Athena

Athena The Goddess of Wisdom

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This article contains lore based on real-life sources of the Greek mythology as introduced from the God of War Greek era.

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Athena
Biographical Information
Title(s)	Goddess of Wisdom Goddess of War Goddess of Warfare Goddess of Strategy Goddess of Justice Goddess of Reason Goddess of Foresight Goddess of Civilization Goddess of Athletics Goddess of Astronomy Goddess of Banquets Goddess of Boxing Goddess of Education Goddess of Craft Goddess of Intelligence Goddess of Mathematics Goddess of Heroism Goddess of Skill Goddess of Arts Goddess of Diplomacy Goddess of Commerce Goddess of Defense Goddess of Military victory Goddess of Good council
Alias	Wily Little Goddess (by Zeus) Virgin of War (by Hermes) Cold Gray Cowardly Virgin (by Ares)
Birthplace	Olympus
Location	Olympus (formely; in physical form)
Citizenship	Olympian
Nationality	Greek
Status	Alive (at a higher existence due to sacrificing her physical form)
Physical Information
Race(s)	Astral Being God (Olympian; formerly)
Gender	Female
Height	230.257 cm (7'6.6")
Hair Colour	Dark Brown (physical form)
Eye Colour	Blue (physical form)
Skin Colour	Fair (physical form)
Relationship Information
Family	Chaos (Ancestor) Ouranos (Great-Grandfather) † Gaia (Great-Grandmother) † Erebus (Great-Granduncle) Nyx (Great-Grandaunt) Tartarus (Great-Granduncle) Eros (Great-Granduncle) The Furies (Great-Grandaunts) † Cronos (Grandfather) † Rhea (Grandmother) Oceanus (Grandfather) † Tethys (Grandmother) Hyperion (Granduncle) † Theia (Grandaunt) Coeus (Granduncle) Phoebe (Grandaunt) Crius (Granduncle) Themis (Grandaunt) Iapetus (Granduncle) Mnemosyne (Grandaunt) Typhon (Granduncle) Thera (Grandaunt) Gyges (Granduncle) † Aegaeon (Granduncle) † Cottus (Granduncle) † Zeus (Father) † Metis (Mother) † Hera (Step-Mother/Aunt) † Hestia (Aunt) Demeter (Aunt) Hades (Uncle) † Poseidon (Uncle) † Ares (Half-Brother) † Hephaestus (Half-Brother/Brother-in-Law) † Aphrodite (Half-Sister/Sister-in-Law) Artemis (Half-Sister) Apollo (Half-Brother) Hermes (Half-Brother) † Persephone (Half-Sister/Aunt) † Muses (Half-Sisters) Dionysus (Half-Brother) Aecus (Half-Brother) † Minos (Half-Brother) † Rhadamanthus (Half-Brother) † Pollux (Half-Brother) † Peirithous (Half-Brother) † Perseus (Half-Brother) † Hercules (Half-Brother) † Kratos (Half-Brother) Deimos (Half-Brother) † Andromeda (Sister-in-Law) † Lysandra (Sister-in-Law) † Laufey (Sister-in-Law) † Phobos (Nephew) Orkos (Nephew/First Cousin Twice Removed) † Pandora (Adoptive Niece) † Zora and Lora (Nieces) Asclepius (Nephew) Ceryx (Nephew) † Ariadne (Niece/Sister-in-Law) Calliope (Niece) † Atreus (Nephew) Jason (Great-Grandnephew) † Triton (Cousin) Polyphemus (Cousin) † Pegasus (Cousin)† Theseus (Cousin) † Pelias (Cousin) Nyads (Cousins) Amphitrite (First Cousin Once Removed/Aunt) Helios (First Cousin Once Removed) † Selene (First Cousin Once Removed) Eos (First Cousin Once Removed) † Perses (First Cousin Once Removed) † Atlas (First Cousin Once Removed/Cousin) Prometheus (First Cousin Once Removed/Cousin) † Epimetheus (First Cousin Once Removed/Cousin) † Aeëtes (Second Cousin/Cousin) Circe (Second Cousin/Cousin) Boreas (Second Cousin) † Nike (Second Cousin/Cousin) Medea (Second Cousin Once Removed/First Cousin Once Removed) Thanatos (First Cousin Twice Removed) † Morpheus (First Cousin Twice Removed) Charon (First Cousin Twice Removed) † Nemesis (First Cousin Twice Removed) Sisters of Fate (First Cousins Twice Removed) Erinys (Second Cousin Once Removed) †
Loyalties	Herself Thoth Olympus (formerly) Zeus (formerly) Kratos (formerly)
Pet(s)	Owl
Hobby	Help Kratos
Equipment
Weapon(s)	Twin Swords
Behind the Scenes
Voiced by	Carole Ruggier (God of War, God of War II & God of War (2018)) Erin Torpey (God of War: Chains of Olympus, God of War: Ghost of Sparta & God of War III)
Appears in	God of War: Chains of Olympus God of War God of War: Ghost of Sparta, God of War II God of War III God of War (2018)

