Did the Goddess Athena Actually Have a Mother?

💡 The Answer

• Athena was born from the head of Zeus, but her mother was the Titaness Metis.
• Zeus swallowed Metis after a prophecy that her child would overthrow him.
• Hephaestus split Zeus's head open to relieve his headache, releasing Athena fully grown.
• Thus, Metis remained inside Zeus, making Athena a motherless daughter in a literal sense.