#metis is another goddess of wisdom

[iamnotshazam]

Greek tragedies aren't all sad or end badly. They're about challenging the relationship between mortal and the divine, and about things humans can't change or make better - that's for comedies. The word "comedy" comes from Greek for party and singing, and that tracks because they started at shindigs for the wine god Dionysus. The funny thing is, so did the tragedies. The word "tragedy" comes from the Greek word for singing and also . . . goats?

We have no real idea why either, although the goat-footed guys called "satyrs" also hang out with Dionysus.

Tragedies also aren't necessarily about pride ("hamartia") like your high school lit teacher may have taught you. They end alright sometimes, like when Athena, the big time goddess of wisdom ( . . . and Athens) helped Orestes out of a tight spot with the Fates "Kindly Ones" and told them to chill out and follow some rules.

It has been extremely comedic watching your tragedy unfold. Chin up. Gods love fools.

Sometimes.

So how's learning about the greek pantheon going?

*i walk out, covered in ash, various arrows to the head, sling over my shoulder, etc* it turns out you should NOT call Aphrodite the hot one. that gets you into trouble.

[coquexari]

I'm sorry, I just realized something while I was reading your post about Banthena (I hope that's okay? If not, I'll stop using it) trying to fight the suitors & not having an easy time of it.

How she was upset over it due to her being the goddess of war, but then I remembered that she's not simply the goddess of war. She's the goddess of war strategy & wisdom.

It's possible that she may have somewhat forgotten that due to her previously natural goddess endowed strength & may need to be reminded.

(And as I was typing that, I imagined Ody or Mac or both possibly, singing a reprise of "Warrior of the Mind" to do so, which could be so flippin' cool!!)

Actually... this could be an opportunity for her to actually refine this aspect of herself because she can't rely on her deity strength anymore... In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she was used to fighting like a man. I wonder, would she need to learn how to do physical things as a woman? Like, by focusing more on the strength in her lower body; legs, hips, core. So, things like dodging, flexibility, kicking, quick reaction. It's like how guys can muscle through climbing, but women climb best by using their legs & core strength.

So, if one were to put that together with her having to work on her mind, including on-the-fly strategizing... if she were to turn back into a goddess... Man, wouldn't it be ironic is becoming a mortal ended up making her a better at her roles as a goddess, in the end? Like, actually being a goddess her whole life had actually been holding her back from her full potential?

Can you imagine that it eventually led to her overthrowing Zeus like he'd been afraid of happening with Metis? "One often meets their destiny on the road to avoid it," right?

(Some other things I also remembered reading about her lore is that she's also the goddess of justice & suffers of a chronic headache so long as injustice exists. But, as a mortal, that is no longer her domain, so imagine that she gets to a point in her recovery where she realizes that she'd been in so much pain all over before, that she hadn't realized that she suddenly didn't have a headache anymore &... she just can't... How do you even describe not being in pain after only ever knowing pain? But I imagine that it must be odd. Another thing I remember of her is that she's also the goddess of handicrafts, things like weaving, pottery, I imagine painting & sculpting are on that list too. So, if she insists on paying her way, then perhaps she could do so that way? Whether it be by selling them or just helping Penelope around the house.)

Sorry for chattering so much. I tend to do that when I find a REALLY good thing with a lot of potential. ^^;

HI I TOOK EONS TO ANSWER THIS BECAUSE YOU MAKE SUCH A GOOD POINT AND MY BRAIN CANT MAKE ANY POINTS TO ADD ONTO THIS, so I'm eating your thoughts now, please continue to ramble in my asks anon <3

Also, teehee banthena is allowed indeed, and it's now the tag for if you want to make fan posts of the au :3!

[cynthiav06]

I have been living with this headcanon/brainrot about Athena (both from Epic the Musical and pjo) for a long while and a warning for the faint of heart, you know what read it anyway cause it haunts me , so everyone else has to be haunted by it too, cause I am petty like that.

Most people might be aware of the myth that Athena sprung from Zeus's head fully formed and in battle armor, but a few might not know the preceding myth, so here's a quick recap:

Zeus married the titaness Metis, who was the titaness of wise counsel, wisdom, and planning. She was also Athena's mother. Metis was his advisor, both an indispensable aid and threat to him, given her power and cunning. But it's no Greek mythology without a son overthrowing the father archetype haunting the narrative. There was a similar prophecy about Metis's second child being so powerful that he would overthrow Zeus. Mind you Metis was pregnant with Athena when the following events transpire:

Zeus being Zeus, paranoid and power hungry, the King of the Gods and the God of "Justice" manipulates Metis into playing a shape-shifting game and when Metis turned into a fly , he swallowed her whole. [I know Greek patriarchs have a thing for eating their children or spouses pregnant with said children. Runs in the family, apparently]

Mind you in Greek myths, swallowed children, or in this case, swallowed wife pregnant with said child stay alive for a good amount of time even inside someone else's organs. So Metis gives birth to Athena inside Zeus's head and raises her there. She teaches her warfare and strategy until Metis herself eventually dies, i.e., her essence fades. Knowing what she must do to not meet the same fate, Athena hammers on Zeus's skull from the inside to escape. Everyone knows the rest of the myth.

But imagine Athena's first lesson being that the man she calls her father is the one who killed her mother and almost killed Athena herself by swallowing Metis so she must do everything in her power to survive and avoid that fate by staying on his good side. To try and fit in this twisted family of immortals, half of who hate her existence and half who are indifferent to him. So she does exactly that.

Think of Athena asking to be a Virgin Goddess from learning of what comes of marriage with gods.

Now, the continuation of Athena's myth is that she goes to Atlantis to train with the sea nymphs. There she makes her first ever friend and someone she comes to dearly love, Pallas. Greek myths being allergic to happy endings, one day when Pallas and Athena are sparring as they do a bit more seriously this time; Zeus being a nosy bastard decides to spy in just when Pallas is about to land a finishing blow on Athena. Thinking she might kill his daughter, he kills Pallas by blasting her with his lightning. Athena, being heartbroken , Zeus gave her Aegis as an apology. The continuation of this is that Athena adopts the namesake Pallas Athena and even carves a statue in likeness of her friend called Palladium and then more.

But think of Athena heartbroken and bitter as the Goddess of Wisdom learns her second lesson, then she must abandon all personal relations and sentiment before her father ends it for her in one way or another. For Pallas was the first true relation in her life after her mother.

Keep in mind that Pallas is Poseidon's granddaughter through his firstborn son and heir Triton. This is the point that sparks eternal enmity between Athena and Poseidon, and all those who come after will suffer in the wake of this tragedy.

So Athena chooses to remain alone and without a friend to avoid such a situation. Imagine Athena being hurt, especially brutally, when Odysseus says: "Since you claim you are so much wiser, why's your life spent all alone? You're alone!"

Because that's exactly it. Athena is wise. She knows the consequence of endearing herself to someone again so she stays alone to avoid such a thing and yet coming from someone who is so close to being her first friend in a long time, hurt and enraged she leaves.

Now, when finally Athena comes to terms with her friendship with Odysseus she finds yet again that her father Zeus struck him and his crew in a similar fashion to Pallas , yet again ripping her only friend away from her .

He is not dead yet, and Athena isn't about to let that happen. This time, she fights against Zeus, risks her life and position of being the favorite, and her survival method all because she can't bear to see Odysseus die.

Think of the agonizing fate of Athena, repeatedly being traumatized by her father yet having to do his bidding and stay on his good side to survive and live not for herself for she lives in misery but for the people who suffered for died for their association with her. In her eyes, she must suffer tenfold for letting this happen thrice, for all eternity under the man who so wretchedly ruined her life.

[bloodyshadow1]

hello @mer-acle as luck would have it I am your secret santa too. you wanted something based on Athena so here it is. I was planning on posting this closer to christmas, but since you gifted me that goregous Athena piece I thought what the heck.

It's not your normal torturing athena story but I hope you still like

Athena’s skin burned, her veins screamed, and her bones ached.  One minute she was standing in front of her father before all of Olympus, victorious from his gauntlet, the next he was shouting and she was on the ground.   She was in pain, her shield melted onto her arm since it took the brunt of the blow.

