wisdom. prudence. fairness.

Metis was a Greek Titaness, the goddess of the arts, wisdom, prudence, and deep thought. She was said to personify wisdom and good counsel. The Greek word ‘metis’ is interpreted to mean “the most knowing” and “of many counsels”. According to Hesiod, “Metis knew more than all the gods and men put together.”

Metis was an Oceanid, daughter of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys. Zeus, the king of the gods, took Metis as his first wife as she was the wisest among gods and mortals. Metis is credited as being the one who gave Zeus the potion that caused Cronus to vomit out Zeus’ siblings, freeing the first generation of Greek gods. Zeus feared a prophesy that Metis would give birth to two children, the second child being a son mightier than Zeus himself, who would overthrow him, just as he had done to his own father, Cronus. When Zeus discovered Metis was pregnant, he tricked her into turning herself into a fly and swallowed her, Metis was pregnant with a daughter, the goddess Tritogeneia, also known as the Olympian Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war. Metis raised Athena in Zeus’ stomach, and built armor for her. Zeus was in such pain from the pounding from her building a helmet, he eventually asked Hephaestus while at the river Triton to strike his head with an axe, splitting his head open. Athena leapt out of the wound, fully grown and clad in the armor Metis had built. Zeus was of course unharmed by the incident, and Metis remained inside Zeus, giving him advice from within, becoming an indispensable aid, and garnering her title of “the wise counsellor.”