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Zeus was the first of the gods and a very imposing figure. Often referred to as the “Father of Gods and men”, he is a sky god who controls lightning (often using it as a weapon) and thunder. Zeus is king of Mount Olympus, the home of Greek gods, where he rules the world and imposes his will onto gods and mortals alike.
Zeus was the last child of the titans Cronus and Rhea, and avoided being swallowed by his father (who had been told one of his children would overthrow him) when Rhea sought help from Uranus and Ge. Cronus had previously swallowed Demeter, Hestia, Hera, Hades and Poseidon.
Along with Hades and Poseidon, Zeus shared the rule of the world and became king of Olympus as the children of Cronus were filled with admiration for their noble brother and sided with him against their unjust father – even following Zeus into The Battle of the Titans.
Zeus mated with many goddesses and mortals (including Aegina, Alcmena, Calliope, Cassiopea, Demeter, Dione, Europa, Io, Leda, Leto, Mnemosyne, Niobe, Persephone and Semele) but was married to his sister Hera – goddess of marriage and monogamy.
Roles and responsibilities of Zeus
As the king of the gods and sitting atop the golden throne on Olympus, Zeus was revered by all. Mortal kings would boast that they were descendants of Zeus. With this supreme power came a number of roles and responsibilities. Hesiod described Zeus as a god who “brought peace in place of violence” and referred to him as the “lord of justice“.
Though he is most well known as god of the sky and thunder, Zeus was the supreme cultural embodiment of Greek religious beliefs. He had many epithets (titles) that emphasized different aspects of complete and wide ranging authority.
Zeus Olympios emphasized Zeus’s kingship over the gods.
Zeus Xenios, Philoxenon or Hospites: Zeus was the patron of hospitality (xenia) and guests, ready to avenge any wrong done to a stranger.
Zeus Horkios: Zeus he was the keeper of oaths. Exposed liars were made to dedicate a statue to Zeus, often at the sanctuary of Olympia.
Zeus Agoraeus: Zeus watched over business at the agora and punished dishonest traders.
Zeus Aegiduchos or Aegiochos: Zeus was the bearer of the Aegis with which he strikes terror into the impious and his enemies.
Zeus Tallaios (“solar Zeus”): the Zeus that was worshiped in Crete.
Zeus Geōrgos (“earth worker”, “farmer”), the god of crops and harvest, in Athens.
Astrapios (“lightninger”)
Brontios (“thunderer”)
Appearance and personality of Zeus
According to “Work and Days” by Hesiod (line 59), Zeus was a carefree god who loved to laugh out loud. He was regarded as wise, fair, just, merciful, and prudent. He was also unpredictable – nobody was able to guess the decisions he would make.
He was also easily angered which could be very destructive. He has previously hurled lightning bolts and caused violent storms that wreaked havoc on earth.
Zeus fell in love easily and had many affairs with various women, however he would severely punish anybody who attempted to escort/fall in love with his wife Hera – like the giant Porphyrion who took a lightning bolt from the engraged god for lusting after his wife (albeit with a little help from the love god Eros).
He is often described as a strong, imposing man with a regal body and long, often curly, hair. He usually had a short beard or scruff and carried his trusty thunderbolt at all times.
Facts about Zeus
Zeus became the ruler of heaven and earth after a revolt against his father, Kronos. In his position as king of the gods, Zeus had to play mediator when other the immortals were mad at each other.
He is the father of Athena, who is said to have sprung from his head. She was his favorite child, with whom he shared the thunderbolt and aegis.
Hades and Poseidon were his brothers.
His wife Hera was also his sister.
Zeus was not a faithful husband; he was known for having many affairs with mortal women.
Zeus fathered Hercules, the famous Greek hero, by deception. He disguised himself as Amphitryon, Alcmene’s husband, in order to have sexual relations with her.
Zeus fathered Perseus by impregnating Danaë. When he did so, he appeared to her in the form of a golden shower.
The name Zeus means “bright” or “sky.”
His weapon of choice was the thunderbolt, made for him by the mythical creatures, the Cyclops.
Zeus, more recently known for causing thunder and lightning, was once a rain-god. He was always associated with the weather in some form.
The Zeus described in Homer was not an extension of nature; instead, he had a standard of right and wrong that made him more relatable to mankind.
Before monarchies were rendered obsolete, Zeus protected the king and his family.
