Athena
| "The Protectress" | |
| Pantheon: | Greek |
| AoC: | Wisdom, Crafts, War |
| Symbol: | Owl |
| Alignment: | LG |
| Worshiper Alignment: | LG, NG |
| Home P/L/R: | Arborea/Olympus/ Olympus |
| Know Proxies: | Odysseus, Human male |
Athena sprang full-grown and fully armed from the head of her father Zeus. He'd swallowed her mother Metis because a prophecy warned that Metis would bear a son who'd kill him. Apparently, Zeus learned something from the Titan Cronus after all - if a body wants to prevent his offspring from killing him, he's better off devouring the mother before she has any children. But it didn't prevent the creation of Athena.
Like her half-sister Artemis, Athena has sworn herself to eternal chastity, and has struck dead those who've tried to ravish her. And though she's as demanding and exacting as the rest of the pantheon, Athena's willfulness is tempered by the light of wisdom, which she teaches to mortals in exchange for their service.
Many mortals think she's the goddess of war, but that's not entirely true. Athena leaves the business of carnage to her brother Ares; her domain is that of courage and steadfast bravery. Those who want to venerate bloodshed call upon Ares; those who desire strategy and tactics call upon Athena. Fact is, her realm is the exact antithesis of Ares's. Whereas his fortress is dark and bloodstained, her palace is bright, shining, and made of enduring iron. Philosophers and generals fill the halls, the latter seeking wisdom for their battles, the former needing the sharp minds of the warriors. It's said the finest thinkers and generals of the culture are brought here to study under the masters.
Athena's father Zeus dotes on her, but she's also won over many of the other powers in the pantheon by virtue of her intelligence. She despises Aphrodite, who gets by purely on looks, and she has a long-standing feud with her uncle Poseidon - the two of them squabble over everything, it seems. She also finds common cause with Brihaspati of the Vedic pantheon, and Odin of the Norse - enough, at least, for her to admit that they have knowledge she lacks, and that she can learn from them even as they learn from her.