Hephaestus Accomplishments

This passage is from Hesiod’s Works and Days. It describes the birth of Pandora and exactly how she was created. Works and days is a didactic poem by Hesiod that embodies the experiences of his daily life and work, forming a sort of shepherd's calendar, interwoven with episodes of fable, allegory, advice and personal history. This passage begins with Zeus ordering the lame God Hephaestus to create Pandora from clay.

The supreme ruler and king of gods, Zeus, is often mentioned as Jupiter and the sender of thunder, lightning, rain, and wind (Britannica.com). “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.” (Britannica.com) Although the god is labeled most powerful and the mightiest of all, he is not perfect. Zeus is known for his promiscuous action. Often times he fell in love with one woman after the other and attempted to disguise his infidelity from his wife. Zeus left no woman behind in his crazy love-life, the god married and had children with his sister, Hera and. Hera was not Zeus’ only siblings. He also had two brothers, Poseidon and Hades and another sister named Hestia. His parents are known as Cronus and Rhea. Zeus was not just handed the title “god of the sky,” instead him and his two brothers drew lots. The sea was given to Poseidon, the underworld to Hades, and Zeus was named lord of the sky, rain god, and cloud gatherer. The eagle is considered sacred to this god. Zeus also treasures the oak tree. It is often told that the gods will was revealed by the rustling of the oak tree. (Hamilton 27)

The myth of Pandora starts with two brothers, Epimetheus and Prometheus, who were Titans that tasked themselves as spokespeople for their creation from clay: mankind. Epimetheus was in charge of creating the creatures that were to roam the Earth while Prometheus was to distribute them. While most animals were armed or protected by their physical attributes, man stood alone naked and bear to all those that may attack. Thus, Prometheus, the mischevious of the two, deceived Zeus one day into giving mankind the best portion of a sacrificed bull, leaving behind bare bones and fats for the gods. Outraged and offended, Zeus then took the gift of fire away from mankind to leave them in the cold and darkness. However, Prometheus once again outwitted Zeus and stole unwearying fire for men to have the intelligence necessary to sustain their lives. As punishment, Zeus chained Prometheus to a rock in Caucasus where an eagle ripped apart and devoured his liver every day, which then regenerated each nightfall as result of his immortality. Although Prometheus caused him the most angst, Zeus believed the kind-hearted Epimetheus deserved to struggle as well in a form that would not only punish him but also the brothers’ creation of mankind. Zeus called out for Hephaestus to construct the most beautiful, intelligent, and brave women named Pandora to be the new companion of Epimetheus in place of Prometheus. However, he also graced her with one other quality: curiosity. So, Zeus delivered his

Perseus had no idea where to find Medusa, so he asked the gods for help. Athena gave him her polished

Zeus was considered to be the leader of the Olympian gods of Mount Olympus. He was the god of the sky and thunder. He had many powers but the most significant was the power to wield lightning bolts. He could hurl lightning bolts at people who defied him or other gods who he was displeased with. He was the youngest child of Cronus and Rhea and was planned to get eaten by Cronus like all of his brothers and sisters before him, but he was hidden from Cronus at Mount Dicte. He then went on to overthrow Cronus and control the gods. He had twenty-four children and some of them were powerful gods. He also had some half god children like Hercules. He lives on the top of Mount Olympus with Hera, his wife.

With his shield, Aegua, he was believed to be the god able to create any of the Phenomena that the greeks had seen in the sky. He was considered to be the ruler of the realms of the sky and air, and controlled anything that happened within them. Because he was the ruler of the sky, and had helped free the Cyclops, they rewarded him with the thunder bolt, a powerful weapon that allowed him to hurl lightning bolts at anything or anyone he desired. He was known to have a short temper, and to throw lightning at anyone who made him angry, particularly liers and oath breakers. He also used it on anyone who fell in love with his wife, even though he had many affairs. He is generally thought of as “wise, fair, just, merciful, and prudent. He was also unpredictable – nobody was able to guess the decisions he would make”(greekgodsandgoddesses.net). He tried to protect people from wrongdoing, punishing those who did, and is also the god of hospitality and quests, ready to fix any wrong done to a stranger. His main symbol is the lightening bolt, as it is his favorite weapon, but he has also been represented as an eagle, as it sees all, much like him from Mount Olympus, a bull to

As Hephaestus is notified of Thetis’ arrival, he explores what their relationship has meant to him. Hephaestus recalls that “Thetis saved my life when the mortal pain came on me after my great fall…” (P. 480) After Hephaestus falls out of Zeus’ good graces, Thetis is able to lend her helping hand, displaying the hierarchical dynamic between the gods. The gods are indebted to each other, the likely reason that Hephaestus felt as though he needed to make Thetis the ornate shield. The duty and obligation to each other fuels the mutualistic relationships between the gods. Thetis’ motivation to help Hephaestus was not solely out of kindness; rather Thetis saw the opportunity to make a strategic move and put Hephaestus in her debt, knowing that she very well could use his services in her future. Hephaestus describes the pain that he felt as “mortal pain” signifying a distinction between the discomforts and vulnerability of mortals and gods.

