Athena
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Athena is a member of the System Lords, connected to the Hellenic mythology of Ancient Greece.
History
Stargate Command had minimal encounters with Athena as a System Lord, though it is known she was once associated with Qetesh, with whom she searched for the Clava Thessara Infinitas. (SG1: "Memento Mori")
By the time of the Ori Crusade, she had allied herself with Ba'al, and was involved in the Goa'uld infiltration of The Trust. She inhabited the body of Charlotte Mayfield, the Vice President of Farrow-Marshall Aeronautics, one of the many corporations that the Goa'uld-controlled Trust had established some degree of control over. Stargate Command was not initially aware of Mayfield's status as a Goa'uld host, though almost certainly became so after Athena kidnapped Vala Mal Doran, the former host of Qetesh, hoping to extract the location of the Clava Thessara Infinitas from her memories. (SG1: "Ex Deus Machina", "Memento Mori")
Athena remained on Earth for a number of months after Ba'al used his clones to infiltrate the SGC. It is unclear if she departed after her attempts to interrogate Vala proved unsuccessful, or if she is still at large. Her presence (or not) on Earth is a subject of ongoing investigation for Kerry Johnson and her team from the CIA. (SG1: "Intruders", "Memento Mori"; SGR: "The Arrow")
Mythology
In the Hellenic mythology of Ancient Greece, Athena is the daughter of Zeus by either the Oceanid Metis or by himself. She is the goddess of wisdom and warfare, and is a more strategic counterpart to her more chaotic war-god brother, Ares. Though revered as a virgin goddess (Athena Parthenos), she plays an important role in the creation of humanity in the myth of Prometheus, and was looked upon favourably as a goddess who aided various heroes in their exploits. Her name inextricably links her to the city of Athens.
Minerva is considered the Roman counterpart of Athena, via the Etruscan goddess Menvra. She has also been connected to the Mesopotamian and Egyptian goddess Anath (which in turn connects her to Ba'al). There is a consistant theme across these iterations of a conflict and/or rivalry with the corresponding sea god, particularly Poseidon and Yamm. Her symbol is often an owl, though it is not currently known what helmet (if any) the Jaffa of Athena might have worn. Interestingly, the "Owl of Minerva" was adopted as a symbol by the Illuminati during the 18th Century.
Behind the Scenes
Athena (as Charlotte Mayfield) was portrayed by Sonya Salomaa in 2 episodes of Stargate SG-1. She also portrayed the goddess Athena in Odysseus and the Isle of the Mists.
Though not canon, Anat was due to appear in the Stargate Worlds video game, as a Goa'uld Queen loyal to Ba'al. This association echoes the alliance seen between Athena and Ba'al.
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