Metis

Metis is a divine figure in the Greek poet HesiodHesiodGreek poet whose major work is generally dated to the late eighth or early seventh century BCE, including the Theogony.Glossary · Click to read the explanation’s TheogonyHesiod’s TheogonyGreek poem on divine generations and Zeus’s kingship; its surviving form does not identify all of Hesiod’s sources.Glossary · Click to read the explanation and Athena’s mother. ZeusZeusZeus is the sky god and leading deity in many Greek traditions. In the Iliad he presides over divine gatherings while others can still speak and object.Glossary · Click to read the explanation swallows her while pregnant after a warning about a son who could rule after him. This episode helps explain the stability of Zeus’s kingship. ^[1]

The poem connects Athena with Zeus and Metis and recounts her emergence from Zeus’s head. The mother and the reason for swallowing should be distinguished from the birth image when comparing KumarbiKumarbiHurrian divine figure in Hittite CTH 344; challenges Anu and carries the storm god after swallowing his seed.Glossary · Click to read the explanation’s pregnancy. ^[1][2]