The Birth of Athena

The goddess Pallas Athena was born by Zeus himself. Zeus-the thunderer knew that the goddess of reason, Metis, would have two children: a daughter Athena and a son of extraordinary intelligence and strength. Moira, the goddess of fate, revealed to Zeus the secret that the son of the goddess Metis would dethrone him from the throne and take away his power over the world.

The great Zeus was afraid. In order to avoid the terrible fate that the moirs promised him, he, having lulled the goddess Metis with affectionate speeches, swallowed her before her daughter, the goddess Athena, was born. After a while, Zeus felt a terrible headache. Then he called his son Hephaestus and ordered to cut his head to get rid of unbearable pain and noise in his head. Hephaestus swung an axe, with a powerful blow split the skull of Zeus without damaging it, and a mighty warrior, the goddess Pallas Athena, came to light from the head of the thunderer. In full armor, in a shiny helmet, with a spear and a shield, she appeared before the astonished eyes of the Olympian gods. She shook her shining spear menacingly. Her war cry rolled far across the sky, and the bright Olympus shook to its very foundation. Beautiful, majestic, she stood before the gods. Athena's blue eyes burned with divine wisdom, she shone with a wonderful, heavenly, mosh beauty. The gods glorified his beloved daughter, born from the head of the father-Zeus, the defender of cities, the goddess of wisdom and knowledge, the invincible warrior Pallas Athena.