Assisted by the three Cyclopes, he could create marvelous masterpieces of every sort, among them the shield of Achilles.Īres, Roman copy of a Greek original (possibly by Skopas) of ca. Hephaestus was above all a divine artisan and smith, a god of the forge and its fire, whose workshop was said to be in various places, including Olympus. In either case, he was restored to Olympus. He was lame from birth and Hera, ashamed of his deformity, cast him out of Olympus we are also told that once, when he interfered in a quarrel between Zeus and Hera on behalf of his mother, Zeus hurled him down from Olympus and he landed on the island of Lemnos, which became his cult-place. HEPHAESTUS, or HEPHAISTOS (VULCAN), was sometimes considered to be the son of Hera alone. HEBE, “youthful bloom,” was a cupbearer of the gods. The god answered by means of various omens (such as the rustling of the leaves of his sacred oaks) and eventually through a priestess (in a manner similar to the more famous sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi).ĬHILDREN OF ZEUS AND HERA: EILEITHYIA, HEBE, HEPHAESTUS, AND ARESĮILEITHYIA was a goddess of childbirth, like her mother, Hera, and Artemis. Private individuals and political representatives came to Dodona with questions of every sort. Here, however, the oracle of Zeus was the most important element. This regal Zeus was seated on a throne that was elaborately decorated with various mythological motifs.ĭodona in northern Greece was another significant sanctuary of Zeus. The cult statue of Zeus in the naos (or cella), made by the Athenian sculptor Pheidias it was huge, with its surfaces inlaid in gold and ivory.Doric frieze: metopes (relief sculpture) depicting the Twelve Labors of Heracles.East pediment: the fateful chariot race between Pelops and Hippodamia and her father Oenomaüs the central figure of Zeus assured Pelops’ victory in the coming race and the winning of Hippodamia as his wife (see MLS, Chapter 18).Particularly impressive is the central figure of Apollo (another son of Zeus) with arm outstretched, imposing order on the scene of violence and chaos (see MLS, Chapter 5 and p.

West pediment: the battle of the Greeks and the centaurs at the wedding of the Lapith king Perithoüs (a son of Zeus).

Among its many buildings was an imposing temple of Hera, but the temple of Zeus was the most magnificent, adorned with the following sculpture: Here the Olympic Games originated in 776 B.C., said to have been founded by Zeus’ son Heracles. The most important sanctuary of Zeus was at Olympia beside the river Alpheus in the territory of the city of Elis in the northwestern Peloponnese. On the other, he emerges as the almighty god of morality and religion, a just god who rewards the good and punishes the wicked. On the one hand, he mirrors the harassed, philandering husband, who has countless affairs and is upbraided and intimidated by a self-righteous, nagging wife. The characterization of Zeus is most complex. As the wife and consort of Zeus, she retains much of her inherent dominance to become a difficult partner. He married his sister HERA (JUNO), originally an earth mother goddess. He often carries his shield, the AEGIS, which is also an attribute of his favorite daughter Athena. He appears as a bearded, regal figure with a scepter and a bolt of lightning and thunder in his hand.

ZEUS, “bright” (JUPITER), originally a god of the sky, became the supreme god with final authority. For the Romans she was the goddess VESTA, and Vestal Virgins attended to her worship. She remained a virgin and was a goddess of chastity, just like Athena and Artemis. HESTIA, “hearth,” (VESTA) was the august and revered goddess of the hearth and its fire, which was considered sacred and a symbol of both the home and community. HESTIA, GODDESS OF THE HEARTH AND ITS FIRE The fourteen deities are reduced to a canon of twelve Olympians: Hestia is removed from the list and so is Hades, whose home is not Mt.Apollo has the same name for both the Greeks and the Romans.Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades are the trinity who control the important spheres of power: Zeus, god of the sky, Poseidon, god of the sea, and Hades, god of the Underworld.Zeus is the supreme god and his wife is Hera they are king and queen, father and mother of gods and mortals.The fourteen major deities are listed above, alphabetically.

GREEK NAME (ROMAN EQUIVALENT)ĭIONYSUS or DIONYSOS (BACCHUS) Chapter 5: The Twelve Olympians: Zeus, Hera, and their Children

Zeus poseidon hades greek mythology