#Apollo was driven mad with lust

[r4d0m-13]

The rants I have locked and loaded for this.

in the trenches rn cause the GreekMythology subreddit has suddenly decided they all hate Apollo now and that he is evil

several have said that he is evil because all his lovers end badly

Imagine your boyfriend dies and someone says that your evil because your boyfriend fucking died.😭😭😭😭

Not even all of them end badly it's like 5 and two aren't his fault it was Eros and Zephyrus and one, depending on the myth was Artemis not him who killed her for cheating

[agust-june]

Descendants of the Stars and Gods

Aside from the Mortal realm, there was Mount Olympus and the Celestial spirit realm or the forbidden realm as uncle Zeus says. He hates the celestial spirits, but honestly, I feel sorry for them. Being trapped for all eternity nowhere to go. Sometimes I wonder what the celestial realm looks like aside from their constellations in the sky.

They weren't always trapped and they weren't always hated by uncle Zeus no, they were made by him and the other gods. Mortals loved them too, I guess to look at during the night before Apollo would bring the morning sun with Helios and Esos following him. It was what the constellations did to the gods that had driven the hatred to Zeus. It started with the zodiac constellations.

Ophiuchus the serpent bearer poisoned the mind of Aries the ram, saying that should be alongside the gods instead of being in the sky. Aries didn't agree at first but Leo did, soon Aries joined in. Gemini soon went to Zuse and told him this news. Of course, he wasn't happy. So he went to punish Ophiuchus, Leo, and Aries for their thinking. Ophiuchus still wanted to take on his plan uprising the gods, Zuse furious more than ever went to execute Ophiuchus. Cancer being the protective one stepped in and was hit with one of Zeus's spear then which shattered the crab's shell. Everyone was saddened for cancer was killed.

Zeus didn't care for he tried to kill Ophiuchus again. But this time Scorpio got up and tried to kill Zuse himself. This is what started the war, Aquarius brought Cancer back soon everyone was ready to fight Zuse. Of course, Zeus the brought in Athena, Aries, and the others to fight. However, there was a Zodiac sign missing which was Gemini, Zeus was using them and the clever twins didn't realize it. Capricorn was the one to help them see, the twins didn't like being used not at all and so they decided to play Zeus's game. Gemini knew Zeus's plan, to release Pandora's box of evil upon the Constellations before Zeus could do it the sneaky twins took the box and unleashed them. Seven figures were released Wrath, Envy, Lust, Greed, Gluttony, Sloth, and Pride. Aries rounded them all and Gemini and Ophiuchus communicated with them soon the Seven agreed to form an alliance with them.

However, that wasn't enough to take down the gods. So they lost the war, Zeus created a separate realm for the Stellar spirits and their descendants. The seven deadly sins were sent to the abyss to be punished along with their descendants as well.

That's why uncle Zeus hates them he feels hatred for when his creation rebels against him. Now I'm going to be going to school with the descendants of the celestial spirits and the Seven Sin descendants. Athena decided to create a program for seven of the descendants and the Zodiac constellations to be at Mountain Olympus Academy. At first, Zeus wouldn't allow it but Athena argued saying that he shouldn't be mad at the descendants of those who betrayed after all they had no say in the matter. I was a baby when the war happened my mother kept me at home while father fought in the war.

Why my parents are letting me go to this school? Well, my father didn't want me to go there because I'd be disrespecting uncle, Zeus. My mom said it would be nice for me to get out and give others a chance so I wouldn't be lonely like dad.

However, I wasn't alone, I see Uncle Zeus and aunt Hera's kid Jackson all the time. I also hang out with Athena's kid Jinyoung and Apollo's kid Youngjae. Who're my parents? Welk that's easy Persephone and Hades.

"Honey come on you know uncle Zeus hates waiting" mother called I got up and grabbed the things I wanted to bring. I then go to my dad's chariot, my mom and dad were in already, I get in the back and close the door. Soon were riding out of the underworld and head out to Mount Olympus.

