Zeus, in Greek mythology, the god of the sky and ruler of the Olympian gods. Zeus corresponds
to the Roman god Jupiter.Zeus was considered, according to Homer, the father of the gods and
of mortals. He did not create either gods or mortals; he was their father in the sense of being the
protector and ruler both of the Olympian family and of the human race. He was lord of the sky,
the rain god, and the cloud gatherer, who wielded the terrible thunderbolt. His breastplate was
the aegis, his bird the eagle, his tree the oak. Zeus presided over the gods on Mount Olympus in
Thessaly (Thessalia). His principal shrines were at Dodona, in Epirus, the land of the oak trees
and the most ancient shrine, famous for its oracle, and at Olympia, where the Olympian Games
were celebrated in his honor every fourth year. The Nemean games, held at Nemea, northwest
of Árgos, were also dedicated to Zeus. Beginning with the writings of the Greek poet Homer,
Zeus is pictured in two very different ways. He is represented as the god of justice and mercy,
the protector of the weak, and the punisher of the wicked. As husband to his sister Hera, he is
the father of Ares, the god of war; Hebe, the goddess of youth; Hephaestus, the god of fire; and
Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth. At the same time, Zeus is described as falling in love with
one woman after another and resorting to all kinds of tricks to hide his infidelity from his wife.
Stories of his escapades were numerous in ancient mythology, and many of his offspring were a
result of his love affairs with both goddesses and mortal women. Zeus's image was represented
in sculptural works as a kingly, bearded figure
Hera, in Greek mythology, queen of the gods, the daughter of the Titans Cronus and Rhea, and
the sister and wife of the god Zeus. Hera was the goddess of marriage and the protector of
married women. She was the mother of Ares, god of war; Hephaestus, god of fire; Hebe,
goddess of youth; and Eileithyia, goddess of childbirth. Hera was a jealous wife, who often
persecuted Zeus's mistresses and children. She never forgot an injury and was known for her
vindictive nature. Angry with the Trojan prince Paris for preferring Aphrodite, goddess of love, to
herself, Hera aided the Greeks in the Trojan War and was not appeased until Troy was finally
destroyed. Hera is often identified with the Roman goddess Juno.
Aphrodite, in Greek mythology, the goddess of love and beauty and the counterpart of the
There is no doubt in mythology that the king of gods, Zeus, is the most supreme and powerful, ruling the sky. He controls the thunderbolt, a symbol of power feared by both gods and mortals. The Greeks and Romans honored Zeus above all other gods. He is without mistake, the god of all gods. Their stories of Zeus are plenty; his designs have molded mythology from his birth. Zeus' victory in outwitting his intelligent wife, Metis, by swallowing her pregnant, was the gateway used by the Greeks and Romans to show Zeus as the greatest god to come since his father and grandfather. However, as the stories of the gods and goddesses unfold, the Greeks and Roman's interpretation of Zeus' characteristics are different. Zeus is always upheld as the king of gods, but his other personal attributes to his godly rein are conflicting. Zeus' characteristics of fearfulness of female deities, cunningness and use of trickery, and lust in Ovid's Metamorphoses compared to the Theogony are opposed due to Hesiod's true respect of Zeus versus Ovid's lack of respect of Jupiter in Roman mythology.
Hera was one of the daughters to Cronos. She was called the queen of the gods. She was the sister of Zeus, but also his wife. Hera sent disease on all women Zeus had relationships with. She mothered Ares and Hephaestus. Hera was the god of women. She protected all women and punished men who cheated and beat their wives
Greek hero Heracles. He was the son of the god Zeus and a human mother Alcmene,
Hera was “the daughter of Cronus and Rhea”. Cronus was the youngest son of Uranus and Gaia. Rhea was the mother of gods and the daughter of Uranus and Gaia. Cronus and Rhea were brother and sister, but they were married, having six children, the olympians. Her father was afraid of the prophecy that his children would overthrow him, so he swallowed all his children except one, Zeus, Hera’s brother. For Zeus not to be swallowed, Rhea wrapped a stone in a blanket, making it look like Zeus, and Cronus swallowed the stone while Hera’s younger brother was hidden. When Zeus grew older, he defeated and banished Cronus with the other titans and the siblings were released. Also, some other legends say Zeus received a potion and gave it to his father to vomit the five olympians. Being the savior of the five olympians and the youngest son of Cronus and Rhea, Zeus, is the brother of Hera. After defeating his father, Zeus did love Hera, but Hera was not interested in her younger brother. Zeus then tricked Hera into marrying him, and Hera, decided to marry him to hide her embarrassment and had three children, Ares the god of war, Hephaestus the god of fire, and Hebe the ...