Her father was still shouting about something, probably a warning to the rest of Olympus not to defy him.  Athena’s body begged her to stay down as her head rang from pain and the crack thunder.  Athena knew the wisest move would be to stay down, to let her father throw his tantrum and make a plan for when he cooled down.  

But she could not.  This was not fair.  She might have mocked his infidelity, but why should she suffer for his ego when she won his game?  She had earned her victory when she had made it through 5 other gods by blood, wit, and words. Why should she suffer more for mentioning his infidelity than he ever did cheating on his wife?

This was wrong and Athena would not stand for it.  Regardless of sense and what the rest of the family was yelling at her, Athena rose to her feet even if she had to lean on her spear to do so.  Still, in front of all of Olympus, she stood in defiance of their king.  

For Zeus, he looked angry, as his wrath turned to hatred.  Not even Ares had ever made their father look this angry before.  He shouted at her, from what she could make out from his lips something ‘Thunderbringer’ and ‘wringer’ but her ears were ringing too loudly for her to hear him.  In defiance of him, in his rule and his words, Athena moves forward.  

Purple in the face, Athena watches as her father gathers his storms to strike her again, but she does not stop.  He was angry, not uncommon for him, but for the first time since she was birthed from his skull, Athena fed the fires of her rage.  

Athena thought of Odysseus, her dear friend who she never got to call the word to his face.  Trapped on an island, violated by a goddess he did not love, all because of her father’s cruelty.  She thought of Telemachus and Penelope who were forced to endure his absence and the men who came to take his place all these years.  

She thought of her dearest Pallas, her first friend and the first blood she spilt.  All because Zeus’ arrogance would not let even his banished daughter lose a spare.  She thought of her mother Metis, the only source of softness Athena had as a child in the pits of her father’s guts.  She was gone now, gone forever because she could give birth to a child with her husband.  Her first, last, and only gift she was ever able to give to Athena, her armor was also smoking, perhaps unusable after today.  Were she able to allow herself the time, Athena would have cried at its loss.  

Lastly, Athena thought of a little girl, a baby.  A child born without sin, but with a prophecy hanging over her head, one that did not even apply to her, yet the King of Olympus deemed the death of his daughter a small price to pay for his safety.   

Never again, Athena had swallowed enough poison and pain in her life.  She looked at her father, her king, and advanced.  For the goddess of wisdom is going to war.     

There is no god on Olympus who could match the raw power of Zeus, not his brother, not his sisters, certainly not his daughter.  Athena knew this better than anyone.  She doubted that she would, could, win against her father. Zeus is Zeus afterall, but she will be damned if she will let him treat her like this for standing up for her friend.

Her father tossed another one of his thunderbolts at her, probably thinking he could end her little fit of rebellion then and there. This time though, Athena was expecting it and rolled to the side.  Her body screamed at her begging her to stop,  to lay down and die, but that was not Athena’s way.  Before, he caught her by surprise, in a moment of weakness, Athena did not believe that her father would truly hurt her.  That had been a mistake and the pain and scars would be the price she paid for that mistake.  

‘You can rest when you are dead and not a second before,’ was something she told her students Achilles, Diomedes, and Odysseus.  Achilles was resting, Diomedes was not, and she would be damned before she let Odysseus rest in peace trapped on Calypso’s island. She was many things, but she was not a hypocrite when it came to battle.  While she was alive she would not lay down like a beaten dog. 

She met her father’s attack with a charge, Zeus was powerful, but she knew she was as good as dead if she did not close the distance.  His thunderbolts were the most powerful weapon in all the cosmos, her shield was already gone and her Aegis around her neck was powerful, but it could only withstand so much.  She needed to end this now.  

One bolt echoed behind Athena, missing her by a hair, then another as she closed the distance.  Something came into her mind as she moved forward, how sloppy her father was.  His blows were powerful, the whole arena shook every time his bolts crashed to the earth, but as a warrior he was lacking.  It was not hard to be dangerous when you wielding the power of Olympus and the most destructive weapons the elder cyclopes ever made.  But on the battlefield, if not for his godhood, well, Athena had seen many warriors like him.  She could read him like a book.

Big and strong men who thought because they wielded a blade twice the size of the men around them that they were unstoppable.  They thought their strength was a perfect substitute for skill and would carry them on any battlefield.  At least until they came upon someone far more skilled who actually knew how to fight.

As she dodged lightning, Athena wondered when was the last time Zeus had actually fought someone instead of turning them into dust with one blast.  No one challenges the king of the gods, so perhaps his last real foe had been the Typhon?  

That sounded right, the Bane of Olympus against the king, thousands of years ago.  The great spawn of Gaia and Tartarus tore the earth apart as he made his way to Olympus.  The other gods fled save for Zeus, and if the storyteller was being honest, Athena.  Yes, Athena had been so loyal back then, she stood by her father’s side as the Typhon and the creatures he spawned.  She had seen her father fall against the giant while she fended off the nightmarish army.  It was her who distracted the Typhon while Hermes returned their father’s stolen sinews.  She had fought for days back then and despite the blood and sweat she spilled those days she had been written out of the story.  

Athena might have cared, but not enough to let it bother her, back then it only mattered that the threat was dealt with and Apollo had returned to the mountain so someone could heal her wounds.  Zeus had been sloppy and out of practice even back then, now it appears he had let himself go even worse if she could make it this close to him.  

As he went to summon his bolt again, his face growing redder with frustration every time she dodged, Athena made her move.  Before the bolt was back in his hand, her spear pierced his wrist, spraying golden ichor all over him.  He looked as shocked as he was in pain.  

Athena tried to not give him time to recover as she drew her sword from her hip and charged.  She managed two swings before he was able to recover, a deep cut on his chest from which gold spilled out, and one on his shoulder that he was able to dodge somewhat before she could dig deeper.  

Before she could go for the kill though, Zeus grabbed her sword hand with his injured hand.  He might be a shit warrior, but no one in existence could deny that he was a strong bastard.  It hurt as he squeezed down on her wrist but she did not let him have the satisfaction of seeing her in pain.  “Ungrateful bitch,” he spat at her before backhanding her with his bleeding hand.  

Athena spat out blood but did not back down even as her head rang inside her helmet.  He had one of her arms now, he was stronger than her.  In a grapple she knew despite her experience she would lose.  But while Athena was not as strong as her father, she was sneakier and willing to do whatever it took to win.  

As Zeus started to say something, Athena let out her secret weapon.  The bronze of her shield had melted from his first attack, but it had cooled since then.  It was not a pretty weapon by any means, but with how it melted into sharp, jagged, and ugly edges was enough.  Before he could say anything she slammed her deformed shield into his throat and ripped it open, gold pouring out like rain.  

Even Zeus, the King of the Gods, could shake off such a dreadful wound, Athena was counting on it.  He fell to his knees, clutching his gaping throat, it was not enough to kill him, but all creatures weakened to such a wound.  She dashed around him, unclipping her Aegis from around her throat.  

Swiftly, Athena wrapped the cloth of divine make around her father’s injured throat like a noose.  For the first time since Pallas died, Zeus wore the Aegis that was once his.  And like her half-brother killing the great Nemean Lion, Athena pulled her Aegis tight.  

Zeus did not go down without a fight, wounded as he was, he was still the king for a reason.  He thrashed against Athena with the strength only those who knew they were going to die could muster.  But while Athena was weaker than the children of Kronos, she was no dainty flower to be manhandled.  She was a war goddess and proved her mettle hanging on to the edges of her Aegis with an iron grip.  

Athena drew strength from those who lost and who she had yet to lose.  The mother that had been the only source of softness in the abyss that was her father’s guts.  Her first friend who had been taken by her hand and her father’s actions.  Odysseus who was still alive, but tormented because his crew killed a cow.  Her muscles  grew tight as she pulled harder, “you will never hurt the ones I love again,” she snarled like a beast.  

Between her strength and leverage, there was nothing that the King of the Skies could do and eventually he succumbed to the darkness.

Athena kept her grip tight on her Aegis for a few minutes after her father stopped thrashing about.  She would not lose everything she worked for to him playing possum.  Eventually though, Athena let her Aegis slacken once she was sure he would not wake in a moment.  Not even Zeus could get up after that.  With a sigh, she knew she had not a moment to lose.

