Minerva is the Roman goddess of poetry, medicine, wisdom, war, strategic warfare, commerce, weaving, the arts and crafts.
Description[]
She is the reincarnation of the Greek goddess Athena, and shares many qualities with her Greek past-self, such as the emerging from her father's head, being a virgin deity and serving as the patron of Athens. She differs from Athena by being less military, with Mars being the primary war-god of the Romans, and being overall less important to culture.
Her symbol is the owl, the olive tree and the spear. She is often depicted with her sacred creature, an owl usually named as the Owl of Pallas, which symbolized her association with wisdom and knowledge as well as, less frequently, the snake and the olive tree.
Overview[]
Minerva was the daughter of Jupiter and Metis, thus being a sister to Mars and other Roman deities. Fearing that their child would be male, and would grow stronger than he was and rule the Heavens in his place, Jupiter swallowed Metis whole after tricking her into turning herself into a fly. The titaness gave birth to Minerva and forged weapons and armor for her child while within Jupiter's body.
In some versions of the story, Metis continued to live inside of Jupiter's mind as the source of his wisdom. Others say she was simply a vessel for the birth of Minerva. The constant pounding and ringing left Jupiter with agonizing pain. To relieve the pain, Vulcan used a hammer to split Jupiter's head and, from the cleft, Minerva emerged, whole, adult, and in full battle armor.
As a patron goddess of wisdom, Minerva frequently features in statuary, as an image on seals, and in other forms at educational institutions.