The Owl
An owl was a popular symbol of Athena. Owls are typically used to represent intelligence and knowledge, so they provided for the perfect symbol for the Greek goddess of wisdom. Athena was known for her great understanding and good judgement of war strategies. In some Greek myths, Athena is credited for coming up with the idea for the Trojan horse. According to the famous myth, during the Trojan War, Greece offered a large wooden horse to their enemy city, Troy, as a gift of surrender. The gates of Troy opened for the horse and the horse was brought inside the city walls. Greek armies were actually hiding in the wooden horse, and they revealed themselves and killed the surprised and overwhelmed armies of Troy. This strategy of battle was incredibly clever and represents Athena’s wisdom. As a result of her shrewdness, she would often be shown with an owl siting on her arm. Athena was also known for her wide green eyes, which was another characteristic she shared with owls.
Her Armour
Athena is typically shown in her full suit of armour. As goddess of war, she was always dressed so as to be ready for battle. However, she was not very similar to her brother Ares, who was the Greek god of war. Athena was Zeus’ favorite child, whereas Zeus often exclaimed that he hated Ares more than all of his other children. Ares was known to be considerably more brutal and less cunning than Athena in battle. Ares would also start wars and battles without much provocation, whereas Athena would only battle if it was necessary for defense purposes. Athena’s forethought and insight when it came to the strategy and planning of wars made her far more victorious in battle than Ares. The spear was Athena’s common weapon of choice. Athena’s resilient armour is definitely a suitable representation of her great skill in the science and art of war.
The Aegis
The Aegis was the cloak of Athena’s armour. It was a gift from her father, and was made of the skin of the goat that, according to some myths, raised and nurtured her father as a young child. The Aegis is a symbol of Athena’s close relationship with her father. As Zeus’ favorite daughter, Zeus granted her many gifts that he never gave to his other children. Another interesting gift, besides the Aegis, is that Zeus would occasionally allow Athena to use his thunderbolts in battle. Permitting his child to use one of his most valuable possessions demonstrates his great trust in Athena.