“	There's nowhere you can hide, Spartan. Put as much distance between you and the truth as you want, it changes nothing. Pretend to be everything you are not: teacher, husband, father. But there is one unavoidable truth you will never escape: You cannot change. You will always be... a monster.	”
–Athena to Kratos

Athena (Greek: Ἀθηναία) was the Olympian Goddess of Wisdom and serves as the deuteragonist-turned-final antagonist of the Greek Era of God of War series, who mostly appeared as an ally of Kratos during his quests as a servant to Mount Olympus.

She was seen as a neutral character in God of War II and later became a supporting character in God of War III after Kratos was betrayed by Gaia and took her place as his guide in his quest to obtain revenge on the Olympians. However, she ultimately becomes the final antagonist of the game due to manipulating Kratos into granting her the power of Hope so that she could become the one, supreme god of Greece after the death of Zeus and the rest of Mount Olympus. However, Kratos chose to turn the Blade of Olympus on himself to ensure she wouldn't get the power and gave it to the survival mortals so they could rebuild without the gods.

She had a cameo appearance as an illusion in God of War (2018), where she goads Kratos about his past.

Greek Mythology

Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of various cities across Greece, particularly the city of Athens, from which she most likely received her name. The Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens is dedicated to her. Her major symbols include owls, olive trees, snakes, and the Gorgoneion. In art, she is generally depicted wearing a helmet and holding a spear. From her origin as an Aegean palace goddess, Athena was closely associated with the city. She was known as Polias and Poliouchos (both derived from polis, meaning "city-state"), and her temples were usually located atop the fortified acropolis in the central part of the city. The Parthenon on the Athenian Acropolis is dedicated to her, along with numerous other temples and monuments. As the patron of craft and weaving, Athena was known as Ergane. She was also a warrior goddess, and was believed to lead soldiers into battle as Athena Promachos. Her main festival in Athens was the Panathenaia, which was celebrated during the month of Hekatombaion in midsummer and was the most important festival on the Athenian calendar.

In Greek mythology, Athena was believed to have been born from the forehead of her father Zeus. In some versions of the story, Athena has no mother and is born from Zeus' forehead by parthenogenesis. In others, such as Hesiod's Theogony, Zeus swallows his consort Metis, who was pregnant with Athena; in this version, Athena is first born within Zeus and then escapes from his body through his forehead. In the founding myth of Athens, Athena bested Poseidon in a competition over patronage of the city by creating the first olive tree. She was known as Athena Parthenos "Athena the Virgin", but in one archaic Attic myth, the god Hephaestus tried and failed to rape her, resulting in Gaia giving birth to Erichthonius, an important Athenian founding hero. Athena was the patron goddess of heroic endeavor; she was believed to have aided the heroes Perseus, Heracles, Bellerophon, and Jason. Along with Aphrodite and Hera, Athena was one of the three goddesses whose feud resulted in the beginning of the Trojan War.

She plays an active role in the Iliad, in which she assists the Achaeans and, in the Odyssey, she is the divine counselor to Odysseus. In the later writings of the Roman poet Ovid, Athena was said to have competed against the mortal Arachne in a weaving competition, afterward transforming Arachne into the first spider; Ovid also describes how Athena transformed her priestess Medusa and the latter's sisters, Stheno and Euryale, into the Gorgons after witnessing the young woman being raped by Poseidon in the goddess's temple. Since the Renaissance, Athena has become an international symbol of wisdom, the arts, and classical learning. Western artists and allegorists have often used Athena as a symbol of freedom and democracy.

Biography

Hunting the Marked Warrior

Zeus, driven by fear after hearing the oracle's prophecy that Olympian rule would end at the hands of a "Marked Warrior", sent Ares and Athena to capture the one destined to overthrow Zeus. Noticing the strange birth marks on Deimos, they invaded Sparta and captured the boy. His older brother, Kratos, tried to stop them, but was easily swatted aside by the God of War. Before Ares could kill Kratos, Athena intervened and told him they already had what they came for. Before she left, she gave one last look to the young Kratos and asked for forgiveness. That set in motion the prophecy, as they unknowingly picked the wrong Spartan youth; it was Kratos who would destroy Olympus, not Deimos.

