Greek Mythology - Athena

History: 
Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, war, the arts, industry, justice and skill. Athena is the daughter of Zeus, the Goddess was not generated by any woman. She leaped from the head of Zeus, already adult, dressed with her full suit of armour. It is said she was very fond of the he city of Athens within Greece itself and the goddess herself essentially bears the same name as the city. She is above all, the Goddess of the City, the protectress of civilized life and provider of agriculture to the people.

Adventures:
The quarrel of Athena and Poseidon (the god of the sea). They were both competing on being the deities of the city of Athens so it was decided that the one who would offer the Athenians the best gift would win. Poseidon hit his trident hard on a side of the hill and a fountain made its appearance while the people were impressed by the gift. The only drawback was that the water of the fountain was salty like the water of the sea. The present of Athena was an olive tree, a useful gift since it could produce food, oil and wood at the same time. So, Athena won the competition infuriating Poseidon who flooded the plain of Attica. In the end, both gods cooperated for the good of the city.

Relationships: 
Athena is the daughter of Zues himself and it was told that she had no mother, She is the virgin mother of Erichthnonius and she is the niece of Poseidon, both of which were said to have claimed the city Athens. Apart from family, Athena had a close companion, Nike who is the goddess of victory.

Appearance:
Athena was born from Zues' forehead fully clothed and wearing the exact armour she would be depicted in any photograph (click the link below for an image). Her appearance as a whole is very glorious, clean yet powerful, she is said to be very beautiful behind her shining armour.
http://www.indepthinfo.com/greek-gods/athena.htm

Symbols associated with Athena: 
Athena is most vividly symbolized by the snake; the snake itself symbolises protection and rebirth. Athena was born wearing specific armour and weapons which are always depicted and associated with her, this is because are also Athena’s symbols; wearing a helmet and carrying a shield or spear. An owl sits on the goddess’s shoulder, the owl’s wisdom is needed to keep Athena’s strong power steadily maintained, especially throughout the city of Athens.

Evolution of Athena:
Throughout the existence of Athena, it is said she fought as one of the men and she had the wisdom and brains to aid humans within Athens. But over time, beliefs and perceptions of her began to change; Athena also slowly became the patroness of the "womanly arts", including cooking, weaving and spinning. Additionally, Athena's interests and skills expanded; besides the chariot, bridle and ship, she is also credited with having invented the trumpet, flute, earthen pot, plow and rake, and she was the first to teach the science of numbers. However, in todays popular culture Athena appears rarely but in a slightly different light. For example, other then a city being named after her, you can find statues of her outside collages world-wide; this is placed to instill inspiration into the particular students using Athena's knowledge, guidance and strong morals/ethics.

Sports:
Chess: Athena is a goddess of wisdom, war and strategy; she would easily out smart an opponent in chess as her ability to strategize accordingly is superior.
Chariot Racing: It was told that chariot racing was a great interest and strong skill of Athena the daughter of Zues.
Fencing: Myths talk of Athena the goddess of war, partaking in the some of the most largest battles fighting side by side other male gods. She is said to be a great warrior and therefore her skills here would translate well into a modern day form of sword fighting.

Bibliography:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athena
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athena#Mythology
http://www.indepthinfo.com/greek-gods/athena.htm
http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Athena.html
http://www.goddess.ws/athena.html