Athena was born directly out of Zeus' brain. She did not have a mother. Her father was the mighty Zeus. Zeus loved all his children, but if he had to pick a favorite, it would probably have been Athena, the goddess of wisdom. She was a powerful force, and one of the 12 deities who held a seat on Mount Olympus. Athena was the patron goddess of the ancient city-state of Athens. That caused a bit of a problem actually. Both Poseidon and Athena wanted to be the special deity in charge of Athens. They both felt Athens was an up and coming town. As coastal city, it made sense for Poseidon to watch over Athens. But Athena felt the Athenian would need her guidance and wisdom to grow.  To solve this, Athena suggested they have a contest. Both deities would give the town a present. The townspeople would decide which present was better. When the townspeople heard about this, they became quite nervous. But Athena only smiled. And they were reassured that she had a plan.  Poseidon thought it was a great idea. He shoved his trident into the side of the hill. Water poured out. The townspeople tasted it. It was salt water!  Athena planted an olive tree. It was the first olive tree ever planted. Before the townspeople could say a thing, Poseidon agreed that Athena's gift was the better gift. The olive tree would provide food, shelter, and oil for cooking.  That's how Athena became the patron goddess of the one of the most powerful city-states in ancient Greece - the city-state of Athens. Athena's special tree is the olive tree.    The Myth Man Presents: Athena Athena - Goddess of Wisdom, Sewing, Crafts, War and more  More Greek Myths Free Ancient Greek PowerPoints  To learn more about Ancient Greece, click on Apollo