 The term was especially used for Artemis, the goddess of wild animals, vegetation, and the hunt and for Athena, the goddess of strategy, tactics, handicraft, and practical reason.It has also been suggested that the name of the temple alludes to the maidens (), whose supreme sacrifice guaranteed the safety of the city.has also been applied to the Virgin Mary ("Parthénos Maria") and the Parthenon was converted to a Christian church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the final decade of the 6th century.