Athena knelt down to the pools of golden ichor that covered the stage, a mix of both of theirs, her own wounds had not stopped just because she decided to fight her king.  With a touch the golden blood of the gods turned into golden thread.  With that thread Athena wove a golden net even stronger than the one the family used years ago to entrap him.  

Back then it took days of planning before Athena could formulate a plan to depose Zeus with the help of several other gods.  Yet here she was, able to topple her father alone.  She learned from her mistakes last time and when she strapped him in the net, she made sure there was no way out.  He would wake eventually and this time Athena did not want anyone pulling a Thetis and freeing him.  

With her father secured Athena finally looked at her surroundings.  At the monsters and gods in the stands watching them with baited breath.  Some looked afraid, some looked unsure, but there were some who looked hopeful for some reason that Athena could not quite comprehend in her state.  The family looked at her with mixed eyes as well, she would deal with that later.

“Hermes,” Athena shouted, her voice was raw but full of authority.  

Within seconds the messenger god was in front of her, “hey there sis,” he said trying to sound like he was not nervous.  “What can your favorite messenger of the gods do for you.”

“Go to Calypso’s Island,” Athena commanded, “tell Calypso to free Odysseus at once by the authority of Olympus.  Let her know that if she refuses, I will be the next visitor to her island,” she let the threat go unfinished.  Athena knew Hermes would get her point across.  

“My father’s game is over,” she shouted to the masses.  Some looked shocked, some looked frightened, but some, even those amongst the family, had a strange look of hope that she did not understand.  

It took everything she had to not sway from the pain now that adrenaline was slowly leaving her system.  But after what just happened, she could not afford to show any weakness.  Whatever comes next could wait, Odysseus needed to be free, Telemachus and Penelope needed to be safe.  Then she could rest.

[gotstabbedbyapen]

Penelope & Athena headcanons because a certain moot (yes it's YOU @dootznbootz) infected my brain with them :)

Athena knew of Penelope before Odysseus, as she is the patron of Sparta and has been watching the Spartan royal lineage for the longest time.

Weaving is Athena's love language, and she weaved with Penelope a lot as the princess grows up. Don't tell Artemis and Persephone this, but Athena enjoys this activity with Penelope more because she is actually skilled with it and is delightful to teach.

In the Hyacinthia festival, women would offer their woven chiton to Apollo. Athena would not shut up about how Penelope's chiton is the prettiest out of the bunch and Apollo rolled his eyes like, "Yeah, yeah, I know your human is the best weaver. How about I give you her chiton???"

Aside weaving, Athena also trained Penelope in sport and some fighting skills. As a girl, Penelope isn't required to undergo heavy military training, but she still must participate in physical training to stay fit.

They play a lot of petteia (an ancient Greek board game). Penelope is smart but never stood a chance against the goddess of wisdom herself, but she's too competitive to give up. Athena very much indulged her lmao

They talked about their family a lot, from their sisters' silly frolics to their brothers' stupid antics. Penelope is one of the few who knows how much of a gossiper Athena actually is.

Mutual understanding over bystander's guilt. Athena witnessed Persephone getting kidnapped as a young goddess and Penelope saw Helen getting stolen away as a child. Both failed to save them and had dreamt of being able to do something, anything to stop the tragedy.

Silly arguments about whether saltwater or freshwater is better between half-Naiad Penelope and half-Oceanid Athena (Metis was an Oceanid and Athena had lots of connection with the ocean)

One time Athena took Penelope to the mouth of the Eurotas River at the Laconian Gulf to settle the debate by swimming and... taste testing the water.

They finally found a common ground in deciding that the brackish water at estuaries isn't actually as great as they thought. And so they decided to respect each other's opinion.

In another universe where Odysseus never came to Sparta, Athena welcomes Penelope to become her priestess.

Despite not having the best relationship with Aphrodite, Athena still brings herself to ask the goddess for tips and helps on how to matchmake Penelope with Odysseus when she found out her two pets are smitten with each other.

"Do you think I just start a fight between them so they get to speak directly?" - "Athena, sweetie, just no."

A lot of people joke about Athena thinking Odysseus gave birth to Telemachus via his head because that's how she was born, but we don't talk much about Athena's potential hidden trauma of her father swallowing her mother before that.

Even though Athena knows Odysseus would rather die than hurt Penelope, there's a tingling intrusive thought at the back of her head that she should keep an eye just to ensure the smallest of chance wouldn't happen.

When Penelope went into labor, Athena dragged Artemis to support her. The composed goddess lowkey panicked when her pet human is giving birth lol

Penelope called Athena by her epithet "Soteira" (Saviour) two times in her life: when Helen was stolen by Theseus and when Helen was taken by Paris which led to Odysseus having to leave for war.

It was a half desperate cry for help, half bitter sarcasm that The Saving Goddess could not save those whom she claimed to watch over, and not to mention Athena was part of the Golden Apple drama that eventually led to Helen being given to Paris.

Athena was immensely guilty for having a hand in the events that led to Penelope having to watch her husband depart for war and Telemachus having to grow up without a father. She tried to spend as much time where she wasn't participating in the war as possible to help out Penelope in raising Telemachus, basically becoming a temporarily stand-in parent for the boy.

Another reason for Athena's constant involvement in Telemachus' upbringing is that, deep down, she didn't want the boy to grow up half-orphaned like she was.

Penelope asked Athena why she didn't make the suitors suddenly choke on their food and die. Athena replied (for the 7635th time) that her father is the Lord of Xenia and her doing so would not please him.

Penelope: We can stage it like an accident.

Athena: I already told you, I cannot violate my father's domain!

Penelope: You started a rebellion against your father but draw the line at making a guest die because it'll disrespect him???

Athena: ... Be quiet.

[citrineandrosmarin]

🦉Athena Masterpost🦉

This masterpost will cover very basic information with links to further posts or resources (otherwise it’s super long) and may be updated in future with extra sections. Basic bibliography at the end. I welcome you to share your UPG and resources in the comments - I won’t differentiate between mine and others’ UPG.

UPG = Unverified Personal Gnosis, SPG = Shared Personal Gnosis, H = Historically Inspired association

Last updated: Date of Publishing

Overview

Athena is the Hellenic goddess associated most commonly with wisdom, war, weaving, and in modern times, education and knowledge. She was a goddess who occupied both masculine and feminine roles in a highly patriarchal society, standing outside the societal binary. She is a fascinatingly variable and nuanced deity who has adapted and persisted in the mind of western society until this day. This masterpost is in dedication to her.

“Through our investigation of [Athena’s] role within the pantheon, she has emerged as a power of technology and creativity who promotes creativity and order, but with another side to her power, that of the storm bringer and warmonger.” -Susan Deacy

Athena, Goddess of…

Metis (Cunning)

Skill

Crafts

Invention

War

Civilization

Hero Mentorship

Education and Knowledge [SPG]

🐍Find out More!🐍

Symbols, Colors & Tarot Cards

Traditional: Owls (Specifically the Little Owl, Athene noctua), Snakes, Horses, Gulls, Crows (In Messenia and Boeotia, though elsewhere she was not fond of them), Olive trees, the Aegis, the Gorgoneion, Spindle, Spear, Helmet (Particularly with gryphons and/or sphinxes on it).

Other symbols: Spiders [Roman & SPG], Books and Scrolls [SPG], Pens or Quills [UPG]

Colors: Saffron/Yellow/Orange/Gold [H], Murex Purple [H], Hyacinth Blue [H], Red [H?], Bronze [H], Green [UPG]

🐍Find out More!🐍

Tarot Cards (All UPG/SPG of course): The Emperor, The Hierophant, The Chariot, Strength, Justice, The World, Knight of Pentacles, Queen & King of Swords, Queen & King of Wands

Name & Epithets:

Athena has some variations in name. The Attic form was “Athenaia”, which was contracted to “Athena,” the Ionian form was “Athenaie,” the Doric form “Athana,” in Aeolic, “Athanaa,” and in epic she was “Athenaie,” shortened to “Athene.”

A few common epithets:

Areia - Warlike

Ergane - The Worker

Glaukôpis - Bright/owl-eyed.

Pallas - Refers either to the myth of Athena’s childhood friend Pallas, or of the giant named Pallas whom she slayed.

Parthenos - Maiden

Polias - Of the City

Polymetis - Cunning in many ways

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Offerings and Devotional Acts

This section was super long! Only including a few here but check out the link!

