Zeus (Greek God)

 

Zeus

The supreme god

Zeus in Greek mythology is the king of the gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus and god of the sky and thunder. His symbols are the thunderbolt which he hurled at whoever displeased him, the eagle, the bull and the oak. Zeus is frequently envisaged by Greek artists in one of two poses: standing, striding forward, a thunderbolt leveled in his raised right hand, or seated in majesty.

He was the son of Cronus and Rhea and the youngest of his siblings. He was married to Hera who was always very jealous of him while he is known for his erotic escapades, including one pederastic relationship with Ganymede. His trysts resulted in many famous offspring, including Athena, Apollo and Artemis, Hermes, Persephone, Dionysus, Perseus, Heracles, Helen, Minos, the Muses and it is also said that he is also the father of Ares, Hebe and Hephaestus.

Since Zeus was the most powerful God people believed in him and his face was set on most ancient coins while the famous Greek sculptor Phidias and his laborers carved a giant statue of Zeus in a special workshop. It was made entirely of ivory and gold. When finished it sat in a temple on an elaborate throne along with sculptures and paintings of Greek myths and legends. Zeus was the most celebrated statue of ancient times because of its greatness, charm and worth.

Zeus was the sixth child born to Cronus and Rhea and his power, although great, was not boundless, Zeus had no control over the fates and destiny. Like all Greek divinities, Zeus was subject to pleasure, pain, grief and anger, but he was most susceptible to the power of love, which often got the objects of his desire in a lot of trouble with his wife, Hera.

Zeus was mighty, glorious, awesome and wise, although he did show a certain degree of surprising foolishness and naivety when it came to hiding his love affairs. Aside from the endless affairs Zeus was different from other gods in that he did not participate in the arguments and the resulting petty scheming that made up the daily activities of other gods. Being this wise ruler, he also demanded just and righteous action from men. Zeus was however vengeful.