In Greek mythology, Athena (also called Athene, Attic: , Athēnâ or , Athēnaía, Epic: , Athēnaíē, Ionic: , Athḗnē, Doric: , Athána; ) is the shrewd companion of heroes and the goddess of heroic endeavour. She is the virgin patron of Athens, which built the Parthenon to worship her.

Overview

Athena's worship dates back to early times as the patron of Athens. Her persona persisted so much that many myths about her changed to adapt to cultural changes over the Ancient Greek eras. The Greek philosopher, Plato (429–347 BC), identified her with the Libyan deity, Neith, the war-goddess and huntress deity of the Egyptians since the ancient predynastic period, also identified with weaving. Athena became the goddess of wisdom as philosophy became a part of the cult in the later fifth century and Classical Greece. She was the patroness of weaving and other crafts (Athena Ergane), and led battles as the disciplined side of war (Athena Promachos). The metalwork of weapons fell under her patronage. Athena's wisdom includes the cunning intelligence (metis) of such figures as Odysseus.

left|thumb|Athena, holding an owl, wears the ancient form of the Gorgon head on her aegis, as the huge serpent who guards the golden fleece regurgitates Jason; a winged lioness adorns the helmet; cup by Douris, Classical Greece, early fifth century BCE (Vatican Museum) She appears attended by an owl, often accompanied by the goddess of victory, Nike, whom in established icons she offers upon her extended hand. Athena wears a breastplate of either goatskin or snake skin called the Aegis, which later myths say her father, Zeus, gave to her,Zeus is also "Aegis-bearing Zeus". although in other older cultural contexts she already carries this association. Visually, she often appears helmeted and with a shield bearing the Gorgon head, the hallmark of the early goddess cult in Greece and positioned highest in the apex of the front facade of the Parthenon. Later sources say Perseus gave her the shield as a votive gift. A serpent often accompanies this goddess at the base of the staff of her lance. The sea, ships, horses, and chariots associate with her, but with less frequency. The image to the right shows a winged lioness on her helmet, an image associated with warrior deities in many early cultures, including Egypt.

Athena, an armed warrior goddess, appears in Greek mythology as a helper of many heroes, including Odysseus, Jason, and Heracles. In Classical Greek myths she never consorts with a lover, earning the title Athena Parthenos ("Athena the virgin"), hence the name of her most famous temple, the Parthenon, on the Acropolis in Athens. A remnant of archaic myth depicts her as the adoptive mother of Erechtheus/Erichthonius by the foiled rape by Hephaestus. Other variants relate that the serpent who accompanied Athena, also called Erichthonius, was born to Gaia, Earth when the rape failed and the semen landed on Gaia, impregnating her. After the birth, Gaia gave him to Athena.