Siege of Athens

Main article: God of War

Out of utter hatred and jealousy towards Athena, Ares summoned monsters from the Underworld and used them to attack the city of Athens. Since Zeus had forbidden the Gods from battling each other directly, Ares thought that nothing could stop him. For this reason, Athena and the other Gods sought to empower Kratos to save Athens and put an end to Ares' rampage once and for all. She guided him throughout the game to Pandora's Box.

After the death of Ares, she revealed that Kratos was forgiven of his sins, but the Gods never agreed to relieve him of his nightmares; no Mortal or God could ever forget the terrible things that he had done. With all hope lost, Kratos felt abandoned and flung himself from the Suicide Bluffs that overlooked the Aegean Sea and believed that death was his only escape from his madness. However, Athena saved Kratos from falling to his death. The Gods had not abandoned Kratos at all. Athena gave Kratos the throne of Ares and the title of God of War. She also granted him the Blades of Athena to replace the Blades of Chaos that were given to (and taken away from) him by Ares.

Aiding the God of War

Kratos' Hunt for the Ambrosia

Main article: God of War (comics)

As Kratos made his way to the Ambrosia once again, Athena tried to warn him about the many dangers on the path to the Ambrosia. Kratos simply shrugged off her warnings however, and moved on. Kratos later encountered her again, and was told by the Goddess that it was the dead that he must fear. Further on, Kratos found the dead Spartan Soldiers whom he had abandoned many years ago. They returned from the dead and were ready to fight Kratos and kill him in anger and vengeance, but Kratos defeated them.

Finding Deimos

Main article: God of War: Ghost of Sparta

After the events of God of War, Kratos set out on a journey to find his mother, Callisto, an act which Athena tried to prevent. After the two debated on whether or not Kratos should abandon this quest, soldiers of Triton attacked the ship. After Kratos (reluctantly) defeated Callisto in battle, he proclaimed to Athena that the Gods had lied to him about his brother. After gaining no response to his proclamations, Athena finally answered, tried to warn Kratos, attempted to dissuade him, and begged for forgiveness. Kratos then realized that she was there when his brother was kidnapped years ago as she stated that there were reasons for it. Enraged by that revelation, Kratos destroyed the Statue which Athena had used to communicate with him.

After the death of both Deimos and Thanatos, Athena came out of a Portal, she told him that his ties to the Mortal World were severed and that he was ready to be a God. She then attempted to empower Kratos to full Godhood, but Kratos refused however, and swore that the Gods would pay for the pain that they had caused him and his family. After Kratos had left for Olympus, Athena begged for his forgiveness and even went so far as to silently acknowledge him as her brother.

Zeus' Betrayal

Main article: God of War II

“	Enough, Kratos! With every city you destroy, the wrath of Olympus grows, soon I will no longer be able to protect you.	”
–Athena warning Kratos about the incoming wrath of the Gods

Unfortunately, Kratos was a far more ruthless God of War than Ares ever was. Shunned by his fellow Gods, and angry toward them for not ridding him of his nightmares (and the suffering his mother and brother went through), he turned to his Spartan Army. Together, they began to conquer all of Greece. Athena warned Kratos that if he did not stop his path of destruction, the wrath of Olympus would grow ever stronger and that she would not be able to protect him. Kratos disbelieved Athena, turned his back on her, and went to the island of Rhodes where his Spartan army had lain siege.

Athena was left with no other choice but to help rid Olympus of Kratos.

As a colossal God, Kratos tore apart the city of Rhodes until an eagle flew over him, drained much of his godly power, and shrunk him down to mortal size. At first, Kratos believed that it was Athena's act of defiance against him, until it was actually revealed to be the King of the Gods himself – Zeus.

Speaking to Kratos

During Kratos’ journey through the Island of Creation, he came upon the Garden of the Gods, where a golden statue of Athena warned him not to listen to Gaia or the Titans (this warning would later prove to be justified during the events of God of War III). She soon explained to Kratos that there were more important things besides seeking revenge and that Zeus did what he had to in order to protect Olympus: The King of the Gods did in fact fear Kratos. However, Kratos ignored the warning, and if the player chooses destroys the statue and continued on his quest to the Sisters of Fate, and soon defeated them.

Athena's death in God of War II.

