The Birth of Athena, Attic Black-Figure Exaleiptron (Tripod), ca. 570-560 BCE. Currently located at the Louvre, Paris, France.
Born of Zeus[]
According to Greek myth, Athena was miraculously born out of the head of Zeus. The primary text for her birth is found in Hesiod's Theogony, in the 8th century. In this text Zeus is married to the goddess of wisdom, Metis. After impregnating Metis, Zeus learns of a prophesy stating that a son born from her will grow up to one day overthrow him- just as Zeus had overthrown his own cannibalistic father, Kronos. Zeus' reaction to the prophesy is to consume the pregnant goddess of wisdom into himself in order to prevent a son from ever being born of her. This action is disturbingly similar to that of Kronos, who consumed Zeus' older siblings in an ultimately futile attempt to prevent an heir from one day overthrowing him. Sometime soon after taking the goddess Hera as his wife, Zeus gives birth to the goddess Athena out of his head.
| “ | And Zeus, king of the gods, made Mētis first his wife; Mētis, most wise of deities as well as mortal men. But when at last she was about to give birth to Athena, gleaming-eyed goddess, then it was that having by deceit beguiled her mind 890 with flattering words, he placed her [Mētis] within his own belly by the advice of earth, and of starry Sky. For thus they persuaded him, lest other of ever-living gods should possess sovereign honor in the room of Zeus. For of her [Mētis] it was fated that wise children should be born: 895 first the glancing-eyed Tritonian maiden, having equal might and prudent counsel with her father; and then she [Mētis] was going to give birth to a son, as king of gods and men, with an overbearing spirit, if it had not been for the fact that Zeus deposited her first in his own belly, 900 that the goddess might indicate to him both good and bad.
- Hesiod, Theogony, 8th Century BCE (Translated by J. Banks)[1]
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Freed by an Axe[]
According to Pseudo-Apollodorus, Metis attempted to avoid becoming impregnated by Zeus. Additionally, it is added that Zeus' head was struck by an axe in order to free Athena, who emerged fully formed and clad in armor. The deity who struck Zeus was said to be Prometheus, the Titan deity of forethought. Pseudo-Apollodorus notes that there are some version's of the tale where it is Hephaistos who swings the axe.
| “ | Zeus had intercourse with Metis, who turned into many shapes in order to avoid his embraces. When she was with child, Zeus, taking time by the forelock, swallowed her, because Earth said that, after giving birth to the maiden who was then in her womb, Metis would bear a son who should be the lord of heaven. From fear of that Zeus swallowed her.54 And when the time came for the birth to take place, Prometheus or, as others say, Hephaestus, smote the head of Zeus with an axe, and Athena, fully armed, leaped up from the top of his head at the river Triton.
- Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1. 3. 6, 2nd Century CE (Translated by Sir James George Frazer)[2] |
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These alternative versions directly contradict Hesiod, who states that Hephaistos was miraculously born from Hera, without intercourse with Zeus, as a result of her anger at Zeus' ability to give birth without her.
| “ | And Hera, without having been united in love, brought forth famous Hephaistos, as she was furious and quarrelling with her husband; Hephaistos, distinguished in crafts from amongst all the sky-born.
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Daughter of Poseidon?[]
Alternative traditions from Libya claim that Athena was actually the daughter of Poseidon instead of Zeus.
| “ | When I saw that the statue of Athena [beside the Erekhtheion temple in Athens] had blue eyes I found out that the legend about them is Libyan. For the Libyans have a saying that the Goddess is the daughter of Poseidon and Lake Tritonis, and for this reason has blue eyes like Poseidon.
- Pausanias, Description of Greece 1. 14. 6, 2nd Century CE (Translated by W.H.S. Jones)[3] |
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