The Story

You should exercise too, friends! A healthy body makes a healthy mind. My friend looks a bit tired, but he's doing his best!

Last time, we talked about the siblings of Zeus.

Today, I'll tell you about Athena, the most beloved goddess of the Greek people! Remember the story about the potion that made Cronus throw up Zeus's siblings? Do you remember who gave it?

It was Metis who gave Zeus the magic potion! Metis gave the magic potion to Zeus. Metis was a very wise goddess of wisdom, and she became Zeus's first wife.

But after they married, the earth goddess Gaia made a terrifying prophecy. If Metis had a son, that son would overthrow Zeus and take his place as god of the sky! Worried by the prophecy, Zeus decided to swallow Metis before she could become pregnant.

Zeus decided to keep Metis inside his body before she got pregnant. But Metis was already carrying Zeus's child! A few months later, Zeus got a terrible headache.

The pain was so unbearable that Zeus ordered a doctor to open up his head! When they opened Zeus's head, out walked a goddess wearing armor, carrying a shield and a spear! It was the birth of Athena — the goddess of wisdom and victory!

Athena was the goddess of wisdom and victory. I'm standing in Athens, the capital of Greece. People have lived here since ancient Greek times!

This wide open area beside me used to be a marketplace long ago. It's called the Agora. The name of this city, Athens, sounds like Athena, right? That's because Athena is the guardian goddess of this city!

See that hill behind me? That's called the Acropolis. The temple dedicated to Athena sits on top of it.

It's called the Parthenon! Parthenon means "house of the unmarried girl." Parthenon means "house of the unmarried girl" — because Athena was a virgin goddess.

When you climb up to the Acropolis, you'll find the magnificent Parthenon! Look how tiny the people look!

The columns are truly enormous.

This is what the Parthenon looked like in its full glory. You can see Athena in the center! I'm back down at the Agora. My legs are sore! Let's do some exercise — jump, jump!