Death

The warnings of Athena did not move Kratos, and he continued his path of vengeance until he faced Zeus once again. Taking the Blade of Olympus, Kratos stabbed Zeus with it repeatedly until Athena intervened. Angered by her interference, Kratos pushed her aside and struck at the fleeing Zeus. Athena threw herself in front of Zeus before he could be stabbed, and fell by Kratos’ hand. Saddened by what he had done. Kratos asked Athena why she would sacrifice herself. Athena replied that Zeus must live so that Olympus could prevail. She also revealed that Kratos was the child of Zeus, who was compelled to destroy his father just as Zeus had done to Cronos. Athena's revelation confirmed that Kratos was her brother and he was a Demigod. Sickened by that very fact and more vengeful than ever, Kratos claimed that he had no father and left Athena to die in a spectacular burst of green light.

Kratos then proclaimed that if all the gods deny him his vengeance then they will all deserve death.

Beyond Death

Main article: God of War III

“	I see truths where I did not before...	”
–Athena to Kratos

After he fell from Gaia's back during the Attack on Mount Olympus, Kratos wound up in the River Styx that led him into the Underworld. There, Athena, in a ghost-like state, appeared to Kratos, gave him the Blades of Exile and told him that in order for him to defeat Zeus, he had to venture back up the mountain and extinguish The Flame of Olympus, which he would find on the other side of Hera's Garden. Athena also informed Kratos about Pandora's Box, which he would find once he had reached the Flame. When a skeptical Kratos inquired as to her sudden change in heart, Athena explained that her death had brought about a change in her, an ascension to a level beyond that of the gods, and how she understood more in that form than she did in the past. She stated that Zeus' death was necessary if humanity was ever to be freed, and would aid Kratos throughout his quest.

Athena aiding Kratos in Astral Form in God of War III.

After Kratos succeeded in killing Zeus, Athena stated that it was time that mankind heard her message and insisted that Kratos give the powers of the Box back to her. Kratos however, sneered at her sentiments and cited the fact that Chaos was ravaging the world and the fact that Pandora's Box was empty. Confused at first, Athena then realized that when Kratos opened the box to defeat Ares, it unleashed all the evils that Zeus had captured and infected the gods. Instead of drawing on the evil powers within the box as she had once thought, Kratos had in fact acquired the power of Hope, the power that Athena herself had sealed in the box, should it ever be opened again. During all that time, however, Kratos had that power buried underneath all his anger, sorrow, and guilt, and thus shielded it from everyone, including himself.

Athena insisted again that Kratos return the power of Hope to her, in order to restore the world and rule it as the new Queen of Olympus. Kratos instead decided to impale himself with the Blade of Olympus and thereby release Hope to all of mankind. A horrified Athena exclaimed that mankind would not know what to do with such power, before she expressed her disappointment in Kratos. Then, after Athena removed the Blade of Olympus from his chest, she vanished, and left Kratos in a puddle of blood. It was widely assumed that Athena was infected with the evil of Greed, although it was not noticeable until after her death.

Athena wasn't heard of in many years and her whereabouts were unknown for a long time.

Appearance in the Norse World

Main article: God of War (2018)

Athena's Astral Form appearing to Kratos in the Norse World.

Athena appears silently before Kratos as he travels home to retrieve the Blades of Chaos. Kratos, still holding a grudge against her, demands that she gets out of his head, and she vanishes.

Later, she reappears in the doorway of his house while he dons the Blades. She mocks Kratos for trying to change and declares that he is and will always be a monster. Kratos agrees, but counters that he is no longer her monster. He then walks through Athena's image, while she disappears.

According to Mimir, when journey on the Realm between realms, Mimir deduces that Kratos is Greek and Athena is a dead giveaway.

According to the writers of God of War (2018) this Athena was just a Hallucination, she was only in his head, formed by the guilt of Kratos' past. However, according to the director of the game, it's also possible that this Athena can be real or inside Kratos' head, or it can be both inside his head and real at the same time. Any of these situations are possible.

Appearance in Egyptian Lands

Main article: God of War: Fallen God

After leaving desolated Greece, Kratos travels to other places and ends up in the land of Pharos.

Athena appears in front of Kratos after he gets unconscious in a form resembling her astral form in God of War (2018). She informs him that their relationship isn't over yet and that he must embrace his destiny to fulfil his purpose.

After Kratos regains consciousness, an old man also appears and informs him that he must take hold of his blades and prepare himself for battle. He also tells him about his destiny to kill the chaos beasts and save the humble villages. Some creatures also tell him to embrace his destiny.

