Zeus did not fear Athena, though it was foretold that her wisdom and strength would match his own. But he dared not risk the birth of a second child by
Nyx, in Greek mythology, female personification of night but also a great cosmogonical figure, feared even by Zeus, the king of the gods, as related in Homer's Iliad, Book XIV.
Perhaps partly because of the strange circumstances of her birth, Athena is often cited as Zeus's favourite child. He also greatly admired her strength of character and fighting spirit. Some believe Athena was Zeus's first born child, which might, somewhat unfairly, suggest why he chose her as his favourite.
No one is stronger than Zeus. Athena comes really close. But she was his most beloved daughter and the only Olympian that would handle the thunderbolt. In effect, she is a female Zeus.
Athena was not the strongest god, like Zeus, but she was one of the most powerful since she represented war and battle strategy. Athena used her power and knowledge to help many Greek heroes and demigods, especially since Zeus's wife, Hera, was after most of them for being the children of Zeus's mistresses.
Pindar calls Typhon the "enemy of the gods", and says that he was defeated by Zeus' thunderbolt. In one poem Pindar has Typhon being held prisoner by Zeus under Etna, and in another says that Typhon "lies in dread Tartarus", stretched out underground between Mount Etna and Cumae.
Epithets of Athena
She was devoted entirely to her intellectual pursuits. This is one reason why Zeus liked her so much; Zeus overthrew his own father and worried that any sons or grandsons of his may try to do the same. Athena's chastity removed that potential threat.
Answer: As goddess of wisdom and war, and protector of Athens and heroes, Athena has little to fear. In mythology, she is immensely powerful and immortal, but in The Odyssey the story of her contest with Poseidon reveals her only fear. This is the fear of being defeated.
She was affected by the evil's, becoming greedy and ambitious to rule the world after the destruction of the Greek pantheon. She could have been jealous of Zeus' authority over the world, which would also explain why she wanted Kratos to kill him.
Enemies: Athena's most famous enemy was Medusa, a gorgon with snakes for hair who could turn people to stone with her gaze.
She stated that Zeus' death was necessary if humanity was ever to be freed, and would aid Kratos throughout his quest. Athena aiding Kratos in Astral Form in God of War III.
Zeus finally became enamored of the goddess who was to become his permanent wife — Hera.
Athena had been clothed, educated, and cared for by Metis in the back of his mind until she was too big to be contained in his head any longer. As Zeus waited for his daughter to declare her intentions she pledged her loyalty to Zeus, she was not angry or vengeful, but had been raised to be loyal to her father/king.
Who does Zeus fear? In fact, there is one myth that shows Zeus to be afraid of the goddess Nyx. It is commonly thought that Nyx is the only goddess that Zeus is truly afraid of because she is older and more powerful than him.
The Greek poet Hesiod related two principal legends concerning Prometheus. The first is that Zeus, the chief god, who had been tricked by Prometheus into accepting the bones and fat of sacrifice instead of the meat, hid fire from mortals. Prometheus, however, stole it and returned it to Earth once again.
Zeus was angry at Prometheus for three things: being tricked on scarifices, stealing fire for man, and for refusing to tell Zeus which of Zeus's children would dethrone him.
Hermes realized what needed to be done and directed Hephaestus to take a wedge and split open Zeus's skull. Out of the skull sprang Athena, full grown and in a full set of armour.
In fact, Athena was jealous of Medusa's beauty and lustrous hair. Poseidon ravaged her and took what she held dearly, her purity. Athena, outraged by this incident, cursed Medusa and turned her wonderful hair into venomous snakes, her beautiful face turned so ugly that any man who gazed upon would turn to stone.
Athena, the daughter of Zeus, was produced without a mother and emerged full-grown from his forehead. An alternative story was that Zeus swallowed Metis, the goddess of counsel, while she was pregnant with Athena so that Athena finally emerged from Zeus.
The birth of Erichthonius is one of the most interesting stories of the Greek Mythology. Hephaestus, the God of Fire, fell in love with Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, and wanted her to have his child. Athena was the eternal Virgin so that was not possible.
Athena's feelings about Poseidon are not really discussed, though they are clearly rivals. Athena and Poseidon entered into a contest to be the patron of Athens. Poseidon produces a spring of water but it was salty. Athena bested Poseidon by producing an olive tree on the Acropolis.
Strengths: Rational, intelligent, a powerful defender in war but also a potent peacemaker. Weaknesses: Reason rules her; she is not usually emotional or compassionate but she does have her favorites, such as the beleaguered hero Odysseus. Birthplace: From the forehead of her father Zeus.
In some versions of the story, Athena has no mother and is born from Zeus' forehead by parthenogenesis. In others, such as Hesiod's Theogony, Zeus swallows his consort Metis, who was pregnant with Athena; in this version, Athena is first born within Zeus and then escapes from his body through his forehead.
Trivia. Athena was infected by evils with greed, as she presumably became ambitious to rule over the world, and possibly became jealous of Zeus' authority over the Greek pantheon. She also allowed her ambition cloud her judgment, as she manipulated Kratos to kill the Olympians.
ATHENA FAVOUR : ODYSSEUS & TELEMACHUS.