"Ah, Hades Persephone and Jaebum! Come we finally have been waiting for you" my uncle cheered when he saw us. I say my hellos to my family and then I go to Jackson and Jinyoung.

"Wheres Youngjae?" I ask "he with his dad he has to do day shift with him so he'll be late" Jinyoung answered.

"Hey, Jaebum is your parents making you go to that school with the celestial descendants?" Jackson asked

"Yeah, you?"

"Yep my dad didn't want me to go but mom says I have to then they got into a fight and my mom won"

"Wow I wouldn't expect your dad to agree on letting you go, he hates the Stellar spirits"

"I met them they aren't bad as they seem but among the Aries, they hate us the most," Jinyoung said

"My dad tells me to stay away from the twins he said they were two-faced" Jackson stated

"He's not wrong I don't trust the Gemini descendants," Jinyoung said

"Hi guys"

"Youngjae-ah!" Jackson yelled and hugged Youngjae. "Are you going to school with us?" Jinyoung asked

"Yeah my aunt is making me go," Youngjae explained

"At least we're all together," Jackson said happily "I'd rather be in the pits of Tartarus bringing a boulder up a hill then spend another semester with you Jackson"

"Yeah I can't get in any more trouble Jackson-ah" Youngjae agreed

"Why you guys don't love me"

"Because that's gay Jackson"

"No, it's not, I love you and you love me I see nothing wrong with that" Jackson said

"What type of barney bullshit is that?" Jinyoung said

"JINYOUNG!"

"Sorry mom" Jinyoung apologized

"Why must we argue about our love for each other?" Youngjae asked.

"Because I don't love Jackson"

"You love me and Jaebum right?"

"I guess so"

"What?!"

"Then it's settled you love Jackson too, why else would you hang out with us if you didn't love Jackson-ah" Youngjae reasoned

"Aww thanks, Youngjae-ah"

"Now give me money," Youngjae said

"Wait for what? Why!" Jackson asked

"I can't just defend your honor for free, I need money to buy a new game. Now, pay up!" Youngjae explained as Jackson gave him a five dollar bill.

"A little more, I know you have some" Jinyoung was dying of laughter at this as Jackson gave him more money.

"JINYOUNG HYUNG!" we all looked over at the screeching voice they were two tall boys one with black and one with silver-white hair. Jinyoung looked absolutely repulsed at the two boys.

"Jinyoung you know them?" I ask

"Sadly yes, they're our cousins"

"Hello, Jinyoung and family!" One said

"Hello. My name is Yugyeom" the black haired boy greeted bowing slightly.

"Im BamBam, it's not my actual name, but Bambam is what I go by"

"Why are you both here? Don't tell me you both got in trouble with mortals again" Jinyoung asked

"Oh no we just wanted to see our beloved hyung, after all, we're going to school together!" Yugyeom cheered

"Yup even Mark is coming"

"Mark?" Youngjae asked

"Mark is coming!" Jackson squealed in excitement Mark was our older cousin he is the son of Poseidon at a young age his dad taught Mark how to use trident so that he could learn how to control the sea. Out of all of us, Jackson was the closest to Mark, Mark was the quietest out of all of us, he didn't really talk to anyone but Jackson.

"Honestly I want to see if any of those decedents are cute if so I'm calling dibs," BamBam said as I realized I met BamBam and Yugyeom before. Yugyeom is the son of Dionysus. Last year Yugyeom had this big crazy party and he invited me, however, I barely remember because I was drunk. BamBam I met in school once he was the loudest person in the library. He was the son of Aphrodite.

"Hold on who said you get to choose first?" Jackson said bringing my attention back to him and BamBam.

