Pallas Athena (パラスアテナ) is a recurring demon in the Persona series.
History[]
Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, philosophy, justice, law, mathematics, strength, arts, crafts, skill and reason. She represents just decisions and strategic warfare and is the only goddess allowed to carry Zeus' thunderbolts. She led battles as the disciplined, strategic side of war, in contrast to her brother Ares, the patron of violence, bloodlust and slaughter. She was depicted crowned, with a crested helm, armed with a shield and spear. She is commonly shown accompanied by her sacred animal, the owl. She is the virgin patron of Athens, which was named in honor of her (the Parthenon, which overlooks the city, was a temple the Athenians dedicated to her.) The Greeks especially also associate the olive with her, as she won a contest to decide who would be the patron god or goddess of what would become Athens when she planted an olive tree as a gift to the city.
Trivia[]
- In Persona 3, Athena holds her traditional shield reflecting the head of Medusa. This shield is known as the "Aegis of Athena."
- One of Kanji Tatsumi's weapons is a shield called the Aegis Shield, whose coloration and design greatly resembles that of Athena's signature revolving shield in Persona 3, though it no longer bears the head of Medusa. It also gives Kanji a very significant boost in Endurance (+10), possibly referencing Athena as having the best Endurance among the character-specific Personas in Persona 3, besting even those in Persona 4 as well.