on the Athenian Acropolis, and this second divine gift was judged by the people to be the more useful (and indeed, Greeks both ancient and modern are credited with the cultivation of some of the best olives in the world).

This contest was immortalized on that magnificent Athenian monument, the Parthenon, a temple that was dedicated to the goddess Athena. The myth appeared on one of the pediments of the temple, while the birth of the goddess was depicted on the other.