"I did after all ladies love me"

"Haha that's a good joke cause last time I checked they love me more" Jackson said

"Stop fighting over people you haven't met! Jackson your an idiot and BamBam your an even bigger idiot" Jinyoung yelled as he scolded the two. I wonder out of Jackson and BamBam gets the most girls. I mean Jackson is really good with women if he was serious about a girl (which had only been three in his lifetime) he would treat them like a goddess. If he wasn't serious then boy he could date three girls at one time. The only way for him to mess up is when he gets caught. When he gets caught he's a complete dumb ass. Like the things he does and how he gets himself caught is stupid.

"Also I already have who I want so I got first dibs" Jinyoung claimed as Jackson whined and BamBam, Youngjae, Yugyeom and I laughed honestly I didn't think Jinyoung would be looking for a girl especially one of the descendants of the celestial realm.

"Wow hyung I didn't know you like girls" BamBam joked

"Haha good joke it won't be one when I punch you" Jinyoung threatened

"Once I think about it I've never seen you actually date a girl," Youngjae said  I've seen Jinyoung fall in love he fell in love with a girl in our class named Tzuyu daughter of Urania, the Muse of astronomy. The thing was that she liked Jackson and Jackson being himself and not realizing Jinyoung's feelings and went out with Tzuyu. Jinyoung has hurt it took him a few months to get over her, but he couldn't get mad at Jackson because it wasn't his fault.

"Jaebum!" I turn at my mother's voice

"come on we're going home"

"Bye Hyung!" Jackson and Youngjae said

"Bye"

"See you later"

"Bye" I wave then walk to my parents.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

A week later

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Today was the day I moved into the dorms. My mother was going to miss me and my father denied that he'd miss me. Even though I and my mother know he was going to miss me.

"Ah, Jaebum it's about time you got here! The descendants are coming" Jinyoung said helping me and my parents with my stuff. "Jinyoung how are you?" My mother asks

"I'm doing fine, my mother is stressing me though, she wants me to play nice with the descendants" Jinyoung explained

"And you boys should be nice I don't want to hear from anyone that you're being a bully do you hear me Jaebum?"

"Yes mom, but why me? Why not give Jackson this talk?" I ask

"Because Jackson isn't my kid"

"Your mother's right, that's between your uncle and aunt and I don't want to be in the middle" father said

"JINYOUNG JAEBUM HIIIIIIII" a loud voice boomed from down the hall we all turn our heads to see none other than Jackson. "Speak of the devil" Jinyoung mumbled

"Hi, Jackson-ah" I greeted with a smile "I'm so glad I found you guys. Jinyoung your mother stuck me into a dorm room with a Mark and a descendant of  Libra" Jackson said happily. Jackson always made new friends easily I mean it wasn't hard for him after all he is his father's son.

"I good I'm glad you made new friends" my mother smiles as she and my father finish getting my room together. My mother waves her hand and sets a photo me, her, and dad on the dresser.  

"Are you done, honey?" My dad complains

"Oh shush Hades! Say goodbye to our only son!" I smiled as my mother sassed my father. As she came over and hugged me, "I'll miss you be good and make friends" she said as my dad came over to me and gave me a hug. "Please come and visit or at least call so your mother won't annoy me" he whispered in my ear and I nodded. Dad and I know if mom doesn't hear from me over time shell complain to father about how I don't call her or even answer her calls. My mom says goodbye as my dad drags her out of my dorm room.

Later I go with Jinyoung, Jackson, and Youngjae to Yugyeom's party. When we get there everyone just disburses Jackson went to get drinks Youngjae goes over to Mark who is also here. Me and Jinyoung just sit down. After a while Jinyoung gets a call from his mother, so he left.

"Jaebum Hyung your here!" I look over and see a surprisingly sober Yugyeom.

"That's odd your not drunk"

"That's because we have school tomorrow I'm not that irresponsible hyung"

"This is a nice party Yugyeom," I say and he nods.

"I am my father's son after all," he says as the music stops and the lights shut on. We look at the door and see unfamiliar people walk inside.

