Greek Goddesses (and monsters)
Athena
Athena (Ah-thee’-nah) Goddess of Wisdom, War, and Useful Arts
Distinguishing Features: Dark hair, striking grey eyes, casual yet fashionable clothes (except when she’s going into battle; then it’s full body armor). Athena is always accompanied by at least one owl, her sacred (and fortunately housebroken) animal.
Now: You’re likely to spot Athena at an American university, sitting in on lectures about military history or technology. She favors people who invent useful things, and will sometimes appear to reward them with magical gifts or bits of useful advice (like next week’s lottery numbers). So start working on that revolutionary new bread slicer!
Then: Athena was one of the most active goddesses in human affairs. She helped out Odysseus, sponsored the entire city of Athens and made sure the Greeks won the Trojan War. On the downside, she’s proud and has a big temper. Just ask Arachne, who got turned into a spider for daring to compare her weaving skills to Athena’s. So whatever you do, DO NOT claim that you fix toilets better than Athena. There’s no telling what she’ll turn you into.
Aphrodite
Aphrodite (Ă-fro-dī’-tee)
Goddess of the Love and Beauty
Distinguishing Features: She’s really, really pretty.
Now: To all the guys; think of the hottest celebrity you know of. Yeah, she's better than that.
Then: She’s more beautiful than Helen of Troy. And Since Helen of Troy started a WAR, think of what would happen to someone prettier...
The Sirens
Distinguishing Features: Ugly bodies, faces like vultures, beautiful singing voices. (Hey, that sounds like my elementary school choir teacher . . .)
Now: The Sirens inhabit the Sea of Monsters, where they lure sailors to their deaths by singing songs, something like Mr. Caetano singing the Istanbul song, only worse. The idea was that once sailors heard the song, they would commit suicide by throwing themselves overboard, where they would get eaten by the sirens.
Then: Back in the day, the Sirens were a real threat to the Greek shipping industry. Then a smart guy named Odysseus discovered that you could plug your ears with wax and sail right past the Sirens without hearing a thing. Strangely, Odysseus is usually remembered for his other accomplishments, not as the inventor of ear wax.