Zeus, the god of the sky, ruler of the olympian gods, filler of Gaia’s' prophecy, “supreme deity in Greek religion”, (Cartwright, 2013), was a very mighty god as well as a big lothario. Zeus liked reverence, respect and morality and punished all who were impious and blasphemous, which is strange since he had forty some children or more from many women, which didn’t demonstrate much respect to his wife Hera. Zeus had many symbols such as the thunderbolt, sceptre, eagle, oak tree, and the aegis, all of which have a story behind them. The famous thunderbolt which Zeus is known for, represents ruling over the elements and was a gift given by the cyclops and turned into his major weapon which is retrieved by the eagle (which represented his ruling over the sky). The aegis was “forged by the Cyclopes in Hephaestus’ forge” (Karas, 2017), which is thought to be animal skin and offers protection to a god. The oak tree represents religion which is what Zeus stands for since he was the main god in ancient times. Lastly the sceptre represented Zeus being a ruler of the gods.

Hesiod’s Theogony has transcended generations, delivering to vast audiences the traditional stories of the Greek gods as well as ancient Greek conceptions of the world. One particularly well known aspect of the Theogony, the section that tells the tale of Prometheus, is unique in that it has little intrinsic worth; its value is in its ability to enhance other stories and conceptions. Across the globe, people know well the story of the one who deceived Zeus and stole fire for man, but few recognize its role in Hesiod’s work as a whole. The story of Prometheus serves two primary purposes for Hesiod and his audience. First, it solidifies Zeus’s position as king of the gods, providing one of the first characterizations of his temperament, and

Zeus, the god of the sky, ruler of the Olympian gods, filler of Gaia’s' prophecy, “supreme deity in Greek religion”, (Cartwright, 2013), was a remarkable god as well as a tremendous lothario. Zeus liked reverence, respect and morality and punished all who were impious and blasphemous, which is peculiar since he had forty some children or more from many women, which didn’t demonstrate much respect to his wife Hera. Zeus had many symbols such as the thunderbolt, sceptre, eagle, oak tree, and the aegis, all of which have a story behind them. The famous thunderbolt which Zeus is known for, represents ruling over the elements and was a gift given by the Cyclops and turned into his major weapon which is retrieved by the eagle (which represented his ruling over the sky). The aegis was “forged by the Cyclopes in Hephaestus’ forge” (Karas, 2017), which is thought to be animal skin and offers protection to a god. The oak tree represents religion which is what Zeus stands for since he was the main god in ancient times. Lastly the sceptre represented Zeus being a ruler of the gods.

Sometimes, someone removes something from our presence if they believe it's for the goodness of our own sake. Unfortunately, there comes a time when someone in our presence doesn't want us to live happily, but suffer. From Works and Days by Hesiod explained Zeus hid fire, but Prometheus stole it back for man's sake from Zeus. Prometheus tricked Zeus when he stole the fire store back. With that being said, Prometheus along with the generations that follow was cursed.

The mythological character and God, Zeus, is portrayed in many ways, by many different people. Hesiod describes Zeus as being relentless in his fury. When he gets mad he unleashes all of his power. If his brother Hades wasn’t in charge of the Underworld, he’d make all of Hell break loose. For example, in Hesiod’s Theogony, which is about when Zeus defeated his father, Cronus, he says, “Then Zeus did not hold back any longer, but now immediately his heart was filled with strength and he showed clearly all his force.” (Morford and Lenardon 85) He tends to treat others, mortals and immortals, very unfairly. Two mortals could do the same exact type of sacrilege towards him, and depending on how he felt that day, he would take two very different approaches to how he would treat them. He also doesn’t take any threats towards him very lightly at all. If anyone ever threatens him, he normally punishes them very severely, if he doesn’t destroy them completely. Hesiod’s approach to Zeus’ behavior is overdramatic, and makes it seem more extreme than it probably would’ve been.

Zeus was the supreme god and ruler of Olympus. He was known by many names: Lord of the Sky, the Rain-god, the Cloud-gatherer, and Zeus the Thunderer. Zeus was the sixth child born to Cronus and Rhea behind Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Dementer, and Hera. The high soaring eagle was sacred to him, and to the Romans he was known as Jupiter. Zeus was a strong, mighty, awesome, glorious, and wise god. Although, he was very foolish and naïve with hiding his love affairs from Hera.

Although, Kleftis refused to return Nero’s element which made the gods even more angry. God of fire, Fotia, and the goddess of air, Aeras, were disappointed due to the decision of Kleftis. Therefore, Fotia created a flaming, burning fire and Aeras made a wind that carried this fire to attack Kleftis. This thief received a wound because of the fire, but he healed himself by using the water element.

Empedocles was a pre-Socratic philosopher who lived from 490 to 430 BC in Acragas, Sicily, Italy. His writings mainly focus on the study of cosmetology, religion, and nature; and have influenced some of today’s modern theories in science. Although he was a colorful character who claimed to be able to bring back the dead, he maintained a democratic political standpoint and was known for being generous and fought for equality of the people. Empedocles was a poet, philosopher, and physician.