"Peak a boo! What are you staring at its a party isn't it? Turn on the music and act normal"

"Seulgi be nice!" The lights were still on people started chatting. "Who are they Yugyeom?" I ask "Oh those are the new celestial descendants I invited them" Yugyeom explains as he stands up and gets a chair to stand on.

"Hey, guys these are my guests please treat them with much respect and keep the party going," Yugyeom shouts and he gets off the chair. As the music turns on and lights shut back off. Yugyeom leaves and I just look around the room to find Mark and Youngjae. When I find them on the other side I get up and walk to them I also took notice to see a drunk Jackson with them. "JAEBUM AH THIS IS THE BEST PARTY EVER" Jackson slurs "hi Jaebum" Mark greets as he grabs onto Jackson so he won't move away.

"Hyung I'm leaving with Mark and Jackson," Youngjae says

"Leaving? But we have only been an hour here" I say "yeah and it took an hour for Jackson to get wasted" Mark says "I'm NOte drunk, I just had A WONDerFUL drink of wine" Jackson pouts like a child I roll my eyes at him it's not a surprise tho I warn Jackson not to drink too much wine but he never listens. "Go home and please take care of him"

"You know I always take care of Jackson," Mark says as he, drunk Jackson leave the party. I then turn around only to collide into someone else.

"Oh, my stars! I'm sorry!" a girl's voice rang through my ear as my shirt got wet. I look at her, she has dark skin, big nose, and big lips and straight hair judging but her eyes they must be a dark color.

"It's alright-"

"No, it's not I ruined your shirt"

"It'll dry," I say

"Hey Gem were leaving!" A voice calls out to her and she turns to look at this girl with long dark hair. "I'm sorry I have to go ill see you around I hope bye," she says turning away and scurried off to her friend. As I watch he leave there's only one thing that comes to mind. And that was she was cute.

[sobasically]

Hey guys! Muse here! And it’s time for your daily dose of Greek mythology.

So everyone has at least a basic understanding of the Greek pantheons. They all live on mount Olympus and are lead by lightning god Zeus and wreak havoc on the earth with their antics. But there’s a shit ton more to the Olympians than meets the eyes.

So what exactly are the olympians? The answer isn’t as straight as you’d think it is. For one thing, the olympians can get hurt and die like any other human. They are victim to the same vices as any other person. The difference is they don’t have to face the consequences. They ‘die’, they reform. They get hurt, they heal. They do something shitty, meh. Olympians will be olympians. In essence, they are humans minus the limits. 

Frustrating right? The Greeks knew this. But they couldn’t say anything about it unless they wanted to have their life royally fucked over. Kinda like politicians :D

Anyways, there were 12 main olympians. Technically there’s 13, but more on that later.

First you have the original siblings:

Zeus: the youngest and most powerful. He is the god of the sky and weather. Zeus is the most hyper masculine asshole you will ever meet. He could be fair and stuff but usually this was just because his antics caught up with him. Most of the time he was a horny, competitive, burn your eyes glowing hypocrite. This dude saw someone hot and thought “damn I’ll tap that.” And he did. Against their will. And it always resulted in suffering for everyone else. You can’t stop him. Believe me, the gods /tried/. 

Then there’s Poseidon, god of the ocean, fertility, and horses (in his pre-Hellenistic incarnations). Poseidon is similar to Zeus in that he is also horny as shit. But he was 8 times more violent and petty. You do not want to piss him or his many many many many many many many children off. Just look at what happened to Odysseus. Of all the gods you don’t want to piss off- and dammit you do NOT want to piss off the gods- Poseidon is number 2 on the don’t list. (Hera is #1 on this list for reasons to be discussed later)

Hades is the king of the dead and the eldest son, therefore the rightful king of Olympus. Yeah, according to Greek law this dude should be ruling. But, because Zeus sorta saved their asses from their dad and Hades drew the smallest straw he has to rule the realm of dead people. No he isn’t the ‘god of the dead’ and does not judge them or kills people. He just rules them. Nothing else. He keeps order in the land of the dead and that’s it. Apparently he’s really good at it. The Greeks were terrified of him. (If only he ruled Olympus. Maybe stuff wouldn’t be shitty)