Hesiod calls Zeus the “the lord of justice.” Perhaps because of this, he was reluctant to join a side in the Trojan War. He preferred the Trojans, but he wanted to stay neutral because Hera preferred the Greeks. She was insufferable when he opposed her openly.
Metis, the goddess of prudence, was Zeus’s first love.
Ares, Hephaestus, Hebe and Eileithyia are the children of Zeus and Hera.
His union with Leto brought forth the twins Apollo and Artemis.
When he seduced the Spartan queen Leda, Zeus transformed himself into a beautiful swan, and two sets of twins were born.
When Zeus had an affair with Mnemosyne, he coupled with her for nine nights. This scenario produced nine daughters, who became known as the Muses.
Zeus punished men by giving them women.
Zeus’s servants were named Force and Violence.
god of :The Sky, Thunderstorms, Lightning, Air, Winds, Clouds, Weather, Law, Justice and Honour. Patron of Humans.
Symbols: Thunderbolt, Aegis, Set of Scales, Oak Tree, Royal Scepter
Sacred animals: Eagle, Wolf, Woodpecker, Lion, Bull, Swan
Parents: Cronus and Rhea
Consort: Metis, Themis, then Hera
Children: Artemis, Apollo, Athena, Hebe, Persephone, Dionysos, Hermes, Herakles, Hephaestus, Ares, various others
Xander
When Zeus came of age he entered the service of his father becoming his father's cupbearer.
After gaining Kronos' trust he eventually served him a mixture of mustard and wine which made Kronos ill and caused him to vomit up the five children he had eaten. Not long after Zeus allied himself with his brothers, the three went to Tartarus where they convinced the Elder Kyklops to make them weapons. The three forged The Helm of Darkness for Hades, A Trident for Poseidon and Lightning Bolt for Zeus. Zeus then killed Kampe (the dragon lady who had been acting as the jailer for the Elder Cyclops and the Hekatonkheires) Zeus freed the Elder Cyclops and the Hekatonkheires recruiting them for battle. The Elder Cyclops and the Hekatonkheires helped build the palace on Mount Olympus and built weapons for the Olympians. A ten year war erupted between the Olympians and the Titans and their allies and the Olympians and theirs. Iapetos, Koios, Krios and Hyperion were imprisoned in Tartarus, Kronos was cut into pieces with his own scythe before being thrown into Tartarus, Atlas was cursed to forever hold up the sky Menoitios was struck down by a Thunderbolt from Zeus and thrown into Erebos. As for the palace at Mount Othrys, It was buried beneath hundreds of boulders thrown by the Hekatonkheires.
Disagreement with Promentheus
Zeus had assigned Prometheus and Epimetheus to fill the earth with creatures so it wouldn't be so barren.
Epimetheus created the animals of the world and gave them all the gifts (horns, shells, etc). So nothing was left for man. Prometheus then created man out of clay and based it on the form of the gods, and gave them the mind. Thus making them superior to the other animals. Yet they were physically helpless, so he asked Zeus if he could give them some of the sacred fire of Olympus, but Zeus denied his request.
Prometheus still wasn't happy. He took some of the fire from Olympus, hiding it in a bundle of straw and gave it down to humans. Zeus was so angered at Prometheus' act that he chained him to a mountain and had the Kaukasian Eagle fly to him and eat out his liver every day, since it would heal overnight. Eventually, the hero Herakles shot the eagle, broke the chains binding Prometheus thus rescuing him.
Zeus and his fight with Typhon
After the glorious victory of the Olympian gods over the Titans, Mother Earth Gaea became very angry with Zeus, the King of the Olympian Gods, because she felt that he had treated her sons, the Titans, unjustly.
Gaea therefore unified with Tartarus (the symbol of the depths of the Underworld) to create a devastating monster which was meant to destroy Zeus and take his place. They gave the monster the name "Typhoeus" (Typhon).
Typhon had frightful features and enormous powers. Soon, he attacked the home of the gods, flaming rocks at it, hissing, screaming and gushing mighty streams of fire from his mouth. The bare sight of the creature was enough for the Olympian gods to run away scared and flee to Egypt, where they transformed into animals.
When Athena, the goddess of wisdom, accused Zeus for cowardness, he decided to confront Typhon. Armed with thunder and lightnings, he struck at the monster with a sickle and then chased him until Mount Casion, which rises over Syria.
