Goddess of the Week: Athena

In preparation for an upcoming collection we’re extremely excited about, our fascination with the Greek goddesses continues! This week, we’ll be investigating one of the more popular figures; Athena, goddess of war and wisdom.

Born straight out of Zeus’ head, Athena represented the tactical side of battle, believing that brains won over brawn. A born warrior with masterful strategies up her sleeve, Athena proved that you’re always better off with a smart, well-laid plan. Her favourite animal was the owl, which is why the bird is always associated with wisdom and intelligence. Hoot!

A champion for many due to her common occurrences in helping famous heroes on their quests, Athena was hugely popular among the Greeks, even getting the famous Greek city Athens named after her. Her other skills included fabric weaving, protection of cities, and even the invention of the flute. It’s difficult to imagine a more perfect Goddess!

But as we’ve learned from many of the Greek myths, Athena had some issues. Due to her popularity and vast skill set, Athena was incredibly proud of her accomplishments, and became insanely jealous towards anyone who dared oppose her. When the artist Ariadne claimed to be a better weaver than Athena, they engaged in a fabric weaving competition. Ariadne won the competition fair and square, and in a jealous rage, Athena turned her into the world’s first spider. She even turned the gorgeous Medusa into the terrifying monster with snakes for hair after catching her messing around with the god Poseidon in a temple of hers.

Despite all her spectacular talents in war, wisdom and art, Athena often let her insecurities overpower her, and would harm others to make herself feel better. It’s cliché to say that nobody’s perfect, but it really is true. Harness and accept your imperfections to better yourself for the future, since trying to change your status by pure force will only worsen your reputation and your feelings of self-worth.

What do you think about Athena? Despite her flaws, she’s still a fascinating female character that really was able to do it all. Keep visiting our blog for more updates on what to expect from our Greek Goddess Collection!