Wednesday, 23 June 2010

Hephaestus

Hephaestus

hephaestus greek god Hephaestus was the god of technology, blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals and metallurgy and fire. There were numerous celebrations on his honor and he was worshipped in all the manufacturing and industrial centers of Greece and especially Athens. He was the son of Zeus and Hera and his brother was Ares. Hera gave birth to him on her own because she got jealous when Zeus had given birth to Athena who came out of his head. He was very ugly and when he tried to rape the goddess Athena he ejaculated on Gaia who gave birth to a child named Erichthonius who was given to Athena after birth to be raised as her son. Hephaestus was married to Aphrodite, the most beautiful goddess, because of Zeus who wanted her married because he was afraid all the other male gods would quarrel over her for her beauty. She didn't want him so she had other lovers as his brother Ares. The myth says that the Sun-God Helios once spied Ares and Aphrodite enjoying each other secretly in the hall of Hephaestus and he promptly reported the incident to Aphrodite's Olympian consort. Hephaestus contrived to catch the couple in the act, and so he fashioned a net with which to snare the illicit lovers. At the appropriate time, this net was sprung and trapped Ares and Aphrodite in a very private moment. But Hephaestus was not yet satisfied with his revenge - he invited the Olympian gods and goddesses to view the unfortunate pair. For the sake of modesty, the goddesses demurred, but the male gods went to witness the sight. Some commented on the beauty of Aphrodite, others remarked that they would eagerly trade places with Ares, but all mocked the two. Once the couple were loosed, Ares, embarrassed, sped away to his homeland, Thrace.

On the island of Limnos, Hephaestus' consort was the sea nymph Cabeiro, by whom he was the father of two metalworking gods named the Cabeiri.

In Sicily, his consort was the nymph Aetna, and his sons two gods of Sicilian geysers called Palici.

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