sorry to my ancestors that I drew this to a viral tiktok sound and not Greek music
Athena for #dtiys contest for @tylermileslockett #tylermileslockett . Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom, military strategy, state building, and patron of Athens -- the myth goes she beat out Poseidon for the honor by inventing the olive tree. She's traditionally depicted with a spear and shield, engraved with horse and rider, and Medusa's head on the front of her breastplate. Unfortunately I didn't have time to draw Medusa, and also feel Medusa got a very raw deal there. What I did choose to depict from the original is her sacred animals, the owl (representing wisdom) and the snake (representing the first ruler of Athens, Erichthonius). Both creatures are Greek species here, a small owl and a whip snake.
I grew up on the legends of Athena as bedtime stories. Most notably she sprung forth from her father Zeus's head by splitting it with an axe. May all Mediterranean women give our dads a bit of a headache 🥴