Gemstones & Metals - Gold, Lapis Lazuli, Onyx, Iolite

Plants - Olive, Ivy, Thyme, Rosemary, Cypress, Peppermint, Orange

Incense and Fragrances - Frankincense, Thyme, Bay Laurel, Amber, Myrrh, Dragon’s Blood, Orange, Citrus, Cedarwood, Cinnamon, Cypress, Bergamot & Sage

Food & Drink - Olives and Olive Oil, Honey, Milk, Cheese, Cereal Grains, Diluted Wine, Bread, Baked Goods, Fish, Meat, Fruit/Fruit Juice, Water

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Athenian Festivals

Athena’s main festivals were the Panathenaia, Khalkeia, Kallynteria and Plynteria. It is up to individuals to decide if and how to include these celebrations in their practice. 

Panathenaia: The biggest festival for Athena taking place annually, but with a bigger version every fourth year. Mainly a festival with athletic, poetry and musical competitions.

Kallynteria and Plynteria: Sacred days centered around cleaning.

Arrephoria: A mysterious festival that took place at night and is theorized to have been a fertility rite.

Khalkeia: The festival of artisans, which celebrated Athena and Hephaestus.

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Family & Connections

Parents: Athena’s father was Zeus (Except in Libya, where she was known as Poseidon’s daughter) and her mother was the personification of wisdom, Metis. In some sources she was raised by Triton alongside his daughter, Pallas.

Children: Athena had no children as a virgin goddess but she did adopt and raise Erichthonius, who later became king of Athens.

Retinue: Athena was often associated closely with Nike (Victory), an example being the famed statue Athena Parthenos, which held Nike in its hand. The aegis which Athena wore also contained the personifications Phobos (Fear), Eris (Strife), Alke (Strength) and Ikoe (Panic) as noted in the Iliad.

Companions: Pallas is perhaps the most famous of Athene’s companions, as the two girls grew up together until Athena accidentally killed Pallas and afterwards took on her name as an epithet. However, in the Homeric Hymn 2 to Demeter it is shown that Athena, Artemis and Persephone spent time together and were playing and collecting flowers before Persephone was abducted. The Greek historian Diodorus Siculus claims they were also raised together.

Heroes: Athena was a mentor of Heroes and had a hand in assisting heroes such as Herakles, Odysseus and Diomedes, but also Achilles, Bellerophon, Perseus, Theseus, Kadmos and Tydeus.

🐍More of my Info Posts!🐍

Athena and Childbirth

Athena Hippia / Khalinitis

On The Nature of Metis - Excerpts from “Cunning Intelligence in Greek Culture and Society”

On the comparison of Athena and Ares

Athena and Herakles: Excerpt from Susan Deacy’s book

Myth of Athena's Birth

🐍Extra Links🐍

Prayers, Hymns and Poems

Homeric Hymn to Athena 11 [Tumblr - Mine]

Homeric Hymn to Athena 28 [Tumblr - Mine]

Poem for Athena [Tumblr - Mine]

Adaptation of the Orphic Hymn [Tumblr - wisdomweaver]

Ode to Athena: A Birth of Wisdom [Tumblr - panjackdaw]

Prayer to Athena [Tumblr - rue-with-the-tarot]

Hymn to Athena [Tumblr - entricacies]

Praise to Athena [Tumblr - piristephes]

Prayer for Clarity and Sound Intuition [Tumblr - crimsonsongbird]

Prayer for Athena [Tumblr - hisfleur]

Prayer for Athena [Tumblr - evilios]

Prayer to Athena [Tumblr - ranger5000]

Chin Up - A Message From Athena [Tumblr - crimsonsongbird]

Assortment of Prayers [Website - greekpagan.com]

Battle Armor Poem [Tumblr - crimsonsongbird]

A Prayer to the Wise Short Poem [Tumblr - crimsonsongbird]

Learning Short Poem [Tumblr - Mine]

Additional Links

Theoi.com [Website]

Iliad - Athena dons the Aegis [Tumblr - Mine]

Reconstruction of Athena Parthenos statue’s colors [Youtube - Museum of Fine Arts, Boston]

Bathing of Athena in Argos [Tumblr - verdantlyviolet]

Subtle Athena Worship [Tumblr - khaire-traveler]

A response to the “Athena is a victim blamer and hates women” crowd [Tumblr - rightwheretheyleftme]

khaire-traveler on their snow leopard UPG [Tumblr]

Parthenon 3D Reconstruction [Youtube - Ancient Athens 3D]

Parthenon in AC: Odyssey [Youtube - Invicta]

Bibliography

Barber, E.J.W. - The peplos of Athena

Burkert, Walter - Greek Religion

Deacy, Susan - Athena

Deacy, Susan & Villing, Alexandra - Athena in the Classical World

Deacy, Susan & Villing, Alexandra - What was the colour of Athena's Aegis?

Detienne, Marcel & Vernant, Jean-Pierre - Cunning Intelligence in Greek Culture and Society

Drees, Ludwig - Olympia

Larson, Jennifer - Ancient Greek Cults

Mansfield, John Magruder - The Robe Of Athena And The Panathenaic "Peplos"

Maurizio, Lisa - Classical Mythology in Context

Mikalson, Jon D. - Ancient Greek Religion

Ogden, Daniel - A Companion to Greek Religion

Theoi.com

[daenystheedreamer]

Valyrian Pantheon Headcanons

We know the names of 5 of the Valyrian gods and that's it. We don't know anything about the practices or even what those gods were patrons of. Here is my headcanon reconstruction of the pantheon ^_^

I think the Fourteen Flames (the volcanoes) are named for fourteen gods who constitute the main pantheon, similar to the 12 Greek Olympians or the 12 Roman Dei Consentes. There are many minor gods, usually personifications of concepts like seasons/emotions.

I imagine them like Egyptian gods, who are personified sometimes as humans, sometimes as animals, sometimes as animal-headed humanoids. I imagine the main fourteen as dragons, though idk how silly that would look lol.

I think they were also androgynous gods. Why? That's fun. That's so fun. Dragons are theorised to be hermaphroditic/intersex who can change their sex at will, but also are referred to as she-dragons if they are confirmed to lay clutches of eggs. So some of these gods are gods, and some are goddesses, despite being a-gender

Canonical Gods

BALERION: I believe Balerion's name is at least a little inspired by Ba'al, an ancient Semitic god who was very important to the religions of the region (Canaan, Babylon, etc) and features as a false god in the Hebrew bible. I think he's the King of the gods, like Zeus. God of war or fire or conquest or all of the above. Many ancient gods shifted their patronage and powers.

VHAGAR: Consort of Balerion, similar to Hera. Goddess of war/wisdom, similar to Athena. I think this fits a person like Visenya.

MERAXES: Perhaps a concubine of Balerion? Like how Zeus had thousands of lovers. Metis, Leto, Demeter, etcetera. Goddess of love, because Rhaenys seems like a woman who enjoyed love and life. Perhaps also a goddess of marriage?

SYRAX: It's gotta be someone Rhaenyra would think is cool. Perhaps a goddess of the sun/moon? Another war goddess? A queen? Actually, perhaps Syrax is the Hera of the pantheon, while Vhagar is not necessarily virginal like Athena but 'unmarried' so to speak. Goddess of beauty/wealth would also fit Rhaenyra. Goddess of the sun or moon would be fun in opposition to Sunfyre.

BOASH: called 'The Blind God' Mentioned as the god the Lorathi worship, whose religious followers (dissidents of the Valyrian Freehold) founded the city of Lorath. The name doesn't follow the typical Valyrian naming traditions, perhaps he was originally Boax/Boaxes? Would be fun. He's a very esoteric god connected to 'higher truths', the priests are eunuchs and the followers are vegetarian teetotalers and a main tenant is that everyone is equal. They also wear hair shirts which is an old Christian practice. I think he's a version of a Valyrian death god

the BLACK GOAT: Whose followers founded Qohor. I think he's a minor god, perhaps of magic or agriculture even, agricultural deities tend to be very important to common folk. However the goat imagery evokes Satan and Baphomet, so I think a villainous or death deity would be fun.

Non-canonical gods

A lot of the Targ dragons are given names with similar naming style to the canonical god dragons.