Once again, when Kratos gets unconscious, Athena reappears in front of him, this time in a form resembling her physical form in God of War II along with another Egyptian god, Thoth. She reminds him that he has fled from his responsibilities long enough to embrace his destiny. Then she points to the blades of chaos that are tormenting him, so he wonders if he will never be free from his torments. Athena says that what he sees as torment is in fact his great and terrible purpose, and he must not turn his back on destiny. Thoth, the old man, and other creatures again remind him to embrace his destiny. Finally, when Kratos embraces the blades to kill the chaos beast, Athena says she knew he would listen to reason.

Kratos kills the chaos beast and falls to unconsciousness; the old man says his purpose is fulfilled here and wishes him good fortune for his path ahead.

It is unclear whether the appearances of Athena, Thoth, the old man, and the creatures were real or not. It is possible that Kratos was hallucinating and dreaming, but it is also possible that the interactions really happened.

Physical appearence

Athena is tall and slender, with a sleek but athletic physique. She is very light skinned and has dark brown hair tied with a golden bun and icy blue eyes. She wears a white dress with several golden armoured plates. After her death, she turns into a spirit, maintaining her slender build, but gaining a green skin, clothes, and shining white eyes.

Personality

Of all the gods on Mount Olympus in the God of War series, Athena was arguably the least selfish and was in fact, very noble, putting everyone else before herself, as was displayed not only by her deep love for her people and her horror of Ares' siege on Athens, but also her deep concern and love for the rest of humanity; as shown in God of War III, she stated that she intended to "liberate" mankind with the power of Hope. She also was seen loving her family - particularly her father, Zeus, deeply, and even sacrificed her own life to save him, although it is possible that she only did so to save the world, as the death of Zeus would have meant the death of Olympus, and thus the destruction of the entire world.

Athena even cared greatly for Kratos: She elevated him as a god, shielded him from Olympus' wrath, always wanted to help and guide him on his quests, and remained his closest ally in all of the games. According to the official God of War I Novelization, she always wanted Kratos to get freedom from his nightmares; she was tricked by Zeus into believing forgiveness would end his visions, and she tries her best to convince Zeus. She saves him from suicide; if he committed suicide, not only would he still suffer from his nightmares in the underworld but he would also get tortured by Hades.

But in God of War III, her motives somewhat changed. For some reason, she desired the death of Zeus and motivated Kratos' quest for vengeance. It was possible that she was affected by the evil, Greed, when Kratos opened Pandora's Box, which changed her motives to personal gain. However, she did not show any of that evil in God Of War II while she was alive, indicating she was resisting it with all she had until her death; however, according to the novelization of God of War II she noticed she was becoming irrational as of late and was losing control over herself. She also claimed to have had a message for humanity. The possible reason for her sudden greed could be her corruption by the powers of higher existence which could have been further fueled by the evils.

It was unknown what she ultimately had in mind, but most likely she wished the destruction of the Olympians so that she could rebuild the world and rule mankind as its sole all-powerful deity. Furthermore, according to Erin Torpey, Athena's voice actress for God of War III, she considered Athena as "Trying to do some good to the world, but ultimately wants to take it over," which further lent to the possibility that she was not as benevolent as she presented herself to be.

In God of War IV, Athena while appearing in front of Kratos as an illusion, retained her greed and anger towards him, continuously goading Kratos about his terrible past. Kratos at this point, however, now resented her and was unfazed at her illusion and coldly told her he may be a monster but he was no longer her monster.

Powers and Abilities

As the Goddess of War and Wisdom, Athena was one of the most powerful gods on Olympus; with a large variety of abilities, she was just as powerful (if not more powerful) as Ares, her rival. After her death at the hands of Kratos, by sacrificing her life she reached "Higher Existence" which made her powerful than everyone.

