GREEK. Athena was a universally worshiped Hellenic divinity. and there is no satisfactory evidence of a foreign origin for her cult. In the earliest literature, we find Athena already a fully developed personality, the favorite daugh ter of Zeus, wielder at times of his aegis, and hut little inferior to him in power. In general the goddess was warlike. Hence she was wor shiped in the citadel of many towns, and her sacred images. the Palladia, which were often said to have fallen from heaven, were kept with great care, for their possession made the town impregnable. She is not, however. connected with the mere lust of battle, but with military wisdom and patient strategy as well as with heroic prowess in actual conflict. Wisdom is, in fact, so prominent in the conception that biter she be came the patron of Ica rnin". Even in early times she is Erganc, the goddess of crafts. espe cially the peculiarly feminine occupations of spin ning and weaving. which may have arisen from the custom of weaving for the statue of the god dess a peplos or mantle. Athena was also the goddess of smiths, and even of agriculture, so that at Athens the smiths and potters celebrated the Chalkcia, as a joint festival of and Athena. As a battle goddess. site was wor shiped at Athens as Nike, bearing, the spear and shield, and wearing the aegis, which is commonly adorned with the Gorgon's head, of petrifying power. She also carries the spindle as Erganc, and a pomegranate as Nike. Sacred to her were also the snake and the owl, and especial ly the olive, which she was said to have given to Athens, her favorite (qty. In the Greek belief
she was the pure virgin. but there are plain traces that this was not original.
Athens is for its the great centre of Athena worship, and here there were two ancient shrines. the Palladium in the lower town, the seat of an ancient court for the trial of involimtary homi cide, and the Acropolis. where were the house of Erechtheus and the shrine of the Polias. Here was an ancient temple, burned by the Persians, but possibly rebuilt at least in part. Close to its site was built, near the end of the fifth cen tury, the somewhat complicated Erechtheum (q.v.), and earlier (n.c. 437) the Acropolis was crowned by the magnificent Parthenon (q.v.), containing the gold-ivory statue of the goddess by Phidias, ton her honor were celebrated the Panatheinea, and other smaller festivals. at some of which mystic rites were prominent. According to the common legend she was born from the head of Zeus, who produced her by his own power. other versions told how Zeus had swallowed Metis (Wisdom) when pregnant by him of Athena. In the fullness of time Hephiestus or Prometheus or Hermes, to relieve the pains in the head of Zeus, split it with an axe. wherenpf n the goddess leaped forth full-armed—a scene fre quent in the earlier vases. The nature of Athena is still a matter of dispute, but there is much in favor of the view that she is a goddess of the lightning.