The Olympians; Part 1 – Zeus

ZEUS

Considered the King of the Gods in ancient Greece, he was believed to have controlled the weather and enforced order and presided over both mortals and gods alike. His power was often challenged and was subject to violent fits of rage, petty fights, meddling in mortal affairs and throwing his signature lightning bolts at all who crossed him.

Zeus had 7 divine wives and, with them, sired an estimated 28 divine children, and his unknown amount of mortal affairs sired many more children; demi-gods. His first marriage ended with Zeus swallowing the titan Metis after a prophecy of her offspring over-throwing the arrogant god. Later, the Goddess Athena burst from Zeus’ forehead; Metis had been pregnant when Zeus swallowed her.

Zeus then married another Titan, Themis. With her, the Horae were born; Eunomia of Order, Dike of Justice, Eirene of Peace and Tyche of Prosperity. Clotho the Spinner, Lachesis the Allotter, and Atropos the Inflexible were also children of the god and titan. They became known as the three fates.

The nymph daughter of Oceanid the Titan, Eurynome, was the next to catch the lusty god’s eye. She bore for Zeus The Graces; Aglaea (Beauty), Euphrosyne (Laughter), and Thalia (Festivity).

Zeus then married his sister, Demeter and sired the well-known, currently pop-culture, goddess Persephone. 

Zeus married another titan, Mnemosyne and she gave birth to the nine muses. They were Clio of History, Euterpe of Music, Thalia of Comedy, Melpomene of Tragedy, Terpsichore of Dance, Erato of Lyric Poetry, Polyhymnia of Choral Poetry, Urania of Astrology, and Calliope of Heroic Poetry.

He then married the Titan Leto and sired the well known divine twins Apollo and Artemis. Apollo became the god of music and poetry while his twin became the goddess of the hunt.

Finally, Zeus married his final wife, Hera, who was also his sister. With Hera, he created his final five divine children. Hebe, the cupbearer of the gods, Ares, the god of war, Enyo, a goddess of war, Hephaestus, god of fire, and Eileithyia, goddess of childbirth and midwifery.

The following is a list of some of the more well known demi-gods created by Zeus. 

• Aeacus
  • Mothered by Aegina, daughter of a river god.
  • Celebrated for his justice and later became a judge of the dead.
  • Zeus once granted his prayer for rain during a drought on the island named for his mother; the island to which Zeus abducted her to.
  • Would go on to father Telamon and Peleus, and became grandfather to Ajax and Achilles.
• Amphion and Zethus (twins)
  • Mother named Antiope
  • Left to die on Mount Cithaeron but found and raised by a kind shepherd.
  • Amphion became a musician and celebrated singer while Zethus became a hunter and herdsman. Their long lost mother rejoined them and together, the three founded Thebes. It is said the the sound of a lyre played by Amphion caused giant blocks of stone to join together to create an enormous, fortified wall to protect the city.
  • Amphion went on to marry the love of his life, Niobe, and killed himself after she and their 12 children died. Apollo and Artemis killed their children to spite them for their pride in the little ones. 
• Arcas
  • Callisto, a minor goddess and nymph, was mother to Arcas. Callisto had been part of Artemis’ wild hunt until being expelled for becoming pregnant. Hera then transformed Callisto into a bear, forced to wander her old hunting grounds.
  • Legend and mythology surrounding Arcas varies widely.
• Dardanus and Iasion
  • Birthed by the daughter of Atlas, Electra.
  • Iasion was the lover of Demeter before being slain by Dardanus.
  • After killing his brother, Dardanus fled to Troad, married the daughter of the country’s ruler, and founded the royal house of Troy.
• Dionysus
  • Though born a demi-god through his human mother, Semele, Hestia later gave up her seat as an Olympian to Dionysus.
• Epaphus
  • Hera’s priestess, Io, gave birth to this son of Zeus.
  • Believed to have been born in Egypt, He later became a king of Egypt. 
  • Founded Memphis
  • Later married his wife named Memphis and had a daughter they named Libya.
• Heracles/Hercules
  • Was supposed to become the ruler of Greece by word of Zeus. Hera tricked Zues, angered by his affair, and ensured that a sickly child was born first and became the ruler.
  • Forced to serve his ailing brother and fight off Hera’s attempts to murder his, including sending two snakes to kill him as a baby.
  • Became the epitome of bravery and masculinity, protecting mortals from villains and monsters.
  • Became immortal for his efforts despite his short temper and lack of composure. 
• Minos
  • Mother was Europa
  • King of Crete and famous for his successful code of laws that made him a judge of the underworld after he died.During his life, he made sure Crete had an impressive naval power and excellent education.
  • His son, Androgeos, died while fighting a bull in Athens. He, with Zeus’ help, instilled a tax of a sacrifice of seven boys and seven girls of the Athenians to give to the feared Minotaur.
  • The minotaur was eventually killed by legendary hero Theseus and Minos’ daughter Ariadne.
• Perseus
  • Most well known for beheading Medusa. He used her severed head to turn his enemies to stone.
  • Slayed the sea monster, Cetus, and rescued his future wife Andromeda, an Aethiopian princess. She bore six sons and one daughter of Perseus. 
• Tantalus
  • Welcomed by the other olympians until he stole ambrosia and nectar in an effort to return it to his people to make them immortal.
  • Sacrificed his son and fed him to the Olympians. The Olympians did not eat the boy, except for Demeter, who was too distracted by her daughter, Persephone, having been kidnapped by Hades.
    • The Olympians expelled Tantalus from Mount Olympus and brought his son back to life. The shoulder that Demeter had mistakenly eaten was replaced with ivory forged by Hephaestus 
  • For his crimes, Tantalus was punished for eternity, being forced to stand in a pool of water beneath the branches of a fruit bearing tree. Any time he reached for fruit out of hunger, the branches would deny him, moving out of reach. If he attempted to drink the water, it would recede beyond his ability to reach it.
• Tityos
  • His mother ,Elara, died while pregnant. Zeus attempted to keep this affair secret from his wife, Hera, and hid the girl in the earth. Tityos had not been ready to be born yet and was carried by Gaia until it was time. As such, he was born a giant.
  • He was encouraged, by Hera, to rape the Goddess Leto who called for help and was answered by Apollo and Artemis. They killed Tityos by shooting his with their arrows and killing his with a golden sword.
  • For his attempt to rape Leto, he was cast into Tartarus where he was pinned down. Every day, two vultures would eat his liver and the organ would regenerate every night. The punishment is extremely similar to that of Prometheus.