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Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom, crafts, and the intellectual side of war. She is the daughter of Zeus and one of the most powerful Olympian gods. Like the other gods, she represents internal forces acting on individuals, as when she prevents Achilles from abandoning reason and persuades him to cut Agamemnon with words and insults rather than his sword, or when she prompts Odysseus to inspire the Greek, or when she robs the Trojans of their wits. Throughout Greek mythology, Athena consistently aligns herself with specific mortals to whom she has granted her favor and offers aid when she can. For example, she heavily favors Diomedes in Books 5 and 6 of The Iliad, and she plays an invaluable role in Homer’s other epic poem, The Odyssey, as she guides both Odysseus and his son Telemachus through a series of trials following the Trojan War.
In The Iliad, Athena is characterized as a leading deity on the Greek side of the conflict. Like Hera, she despises the Trojans, having been insulted by Paris when he identified Aphrodite as being the fairest, an event not described explicitly in the text but one which is alluded to in Book 24: “[…]young Paris, simple shepherd boy, Won by destructive lust (reward obscene), Their charms rejected for the Cyprian queen.” Therefore, though she is the goddess of wisdom, it’s clear Athena is no less petty than the other gods and often reacts with just as much vindictiveness. This suggests the gods, though deathless and all-powerful, are subject to the same whims and follies as mortals.