Then you’ve got the sisters

Hera, wife of Zeus, goddess of women and marriage, queen of Olympus, Craziest bitch alive. Does that sound harsh? No, it isn’t. She’s fucking insane. Hera has a serious jealousy problem. Her husband is always cheating on her and she can’t punish him (believe me, she’s tried.). So she does the next best thing to calling out her husband. She makes his victims lives literal hell. His lovers are smited, cursed, driven mad, and his children face the same (though often unsuccessfully). Don’t even think of looking at her temple the wrong way otherwise you will SUFFER.

(If I die suddenly after this. You’ll know who did it.)

Demeter is one of the more chill olympians. She’s goddess of the harvest. When she’s happy, people prosper. When she’s not happy... everyone starves. It’s not so terrible though. When she lost her daughter she traveled the earth performing miracles and stuff. She’s one of the gods that have an entire cult to her, the Elysian mysteries. She was one of the ones who inspired the idea that death is a drab thing, that one can be reborn. Long story short, Demeter/Hades for Olympus rulers 2019.

Finally, you have the lesser known, oldest sibling, Hestia. She’s the goddess of the Hearth and is an eternal virgin (by choice). Not much is known about her. But from what is, she’s a kind hearted and fair person. 

Then you have the sorta related but not Goddess:

Aphrodite, Goddess Of Beauty, love, lust, and being petty bitch #2. Born from Nut-SeaFoam (her name means that, fyi), Aphrodite is a sexy boobed (seriously this is constantly mentioned), Golden/flower dyed haired bitch. She gets jealous easily and flirts with everyone. Like, she’s done a shit ton of horrible things. And everyone has the hots for her. The olympians tried to contain her with marriage. The problem is they married her to the least attractive god and  assumed she’d be ok with that. She wasn’t. She cheated with Ares. On a side note: she’s also a war goddess. Like, she can fight and win. Don’t piss her off.

On to the children.

Ares is the only child of Zeus and Hera. You can really tell by his sexual appetite and uncontrolled rage. He is the god of offensive war. As in running into battle covered in blood half naked because you are so pumped up for war that you are also horny. He is notorious for not thinking things through and being a bit of a coward when someone displays even slight superiority. His sorta sister Athena has to drag him in by the ear and remind him that to win a battle you have to think things through. Which is why people like her more.

Athena is the goddess of wisdom, crafts, and defensive war. She was born in armor screaming a war cry... from Zeus’s Head. (She could technically be the daughter of Metis, Titaness of Logic and first wife of Zeus, since he ate her.) She is a daddy’s girl and brilliant strategist. She’s chaste and organized. Many generals trust her as their patron. Athena is actually described as being a bit androgynous. She does happen to have a bit of a superiority complex, like most olympians. But as long as you take her counsel seriously and don’t try to rape her you’re good. 

Hephaestus is son of Hera, born from her thigh, and disabled god of metalworking and the forge. Like, he has a limp. Now he isn’t ‘ugly’ per say. He isn’t Olympian attractive by far, but I like to think he’s average man attractive. Of course, Hera was disgusted by his affliction and flung him from Olympus (“this bitch ugly. YEET”-Hera). Interestingly enough, the olympians still rely on him to make their weapons and stuff. Hes clever, he figured out how to catch his wife cheating on him. So the dude gets more shit than from the Olympians than he deserves. 

Apollo and Artemis are the twin archer gods of the sun and moon. 

Apollo is god of the sun, music, poetry, divination, and rational thought. He’s incredibly attractive and yet does not have a lover. In fact, his luck with lovers is.. non existent. Either they die, reject him, or turn into trees (not that that bugs him too much). When he isn’t consumed by loneliness, he is busy writing songs on his lyre and reciting poetry for the muses. He’s also incredibly athletic, and was known to play discus a lot (not as much after the incident). 