• Astral Projection: After she sacrificed herself for Zeus, Athena was able to return in an Astral Form to guide Kratos. To her account, it also gave her a different outlook on the world and caused her to "finally have seen the truth".
• Conceptual Embodiment: As a God, she is considered the embodiment of Wisdom, Reason, and Purity.
• Immortality: Like all Olympians, Athena was immortal, unable to age or die from natural causes or mortal weapons. Divine weaponry, like Pandora's Box and the Blade of Olympus as well as fellow Olympians, gods, Titans or Primordials could harm and kill her, however.
• Invulnerable: Like all Olympians, Athena was invulnerable and couldn't be harmed by regular weapons.
• Object Possession: Her favorite method of communicating with her servants and subjects was by taking possession of a statue that represented her. She did that through the series, to guide Kratos.
• Power Bestowing: Athena was able to bestow her servants with incredible power, she was even able to make Kratos the new God of War, turning him from a mortal demigod into a full-fledged god with many powers.
• Power Conjuration: Athena was able to conjure magic, such as the Power of Hope, which was stated to be the most powerful weapon in the world. Which can be justified by the fact that the power was powerful enough that a Demigod and possibly powerful Mortals who held the power, were able to kill powerful gods. Hope was more powerful than even the evil, Fear. For example, Zeus was the most powerful god among the Olympians, and even he was killed by that power.
• Acausality: The laws of time and space work differently for the Gods of Olympus.
• Self-Sustenance: Gods have no need to eat, sleep, or drink, nor do they need to breathe.
• Precognition: Athena was the goddess of foresight, and she was able to see a future vision in which even had Artemis and Poseidon joined her in opposing the actions of the God of War, Ares, they would have failed.
• Weapon Creation: As the Goddess of War, Athena was able to create incredible weapons of war, when she was alive and when she was in her Astral Form. Those weapons were the Blades of Athena and the Blades of Exile. It was possible that she also crafted the Blade of the Gods as it was found in her city and the blade was held by a statue of her. She also bore two swords on her hips, which she used for fighting.
• Flight: She actually showed that ability in her Astral Form, but she probably had that ability when she was alive. Considering the fact that she was able to reach the Summit of Sacrifice, it could be assumed that she truly did have that ability.
• Telekinesis: In the first game, when Kratos attempted to commit suicide, Athena used that ability and placed him on solid ground. Another example was when she lifted Pandora toward Kratos.
• Transmutation: The instruction manual for the first game mentioned how she transformed several women into gorgons as punishment for their infidelity, and in her Astral form, Athena was able to transform the rusted Blades of Athena into the Blades of Exile.
• Intangibility: While in Astral Form, Athena was able to phase through objects at will, and could become tangible at will.
• Pyrokinesis: Seeing as how her weapons were imbued with fire and the fact that the God of War had possessed that ability, it was likely that she had pyrokinetic abilities as well.
• Superhuman Strength: As a god, she was far stronger than any mortal and even stronger than most demigods and possibly many Gods. In her confrontation against Kratos, she was able to block a blow from the Blade of Olympus. When they were locked together, she held her ground when Kratos tried to push her, and in return, she was able to push him back until he shoved her to the side. She was also able to restrain Hades from pushing Poseidon. It's safe to assume she was relative or even stronger than Kratos in that confrontation.
• Divine Wisdom: As the Goddess of Wisdom, she had a genius level of intelligence. Her extreme intelligence allowed her to be able to do the following: figure out challenges and puzzles, come up with great ideas and plans, overcome her opponents, figure out questions or not-so-obvious causes, and guide people. When Zeus barred her from killing Ares herself, using her intelligence, she manipulated various gods such as Poseidon, Artemis, and Aphrodite, making them bestow various powers upon her champion, Kratos, so he could kill Ares. When Ares drove Kratos into her temple to kill his family, she was able to figure out Ares' plans long before any Olympian could. Then Athena tricked Ares; she got control over Kratos, trained him for 10 years, and utilized him to finally put an end to the insane God of War. She was able to predict the future accurately and figure out better plans to avoid prophecies than other gods.
• Higher-Dimensional Existence - Upon her death and sacrifice, she ascended to a higher level of existence, which Cory Barlog elaborates to be a higher plane of existence to everyone else.
• Superhuman Stamina: As a god, she had incredible stamina and could keep fighting without tiring.
• Superhuman Speed: As a god, she possessed speed that surpassed that of any mortal, most demigods & most gods. Athena, with a twitch of will, she bursts from her chamber and descends from Mount Olympus to Athens at the speed of thought, which even makes Hermes flabbergasted. She's a warrior with fighting speed like Zeus.
• Shape-Shifting: Based on the fact that Kratos assumed that the Eagle that attacked him in Rhodes was Athena (later revealed to be Zeus), it can be assumed that she was able to take on any form that she saw fit.
• Prayer Empowerment: Athena used to gain power from mortals praying to her, which is similar to the other gods and titans.
• Armies Control: Athena had control over the armies of humanity, which was originally possessed by the God of War, Ares. She had won the power by besting Ares in a contest called "The Challenge of War Gods".
• Invisibility: Athena was able to make herself invisible.
• Teleportation: She was able to teleport anywhere at her will.