VERMITHOR & VERMAX: The naming conventions of Vermax and Vermithor intrigue me... I think one is the name of the God and one is a theophoric name in reference to the god. Perhaps a god of justice, law, order, etc, since they were the dragons of Jaehaerys and Jacaerys and I can see them picking that kind of God.

ARRAX: Lucerys names his dragon this, so I think a coming-of-age god or god of youths would be fun since he, yknow, got eated at 14.

CARAXES: This is Daemon's dragon so I'm saying Caraxes is the Dionysus/Hermes trickster god. Daemon picking the bacchanalian drunk sex god for his dragon is real to me.

MELEYS: Rhaenys TQWNW's dragon. Rhaenys gives off SUCH demeter vibes idk so agricultural god would be fun but idk i don't think she'd pick something like that. Perhaps its based off of Meraxes since Rhaenys is her namesake. Perhaps an oceanic or weather-based god.

MORGHUL: Morghul is simply the word for death in High Valyrian e.g. 'Valar Morghulis', but I like it as a euphemistic name for a God of death. Like his name is so tabboo that you just refer to him as death, or he's just named death in relation to afterlife, like how Hades refers to both the god and the underworld. I think perhaps Boash and the Black Goat are actually interpretations/aspects of the same deity, perhaps a death - morghul - god.

SHRYKOS: Sick name sorry just had to say that. He's Jaehaerys (son of Helaegon)'s dragon. got no clue what he could be a god of cos jaehaerys is a plot device character. I think he's just a cool Valyrian word, like Morghul, since Jaehaerys and Jaehaera are twins. Be fun if they picked life/death dichotomy for their dragons :p

TERRAX: ridden by the pre-doom character Jaenara Belaerys, who flew further south in Sothoryos than anyone else. God(dess) of travel/wisdom/conquest/oceans would be fun since she's a traveller who flew across oceans and sort of exemplifies the Valyrian conquest/adventurer spirit.

TESSARION: Okay the blue queen has to be a goddess of the ocean or the sky<3

TYRAXES: Joffrey's dragon :) I think a god of animals would be cute also cos he sounds like T-rex. I would name my dragon T-rex. Possibly a bastardisation of Terrax though...

URRAX: This is the name of a legendary/fairytale dragon from the story of Serwyn and Daeryssa from the Age of Heroes. By Daeryssa's naming convention and the fact she is mentioned only in AGOT, I think she was perhaps supposed to be a Targaryen before GRRM had established a full history. I think he's just a bastardisation of perhaps a Valyrian god like Arrax.

So my vision of the Valyrian pantheon includes Balerion, Vhagar, Meraxes, Syrax, Vermithor, Arrax, Caraxes, Terrax, Tessarion, which is 9 gods

plus Meleys and Tyraxes who I'm not sure if I want to be referring to above gods or just the name of a god entirely, which makes 11

Adding a death god (Boash, Black Goat, Moghul) makes 12,

which leaves another two unnamed for my personal idea of a Valyrian pantheon :)

[lunarforager]

Who is Athena?

Today's "Introduction to the Hellenic Gods" post is about the lovely Athena! She was the one I wanted to do next since I have a very personal connection with her. Athena is the deity I am currently trying to reach out to (so this post is acting as an offering of sorts) and she is also the deity I most associate most with my partner!

---

Athena is the name given to the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom, strategic warfare, and handicraft. Her Roman equivalent is Minerva.

---

Athena's birth myth has two versions that are very similar to one another. The first myth states that Athena was produced by Zeus' own thoughts and was 'born' by erputing from his forehead. In this myth there was no mother.

In the other version of her birth myth, Athena was instead a growing baby inside the goddess Metis who Zeus then swallowed. Athena then emerged fully formed from his forehead once again.

In both myths, Athena was said to emerge fully grown weilding both her spear and her shield and ready for battle.

---

Pallas Athena is the most commonly referred to epithet of Athena. There are many explainations to how this epithet came to be, but most agree that it comes from the Greek word πάλλω, which means "to brandish". Pallas Athena refers specifically to the warlike attributes of Athena, with her being depicted in her full battle armor with her shield and her spear.

Athena Parthenos is another commonly used epithet meaning "Athena the Virgin". Athena, like Hestia and Artemis was a virgin goddess, but unlike Hestia (or Vesta) was not worshipped in that capacity. It was simply an attribute commonly given to her.

---

Some interesting facts about Athena:

Athena is known to wield the shield Aegis, which is engraved with the face of the Gorgon, Medusa.

Athena was regarded as the patron goddess of heroic endeavours, hence why she continually helps the heroes of famous myths like Perseus, Jason, and Heracles.

Athena was often depicted in art wearing male battle armor and was treated similary to the male gods.

Athena created the first spider, Arachne, after challenging the woman in a weaving contest, which she lost, afterwards transforming her into an arachnid.

—-

My favourite literature and artwork depicting Athena/Minerva:

- The Iliad by Homer: In the first book of the Iliad, Athena is sent down by Hera to stop Achilles and Agamemnon from getting into a physical altercation. She grabs Achilles by the hair and warns him that fighting Agamemnon will lead him away from his destiny of greatness.

- The statue of Athena Parthenos (recreations) by Phidias: A statue of Athena meant to be housed in the Parthenon on the acropolis of Athens

- The Judgement of Paris by Lucas Cranach the Elder: Paris was asked to choose which of the three goddesses, Hera, Athena, or Aphrodite, he believed was the ‘fairest’. Each offered him a bribe to choose them, but Paris went with Aphrodite as the goddess offered him the most beautiful woman to wed, Helen of Troy. In this painting all three goddesses are depicted nude, which wouldn’t have been the case in ancient Greek art, as depicting any goddess, even Aphrodite, as nude was seen as sacrilege. This was painted in 1530, hence why the nudity wasn’t frowned upon.

---

Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this post! I absolutely love Athena and all that she represents and so I was so excited to spend some time writing this up for you all. If you have any suggestions for who to write about next, feel free to DM me or leave me an ask! Also, feel free to reach out if you just want to chat! I love making new friends and would love to talk to anybody who wants to!

Valete, my friends! <3

[bcowlick]

A Rant about My Metis

A song that i relate a lot to Metis es "Waiting on a Miracle" from Encanto, both on a character and meta level.

Firstly, as a character, my Metis is quite special. She's supposed to be the daughter of two Oceanic titans, she should be living in the Ocean inside a pretty castle under the sea! What the hell is she doing living in Crete?

Well, my Metis doesn't knows who are her actual folks! She was found by the forest nymphs of Crete island and raised by them as a baby. But she being an Oceanic nymph (plus the straight up daughter of not one but two Titans) and the rest of her family being Forest nymphs, she quickly noticed all the differences.

I draw her big and muscular for a reason (Because muscular women are beautiful sksksks) but is also because she doesn't fit in that "pretty, delicate, femenine and elegant" view of most nymphs.

And she shouldn't! Again, she's daughter of two titans, of course she's a big girl! (And all Oceanids are similar in that they are a bigger kind of nymph in my story, not just Metis) But she doesn't know that!

So it leaves her feeling a bit like an ugly duckling. Specially because most people are used to the image of a regular forest Nymph. She feel a bit like an outsider to her family, and sometimes an outsider to the rest of the Big 6, except Zeus.

Zeus is the only person who's not one member of her adopted family that ever compliments her and that's why she flusters so easily around him.

I go back to the song now, in "Waiting for a Miracle" the song is about Mirabel asking for someone to notice her, to think of her a special and all the things she would be willing to do just for someone to tell her that she DOES fit in.

And my Metis surely has done a LOT of batshit crazy things for the one boy that treats her as she was the most beautiful nymph that has ever touched the earth.

Crazy batshit stuff like, making fricking Cronus vomit, helping Zeus with a whole ass war, helping all of the other Big 6 in said war, and in general she loves to help Zeus' with all of his shenanigans.

She is head-over heels for that man. In her eyes, Zeus is that "Miracle". Her best friend, companion, and husband.

Now, on the more "Meta" level...

Metis is quite the character in mitology. Most people that do re-tellings don't bother to include her in any way.

Or if they do, they do so as like a quick mention of "Oh, this was Zeus' first wife i guess" and then don't mention more about it. As if being "Zeus #1 wife that he ate" was her whole personality

I understand, tho. Metis is a very obscure character. And has a very quick role in mithology.

