Athena, the Greek Goddess of Heroes, is often depicted as an androgynous character in various renderings through the ages, a reflection of her demonstrated sexual ambivalence throughout her life. She bears an androgynous pedigree, born after her father Zeus copulated with Metis. Zeus, fearing that the child would be too powerful, swallowed Metis, however, Athena emerged from her father's forehead, similar to Eve's creation from the androgynous Adam. Athena never had a lover or mate, earning her the nickname, Athena the Virgin.
She was often called upon by mortals to accompany them in battle for luck. In her role as shephardess to warriors, she wore a breastplate bearing the image of a Gorgon, an androgynous creature (including the famous Medusa) with snakes for hair. The breastplate was a model for other female androgyne warriors, most notably Joan of Arc. Her other implement of battle was the male-like thunderbolt, also used commonly by her father in his various acts of mass destruction.
