Why did Zeus swallowed Athena?

Athena (Minerva), the goddess of war and wisdom, had a strange birth. Her father Zeus (Jupiter) had swallowed his pregnant consort Metis (“wisdom”), because he was afraid she would bear a son who would overthrow him.

Why did Zeus put Athena in his belly?

"Zeus, as king of the gods, took as his first wife Metis, and she knew more than all the gods or mortal people. But when she was about to be delivered of the goddess, gray-eyed Athene (Athena), then Zeus, deceiving her perception by treachery and by slippery speeches, put her away inside his own belly.

Why did Zeus swallow Athena's mother?

Zeus was the father of Athena and her mother was Metis, which means wisdom. Zeus was told before Athena was born, that any child born to Metis would be more powerful than its father. Zeus was very worried by this and decided to swallow Metis before she could give birth to the child.

Why did Athena come out of Zeus head?

Athena is "born" from Zeus's forehead as a result of him having swallowed her mother Metis, as he grasps the clothing of Eileithyia on the right; black-figured amphora, 550–525 BC, Louvre.

Why did Athena sacrifice herself for Zeus?

Kratos asked Athena why she would sacrifice herself. Athena replied that Zeus must live so that Olympus could prevail. She also revealed that Kratos was the child of Zeus, who was compelled to destroy his father just as Zeus had done to Cronos.

The Birth of Athena: The Incredible Origin of the Goddess of Wisdom - Greek Mythology in Comics

Who made Athena pregnant?

Athena, the daughter of Zeus, was produced without a mother and emerged full-grown from his forehead. An alternative story was that Zeus swallowed Metis, the goddess of counsel, while she was pregnant with Athena so that Athena finally emerged from Zeus.

Why did Athena stay a virgin?

One of the reasons she became a virgin was to avoid having a fate similar to her mother, Metis. Even though she is a virgin goddess, Athena has demigod children, who are born from her own thoughts combined with the thoughts of mortal men she loves. These children are "gifts" to the men she favors.

Why did Athena become evil?

Athena was infected by evils with greed, as she presumably became ambitious to rule over the world, and possibly became jealous of Zeus' authority over the Greek pantheon. She also allowed her ambition cloud her judgment, as she manipulated Kratos to kill the Olympians.

Why was Athena Zeus favorite child?

Perhaps partly because of the strange circumstances of her birth, Athena is often cited as Zeus's favourite child. He also greatly admired her strength of character and fighting spirit. Some believe Athena was Zeus's first born child, which might, somewhat unfairly, suggest why he chose her as his favourite.

What made Athena mad?

Athena, as the goddess of craftwork, was renowned for her weaving. Arachne, a mortal woman, boasted that she was a better weaver than the goddess herself. This act of hubris greatly angered Athena, who tried to make Arachne repent while disguised as an old woman.

Why did Zeus swallow his pregnant wife?

In some versions of Greek mythology, Zeus ate his wife Metis because it was known that their second child would be more powerful than him. After Metis's demise, their first child Athena was born when Hephaestus cleaved Zeus's head open and the goddess of war emerged, fully grown and armed.

What daughter did Zeus sleep with?

Zeus fell in love with Semele, the daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia, and started an affair with her. Hera discovered his affair when Semele later became pregnant, and persuaded Semele to sleep with Zeus in his true form.

Who was pregnant with Athena?

Zeus heard a prophecy that the child Metis bore after she gave birth to Athena would become the lord of heaven, so, to prevent this from happening, he swallowed Metis while she was still pregnant with Athena.

Did Athena come out of Zeus forehead?

Hermes realized what needed to be done and directed Hephaestus to take a wedge and split open Zeus's skull. Out of the skull sprang Athena, full grown and in a full set of armour. Due to her manor of birth she has dominion over all things of the intellect.

Why do Poseidon and Athena hate each other?

Athena bested Poseidon by producing an olive tree on the Acropolis. Poseidon also raped Medusa—a mortal who had the reputation of being beautiful—in Athena's temple, desecrating it. Athena could not do anything to her uncle, so she took vengeance on Medusa by turning her into a woman with snakes on her head.

Why was Athena so mean to Medusa?

Medusa and Poseidon engaged in a love affair and would have two children together, but not before Athena discovered the illicit affair. When Athena discovered the affair, she was enraged and immediately cursed Medusa by taking away her beauty.

Who did Zeus love the most?

Zeus finally became enamored of the goddess who was to become his permanent wife — Hera. After courting her unsuccessfully he changed himself into a disheveled cuckoo.

Who did Zeus get pregnant?

Apollo: Zeus' Best-Known Son

Apollo was conceived during an illicit affair between Zeus and Leto (Zeus was married to Hera at the time), along with a twin sister named Artemis.

Who is Zeus favorite wife?

Hera. The most famous of Zeus' wives, Hera was also the sister of the father of the gods, and the goddess of women, marriage, family, and childbirth.

What has Athena done wrong?

When the contest was over, Athena saw Arachne's weaving and became angry. Not only was the work better than Athena's, it made the gods look foolish. She then cursed Arachne and turned her into a spider. She was close friends and attended to by Nike, the goddess of victory.

Who is Athena scared of?

In mythology, she is immensely powerful and immortal, but in The Odyssey the story of her contest with Poseidon reveals her only fear. This is the fear of being defeated. Detailed answer: Athena, the champion of the gods, the goddess of wisdom, is one of most powerfull women in The Odyssey.

Who was Athena in love with?

In Greek mythology, the goddess Athena is immune to romantic love, so there is no particular lover for her. The goddess of love, Aphrodite, has power over all the goddesses and can lead them all to romantic love, though she has no power over Athena,...

Was Athena originally a male?

First, she was born as a female. Second, Athena is also the goddess of weaving, and we sometimes will see an image of Athena holding a distaff.

What was Athena's gender?

23 She is a female goddess, but she is also a soldier, which traditionally is a male role. Throughout Greek history, Athena's cult eventually came to replace that of other palace-citadel goddesses, so she fulfilled the role of female deity for a large geographical area.