She is the only goddess with an active sexual life. Many others had a couple of children, and suddenly stopped. In order to control her sexual tendencies, Zeus arranged a marriage for Aphrodite. She married her half-brother, Hephaestus, the god of fire and smithy to the gods. This marriage did not work out well, since...
After the birth of her sixth and last child, Rhea tricked Cronos into swallowing a rock and then hid the child -- Zeus -- on earth. Zeus grew up on earth and was brought back to Mount Olympus as a cupbearer to his unsuspecting father. Rhea and Zeus connived against Cronos by mixing a noxious drink for him. Thinking it was wine, Cronos drank the mixture and promptly regulated his five other children, fully grown.
Jupiter was the ruler of the gods. He is also known as Zeus to the Greeks. The King of Gods in Greek Mythology Zeus was the ruler of the sky, and had the power to create thunderstorms and lightning as well as earthquakes. He was the child of Cronus and Rhea. As the story goes he was their sixth child, and the father to protect him from being overthrown had eaten the five previous children. Zeus was taken to a city called Crete and hidden from his father. As Zeus grew older and learned of what happened he found a potion to make his father regurgitate the other children. Once this happened they all teamed up and killed their father. Zeus then became the ruler of Mount Olympus, and head of the new line of Gods. Jupiter was the predominant power holder of Roman Gods. He was ruler of the sky, the daylight, all the weather, and even the thunder and lightening.(Ruck,Carl and Staples, Danny, pg 19)
Hermes is also known for his many love affairs with numerous mortals, goddesses, and nymphs. In the Odyssey he serves as a messenger and is sent to Kalypso to tell her that she must let Odysseus off her island. The next person, Helios, is actually not a god, but rather a titan. He is the son of Hyperion and Thea and represents the sun, and his sisters Serena and Eos represent the night and the dawn. An easy way to remember him is that “Helios” is a root word from Greek for sun.
As I said before, Zeus is the father of all gods and humans. He represents the idea of an independent moral code that all humans and immortals must obey. If any god or mortal did not follow this moral code, Zeus would enforce justice and watch over the punishment of the wrongdoers (Cunningham and Reich 33). Although Zeus is known for representing a moral code, Zeus’ behavior was far from moral. “Zeus was subject to pleasure, pain, grief, and anger, but he was most susceptible to the power of Eros – love, which often got the objects of his desire in a lot of trouble with his wife, Hera. Zeus wa...
Ares’ birth was a very odd birth compared to many other Greek gods. Hera was jealous of Zeus having the quality of conceiving a child immaculately. So she got a magical herb to make herself pregnant with the help of Zeus with a process called parthenogenesis. (Turnbull 2) The child she bore happened to be Ares.
Zeus was a god that was known for throwing lightning bolts, but Jupiter was more known for being the god of light and the sky.... ... middle of paper ... ... They are both depicted as wearing winged sandals and a winged hat.
Athena was the goddess of war and wisdom. Daughter of Zeus and Metis, but born from only Zeus. Gaea the Earth goddess told Zeus that his child would u...
Gods are ancient beings thought to have created the world and are children of the Titans. Most gods are thought to help mortals for good. Zeus who is the most famous of all the gods is adored by millions. Yet, Zeus, the ruler of gods, is one of the most selfish irresponsible gods of them all. Zeus was a bad god because he had many affairs, abused his powers, and did not use his powers for good.
Zeus is the god of law, justice, morals, thunder, lightning, and rain. It was his job to oversee and make sure laws were being kept. He was worshipped originally as a weather god. He was depicted as a middle-aged man with a youthful appearance; he was regale and was almost always shown ready to throw a lightning bolt (pantheon/zeus).