Yet, that role is also, like. THE MUST FRIGGING IMPORTANT ROLE.

Like, dude, Zeus wouldn't had been able to start the whole ass war if Metis hadn't helped him free his siblings! Nothing would had happened!

And she's not even canonically dead, she literally lives inside Zeus' brain. She's literally the voice of reason inside his head telling him what to do, helping him decide what would be the best course of action in a situation.

Zeus is wise, because Metis lives rent-free in his head lol

A misconception is that Zeus ate Metis the same way Cronus did the Big 5, but he didn't. He rather "absorbed her". Where Cronus tried to destroy his sons, Zeus wanted to keep a piece of wife always within him. (It doesn't make it any-better, but the fact that he could just eat Metis and call it a day but he choose to specifically not do that and instead did something slightly more merciful talks a lot of how much he loved her, me thinks).

The man was worried about the prophecy, for sure! But you cannot tell me he didn't care!

Yet, Metis is always forgotten in must stories. Again, i get why

I just wish it wasn't like that lol. She is goddess of wisdom, the OG goddess of wisdom. She has potential for a character if we let her have one!

Another Metis enjoyer (@/firinnie) pointed out that Metis was the only wife Zeus' was FORCED to get rid off.

So to me, at the very least, shows me that Zeus really loved her, y'know?

And once again, in a Meta level, Metis is just waiting for someone to notice her overall.

That's all, thank you for coming to my rant xd

[romance-club-daily]

Romance Club MC's as Greek deities:

Lou Reed as Athena:

Goddess of war, handicraft and practical reason 💣🏳️💥

Athena is the goddess of war, craftsmanship, and practical wisdom. Born from Zeus without a mother, she sprang fully grown from his forehead. Another myth suggests that Zeus ingested Metis, the goddess of wisdom, while she was expecting Athena, resulting in Athena's birth from Zeus. As Zeus's favored daughter, she wielded immense power. Athena's moral and military ascendancy over Ares stems partly from her embodiment of the intellectual and civilized aspects of warfare, along with the virtues of justice and skill, in contrast to Ares, who symbolizes sheer bloodlust. In the Iliad, Athena epitomizes the divine aspect of the heroic warrior ideal: she embodies excellence in hand-to-hand combat, triumph, and honor. Lou was chosen as Athena mainly because of her pragmatic personality.

File Source | BeautifulCome | cr.nana | malbgt | tavernytkr |

Other skin colours under the cut:

[thechthonicherbalist]

Who is...

Lady Athena?

Lady Athena is a #Hellenic goddess worshiped in Ancient Greece and beyond. Like many of the Ancient Greek Gods, Heroes and Lore, the story of her birth is not quite average. Zeus, mighty ruler of Olympus had received a warning, that one of his sons would take his throne & strip him of his power, as he himself had done with his father Cronos. So like his father, Zeus decided that cannibalism will solve his problem and swallowed his first lover, Metis, a beautiful Okeanide (Daughters of Okeanos and Thetys), while she was pregnant. Instead of bearing him the promised son, a wise girl, with the attire of a warrior was born from Zeus' head. Hephaistos, the disabled god of fire, metallurgy, and crafts came to aid Zeus as a midwife, effectively splitting his head open with an axe, to make way for Zeus' most beloved daughter, Athene, who stepped forth, with eyes of steal and fully armoured. If this is a special benefit of having a divine blacksmith midwife or a side effect of cannibal birth through your father's head is unknown.

("The birth of Athena" - Vase painting from 555 - 550 B.C. by the Phrynos Painter - British Museum, London)

Little Athene however was soon sent to be raised and educated in the arts of war, by the God Triton, alongside of his daughter Pallas, who became her companion (read: potentially wlw lover). Training together, the two girls would fight against each other with sword and shield and both were so skilled in their doing, that Zeus started to worry about his daughter, interfering in their play. This startled Pallas so much that she missed to parry a thrust of Athena's sword and got lethally wounded. According to some interpretations Athena was so devastated about the death of her lover, that she took her name as her own, to immortalize her memory and henceforth was known as Pallas Athena, whereas other interpretations identify Athena as aromantic or asexual.

(1. Contemporary bronze figurine of Athena, taking the fierce stance of a warrior with her iconic Medusa shield, her helmet and spear.) (2. Alternative shield of Athene's sporting the owl emblem, a symbol of her wisdom and crest to the city of Athens.)

Pallas is also synonymous with the word "girl" which goes hand in hand with another epithet of Athene's: Parthenos, meaning "maiden". In other words, Athena was known as the "Girl Athena" or "Maiden Athena", implying that she was rather young. Despite her everlasting young age, Athena became known as the wisest and most skilled warrior. Unlike Ares, God of war, her skills lie particularly with wisdom, protection and defense as well as diplomacy and righteousness, with which she aided many Greek heroes like Hercules, Perseus, Achilles and Odysseus according to Hellenic lore. Being an INFP (MBTI type) myself, and therefore a diplomat, I always admired her for these particular traits and often seek her council, aid and guidance, in order to act thoughtful and not get carried away by heated emotions, especially in the face of conflict and problems. (I'm not always successful, but that's why we ask for help. 😂)

("Athena Protects the young Hero" - Berlin)

Furthermore she is the patron goddess of arts and crafts, specifically those that serve the creation of useful objects and tools, but especially of crafts connected to thread and fabric. Notably she is also known as the Patron of Greece's capital city Athens, who sports an owl emblem in it's crest in her honour. The people of Attica chose her as such, after she gifted them with the invention of the olive tree, rooting the discovery of olives and their products in the hands of Greece, according to their lore. Furthermore she is known as patroness of Sparta, founder of Thebes and in association with the city of Corinth. Later Athena was also associated with Hygieia (goddess of health, cleanliness and hygiene) and the Hippocratic oath, a pledge physicians make before various healing gods to practice medicine and healing in a honourful and ethical way. Therefore Athena is also sometimes depicted with a serpent-staff, like Asclepios.

(Athena as restored by Algardi - Museo nazionale romano di palazzo, Altemps)

Some animals & objects associated with Athene are:

The Owl and Serpent - symbols of wisdom

The Horse - symbol of equestrian skills

The olive tree - symbol of victory

Armour, Helmet, Shield and Spear - symbols of divine authority, protection, wisdom and strategy

Sphinx and Griffins - symbols of power, domestication and taming of the wild spirits, abundance

Well received offering for Athene are:

Food like bread, meat, milk, honey, cakes, barley meal, olive oil, fruit, wine and pure water

Olives and Olive Branches

Flowers, especially white roses

Spices, especially cinnamon

Burning or offering incense

Crystals, amongst others Sodalite, Marble, Shungite, Fluorite, Granite, Amethyst, Dumortierite, a number of quartzes, emeralds and opals

Dedicational work and worship can include:

Studying, reading and educating yourself

Promoting peace and seeking diplomatic solutions and conversations to resolve conflict

Arts and crafts, especially weaving, knitting, crocheting

Learn and practice martial arts

Educating or writing informational works

(Athena with Owl and Shield, Replica)

[lonewolfel]

Lightning that makes her Kingdom Fall Chapter 2 Divine Intervention

Read Chapter 1

Master Chapter List

On AO3

Spoilers for Wisdom Saga. Mentions of domestic abuse.

Hera watched Zeus pace. Electricity ran across his arms in his anger. Hera stood beside the door prepared to make a quick escape if she needed to. She had never seen her husband like this, even when she herself had once tried to dethrone him. Her punishment hadn’t been pleasant, but it was nowhere near Athena’s just for trying to save a mortal.  

“I can’t believe she did this,” Zeus boomed. 

“Talk about your affairs? I didn’t think you cared. You never exactly been subtle with them,” Hera said.  

It pained her to say that. She hated that this was her life. A husband who constantly cheats on her and being powerless to stop it. A husband who cared so little about his kids that he was willing to leave them dying in front of the whole pantheon. Though at least she managed to get a better deal than Metis, if only just. 

“NO!” Zeus whirled around to face Hera. Hera barely contained her flinch at his burning yellow eyes glaring at her. “Don’t you see?” 

“I do not,” Hera admitted. 

“She was never to win. They...you, were never supposed to side with her.” 

