The birth of Athena

Zeus, the all-powerful god of the sky, marries the goddess Metis. She is known for her deep thoughts and wise advice. Zeus, on the other hand, is prone to fretting over what might happen in the future. One day, he visits a special being that has the ability to see into the future — an oracle — to reassure him. The oracle tells Zeus that Metis will have a daughter.

Then she adds that the daughter will be followed by a son who will overthrow Zeus! Zeus is shaken. He recalls that his father and grandfather were overthrown by their sons. He cannot let it happen to him... Zeus convinces Metis that they should both change themselves into different animals — just for fun!

Metis relaxes as they play. For once, she can stop thinking so deeply about everything. Zeus spots his moment. With Metis’s guard down, he dares her to change herself into a fly. When she does… he swallows her whole!

Zeus smiles with satisfaction. This will put an end to that threat of being overthrown. Maybe Zeus will absorb some of Metis’s enviable wisdom, too. Some time later, Zeus starts to have terrible headaches. In desperation, he asks around for a remedy to his pain.

His friends come one by one to offer advice. Dionysus tells Zeus to drink more water and rest. It doesn’t help. Apollo plays gentle music with his harp. It only makes the throbbing worse.

Hermes wonders aloud if there is something inside Zeus's head causing the pain… He calls over Hephaestus, the craftsman god. To Zeus’s dismay, Hermes tells Hephaestus to break open Zeus’s skull. With the crack of Hephaestus’s axe and a cry of pain from Zeus, a creature springs forth from Zeus’s head! It is his daughter: Athena. Metis, it turns out, was pregnant when Zeus swallowed her.

She gradually faded into pure thought inside Zeus, but their daughter grew bigger and stronger each day. Now, Athena stands before Zeus, a fully grown warrior, clothed in armour with a shield in her hand. She is the goddess of wisdom and war. Some say the pounding in Zeus's head was Athena banging together her armour. Now that Athena is born, Zeus’ pain is gone.

Zeus smiles with delight at the beautiful, strong daughter before him, and at his escape from the oracle’s prophecy. Never again will Metis exist outside of him; never will she have the son fated to overthrow him. Metis’s wisdom, meanwhile, lives on within Zeus. In time, Zeus will become known for his thoughtfulness and careful decisions. But for now, he celebrates the happy occasion of his daughter’s arrival with a lightning storm in the sky.