hephaestus he is the god of fire, metals and metallurgy in Greek mythology. His figure was also associated with work, as he was a great forger and jeweler. In Roman mythology he is called Vulcan.
Representation of Hephaestus
Hephaestus was seen as the ugliest god in Greek mythology and still had a deficiency: he was lame (lame). Its most common representation is of a naked man, with a beard, and who is often shown holding an object used by blacksmiths.
Thus, the symbols of Hephaestus are related to his work as a blacksmith: axe, hammer, anvil and tongs, a type of pliers.
History
Son of Zeus and Ivy, Hephaestus was born with a disability: he was lame. This caused disgust in his mother who rejected him from birth. Legend has it that she threw him from Mount Olympus so that no one would see her son, as she was ashamed.
In other versions, his deficiency was caused by Zeus, who, during a great rage, threw him away.
After the fall, he was found and taken care of by Thetis, a sea nymph. With her, he learned to handle metals and work with them.
As he was the god of fire and metals, his work was done on volcanoes. There, he had the help of the Cyclops, giants who had only one eye.
Hephaestus was responsible for forging several objects of the gods such as the magical shield of Zeus (Aegis), the armor of Achilles, the bow and arrow of Eros, the scepter of Agamemnon, the trident of Poseidon, Aphrodite's belt, among others.
In legend, he was accepted again on Mount Olympus, but declined the proposal. However, with the help of Dionysus, Hephaestus returned to Mount Olympus, and was certain that there he would take revenge on his mother. That's how he built her a throne and when she sat down she was trapped.
Thus, Hephaestus can blackmail his parents by asking them to marry the most beautiful woman in return. In order for her to get out of her trap, Hephaestus' request was accepted by both.
Hephaestus and Aphrodite
At Zeus' request, Hephaestus married aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love. However, because of his ugliness, he was also rejected by her.
As a result, they had no children and was betrayed several times by his wife. Aphrodite had relationships with gods and mortals, which resulted in the begetting of several children. One of her cases that deserves to be highlighted is her relationship with Ares, God of War.
Temple of Hephaestus
The temple of Hephaestus is located in the city of Athens, Greece. It was built in 449 a. Ç. and of all the Greek temples that were erected in antiquity, this is the most preserved of them.
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- Greek mythology
- Greek gods
- Gods of Olympus