Relationships

Zeus

Athena was very devoted to protecting Olympus and her father, Zeus. She was favored by Zeus among the rest of his children, which ignited the jealousy of her brother, Ares. Athena even went as far as to protect Zeus from being killed by Kratos; most likely, she did that to protect the world or its possibly she did that out of love for her father, or she believed Olympus could only survive under Zeus' rule. Athena died by taking the strike meant for Zeus, and the King of the gods took that opportunity to flee while he showed no emotion for his beloved daughter despite favouring her, but it could be that he had already been corrupted by the evils of Pandora's Box by that point, and his fear of Kratos may have overshadowed any grief for his daughter; however, he did show some remorse for her death later on in the series.

After her death, Zeus bitterly remarked on how she died because of Kratos' revenge. It was then shown that something changed Athena as she claimed that she now believed that humanity would suffer as long as Zeus lived. During the duration of the game, she did everything to help Kratos kill Zeus. Athena never revealed herself to her father, possibly so he would not attempt to stop her or inform Kratos of her questionable intentions.

Kratos

Athena always was the most caring god to Kratos. That stemmed from their first meeting during the Raid on Sparta. As Olympian forces (Centaur Generals), cleared the way for Athena and Ares, they grabbed Deimos. Kratos tried to revolt, but was beaten down by Ares. It was Athena who stopped Ares that day from killing Kratos. She saved the life of her brother and showed regret for what she and Ares had to do. In his 10 years of servitude to the gods, it was mostly Athena who told Kratos which task was asked of him. During Kratos' journey to the Sisters of Fate, she communicated with him and tried to stop him, but Kratos, undeterred, ignored her warnings. It was also interesting to note that Athena knew that Kratos was still alive after Zeus' betrayal when all of the others had believed him to be dead. That showed that she was aware of his capabilities and continued to watch over him even after his dethronement as god of War.

According to the director of God of War II Athena had some feelings for Kratos, which made her conflicted about siding entirely with him or fulfilling her duty to Zeus. The same was hinted various times in the Novelization of God of War I, one such instance was when Zeus teases her whether Kratos means a lot to her, She flushes with shame and forces out a reply not sharing everything. This could be the reason why she cared and supported Kratos even when he turned against the gods, and why she was being protective of him in the Novelization of God of War II. The other reasons can be her knowledge of Kratos being her half-brother, her empathy for him, her desire to pay back her end, or her desire to keep peace by maintaining a good friendship with him.

In return, Kratos was shown to care about Athena to a degree, since he was saddened by the fact that he stabbed her when he tried to kill Zeus, in direct contrast to Zeus who showed no emotion over her death, despite favoring Athena and fleeing afterwards. Kratos, on the other hand, was shown to be grieving over the lost of his dying ally (later revealed to be his half-sister) and asked her the reason for her sacrifice to which she revealed that it was to protect the world. She soon revealed Zeus' relation to Kratos (by extension herself as well), which shocked him as she tried to tell him to abandon his goal of vengeance. But despite Athena's pleas for Kratos to stop his ambition, he continuously ignored her words and went on to state how he would destroy all of the gods who stood in his way if they denied him his vengeance and watched calmly as Athena died.

Later on in god of War III, when confronted by the Astral Form of Athena, Kratos defended his actions stating that the Blade of Olympus was meant for Zeus. He was doubtful about her desire to help him, but later agreed to let her lead him to the flame. She tried to win back his trust and she did at a certain point. In his psyche, Kratos came face to face with his past sins, one of which was forgiving himself for killing Athena, which showed that he was deeply tormented for killing one of the few people (besides his family) who stood by his side no matter what. But, after Athena revealed her true intentions, he felt betrayed once more, which lead to an argument. He eventually repaid her by thwarting her plans by attempting suicide and released the power that she craved the most: Hope. She was outraged and proclaimed to the dying Kratos: "You disappoint me, Spartan." She then pulled out the Blade of Olympus, left the area despite the fact that her brother was slowly "dying," and showed no concern for him as she disappeared. Kratos then grinned before he died.

Years later, through her interaction with Kratos, whom had ended up in Nordic land, it was seen they never reconciled, with her having probably still consumed by the evil of Greed. She is still distraught by what he had done decades earlier, releasing the power of Hope, the now older Kratos still holding a grudge against her for previously meddling in his life and what he has suffered through his entire life by the Olympians. Kratos acknowledges her presence in a slightly startled reaction and then demands her to leave. Kratos ignores his sister's declarations by acknowledging while he may still be a monster, he is not her monster anymore and simply walks through her body, causing her to dissipate.

