Editing Athena (section)

===Pallas Athena===
[[File:Pallas Athena or, Armoured Figure by Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn.jpg|thumb|''[[Pallas Athena (Rembrandt)|Pallas Athenas]]'' (1657) by [[Rembrandt]], which recalls her attributes as the goddess of warfare.|left]]
Athena's epithet ''Pallas'' – her most renowned one – is derived either from {{lang|grc|πάλλω}}, meaning "to brandish [as a weapon]", or, more likely, from {{lang|grc|παλλακίς}} and related words, meaning "youth, young woman".<ref>Chantraine, s.v.; the ''New Pauly'' says the etymology is simply unknown</ref> On this topic, Walter Burkert says "she is the Pallas of Athens, ''Pallas Athenaie'', just as Hera of Argos is ''Here Argeie''".{{sfn|Burkert|1985|page=139}} In later times, after the original meaning of the name had been forgotten, the Greeks invented myths to explain its origins, such as those reported by the Epicurean philosopher [[Philodemus]] and the ''Bibliotheca'' of Pseudo-Apollodorus, which claim that ''Pallas'' was originally a separate entity, whom Athena had slain in combat.<ref>''New Pauly'' s.v. Pallas</ref>

In one version of the myth, [[Pallas (daughter of Triton)|Pallas]] was the daughter of the sea-god [[Triton (mythology)|Triton]],{{sfn|Graves|1960|pages=50–55}} and she and Athena were childhood friends. Zeus one day watched Athena and Pallas have a friendly [[sparring]] match. Not wanting his daughter to lose, Zeus flapped his [[aegis]] to distract Pallas, whom Athena accidentally impaled.{{sfn|Graves|1960|page=50}} Distraught over what she had done, Athena took the name Pallas for herself as a sign of her grief and tribute to her friend and Zeus gave her the aegis as an apology.{{sfn|Graves|1960|page=50}} In another version of the story, [[Pallas (Giant)|Pallas]] was a [[Giants (Greek mythology)|Giant]];{{sfn|Kerényi|1951|page=120}} Athena slew him during the [[Gigantomachy]] and [[Flaying|flayed off]] his skin to make her cloak, which she wore as a victory trophy.{{sfn|Kerényi|1951|page=120}}{{sfn|Burkert|1985|page=140}}{{sfn|Deacy|2008|page=51}}{{sfn|Powell|2012|page=231}} In an alternative variation of the same myth, Pallas was instead Athena's father,{{sfn|Kerényi|1951|page=120}}{{sfn|Burkert|1985|page=140}} who attempted to assault his own daughter,{{sfn|Kerényi|1951|page=120-121}} causing Athena to kill him and take his skin as a trophy.{{sfn|Kerényi|1951|page=121}}

The ''[[Palladium (classical antiquity)|palladium]]'' was a statue of Athena that was said to have stood in her temple on the Trojan Acropolis.{{sfn|Deacy|2008|page=68}} Athena was said to have carved the statue herself in the likeness of her dead friend Pallas.{{sfn|Deacy|2008|page=68}} The statue had special talisman-like properties{{sfn|Deacy|2008|page=68}} and it was thought that, as long as it was in the city, Troy could never fall.{{sfn|Deacy|2008|page=68}} When the Greeks captured Troy, [[Cassandra]], the daughter of [[Priam]] and [[Hecuba]], clung to the palladium for protection,{{sfn|Deacy|2008|page=68}} but [[Ajax the Lesser]] violently tore her away from it, dragged her over to the other captives and raped her.{{sfn|Deacy|2008|page=68}} Athena was infuriated by this violation of her protection.{{sfn|Deacy|2008|pages=68–69}} Although [[Agamemnon]] attempted to placate her anger with sacrifices, Athena sent a storm at Cape Kaphereos to destroy almost the entire Greek fleet and scatter all of the surviving ships across the Aegean.{{sfn|Deacy|2008|page=71}}