Zeus he was an important deity of Greek mythology, considered by the ancient Greeks to be the supreme god of Universe. He was the holder of lightning and was the god of the skies, lightning and thunder. He fought his own father, Kronos. The devotion of the Greeks to Zeus motivated the construction of a temple and statues in his honor.
Lookalso: Mythology noOrdic - the myths that were part of the religiosity of the Vikings
Summary about Zeus
The Greeks considered Zeus the supreme god and commander of the Universe.
He was the god of the skies, lightning and thunder.
He was considered the father of men and gods.
He rescued his brothers, devoured by their own father, Kronos.
He was married to the goddesses Metis, with whom he had a daughter Athena, and Hera, with whom he had six children.
He had many extramarital affairs, having several children, among them Apollo, the god of the sun.
The statue of Zeus at Olympia was considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Zeus' story
Zeus is known as one of the deities that formed the pantheon of
Greek gods. Within Greek mythology, was consideredO the most powerful god and seen as the one who commanded the Universe. He was also regarded as the father of humans and gods. The Greeks considered, among other attributes, that Zeus was:• the god of heaven;
• the god of thunder;
• the god of lightning.
Zeus resided and ruled Mount Olympus, abode of the main Greek gods. This god was known to control the climate and use it to punish men when he was angry. Zeus controlled lightning and was seen as the keeper of justice.
Because he was a very popular god, he was attributed a number of characteristics, and he could be known by different names. Was known, for example, howZeusxenium, Zeusorchio, Zeusherceus, Zeusagoeu etc. The name Zeus Polyeus, for example, referred to the fact that Zeus was known as the protector god of cities (polis).
Furthermore, people like the Macedonians believed that Zeus was their creator. The Greeks feared Zeus because he he got angry whenever he saw bad thingss being carried out by human beings. Greek myths narrate several episodes in which Zeus punished humans and other beings for acting inappropriately.
Still, some historians claim that, by analyzing Greek myths, it is plausible to say that the sense of Zeus' justice was erratic, as he only acted to correct injustices when he wanted to, not when he was necessarily necessary. Also, Zeus became known for brokering a series of conflicts between gods, as was the case with the dispute between Apollo and Hermes for the first lyre.
The Romans also worshiped the Greek gods. Zeus was known in Roman lands as Jupiter, and his wife, Hera, was called Juno.
Also access: Kingdom of Macedonia — the kingdom established in a peripheral region of Greek territory
Zeus weddings
The most controversial passages involving Zeus in Greek mythology are those referring to his marriage. Traditionally, Zeus is understood to have married twice.
His first wife was Métis, known as the goddess of health.. From his marriage to Métis, Athena was born, one of the most famous deities in Greek mythology, known for being the patron goddess of the city of Athens also for being the goddess of wisdom.
His second wife was Hera, goddess of women and marriage.. This marriage was marked by the jealousy that Hera possessed, which made her vent her fury on anyone who got involved with Zeus. From his marriage to Hera six children were born: Ares (god of war and violence), Hebe, Hephaestus (god of fire and volcanoes), Angelos, Illytia and Eris.
Anyway, Zeus had several extramarital affairs, and from these entanglements a series of children were born, and he had dozens of them. Among some of his sons, in addition to those mentioned, are Apollo, Artemis and Aphrodite, all gods that were part of the religiosity of the Greeks.
Apollo was the god of the sun, light, music and poetry.
Artemis was the goddess of the moon, hunting and virginity.
Aphrodite was the goddess of love, beauty and fertility.
Among the sons of Zeus, there were also demigods or heroes, as is the case of Heracles, better known through Roman tradition as Hercules.
Know more: What was Roman religion like?
Fight between Zeus and Kronos
The story of how Zeus became commander of the Universe has to do with a dispute he had with his father, the titan Kronos. This titan ruled the Universe since he had rebelled and fought his own father, named Uranus. After defeating your father, Kronos received the prophecy that one of his sons would rise up against him..
Because of this prophecy, Kronos decided to devour all your children, Hestia, Hera, Demeter, Hades and Poseidon. He would do this with Zeus too, but Rhea, wife of Cronos, tricked him and put baby clothes on a rock and handed them to her husband, who devoured it without realizing that he was swallowing a rock.
Zeus was saved and sent to Crete, where he was raised by Gaia, known in Greek mythology as the personification of Earth. Other versions of this myth point out that Zeus was created by nymphs. In any case, when he reached adulthood, Zeus returned to rescue his brothers. He made their father vomit them up so he could rescue them.
After that, a war was fought that involved Zeus, his brothers and some allies against the Titans. What was at stake was the control of the Universe, and this conflict ended with the victory of Zeus and his brothers. The Titans, defeated, were imprisoned in Tartarus, and Zeus took the heavens for himself, Poseidon took the seas and Hades the underworld. This war became known as Titanomachy.
Zeus in Greek Religiosity
Zeus, like other gods of the Greek pantheon, was worshiped in Ancient Greece. uone of the most common tributes to Zeus wasm you Olympic Games, held every four years in the city of Olympia. These games began in 776 BC. Ç. and mobilized athletes and people from all over Greece.
Place of great worship to Zeus, Olympia had a huge statuein honor of this god. The statue of Zeus was made of wood, ivory and gold and is believed to have been about 12 meters tall. It was considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Zeus had oracles, that is, priests who performed divination, scattered throughout Greece. Furthermore, in many parts of the empire, temples were built in your tribute. In the city of Athens there are still the ruins of a temple built for Zeus.
