Athena

Athena is another one of my faveorites. Reveared as the Goddess of wisdom, war, the arts, industry, justice and skill. It is beleived that in a time of war, she whisperes in the areas of warriors to give them wise council on what they should do. It is also said she helped guide Odyssious home from his epic journey.

The story of her creation is one of the most unusual and perhaps well known. It is said she was sprung from her Zeus's head as a full grown woman, when Zeus feard his first wife, and Athena's mother Metis, Goddess of Wisdom, would bear a son greater then himself he swallowed her, and while she was within him she began to make a helmet and robe for her daughter, the pounding of the harmor crom crafting the helmet gave Zeus such a headache is son Hephaestus spilt his father's skull and out came Athean wearing the robe and helmet her mother had made.

Athena is commonly associated with the owl, as I am sure many of us have heard of Athena's owl, and this could account for the owl being seen today as the symbol of wisdom, and being refered to as the wise bird.