I caught a show on the Parthenon on the Discovery channel. It was really pretty cool, and it got me digging about more info on Athena. I like to share my knowledge (because let’s face it, it’s scant) with the world so here you go.

• The Parthenon was beleived to not actually be a temple to Athena, but a stronghold to house Athens’ treasures, including a statue of Athena herself.
• Athena was not born, but sprang, fully grown and in full battle gear, out of Zeus’ head (the mind boggles)
• Athena was the Patron Goddess of Athens, the Goddess of Wisdom, the Goddess of Weaving and the Goddess of Military Victory (tactics, not just inane fighting, see) (among other things)
• The Parthenon was built to be somewhat of an optical illusion. While the columns look straight, they all lean slightly. They also look the same width from the bottom to the top, while really, they grow narrower as they ascend.
• Athena was one of the virgin Goddesses.
• Athena is often called Pallas, or Pallas Athene. This name comes from a childhood friend she accidentally killed when they were having a mock battle. Athena was distraught and carried her friend’s name. The name, Pallas, means Maiden.

Coming next week, Snowball Earth!