Today we're continuing our exploration of sisters in history. If you missed last month's post on Leah and Rachel, you can find it here . Athena Athena (known as Minerva to the Romans) and Artemis (Diana) were the mythical daughters of Zeus in Greek Mythology. While these two figures are either legends stretched to extraordinary proportions or complete products of imagination, they did affect history, as we will see. Athena , considered the goddess of wisdom, handicraft, and war, was the principle deity of the Greek Capital of Athens. She is best known for the story of her...ahem...unusual birth. As the story goes, her father Zeus swallowed her mother after she became pregnant for fear of her bearing a son that would threaten his reign. Afterward, he developed such a horrible headache that he begged a friend to split his skull with an ax to relieve the pressure. When his friend obliged, Athena sprang full-grown, wearing weapons and armor, from the slit in hi...