# Athena — The Argonautica character guide

> Athena in The Argonautica by Apollonius of Rhodes.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Athênê, Pallas Athênê

**First appearance:** 0000-book-i

## Snapshot

The grey-eyed goddess who oversees the Argo's construction and, with Hera, schemes to win the Fleece through a Cyprian arrow aimed at a sorceress's heart.

## Who they are

Athena is the patron of craft and cunning, and the Argo is her project as much as Jason's — she inspires its building and watches its voyage with proprietary care. Yet when the heroes stall at Colchis, she admits to Hera that she knows nothing of love or its spells, and must defer to Aphrodite's son for the plan that will actually work. Her partnership with Hera reveals a divine politics behind the mortal quest: the gods disagree, negotiate, and maneuver, and the Argonauts succeed only because two goddesses decide to cooperate.

## In the story

### [Book III: The Love of Medea](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_argonautica_se/chapters/book-iii)

Goddess of wisdom, accompanies Hera to Aphrodite and agrees to the scheme involving love magic.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_argonautica_se/characters/athena
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_argonautica_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_argonautica_se/characters