Minerva is the Roman form of theGreek goddess Athena. In Greek myths she sprang from Jupiter's cracked head but in the Roman version she was always a minor goddess so this may not apply. She was the virgin goddess of wisdom, poetry, medicine, commerce, weaving, and crafts. She is often depicted with her sacred creature, an owl, which symbolizes her ties to wisdom. As a war deity she's only favorable to defensive wars. Though Romans considered owls to be bad or evil they were considered to be Minerva's symbol.
| Minerva | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Vital statistics | |
| Title | Goddess of Wisdom and Useful Crafts |
| Current Age | Immortal |
| Gender | Female |
| Family | Jupiter - Father
Metis - Mother Mars, Vulcan, Bacchus, Mercury and Apollo - Half-Brothers Bellona, Juventas, Diana, Venus and Proserpina - Half-Sisters |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Gray |
| Other | |
| Affiliation | Roman Olympians |
| Status | Immortal |
| Weapons | Wisdom and Strategy |
| Home | Roman Olympus |
The Heroes of Olympus[]
The Mark of Athena []
Minerva appeares to Annabeth Chase (one of her Greek demigod daughters) before the Argo II lands in New Rome. She tells Annabeth, that she must avenge her, because the Romans took her, a major goddess, and turned her into a small and not important goddess. They stripped her of her power as a warlike, battle strategetic and replaced it with crafts and small things. Athena, was renamed Minerva and subsituted with other gods, like Mars and Bellona. If she were to have children (the idea is quite shocking) then they would not be "leaders of dangerous quests" but builders, and craftsman.
The Romans, also when they invaded Greece took her sacred statue (Athena parthenos) and buried it away, promising it would never see the light of day again. When Minerva talks to Annabeth Chase, she gives her the coin, telling her to avenge her and follow T'he Mark of Athena. Annabeth is slightly scared and asks Minerva what's wrong with her. The goddess begins to murmur about going home, and finding Odysseus. Annabeth tells her about her missing boyfriend Percy Jackson, who was taken by Juno to Camp Jupiter. Minerva immediately scowls and claims she wants nothing to do with Percy, if he has gone over to the Romans. Annabeth is horrified and tells her Percy is everything to her. Minerva turns away, telling Annabeth if she won't destroy the Romans for her, then she is no daughter of hers.
Description[]
As Minerva, she becomes less of a war goddess because the Romans saw her as more of an arts and crafts goddess. Unlike the other gods, she also becomes less militaristic.
Personality[]
Unlike her Greek counterpart, Minerva is not a war goddess to the Romans, she acts as more of an defense/ strategic adviser and artist (the Romans looked down upon defensive maneuvers for the most part, always falling back on them as a last resort even if Minerva was completely correct in suggesting a retreat). Because of this, Minerva hates the Romans and wants revenge on them for stealing her statue. Her goal of revenge goes so far that she does not seem to think clearly and has little knowledge when it comes to battle strategy. This is in deep contrast to Athena, as Percy once commented that Athena was one of the worst enemies he could make, as she would think everything through and never make a mistake in her quest for revenge. Minerva also thinks somewhat low of herself, saying that she is more than what she is as Minerva, even hating the name. Also, because of her conflicting natures, Minerva is slightly distracted. She didn't even know who Annabeth was and had problems reading a subway map.
Abilities[]
As a daughter of Jupiter, Minerva is a very powerful goddess:
The owl is Minerva's sacred animal.
*Prowess in Battle: as the Goddess of Battles, Minerva is a great warrior, and a master of both armed and hand-to-hand combat, but frequently uses her wisdom to overcome her opponents instead of sheer force. During the first Gigantomachy, she was able to defeat the fire-breathing Enceladus (the most clever Giant) with the help of Hercules.
- Divine Wisdom: As the Goddess of Wisdom, Minerva is very wise, intelligent, and knowledgeable, constantly coming up with brilliant strategies. She was also able to see that Typhon was only a decoy in Kronos' plan to defeat the gods. However, she tends to measure the odds without taking her own or others feelings into account, leading to her voting to destroy Percy in The Titan's Curse (but she was out voted). Due to her wisdom, she was the one Jupiter's trusted to check on the imprisoned Titans in Tartarus.
- Shapeshifting: Minerva can transform into an owl. It is unknown if she can turn into other animals also. She also appeared as a park ranger at the Hoover Dam in The Titan's Curse
- Strategist: She is a skilled tactician (greater than Mars), since unlike him, Minerva only uses violence as a last resort.
Known children[]
Annabeth Chase, one of Athena's (Minerva's Greek form) children.
Greek:
- Annabeth Chase
- Malcolm
Roman:
- Unkown children