Zeus : The God Of God

I chose to write about Zeus for my independent project. By the time my paper is written and finished, I can only hope to have discovered more and more information about him than at the beginning of this essay. Some things I do want to remember and learn about him are what made him so great, is he the Greek God’s leader, and what did he accomplish? When somebody speaks about Greek mythology, it seems as though everyone wants to talk about Zeus. Another thing that I hear very often when Zeus is mentioned is the fact that he controls/carries the lightning bolt. That is Zeus’s symbol. I have for a long while been itching to take in more about him yet never thought to consider his history until today.

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)

Beginning around 700 B.C., stories by Homer and other Greek poets told of the lives of powerful gods who involved themselves in human affairs. Supreme among these gods was Zeus, but to the Romans he was known as Jupiter. Zeus was the supreme god and ruler of Olympus. He was known by many titles: Lord of the Sky, the Cloud- gatherer, the Rain-god, and Zeus the Thunderer. All of which are the most popular names dating back to ancient Greek history and mythology.

her to give him the baby so he could swallow it. She hid Zeus in a

Zeus, he was the king of the gods and the supreme ruler of people. He originally was a god of the sky. In time, the Greeks regarded him as the only god who concerned him-self with the whole universe. They also associated Zeus with justice and believed that he punished the wicked and rewarded the good. He belonged to the race of Titans, and was the son of Cronus and Rhea. After overthrowing Cronus, Zeus took his father's place and ruled from Mount Olympus. He headed a family of twelve major gods, called the Olympians.

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.

“The supreme deity of Greek mythology has his lusty, tempestuous story recast in engaging fashion by Stone”(ProQuest). Zeus was thought of as the father of gods and men. While he did not make them, he protected them, and therefore was considered a father to them. He ruled over the sky and air, and controlled everything that happened in his domains from his throne on Mount Olympus. To gain his throne, he overthrew his father, Cronos, with the help of his siblings, and then dividing up the realms between him and his two elder brothers. Zeus became lord of the sky and rain, Poseidon took the title lord of the sea, and Hades became ruler of the underworld. He then banished his father to the shadowy Tartarus in the underworld. Zeus was the most

Zeus was birthed by the Titans Cronus, the god of time, and Rhea, the goddess of female fertility. He was the youngest of six siblings, which were all consumed by his father, who out of his fear of one of his children overthrowing him, “swallowed every child Rhea…[had given] birth to” (Gods, 2017). He was able to grow up without his father devouring him since his mother and Gaia had tricked Cronus into believing

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.

-Zeus made love with Leto (Latona) and she gave birth to twins: Artemis (Diana) and Apollo.

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.

Zeus was the king of the Greek Gods. He lived on Mount Oylmpus and was the God of the sky and thunder. Zeus had several different symbols which included, the lightning bolt, the eagle, the bull and the oak tree. Zeus later married a goddess named Hera and he possessed many powers which gave him the ability to be called the king of the Greek gods. Zeus was the most powerful of the Greek Gods.

Throughout Greek myths, Zeus plays a highly important role because he is the king of the gods, involved in many mortals’ lives, and continually effects these mortals lives. This effect mirrors many norms within Ancient Greek society which was highly focused on male figures who dictated the decisions of families and individuals and their choices were often not questioned or change by others. This presents a difference from many aspects of modern society, and at times, this difference shocks modern audiences interacting with Greek myth. Specifically, one can find actions and characteristics of the god Zeus by examining his role in the myths of the Rape of Persephone, Io, and Heracles that would shock modern audiences.

One of the first mortals known was Demeter, the child of Zeus and Persephone, is known as the goddess of the underworld. After leaving Demeter, Zeus then moved on and mated with Leto with whom he then created the twin gods known as Artemis and Apollo. Apollo was known for many things following his birth. Apollo had a numours things he is remembered for, but a few is being the Olympian God of the Sun, the Light and the Music and the Prophecy. (GREEK-GODS.INFO 4).

In ancient Greece mythology, Zeus is known as an ancient Greek god, greatest god of Olympian, and king of the gods and men. He was also the deity of the sky, weather, kingship, law, order, destiny, and fate. Moreover, Zeus had a remarkable family tree, a unique kingdom and power, and all above was illustrated by distinctive symbols and attributes. His myth was written by Hesiod, a Greek poet. A profound analysis of the myth of Zeus, his image in Ancient Greek culture, and his different role in Greek culture will be examined through this paper.