Figure of the month
Every month there is a differnt figure that is in spotlight.
Zeus
Zeus was the supreme god of
gods and Greeks. He was called Jupiter by the Romans and he received that name
because it was believed he had the same powers as the Roman god Jupiter! His
symbols are the eagle, the oak tree, the royal sceptre and the thunder bolt.
Originally he was a god of the skies and high heavens and back in the day Greeks
thought of him as the only god who concerned himself with the entire
universe.
Greeks associated Zeus with justice and well being. He's believed to have
greatly punished the wicked and maldoers and rewarded all that did good.
He received the lightening bolt from the Cyclops who were the giants that
helped Zeus in the war against his father. He uses the lightening bolt for
defience along with a bright golden shield with an eagle engraved in it.
Zeus was the son of the great god Cronus and great goddess Rhea. Cronus
feared his children would want to overpower him and take his place at
Mt. Olympus, therefore he swallowed all of Zeus's siblings, Zeus hadn't yet been
born. When Zeus was born, Rhea hid Zeus on some close by islands before Cronus
could swallow him then she wrapped a stone in baby's clothes and gave it to
Cronus. Cronus swallowed it believing it was his son. When Zeus reached
adulthood he disguised himself and returned and tricked Cronus into drinking a
liquid that forced him to vomit up all of his children, who then all gathered
together to fight in a war against their father Cronus and the rest of the
Titans (the race that Cronus and Rhea belonged to). Cronus was overthrown in
the war by Zeus, so Zeus then took his place on Mt. Olympus and became judge and
chief ruler of the 12 major gods and goddesses called the Olympians who ruled
Mt. Olympus. It was believed that he settled disputes fairly but when he became
angry he would throw thunder bolts. On Mt. Olympus he was also in charge of
changing the seasons and making the sun come and go, both of which were very
important to the other gods, goddesses and Greeks.
Zeus had two(2) brothers. They were the god Hades who ruled the underworld
and the god Poseidon who ruled the seas. His sisters were goddesses Heista,
Demeter and Hera.
ZEUS later married his sister Hera who then became the queen of goddesses
considering the fact that her husband Zeus was king. In their relationship they
had two(2) children who are known as the gods Ares and Hephaestus. Even though
being married to Hera Zeus also had many love affairs with other goddesses and
mortal women. From these extra relationships on the side, his children include
the gods Apollo, Dionysus, Hermes, the goddess Artemis, the heroes
Heracles(Latin for Hercules) and Perseus. He also gave birth to goddess Athena
who sprang full grown from his forehead. According to myths Zeus and goddess
Mnemosyne became parents of the Muses(the 9 goddesses of the arts and sciences)
and it is believed that he and goddess Athena were parents of the fates. Zeus
fell in love often, therefore resulting in so many children Zeus cannot even
name them all. Because of his many relationships his wife queen Hera became
very insecure of Zeus and other women/goddesses. Zeus was "anthropomorphic"
which comes from two(2) Greek words meaning the shape of man. This meant that
Zeus could transform into any animal or human being that he wished to be and he
would then go down on earth, and fool the mortal women who would then mate with
him.
Zeus foretold the future through omens and oracles. As being the guardian
of mortality, Zeus enforced moral among men, for Zeus himself was very wise!
Since Zeus's childhood was
spent undercover hiding he was never able to experience the joy of being a
child. When he was older he was constantly fighting wars and helping and
protecting the others, along with doing many other great things though greatly
did his job consist of leisurely activities. He is a very special and wise god
who later died, but while he was alive he was greatly respected by most and
played a major role in Greek mythology and the roles of the other gods and
goddesses and the Greek people!