The Goddess Athena and Homer's Odyssey In Greek mythology, there are many, many gods and goddesses to whom people prayed regularly for the everyday things we take for discounted. There was usually a different deity for everything a person wanted to pray for: love, money, children, success, or almost anything else one could think of or desire. People today are amazed at how many gods there were and how people could remember which god did what. We study them today but still get easily confused, which is understandable. Athena was a very important goddess, especially in Athens and is also present in Homer's Odyssey. Many confuse her with Aphrodite, the goddess of love. In reality Athena is known as the goddess of war, practical reason, wisdom and craftsmanship. She was also known as the protector of the city of Athens. Athena's birth itself, not to mention the other feats for which she was recognized, is interesting. She is the daughter of Zeus and a mortal woman named Metis which means cunning. When Zeus discovered that Metis was pregnant, he feared that the resulting child might surpass him in strength. Not knowing what else to do, he swallowed Metis whole. For some reason, this gave him a terrible headache, so he asked another god to smash his skull with an axe. Athena leapt out of the fully grown head of Zeus holding a spear (Stockton). Athens began as a city-state ruled by a monarchy. When the city-state adopted democracy, Athena emerged as the city's protector (Athena Polias) (Athena, par.4). One of its symbols was the owl that the Athenians used on the city's coins (Stockton, 3). He engaged in a contest with Posiden for the rights to the city of Athens and won (Athena, par. 5). The Parthenon was built on the acropolis to honor Athena, but more importantly because it honored Athens itself in building it (Stockton, 4). The Athenians wanted it to house a giant gold and ivory statue made by a man named Phidias (Stockton, 1). "Phidias' forty-foot-tall statue of Athena Parthenos consisted of a structure made of wood, metal, clay, and plaster. Athena's clothes were gold-plated, made removable in case of emergency. Her face, hands, and feet of Athena were made of ivory, her eyes filled with precious jewels. She wore a foot-long dress and a helmet, a crown symbol of victory in her right hand and a spear in her left.