Book 2, Goddesses: Chapter 5, Athena Summary and Analysis

This is the goddess of the city of Athens. She is very much like Artemis in that she is a huntress and wise. She is also very chaste and known for being distinctively single.

This great goddess is famed for having been born after a splitting headache from which Zeus suffered. Unlike those females who had other women for midwives, Zeus did have help with his birthing of Athena. In painful contrast, the assistance was from Hephaestus, the smith god, who clobbered his father in the sore head with a double-edged axe that permitted the beautiful female Athena to come forth.

In stark contrast to Artemis, Athena is virtually constantly with men or boys. There is no explanation for this per se, but it is a well-known characteristic. Whether is seems adorable and natural or...