Athena was an isolated god, that was true. She preferred to be on her own than around the other gods. Most of the other gods, Hera herself included hated Athena and would rather do anything then be in her presence. Ares, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus all hated Athena and no one in their wildest dreams would imagine them siding with Athena. Apollo only seemed to tolerate his half-sister. Athena had been perfectly content with those arrangements. The only god that Athena spent time with was Zeus himself. She had always been Zeus’s loyal daughter, doing all she could to please him and Zeus had accepted her council.  

If Hera was honest if there were any child, she felt like Zeus would kill it would have been Ares. 

“She’s the goddess of wisdom,” Hera said slowly. “Just because she cares little about others and their thoughts doesn’t mean that she doesn’t know how to appease them.” 

“How much do you know about Metis?” 

Hera blinked at the change of topic. Though she knew better than to question it. 

“Admittedly not much. I know that she aided you in freeing us and defeating Father and the rest of his Titans. I know you married her, but Gaia's words convinced you to consume her essence while she was pregnant with Athena.” 

“Do you know what Gaia said?” 

“No.” 

“She told me that Metis’s daughter will be wiser than any god. That her son will be the king of Olympus and mortals.” 

Hera froze at those words. A deep chill went through her. She knew exactly what that meant. Their possible son would have overthrown Zeus. It was why Zeus had taken so drastic of actions, though he failed to account for Metis already being pregnant.  

Fate was an odd thing. Even the gods were held to it with only the Moira could change it. Many gods have the ability to see into the future, but prophecy was a tricky thing, a god was just as likely to condemn himself as save himself from fate.  

Just because her son was destined to be king doesn’t mean that her daughter couldn’t have also been destined to be queen. Perhaps Zeus had avoided one possible fate only to stumble upon another. One where his daughter overthrows him, not his son.  

Athena in isolation wasn’t a threat. Zeus had too many supporters for her to defeat on her own even with her clever plans. Besides, the only being she cared about was Zeus or at least that used to be the case. If Athena had raised a coup no other god would side with her, but she had just shown how easily she could persuade the gods that hate her to her cause.  

This wasn’t about Athena winning the game or the mortal she cared about. No, this is about Zeus removing a rival before she can make an actual move against him. 

Hera would never have imagined Athena moving against Zeus. Though that hardly matters now.  

“I should have gotten rid of her when she was born.” 

Hera could have said something about how the unwanted children always end up turning up and usually with plans of revenge. She refrained from it though as she didn’t want to turn his ire to her. 

“You have killed her,” Hera said. “So, what is your plan.” 

“Odysseus shall burn for turning my daughter against me.” 

Hera bit her lip. “Olympus already knows what happens when they cross you. None will stand against you but punishing a mortal for the action of a god aids nothing.” Hera knew that all too well. “Yes, the others fear you, but a good King must have his subjects respect along with their fear. They fear you, yes but I do not know about respect.” 

“What would you have me do?”  

“Show that you are just as merciful as you are cruel.” 

Zeus paused for a moment, seeming to think it over.  

“Summon Hermes.” 

Hera frowned. She didn’t want to have to deal with that bastard child. 

“Very well, my Lord.” 

Hera left leaving Zeus alone. She went to the entrance of Hades so that she could catch him when he resurfaced. 

~~~

Hermes entered the cave where Calypso had made her home. He wasn’t sure where his descendent was on the island, but all the gods knew that he had trapped her. 

“Hiya, Calypso,” Hermes greeted.  

Calypso knelt before Hermes. “Lord Hermes, welcome to my humble abode. To what honor do I have for your visit?"

“I bring a message from Zeus,” Hermes said. He smirked knowing how this would go, and he was going to love the drama. “You are to free Odysseus and allow him to leave.” 

“WHAT!” Calypso stood up. Her eyes glowed in divine rage, but it did nothing to intimidate the messenger god. “How dare you! How dare Zeus! Of course, you would want this. You Olympians just want the rest of us to suffer for your amusement. You are the only ones that can be happy.” 

“Would you defy Zeus?” Hermes so wanted her to say yes. He would have loved to see his father destroy a nymph. It truly had been too long since that had happened.  

Calypso though unfortunately backed down. Tears filled her eyes and began to roll down her cheeks.  

“How do you know he will go? I love him.” 

“He will go.” 

“He is my husband.” 

“He was married to another first. Hera recognizes that marriage not yours.”  

Calypso’s face turned red. She let out a sob. “Fine then. Take him and leave me completely alone again.” 

“Thanks for your cooperation.”  

With that Hermes exited the cave.  

~~~

Telemachus stared out across Ithaca towards the horizon, just as he had so many times in the past ten years. The first couple of years he had hoped to watch his father’s ship appear on the horizon. From there he and his mother would rush to the docks to greet them. Then his father would hug each of them maybe even kiss his mother like the fishermen do when they return home. His father would look at him and tell him how proud he was of him. 

That thought was a dream of a kid, though. Telemachus tried to hold onto hope that his father would come home, but it was hard. It has been ten years since the war had ended and no news has reached Ithaca about their king. Odysseus may very well be dead somewhere in Poseidon's domain.  

His father certainly wouldn’t be proud of him. 108 suitors drain his family of their wealth. He couldn’t even protect his mother from them. It was only her status of queen regent that stopped the suitors from doing the horrible things to her that they talked about when she was not around. Telemachus didn’t even know how to fight. Hopefully, that will all change. 

That was why he was looking out at the horizon. He was waiting to see Athena’s owl form fly towards him. He knew that it had only been a couple of days and that had to seem like no time for the goddess, but Telemachus desperately wanted to see his friend.  

Telemachus never really had friends before, so he was excited to have one. It also had to mean something that he somehow attracted the attention of a god. Maybe Athena would even tell him about his father as according to his grandmother Athena was his father’s patron goddess. (Telemachus tried not to think about the possibility that he was like Diomedes.) 

“Boy.” 

[dvudushnydiaries]

Theoi-Terata & Hero Gothic

Some friends of mine set up a prompt to write about the "gothic" nature of the pantheons and beings we venerate and I took it real cereal.

Odysseus gothic is simply a mission at night. The tension, the cunning, the inexplicable closeness with a goddess that brings you victory, knowing the only time you'll smile during this war is when you are being given information. "You like to win, regardless of the cause". It's also spending your entire journey home being tormented by what you did so you could win, just to use that torment as a tool to re-learn your own ruthlessness so you may finally be home.

Achilles gothic is clutching at glory at the expense of a life beyond your own rage. It is all consuming, even in circumstances one may not have considered. It is being so overtaken by what you are owed that you wish death upon your friends. It's being so overtaken by the consequences of that wish that you act for the cause you began to spurn. "If I feel the cause is wrong, I can't move", and you have begun to move in spite of that principle, because the cause cost you more than you'd ever imagined. Aetna gothic is existing at the threshold of destruction and creation. You are a mother, but you have annihilated cities. You imprison a raging giant but you kindly host a god and his forge in the same space. You were something more before your land experienced colonies, they remember your old name to this day. But no one remembers much more than that. So you just keep holding what has been given to you. Hera-Ekhidna gothic is simply the nature of motherhood and partnership with someone who holds great power. It is loving your children deeply but also knowing you have a duty to the world that goes beyond just them. It's knowing that in many ways, they will be sacrificial lambs, but the world won't see them as that, and they won't recognize your efforts either. You know that you will be relegated by those unfamiliar with you by millenia to a position of being a cruel, unkind woman and you know that you can't stop it. You may be mothering monsters, but they have never been as cruel as the mortals

Diomedes gothic is knowing your mastery of the war cry won't stop you from being pushed to a quiet role. Your acts of honor and greatness under the guidance of Wisdom incarnate will be greatly overshadowed by the rage of other men. Your rage is ever present, but you are always a complement to another. You balance each other well in metis and bia, but you know his suffering will be legendary to the masses thousands of years on, while yours will be resigned to a quiet migration to Italy, where you and your war cry will finally be put to rest.

Gaea-Ladon gothic is being plagued by betrayal. You have done all you can to cultivate and protect a garden of creation, only to be lied to and trampled over. It is constantly trying to seek justice, being promised it, and having that injustice committed against you. Over and over and over. Yet, you still find it impossible to resign yourself to it.

