Zeus honored his daughter so much that he allowed her to carry his shield. When no other god could counsel their king or ask his favor, Athena was often able to. The headaches that had tortured Zeus had been the result of Metis forging her daughter’s armor inside his head.Īthena was always closely associated with her father and worked alongside him in many myths. She was also dressed in armor and carrying weapons. From the moment she was born she was fully grown and exceptionally beautiful. After months of terrible headaches Zeus split his head open to reveal Athena.Īthena was born from her father’s skull. What Zeus did not know was that Metis was already pregnant with the first child promised by the prophesy. Zeus turned Metis into a fly and swallowed her whole. He decided to swallow his wife so that she could never have a son who would challenge his rule. He was told his new wife would have two children, a daughter followed by a son, and that his son would one day overthrow him. Shortly after their marriage, however, Zeus received a disturbing prophecy. His wife Metis had been the one to help him free his siblings from their father’s stomach and had been a valuable ally throughout the war. When the gods of Olympus first took power and made Zeus their king, he married one of the Titanesses. The birth of Athena, and the uniqueness of the event, signaled the end of a bloody line of succession and ensured Zeus’s rule continued unchallenged. Their bond, however, goes deeper than familiar affection. Having swallowed her mother, Zeus brought forth his fully-grown daughter from his own head. This closeness can be attributed, at least in part, to the unique circumstances of Athena’s birth. Athena was often shown in close council with her father and even convincing him toward a course of action when none of the other gods could. In many ways she was seen as his favorite child, or at least one of his most well-loved. While the king of the gods had many children, his relationship with Athena was unique.
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