Due to the fact that Athena was considered one of the
best warriors in ancient Greece, she is usually
depicted helping the heroes throughout their travels.
She typically has a weakness for their valiant, noble
efforts. One of her favorite heroes was Odysseus.
She continually aided him in his travels throughout
the odyssey on his way home. Throughout the Illiad
she is always found aiding the Athenians. She helps
them to win the Trojan War, and is credited with the
idea of the Trojan Horse. Her constant interest in
the mortals won her favor throughout Greece. She was
commonly worshiped and invoked to aide in times of
war. Many of her stories were similar in that she was
typically helping those that needed her. Athena
helped Perseus when he had to kill the Gorgon Medusa, another representation of her willingness to aide heroes.
One story that remains pivotal in the lives of the
Athenians was that of the golden apple. The goddess
of mischief threw it into a wedding party after not having been invited, and said, "To the most beautiful." Of course Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite all claimed the apple. In order to chose a victor Paris, a peasant, was chosen to pick the fairest of the goddesses. After each one offered him her best gift, he chose Aphrodite, therefore sealing the fate of the Trojans, in that he made enemies with both Hera and Athena. Therefore Athena aided the Athenians in the war and eventually caused their victory over the Trojans.
Another story that is associated with the goddess is
the evolution of the spider. Apparently a peasant
girl who was attributed with the skill of weaving
decided to challenge the goddess to a weaving contest.
Athena, unfortunately, was beaten and became enraged.
Out of anger, the goddess beat her repeatedly in the
face causing the girl to experience overwhelming
grief. Therefore the girl hung herself. The goddess
pitied the girl and allowed her to live again, but
turned her into a spider. The whole account can be
found in Ovid's tale of the gods and goddess. This
story was symbolic of her power, intertwined with
her sincere compassion. This again goes hand in
hand with the theme of her masculine and feminine
qualities, resultant of her birth.
