Zeus is the most important God of Olympus. He wielded lightning, thunder and the sky. He is strong and mighty. He was able to defeat the titans and gain power over the world. Zeus led all the gods on Olympus. He was equated with the Roman Jupiter and the Slavic Perun. He was seen as the protector who guarded family ties and family customs.
The great God was noted for his love. He had many mistresses who bore him children.
The name of the ancient Greek god is often used in the modern world as well. This is because it carries the meaning of strength, courage, heroism, etc.
In ancient Greece Zeus was personified with fire, a hot substance. He owned the sky and organized the center of cosmic and social life. Zeus distributed good and evil on earth. He instilled in men shame and conscience. The great God is a formidable punishing power. He is associated with fate itself. He has the ability to foresee the future.
According to the myths Zeus had a complex character. He had many wives and many children. Many children became gods and some great heroes. He is credited with fathering over 50 great heroes. Many heroes were born from Zeus' liaison with earthly women. Zeus turned into beasts to get close to them. And sometimes he transformed into the elements, for example, he became rain or wind. Zeus could become an ordinary man.
Zeus was officially married three times, according to Greek mythology. Zeus' first wife was Metida. She was an oceanid. Metida assisted Zeus in his fight against his father Kronos. She concocted a special potion, which Cronus drank to tune out all the children, brothers and sisters of Zeus that he swallowed.
One Metal awaited a terrible fate. Gaia gave a prediction that Zeus would be overthrown from his throne by his son, who would be born to him by Metida. The Great God did not want to repeat his father's fate, so he decided to devour Metis.
The next, second wife of Zeus, was Themis. She was the daughter of Gaia and Uranus. Themis was the goddess of justice. She had the gift of insight and divination. Three goddesses of seasons and also three goddesses of destiny appeared from the marriage of Zeus and Themis.
The third official wife of Zeus was Hera. Hera was a very jealous wife. She could never forgive her husband's infidelity. Hera tried to take revenge on all her mistresses and all the illegitimate children of Zeus. But this only made them stronger. From the marriage of Hera and Zeus came Hephaestus. He was born ugly, so Hera decided to throw him off a cliff. But Hephaestus survived and became the best and most skilled blacksmith in all the world. Later on, he made lightning bolts for his powerful father Zeus.
Zeus' first illegitimate wife was Eurynome. She was an oceanid. From this relationship three lovely charitas were born. They embodied all that was kind and gentle. This was the young beginning of all life.
The other illegitimate wife of Zeus was Demeter, goddess of earth and fertility. From this union Persephone was born. She later became the wife of Hades, the god of the underworld. When Zeus became Demeter's lover, he became responsible for the stability of life and for feeding people.
Throughout ancient Greece, the great and mighty Zeus was greatly revered. There were so many holy places and sanctuaries where people worshipped and honored him. The most famous places dedicated to the most important God:
There are also many exhibits dedicated to Zeus:
There is also a statue of Zeus with a horn of plenty in Peterhof near St. Petersburg. It is located on the edge of one of the fountains.
Today there are many movies in which Zeus is involved. Among them are:
In addition to feature films, many documentaries about the Greek gods have also been made. Watching these films, it is easy to remember all the ancient Greek characters.
