MINERVA, mtaten"-va, called A Mina by the Greeks, the goddess of wisdom, war, and the liberal arts, and the art of weaving (see ARACHNE), sprang, full-grown and fully armed, from Jupiter's brain after he had devoured Arens (q.v.). The god's skull was opened for her birth by Vulcan, and she was at once acknowledged by all the gods, and received the power of hurling Jupiter's bolts, prolonging life, bestowing prophecy, &c. Her contest with Neptune to have the right of naming Athens is narrated under ATHENAI.. From Vulcan's unsuccessful attempt on her virtue, Erichthonius sprang. She was the first to build a ship, and patronized the Argonauts, and was considered the inventress of wind instruments (see MARSYAS). She was known by various epithets—Pallas, Parthenos (virgin), 7's i.
Claucopis, Coryphage'nes (head-born). She had a great temple, the Part/a/um (q.v.),
with her sacred olive at Athens, and a great festival, Panathenaii (q.v.), temples at Rome on the Capitol, Aventine, and Cmlian moun tains, and in Gaul, Egypt, Sicily, &c. At her Roman festivals, Mines v dila, school-boy5 had a holiday and made presents to their masters. Minerva was represented with a masculine, composed face, wearing a helmet, holding a spear and the Aggis (shield with Medusa's head), and with an owl beside her. On some of her statues her helmet bore a cock (emblem of war), and on others a sphinx, supported 'on either side by griffins. At times she is sitting, with a distaff instead of a spear. When she ap peared as goddess of the liberal arts, she was arrayed in the peplum or variegated veil. The olive (see ATHENAI), owl, cock, and dragon were sacred to her.