Seeing Typhon severely wounded, Zeus engaged him in a hand-to-hand combat. But all at once, Typhon wrapped Zeus in his coils, held him firmly and wrested the sickle from him. Typhon soon left Zeus helpless by cutting the tendons from his hands and feet. Then he took Zeus to the Corycian Cave, on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, and appointed his sister Delphyne, a she-dragon that was half beast and half maiden, to guard Zeus.
However, Hermes, the son of Zeus and the goat-footed Aigipan managed to fit the tendons back into Zeus without being observed. Immediately after Zeus recovered his strength, he made a sudden descent from heaven on a chariot drawn by a winged horse. Hurling thunderbolts, he pursued Typhon strongly and when they reached the island of Sicily, Zeus threw the enormous Mount Aetna at the monster, pinning him underneath.
His Consorts
Metis, After the war, Zeus married Metis, the titaness of wisdom and daughter of Okeanos and Tethys. Metis sided with the gods during the war and became Zeus' mentor after the war. When Metis first became pregnant, Zeus learned that they were to have a son that would overpower Zeus. Zeus acted as his father and grandfather did and tried to change destiny. He swallowed Metis whole. However, because she was immortal, she gave birth inside of Zeus to a daughter. After their daughter was fully grown, Zeus suffered from a terrible headache. He asked Hephaestus to open his head with a blow with an axe. Hephaistos did so and Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, sprang out fully dressed in armor.
Themis, After que marriage with Metis, Zeus married Themis (the titaness of justice). With her had The Moirae, The Horae and Astraea.
Hera, Zeus eventually fell in love with his sister, Hera. However, Hera didn't love Zeus back. So, Zeus summoned a storm and turned himself into a cuckoo. He flew to her window, pretending to be in distress. Hera brought the cuckoo into her room and dried it and cared for it. Zeus turned back into himself. Hera acknowledged his cunning and consented to marry him.
Aegina, Aegina was the mortal daughter of the river god Asopus and the sea-nymph Metope. She had either eleven or nineteen sisters. Zeus fell in love with her and he abducted her into the shape of an eagle. He flew her to an island and there she gave birth to twin sons, Menoetius and Aeacus. Zeus then named the island Aegina after her. Menoetius' daughter, Polymede, gave birth to the hero Jason, and Aeacus' son Peleus married the goddes Thetis and they had the warrior Achilles.
Kallisto, Kallisto was a nymph who was a servant to Artemis. Zeus fell in love with her and seduced her. As Callisto slept, Zeus raped her and she was pregnant with his child. Hera, hearing of the affair, attacked Callisto's home. Artemis and the other nymphs fought her off as Callisto gave birth to a son, and went into the wilderness, but Hera found her and turned her into a she-bear. Callisto wandered the earth looking for her son. One day, she was spotted by a younger hunter who she recognized as her son, Arcas. He hurled his spear at her, Artemis dodged it and turned Arcas into a bear cub. He soon realized that his prey was his own mother and they were reunited. Zeus and Artemis pulled them by their tails and tossed them into the sky, fearing Hera would kill them. Callisto became the constellation Ursa Major, bearing the Big Dipper, and Arcas became Ursa Minor, bearing the Little Dipper.
Semele, Zeus also had an affair with a mortal woman named Semele. Hera, jealous that Zeus had impregnated this woman, disguised herself as an old woman and went to visit Semele. Hera talked friendly with Semele for a while but she eventually asked why her husband was not home.
Semele told the old woman that her husband was Zeus but Hera, still pretending to be the old lady, told Semele that she had met plenty of men who pretended to be Zeus. She told Semele that she should ask Zeus to see him in all his splendor to be absolutely certain that he was who he said he was. Hera then left and Semele was still questioning Zeus.
When Zeus returned, Semele asked him to grant her one wish. After he swore on the River Styx, she asked him to see him in his splendor. Zeus begged Semele to change her wish but she kept her wish as she didn't know that mortals would die if they saw the true form of gods. Zeus revealed his true form and Semele was burned to ashes. Zeus did however, save their son, Dionysos. Hermes took Dionysos to be raised by a band of Maenads. Dionysos grew up with tigers and leopards.
When Dionysos grew up, he invented wine. Zeus was so proud of him that he granted him immortality and a place among the Olympians. However, there were now thirteen Olympians. Because thirteen was an unlucky number, Zeus saw this as a problem. Zeus' sister, Hestia, gave up her place on the Olympian council to Dionysos for a simple wooden tripod near the hearth.
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