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Athena (Minerva)

  • Spotter's Guide

    You really can't miss Athena. She's always wearing gleaming golden armor, with a giant crest jutting from her helmet. A lot of times, she carries a shield with Medusa's snake-haired head plastered on it. (Yeah, she can be a little morbid at times.)

    Physical Description

    Sex: Female
    Age: 20s
    Build: Muscular
    Complexion: Pale
    Hair color: Light brown
    Facial hair: None
    Scars/marks/tattoos: None
    Jewelry and accessories: Medusa's head mounted on armor around her shoulders
    Clothing: Toga, or other flowing clothing
    Armor: Plumed helmet, breastplate, and shield
    Type of weapon: Spear

    Typical Companions

    • Soldiers
    • Groups of young women
    • Owls

    Other Notes

    Known hangouts: Athena is often found on the battlefield, emerging from Zeus' skull, or even floating in the air. She's known to frequent Athens, Greece, and is sometimes seen near olive trees.

  • Sightings

    Dec 20, 0799 - Dec 20, 0599

    The Odyssey

    The ancient Greek writer Homer included many of the gods of Olympus in The Odyssey, the story of the hero Odysseus. Athena is the main god in the poem because she's taken a special liking to the clever Odysseus and helps him on his twenty-year journey home.

    Dec 20, 0799 - Dec 20, 0599

    The Iliad

    Homer brings the gods into The Iliad as well, which tells the story of the mythic Trojan War. Most of the gods of Olympus take sides in the human war: Hera, Athena, and Poseidon are rooting for the Greeks, while Aphrodite, Ares, and Apollo are fighting for the Trojans.

    Dec 20, 2019

    The Metamorphoses

    The Roman poet Ovid collected all kinds of wild stories about the gods in The Metamorphoses. Here you'll find myths about Minerva (a.k.a. Athena), including the story of her friendship with Perseus. Be sure to check out Book 2, Book 4, and Book 5.

    Jan 1, 1970

    "The Raven"

    In Edgar Allan Poe's famously creepy poem, the raven perches on top of a sculpture of Athena. What does that mean? Find out here.

    Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series

    Percy Jackson has run-ins with all of the gods of Olympus, including Athena. In the first book, The Lightning Thief, we meet Athena and her awesome mortal daughter Annabeth.

    God of War I, II, and III

    The Greek gods make it onto the PlayStation in the God of War video game trilogy. In this game, Athena starts out in her usual role: assisting and advising a brave mortal hero. This mortal hero, Kratos, butts heads with the gods of Olympus and ends up killing all of them but Aphrodite. Athena dies trying to protect Zeus.

 
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