Poseidon Phytalmios-Ismenian Drakon gothic is knowing death is defiable, that you can always exist after it, but it takes discipline in order to do so. You must be strict and focused. Waves go back to being the ocean, they are undying, but sometimes their force embeds them permanently into the memory of men. Mortals may try to kill you with their malice or their thoughtlessness, but you will watch your own teeth be buried in the ground and spring up with life, forever destined to be a part of you.

Typhon-Zeus gothic is the constant combat of the weather just before a hurricane hits. The morning is pleasant, breezy, and cool, almost as if the winds are offering an apology in advance. The afternoons are deep in their warmth, weighing upon the shoulders of anyone forced to venture out. The night is violent and strikes fear into even those most familiar with your rage. You delight in watching people jolt awake at the cracks of thunder, you find whimsy in choosing what color the lightning will be this time, and suddenly the idea that you emerged into existence prepared to fight, that your first act upon your creation was to attack the stars. For an evening, you have allowed for nature to try and re-take the roads that used to be creeks, and you can hear the naiads, the harpies, the world again, even if just for a night. By morning, your rage has quelled into a gentle breeze and spots of rain and the naiads and the harpies have quieted again.

Ares-Chimera gothic is burning. It is feeling nothing but fire and acid. Your teeth are sharp and your tongue demands the metallic taste of blood. You have moments where you are able to reign yourself in, because you love your mother, but you are ultimately a volcano awaiting a chance to erupt. You don't understand why They hate you so much, this is just your nature. they gave you your nature, it is what you are supposed to have. But this "gift" has resigned you to a life of being wounded by mortals and mocked for your delight in bloodshed. They do not understand that you care, that the delight in bloodshed is a shield. They do not care about the foot soldiers, but you do. You have them be pushed into frenzy in the hopes that they remember their suffering and the suffering they pushed onto others a little less. You are a strategian, but not in the way that They deem valuable. You weep and scream with the mothers who see their sons brought home on their shields because you love your own mother just as much. You just question if you would ever be wept for like that Scylla-Amphitrite gothic is being resigned to never really being known. The way bards sing about you will never be fully depicted on pottery, you will be resigned to what is easiest to create. Your incomprehensibility goes un-respected or even unknown because you are the wife of a king. You are confined to being the mother of a host of children who are similarly infantilized and eaten. They refuse to acknowledge how terrifying you are, they refuse to acknowledge your depth. You don't know if you've accepted it or not. There are moments when someone seems to understand truly that you love your seashells and your vast trenches that offers a glimmer of hope, but most get lost in the reflection of your waves and scales, say "Oh, pretty" and move forward, never acknowledging your rows of fangs.

Prometheus-Caucasian Eagle gothic is knowing exactly what the consequences are and doing it anyway. You are not fooled easily, you were not fooled this time, you knew what the trap was and chose to proceed because it was what was right to you. You don't have much principle, you are crafty, but even you know that all are deserving of warmth. Even if that means sacrifice for you. The chains that bind you are attempts to demand your regret, but they will never receive it. you laugh as the bronze talons rip out and consume your liver. it has happened so much it's not even painful anymore, the point has been belabored. When a man, a younger version of who imprisoned you in the first place, comes to release you, you and the Eagle don't know what to do with yourselves. The Eagle has only known your organs as its meals and you have only known having them torn out. There are no kings to advise, no wars to strategize for. The mortals you loved so much have turned fire into things you can hardly recognize.

[honour-thy-god]

~ Day Five - Athena ✩ ₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom and war. She was known to help defend villages against attacks. She was also well versed in weaving and pottery among other crafts.

Athena's creation story is definitely unique. She emerged from Zeus' forehead without a mother. She of course has many half-siblings. She was fully grown when she was born. Another story is that Zeus swallowed a woman named Metis while she was pregnant, she out came Athena. She adopted a boy named Erichthonius, who was born when Hephaestus spilled his seed onto the Earth.

She is often depicted with a shield or spear and wearing a long robe.

Athena also played a big role in the Trojan war.

Colours:

Gold

Orange

Yellow

Emerald green

Royal blue

Symbols:

Olive trees

Spears

Helmets

Animals:

Owls

Snake

Offerings:

Bread

Meat

Milk

Honey

Cake

Fruit

[sealinredshoes]

Well, sorry @cyber-corp for saying you were joking, you WILL have so much fun learning about the terrible things going on into greek heaven ( tho it's more often called Olympus, and it's just a mount where most of the gods decided to live on)

For the detail version of my exemples, when Zeus was young and had to fight his father Kronos for the throne, he get married with a oceanid named Metis, which mean "wisdom" and "craft" who helped him win the war. But quickly after, she became pregnant. Now, here's the deal : history repeat itself in Zeus family. His father killed his grand father and himself killed his father. So before another son could come to life, he just ate his wife alive. In some versions, she then became his conscience. But the child she was bearing did not died and continued to grow inside their father. Years later, Zeus got a terrible headache that make him beg Hephaestus to cut his skull open. Hephaestus did it (we all would have, Zeus isn't really a popular guy around here) and a fully armoured adult woman got out of the head. This is how Athena, goddess of wisdom, war strategy and craftsmanship came to life.

After this accident with Metis, Zeus managed to trick his sister Hera into marrying him in two quick step : 1. Make her swear to marry him if she told him "I love you" 2. Turn himself into a cute sparrow, became Hera's pet bird for some time and wait for her to say she love her pet.

As for Dionysos, he was once known as Zagreus, son of Zeus and Persephone (that the guy we can play in the Hades game) (also Persephone is Zeus daughter) but ventured too far from home and get killed and then eaten. Zeus managed to save the heart of his son, put it inside the belly of his curent mistress, who ALSO died, so he put the child in his leg and waited nine months for the child to get out, this time under the name of Dionysos. Therefore, Dionysos is not just the god of wine but also very close to the concept of death and rebirth, leaving an old identity behind and starting a new life.

Hope it help with your brand new journey !

this website’s easy watch. *dangles a bunch of greek gods like keys*

[noxspost]

lord of the wild things' child

"Well, it be fair do you find it weird that Athena who is a goddess of wisdom has a personality similar to Zues and half of the time she isn't wise." spoke Sally as another voice shot back "i mean yeah i spend a lot of time seeing how Athena was before Persephone stole me into the underworld."

that was hades who as Nico walked in a head of Percy who was looking at some of the fingerings in the China cabinet.  he was sitting at the table playing a card game with Neit and Donn as Ares was reading with the help of his glasses. 

Estelle was eating some goldfish watching the card game. Nico looked back and a little bit panicked as he saw Percy's mother with her ram horns showing that they curled behind her head halfway down and near her ears but not fully grown yet she still looked like her normal self just add goat pupil shaped eyes and horns. she was covered in flower and her hands had dough and water on them as she was being helped by Mars as Neit was laughing about something "Well yeah she does make good choices, but she is so much like her father!" he cheers as he places down a card which makes Donn grumble.

"Why because her mother Metis was wise too but of course when you spend enough time in Zues's head you start acting like him." spoke Donn which causes Netis to sign agree then Ares spoke "well she has gotten better but it has taken so long that i don't even see her as my sister." 

Netis laughs "well yeah you aren't even seen as family with Zues and Hera even though she wanted children." this causes all of them stop and stare at the deity was a today shocked expression Ares looked a little bit hurt that is when the stairs that were in the family and living room area had Annabeth and the Morrigan walking down them. she was smiling as Morrigan was whispering and then sally shot back “now Neit calm down and Donn do you want some rolls and soup?” then Nico saw Percy walking into the room, and he froze in doorway seeing his mother having ram like horns and Annabeth asked, "can i have some food too?"

Percy’s mom had ram like horns and Percy was in the doorway when he saw her humming to a song as she was cooking with some Norse, with some other gods and then some Greek gods sitting down and having some of her food she was making and then she spoke “now Neit calm down and Donn do you want some rolls and soup?” then Percy saw Mars helping cook and he looked like a Demeter kid but he was looking at Sally as he went to fix up some soup then he saw Annabeth who asked "can i have some food too?"

"sure dear." spoke Sally as she went to clean off her hands and she was wearing a hey friend the hair and the hair tied up which was in a simple ponytail as they see a couple of these gold metal rings on the tips of the horns that were brought up so they would stay on there without adhesive. "Mom?" Percy asked stunned.