YOUNG ATHENA
An Athena child shares the capacity for concentration of a young
Artemis, to which she adds a decidedly intellectual bent. For ex-
ample, at three Athena may be a self-taught reader. Whatever the
age, once she has discovered books she will probably have her nose
in one. When she’s not reading, she’s dogging her father’s footsteps,
asking “Daddy, why?” or “Daddy, how does this work?” or, most
typically, “Daddy, show me!” (She usually does not ask, “Mommy,
why?”—unless she happens to have an Athena Mommy, who gives
her the logical answers she seeks.) The Athena girl is curious, seeks
information, wants to know how things work.
PARENTS
When an Athena daughter grows up as a favorite child of a suc-
cessful father who is proud that “she takes after him,” he helps her
develop her natural tendencies. When her role model gives her his
blessing, confidence in her abilities is her “birthright.” Such a
daughter grows up secure and without conflicts about being bright
and ambitious. As an adult woman, she then can be comfortable
exerting power, wielding authority, and demonstrating her capabil-
ities.
But not all Athena women have Zeus fathers who favor them.
When they do not, an essential ingredient for development is miss-
ing. Some Athena women have very successful fathers who are too
busy to notice them. Other Zeus fathers insist that their daughters
behave like traditional girls; they may teasingly say, “Don’t fill your
pretty head with facts” or chide them by saying, “This isn’t what
little girls should play with” or “This doesn’t concern you, this is
business.” As a result, she may grow up feeling that she is unaccept-
able the way she is and often lacks confidence in her abilities even
if she was not discouraged from entering the business or professional
field.
When an Athena woman has a father who is very unlike
Zeus—perhaps a business failure, alcoholic, unsung poet, or unpub-
lished novelist—her Athena development is usually
Athena: Goddess of Wisdom Growing beyond the confining