Ares

Athena's relationship with her brother, Ares, was quite complex. For a while, they seemed to be able to work together as both of them were deployed by Zeus to retrieve Deimos. But even when on a mission for Olympus, they argued. It was Athena who stopped Ares from killing their half-brother during the raid. Zeus favored Athena, Ares felt betrayed, and, as he became estranged from Olympus, grew jealous of her. Ares started his plans to overthrow Olympus, something that he abandoned for a while after the death of The Furies. His jealousy led to him eventually to siege her city, Athens. It was noted that before his attack on her city, she had no intentions of having him killed. But afterwards, she never regretted his death as she considered him a threat to both Athens and Olympus.

The Other Olympians

In the first installments, Athena was quite protective of her fellow Gods and spoke about them with great respect. She asked Kratos to stop angering them by pillaging their cities with his Spartan Army. But it was she who told Kratos, in her dying words, that every Olympian would be willing to put their life down in order to protect Zeus and if he proceeded, they would try to kill him. Due to her words, she actually signed the death warrant of her fellow gods. In God of War III, she instead helped Kratos as he took out God after God and taught him how to use their weapons. In the end, it was implied that she had wanted them gone, so that she could become the monotheistic ruler of the Greek world.

Aside from her father Zeus, there were other Olympians who also held Athena in high regard. For instance, before her uncle Hades battled with Kratos, the God of the Underworld listed Athena's death as one of the major transgression Kratos committed against him.

God of War 2018

Gallery

Concept Art

Astral Athena Concept by Andy Park

Athena, Ascension concept art

2018 Athena early concept art.

2018 concept

Trivia

• In Greek Mythology, Athena was born inside Zeus' head when he swallowed his wife, Metis, just when she was about to gave birth to Athena because Zeus knew that his second child after Athena would overthrow him according to prophecy. By the time Zeus had had his head opened by Hephaestus, Athena was already fully grown with full armor and spear. Metis was Zeus' first consort and Athena was his firstborn child. It's likely that Athena's birth is the same in God of War.
• Athena has appeared in every installment of the series so far except God of War Ragnarök and God of War: Ascension.
• In God of War, God of War II and God of War (2018), Athena was voiced by Carole Ruggier, who also voiced Athena in the video game, Age of Mythology.
• In God of War: Chains of Olympus, God of War: Ghost of Sparta and God of War III, Athena was voiced by Erin Torpey.
• In God of War II, one of the Bonus Costumes had the player look like Athena, although the voice was still that of Kratos.
• Athena was one of three Olympian Gods to appear in God of War (2018), the others being Zeus and Kratos himself (with the former only appearing as an illusion from the past).
• Out of all the Olympian Gods, Athena plays the most significant role in Kratos's story, serving as his guide in most of the games. Only Ares and Zeus come as close in terms of role in Kratos's story.
• With her death, both the original god and goddess of War died.
• Athena's weapon of choice were 2 swords, though in Greek Mythology, she used a spear and shield. This decision might have been intentional as the developers felt it would be redundant having her use the weapon Kratos had used as a mortal.
• The result of Athena's death was the loss of wisdom for all people. However, as she was associated with wisdom but was not the source of it, it was considered an abstract concept. It's possible that the beings became unwise or foolish considering the fact that the domains of other gods got out of control after their demises, but it's never explicitly shown in her case, unlike some other gods.
• Athena's sacrifice for Zeus had an ironic twist in Greek Mythology: When Athena's mother (the Titaness Metis) was pregnant, Zeus attempted to kill them both out of fear that the child would be the prophesized son who would overthrow him. Later, Zeus attempted to kill Athena again by swallowing her, but she irritated him from within so badly that he called for Hephaestus to crack open his skull and released her. Ironically, this is the same method that Cronos out of fear of being overthrown.
• Athena's death in God of War II was very reminiscent of Lysandra and Calliope's, since Kratos had killed both his family, and Athena, by accident. The emotional impact on Kratos was also very similar, as the moment was described as Kratos losing someone who was very close to him, and it was very personal.
• Athena appeared in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale as a minion. She was unlocked by leveling up Kratos to Rank 8.
• In Homer's Iliad, she was also called Athenaia, and was also called "Spoil-gatherer".
• The color that seems to represent Athena most is green.
• Concept Art was made for Athena to appear in Ascension, though she was cut from the game.
• It seems that Athena have some sort of recognition outside of Greece, as Mímir seemed to instantly aware that Kratos was a Greek the moment he mentioned her by name, regarding her name as a "dead giveaway".
  • In Egypt, she appears alongside her Egyptian counterpart, Thoth in Kratos' vision.
• Athena and Kratos were originally supposed to have some form of romance. According to David Jaffe however, this was more one-sided for Athena.