his head the glancing-eyed Athena, 

 terrible, strife-stirring, leader of the 

 host, the unwearied, revered one, whom 

 the din of battle, wars, and combat de- 

 lights." 



Pindar, Olympian VII, 33-38. 



"Then thegolden-hairedone (Apollo) 

 spoke from the fragrant shrine of the 

 temple, spoke of the \'oyage from the 

 Lernasan shores straight to the sea-girt 

 island where the king of the gods, the 

 great one, moistened the city with 

 golden snowflakes, when by the arts of 

 Hephaestus, by his brazen ax, Athena 

 springing down the crest of her father's 

 head, uttered the war cry with a mighty 

 shout, and Heaven and Mother Earth 

 shuddered before her." 



Homeric Hymn to Athena XXVIII. 



"Of Pallas Athena, honored goddess, 

 I begin to sing, with glancing eyes, of 

 many counsels and kindly heart, re- 

 vered maiden, savior of cities, valiant, 

 Tritogenia, whom Zeus himself bore 

 from his sacred head, clad in her arms 

 of war, golden, all-radiant. Wonder 

 held all the immortals as they looked 

 upon her. She quickly sprang before 

 aegis-bearing Zeus from his immortal 

 head shaking her sharp spear. And 

 great Olympus trembled terribly be- 

 neath the weight of the glancing-eyed 

 one, and the earth about resounded 

 fearfully, and the sea was moved, agi- 

 tated with its purple waves, and the 

 salt water was poured forth on a sudden. 

 The glorious son of Hyperion (the 

 sun) stopped his swift-footed steeds 

 for a long time until the maiden Pallas 

 Athena took her arms from her immor- 

 tal shoulders and all-wise Zeus rejoiced. 

 I "So hail to thee, daughter of regis- 

 bearing Zeus! But of thee and of an- 

 other song I shall be mindful." 



Lucian, Dialogi Deorum VIII. 



In Lucian's "Dialogues of the Gods" 

 we find the following scene which gives 

 an amusing account of the story in the 

 words of Hepha;stus and Zeus. 



HepJicrstus. — "What must I do, O 

 Zeus? For I have come with my ax, 

 the sharpest one, if it should be neces- 

 sary to cleave stones at one blow." 



Zetis. — "That is good, O Hephaestus, 

 but bring it down and cleave my head 

 in twain." 



Heph. — "Are you trying me or are 



you insane? Tell me truly what >'ou 

 wish of me." 



Zeus. — ^"This very thing, to cleave my 

 head. If you disobey, not now for the 

 first time will you make trial of my 

 anger. You must strike with your 

 whole heart and not delay for I am tor- 

 tured by the pains which confuse my 

 brain." 



Heph. — "See to it, O Zeus, lest we 

 do some harm, for the ax is sharp and 

 not without bloodshed." 



Zeus. — "Only strike quickly, Heph- 

 aestus, for I know the consequences." 



Heph. — "I am unwilling, but still 1 

 shall strike, for what must I do when 

 you bid? What is this? A maiden 

 clad in armor! A great evil, O Zeus, 

 did you have in your head! Naturally 

 were you quick to anger, keeping such 

 a maiden beneath the covering of your 

 brain and armed too. I suppose it has 

 escaped our notice that you had a camp 

 and not a head. She leaps and dances, 

 shakes her shield, brandishes her spear, 

 and is in an ecstasy. And the greatest 

 marvel, she is fair and vigorous — already 

 in this short time. Quick-glancing 

 eyes has she, and a helmet, too, adorns 

 her. Therefore, oh Zeus, as my wages, 

 promise her to me." 



Zetis. — "You ask what is impossible,. 

 Hephaestus, for a maiden always it is 

 her wish to remain. I, as far as I am 

 concerned, do not gainsay it." 



Heph. — "I wanted this. I'll manage 

 it and I'll snatch her away." 



Zeus. — "If it is easy for you, do it. 

 Still I know that you ask what is im- 

 possible." 



A certain Philostratus gives descrip- 

 tions of paintings which he pretended 

 belonged to a gallery in Naples, and 

 this is one of them: "The Birth of 

 Athena." 



"Those astonished ones are the gods 

 and goddesses to whom the order has 

 been given that even the nymphs are 

 not to be absent from heaven, but are 

 to be present with the rivers from which 

 they are sprung. They shudder at 

 Athena, but just now sprung in her arms 

 from the head of Zeus, by the arts of 

 Hephaestus, as the ax shows. No one 

 could imagine the material of her pan- 

 oply, for as many as are the colors of 

 the rainbow as it changes into different 



