I have picked Minerva as my special Goddess upon Whom I call for spiritual guidance. She is the Goddess of Creativity, Knowledge, Power and Wisdom. All the things a good working witch needs!
Goddess of Wisdom. The Latinized Athena, her
helmet displays the wings of her animal totem, the owl. On her breast is embossed
the Gorgon's head, and the serpent of immortality is at her feet. Minerva was
patroness of spinning and all feminine crafts.
In Romano-Etruscan mythology, Minerva was the goddess of wisdom. As the Romans
conquered other states they integrated the other cultures with their own, thus she became
identified with the Greek goddess Athena.
An oracle foretold to Zeus, the king of the gods, that if his wife Metis bore another child it
would be a boy who would depose him. He promptly swallowed Metis, but was later
smitten by terrible pains in his head. Hermes, the messenger of the gods, suspected the
cause, and persuaded Hephaestus, the god of fire, to split his head open. Immediately
Athena leapt out, fully grown and in full armour. She became his favourite child, and he
gave her his shield, which bore the image of the gorgon Medusa, and the thunderbolt.
One of the principal deities in both mythologies, she stood for wisdom, reason and purity,
was patron of arts, crafts and agriculture, and was the goddess of war and defender of the
state.
She was also known as Pallas Athene, Kore and Parthenos - all titles which allude to her maidenhood.
She competed with Poseidon, the god of earthquakes and the sea, for possession of Athens. He offered the citizens the horse,
whilst she offered the olive tree, which the Athenians deemed the better gift. In return they dedicated the Parthenon to her.
Other gifts of hers to man were the plough, the flute and the arts of taming animals and shipbuilding. She was often associated
with the owl, an image which appeared on all Athenian coins.
