Greek Mythology/Gods/Zeus

From Wikibooks, the open-content textbooks collection

Jump to: navigation, search

Zeus was the son of Kronos and Rhea. Zeus took away his father's position on the Throne of Eternity. Kronos heard a prophecy that one of his sons was going to depose him, so he started eating all his children. When the sixth child, Zeus, was born, Rhea replaced Zeus with a stone when he was about to be eaten. When Cronus became aged and weaker and was out hunting one day, Zeus came out of hiding and kicked his father in the stomach. Cronus vomited up the stone and the other five undigested gods and goddesses: Hades, Poseidon, Hera, Hestia, Demeter. Out of gratitude, the other gods made Zeus the leader of all immortals. Zeus' domain was the mountain tops and clouds from where he could survey all creation. He married his elder sister Hera and because Zeus had many love affairs with other goddesses and mortals Hera became jealous. From that jealousy came an abundance of divine wrath upon the mortals. Zeus had many names. Here are some of them:

  • God
  • Zeus of the Aegis
  • Zeus the Cloud Gatherer
  • Zeus of the Wide Brows
  • Father Zeus
  • Son of Kronos
  • Lord of Hera
  • Zeus of the Thunderbolt
  • Father of Gods and Men
  • Zeus on High
  • The Sky Dweller
  • The Olympian
  • Jupiter
Retrieved from "http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Greek_Mythology/Gods/Zeus"