Artemis is the goddess of the hunt, childbirth, and wilderness. She is incredibly chaste and demands the same from her followers. She loves animals and children and hanging out with her ladies. Artemis is described as this tall, muscular lady. Amazon’s probably looked up to her as the ideal body. For the most part, she was pretty decent, a bit of a stickler for her rules but still.

Then you have Hermes, messenger of the gods and trickster. This dude is the definition of a little shit. He’s constantly pulling pranks on heroes and the gods. He’s even the patron of thieves. Don’t shoot the messenger though, just cause the dude is snarky doesn’t mean what he says isn’t true. Hermes is the direct voice of the gods. So you have to begrudgingly listen to him. Fun fact: he was able to talk as a baby. 

Last but not least is Dionysus. Dionysus is god of wine, (ceremonial) madness, and Death (in early incarnations). He also has a cult of his own. But they are less friendly and more horny. Dionysus is this chill dude who casually emits this maddening vibe. His hobbies include drinking, partying, and making women eat their sons. He’s a youthful looking man who occasionally has horns. He was basically the Greek version of Charles Manson. Hestia gracefully stepped down to let him become the final and most recent addition to the olympians. 

Naturally, there are many many more gods and many many more stories about why and how these gods became the way they are and stuff. But this wouldn’t be a summary blog if I droned on about all of it would it? So I stop her, stay tuned for more on the gods and their adventures, from Greece and beyond. 

Ciao! -The Muse

[9r7g5h]

Born of the cauldron, the gods were created with great, immeasurable power. Power too great for even themselves to understand, though through time they learned to control it. Control it and use it to their benefits, though that just made them even more dangerous. For even with their great power they were driven from every hearth and home they found. Dragons feared them, drove them out, fought against them until they could do nothing more than flee.

Until they found the clan. Where they were welcomed with open doors, for fearsome creatures meant a stronger defense against the world outside that threatened to tear them apart. A stronger wall before the coming darkness. A wall they were more than happy to help build and maintain, for the Queen that showed them such kindness, for the Princess who stole their hearts (in many cases, in a realer way then expected, for many of them [especially Aphrodite] wanted to claim her as a lover, only to be disappointed in her Consort standing in their way [or, in Ares’ case, disappointed that her Consort Xena had chosen Princess Gabrielle over him instead]), for the clan that had welcomed them in so easily.

They had a place to settle, a place to call their own, and for that, they were happy.

For they had been born of the cauldron, born with powers immeasurable, and it was here that their destiny was about to begin.  

Greek God of the Sky and King of the Gods

Zeus was the first of the GODS and a very imposing figure. Often referred to as the “Father of Gods and men”, he is a sky god who controls lightning (often using it as a weapon) and thunder. Zeus is king of Mount Olympus, the home of Greek gods, where he rules the world and imposes his will onto gods and mortals alike.

Zeus was the last child of the titans Cronus and Rhea, and avoided being swallowed by his father (who had been told one of his children would overthrow him) when Rhea sought help from Uranus and Ge. Cronus had previously swallowed DEMETER, HESTIA, HERA, HADES and POSEIDON.

Along with Hades and Poseidon, Zeus shared the rule of the world and became king of Olympus as the children of Cronus were filled with admiration for their noble brother and sided with him against their unjust father – even following Zeus into The Battle of the Titans.

Zeus mated with many goddesses and mortals (including Aegina, Alcmena, Calliope, Cassiopea, Demeter, Dione, Europa, Io, Leda, Leto, Mnemosyne, Niobe, Persephone and Semele) but was married to his sister Hera – goddess of marriage and monogamy.

Roles and responsibilities of Zeus

As the king of the gods and sitting atop the golden throne on Olympus, Zeus was revered by all. Mortal kings would boast that they were descendants of Zeus. With this supreme power came a number of roles and responsibilities. Hesiod described Zeus as a god who “brought peace in place of violence” and referred to him as the “lord of justice“.

