Greater Deity
Symbol: An owl
Home Plane: Olympus
Alignment: Lawful Good
Portfolio: Wisdom, crafts, civilization, war
Worshippers: Paladins, fighters, monks, judges, constables
Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG
Domains: Artifice, Community, Good, Knowledge, Law, War
Favoured Weapon: Shortspear
The deity of noble combat, skilled craftwork, prudence and cities, Athena (ah-thee-nah) appears as a statuesque woman with fetching grey eyes. She usually carries a shield and wears helmet and armour. Because she is Zeus’s favourite child, Zeus lends Athena his shield, Aegis, from time to time.
Athena is the daughter of Zeus alone, because no mother bore her. One day, Zeus developed a terrible headache. To relieve it, Hephaestus used his axe to split open the mighty god’s head. Out sprang Athena, full grown and fully armed and armoured.
Athena was the first to teach mortals many of the civilized arts. She is credited with inventing weaving, the potter’s wheel, the horse bridle and many other crafts. She also created the olive tree as a gift to mortals. She is the protector of weavers, and, along with Hephaestus, the patron of handiwork and all the arts that make civilization possible.
Athena is war-like, but only in defence of things she believes are worth protecting, such as cities, towns and planted fields. She opposes the destructive rampages of her half-brother, Ares, whenever and however she can.
Athena expects her followers to uphold the highest ideals of wisdom, reason and purity. She expects her followers to fight in defence of home and state against outside enemies, and to be skilled in the arts of peace as well as war.
Clerics of Athena fight against worshippers of Ares whenever they can and spend the rest of their time protecting civilized lands from outside threats. Athena’s clerics are always active in civic life, serving as judges, advisors, planners and teachers. Her church is a great patron of the arts, sponsoring both public works and individual painters, sculptors and architects.
Temples to Athena are always stately and pleasant to look at. In less settled areas where monsters or raiders are a threat, Athena’s temples tend to be fortified, but they are still built to be esthetically pleasing.
Source: Deities and Demigods (Page 110)