Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-686000-20140714074038

The "mark of Athena" is not a coin, but her symbol, the owl. Specifically the fiery owl images that appear to guide Annabeth to the Athena Parthenos. Feel free to visit various dictionaries, thesauri, encyclopedias, etc. Mark can mean "symbol", "signature" or even "trademark" - "mark of Athena" would then, quite obviously, refer to some version of Athena's symbol. You'd be hard pressed to find notable evidence that would link to the word "mark" meaning "coin", however.

Finally, there's the line in the prophecy - "the mark of Athena burns through Rome". Feel free to check for any reference to the coin burning at any point in the Mark of Athena book - you won't find any. However, the true "mark of the Athena" - the image of the owl - does appear as a burning image to guide Annabeth. The meaning is pretty literal.

The misconception that "Mark of Athena" refers to the coin itself seems to stem from various lines in the book that make it seem like the term is referring to the coin. But close examination should show that these lines could as easily refer to the symbol of the Athena itself, and the book all but tells you that the Mark of Athena is the burning owl trail/symbols and not the coin.

Line Examples:

-"Follow the Mark of Athena. Avenge me."

''Follow the coin vs follow the burning owl images. Which do you think makes better sense?''

-"Every generation, a few are chosen by the goddess to find it. Apparently, they’re led to Rome by some sign…the Mark of Athena.”"

In this line the book all but tells you that the Mark of Athena is a symbol, not a coin.

-“A map,” Piper said. “But a map to what?” “The Mark of Athena.” Percy looked cautiously at Annabeth, like he was afraid he’d overstepped. She must have been putting out a strong I don’t want to talk about it vibe.

Why would the group be looking for a map to the Mark of Athena if Annabeth already has the coin with her?

Annabeth had looked at the coin. As she watched, it changed from a New York subway token to an ancient silver drachma, the kind used by Athenians. It showed an owl, Athena’s sacred animal, with an olive branch on one side and a Greek inscription on the other. The Mark of Athena.

''This is the line that causes the most confusion. As mentioned earlier, however, this line could as easily mean that the Mark of the Athena is the owl and not the coin (one side shows the symbol, the other tells us what it is). To verify that the Mark of Athena does indeed mean the owl we simply infer the meaning from other line sources, like:''

-“But…” Annabeth tried to clear the fog from her brain. “The Mark of Athena, how does it work? Is it a series of clues, or a trail set by Athena—” “Hmm.” Aphrodite looked politely bored. “I couldn’t say. I don’t believe Athena created the Mark consciously. If she knew where her statue was, she’d simply tell you where to find it. No…I’d guess the Mark is more like a spiritual trail of bread crumbs. It’s a connection between the statue and the children of the goddess. The statue wants to be found, you see, but it can only be freed by the most worthy.”

''This line all but tells us that the Mark of Athena is NOT the coin. So does this line''

-Gaea’s voice faded. On the far wall, in the center of the spider swarm, a red symbol blazed to life: the figure of an owl like the one on the silver drachma, staring straight at Annabeth. Then, just as in her nightmares, the Mark of Athena burned across the walls, incinerating the spiders until the room was empty except for the smell of sickly sweet ashes.

and this line

-She reached the mortar and put her hand on the muzzle. On the plug that blocked the opening, the Mark of Athena began to glow—the red outline of an owl.

I already mentioned this in the talk section of the great prophecies, but apparently my post was viewed as "speculation" and deleted. And then someone created the "Mark of Athena (coin)" entry, apparently as an attempt to drive that ridiculously-misinterpreted-point for-anyone-who-bothered-to-read-the-books-carefully home. 