Though he is most well known as god of the sky and thunder, Zeus was the supreme cultural embodiment of Greek religious beliefs. He had many epithets (titles) that emphasized different aspects of complete and wide ranging authority.

Zeus Olympios emphasized Zeus’s kingship over the gods.

Zeus Xenios, Philoxenon or Hospites: Zeus was the patron of hospitality (xenia) and guests, ready to avenge any wrong done to a stranger.

Zeus Horkios: Zeus he was the keeper of oaths. Exposed liars were made to dedicate a statue to Zeus, often at the sanctuary of Olympia.

Zeus Agoraeus: Zeus watched over business at the agora and punished dishonest traders.

Zeus Aegiduchos or Aegiochos: Zeus was the bearer of the Aegis with which he strikes terror into the impious and his enemies.

Zeus Tallaios (“solar Zeus”): the Zeus that was worshiped in Crete.

Zeus Geōrgos (“earth worker”, “farmer”), the god of crops and harvest, in Athens.

Astrapios (“lightninger”)

Brontios (“thunderer”)

Appearance and personality of Zeus

According to “Work and Days” by Hesiod (line 59), Zeus was a carefree god who loved to laugh out loud. He was regarded as wise, fair, just, merciful, and prudent. He was also unpredictable – nobody was able to guess the decisions he would make.

He was also easily angered which could be very destructive. He has previously hurled lightning bolts and caused violent storms that wreaked havoc on earth.

Zeus fell in love easily and had many affairs with various women, however he would severely punish anybody who attempted to escort/fall in love with his wife Hera – like the giant Porphyrion who took a lightning bolt from the engraged god for lusting after his wife (albeit with a little help from the love god Eros).

He is often described as a strong, imposing man with a regal body and long, often curly, hair. He usually had a short beard or scruff and carried his trusty thunderbolt at all times.

Facts about Zeus:

Zeus became the ruler of heaven and earth after a revolt against his father, Kronos. In his position as king of the gods, Zeus had to play mediator when other the immortals were mad at each other.

He is the father of Athena, who is said to have sprung from his head. She was his favorite child, with whom he shared the thunderbolt and aegis.

Hades and Poseidon were his brothers.

His wife Hera was also his sister.

Zeus was not a faithful husband; he was known for having many affairs with mortal women.

Zeus fathered Hercules, the famous Greek hero, by deception. He disguised himself as Amphitryon, Alcmene’s husband, in order to have sexual relations with her.

Zeus fathered Perseus by impregnating Danaë. When he did so, he appeared to her in the form of a golden shower.

The name Zeus means “bright” or “sky.”

His weapon of choice was the thunderbolt, made for him by the MYTHICAL CREATURES, the Cyclops.

Zeus, more recently known for causing thunder and lightning, was once a rain-god. He was always associated with the weather in some form.

The Zeus described in Homer was not an extension of nature; instead, he had a standard of right and wrong that made him more relatable to mankind.

Before monarchies were rendered obsolete, Zeus protected the king and his family.

Hesiod calls Zeus the “the lord of justice.” Perhaps because of this, he was reluctant to join a side in the Trojan War. He preferred the Trojans, but he wanted to stay neutral because Hera preferred the Greeks. She was insufferable when he opposed her openly.

Metis, the goddess of prudence, was Zeus’s first love.

Ares, Hephaestus, Hebe and Eileithyia are the children of Zeus and Hera.

His union with Leto brought forth the twins Apollo and Artemis.

When he seduced the Spartan queen Leda, Zeus transformed himself into a beautiful swan, and two sets of twins were born.

When Zeus had an affair with Mnemosyne, he coupled with her for nine nights. This scenario produced nine daughters, who became known as the Muses.

Zeus punished men by giving them women.

Zeus’s servants were named Force and Violence.