Sep 20, 2023 · Overview. Zeus was the supreme god of the Greeks, a mighty deity who meted out justice from atop Mount Olympus. Hailed as the father of both mortals and immortals, Zeus was the god of the sky and weather, but was also connected with …

Jul 14, 2023 · The same night Zeus slept with Alcmene, Amphitryon came home early and also slept with her. Alcmene was thus impregnated twice on the same night. She eventually gave birth to twins: one of them, Heracles, was Zeus’ son, while the other, Iphicles, was Amphitryon’s. From the very beginning, Heracles was hated by Hera, Zeus’ queen.

Mar 9, 2023 · Hailed as “Mother of the Gods,” Rhea was revered across the Hellenic world. She was especially popular on the island of Crete, where the infant Zeus was said to have come of age. Rhea was also held in high regard by the Orphics, who believed that she had conceived the goddess Persephone with her son Zeus. In art and literature, she was ...

Apr 7, 2023 · Zeus transformed himself into a cuckoo and came to Hera’s window on a rainy night. When she saw the shivering bird, Hera took pity on it and clasped it to her bosom. Once Zeus revealed himself, Hera finally agreed to marry him. Hera and Zeus were wed in a glorious ceremony, the prototypal “sacred marriage.”

Feb 15, 2023 · Europa was the beautiful Phoenician princess whom Zeus carried across the waves in the form of a bull so that he could make love to her. Zeus set Europa down on the island of Crete, where she bore Minos, Rhadamanthys, and Sarpedon to the god before marrying the local king Asterius.

Mar 10, 2023 · Themis was a Greek Titan most famous for embodying the concept of justice. Unlike the other Titans, she sided with the Olympians in their celestial war with her brethren. Today, her image survives as “Lady Justice,” wearing a chiton (a kind of tunic) and holding a set of balanced scales.

Apr 24, 2023 · Only Zeus, the youngest child, managed to escape, being brought up in secret on the island of Crete. Pentelic marble relief showing the procession of the Twelve Gods and Goddesses (first century BCE/first century CE) The Walters Art Museum Public Domain. Demeter resided in her father’s belly until Zeus forced Cronus to regurgitate the children.

Mar 9, 2023 · Persephone was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, the wife of Hades, and the queen of the Underworld. Her most important myth tells of how Hades abducted her, then tricked her into eating something in the Underworld so that she could never leave. Not even her mother, Demeter, could bring her home.

Mar 8, 2023 · In one Orphic tradition, Zeus drugged Cronus with honey at the advice of the primordial goddess Nyx (“Night”), then bound and castrated him while he was incapacitated. In another tradition, Zeus and Cronus fought hand-to-hand, and their battle was the first wrestling match at Olympia, the future site of the Olympic Games.

Sep 28, 2023 · Like the Curetes, the Corybantes were youthful male gods who protected Zeus when he was a baby by dancing around him, clashing their arms to prevent his father Cronus from hearing his cries. The Corybantes also protected the infant Dionysus and played a role in his orgiastic rites, as well as those of the Phrygian mother goddess Cybele .