Zeus
(King of the gods)
Roman name: Jupiter
Parents: Cronos and Rhea
Brothers: Hades, Poseidon
Sisters: Hestia, Demeter, Hera
Zeus was the king of the gods. He was the ruler of the heavens where he controlled the weather and the skies. He created thunder and could hurl lightning bolts at those who angered him. The thunderbolts were given to Zeus by a Cyclops to help aid him in his war against the Titans.
Stories about Zeus:
Birth of Zeus and his siblings
Zeus’s Marriages and Offspring
Zeus was married six times, and he had numerous affairs with goddesses and mortal women alike. Below is a summary of his most prominent marriages and affairs:
Marriage #1
Wife: Metis
Child: Athena (goddess of wisdom, war, patriotism and good citizenship)
Athena was born out of the head of Zeus (Click here for details)
Marriage #2
Wife: Themis (Titanesses)
Children; Atropos, Clotho, Lachesis (The Fates)
Horae (The hours)
Eunomia (discipline)
Dike (justice)
Eirene (peace)
Zeus brought order to the world when these children were born.
Marriage #3
Wife: Eurynome (Metis’s sister)
Children: Three Graces (Aglaia, Euphrosyne, Thalia)
Marriage #4
Wife: Demeter (Zeus’s sister)
Child: Persephone (Becomes queen of underworld)
Marriage #5
Wife: Mnemosyne (Titaness)
Children: the nine Muses (Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melphomene,
Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, Urania
Marriage #6
Wife: Hera (Zeus’s sister)
Children: Ares (god of war)
Eileithyia (goddess of childbirth)
Hebe (youth)
Hephaestus (god of fire)
Zeus’s Affairs (while married to Hera)
Aegina (daughter of river god Asopus)
child: Aeacus
Alcmene (mortal)
Child: Hercules
Electra (daughter of the Titan Atlas)
child: Dardonus (founder of the Royal house of Troy)
Europa (daughter of the King of Phoenicia)
children: Minos, Sarpedon, Rhadomanhys
Io (priestess of Hera)
Leda (daughter of King Aetolia)
children: Polydeuces, Helen, and some attribute Castor, Phoebe,
Timondra and Philonoe
Maia (oldest daughter of the Titan Atlas)
Offspring: Hermes messenger of the gods
Semele (mortal)
child: Dionysus (god of wine and pleasure)
Taygete (Daughter of the Titan Atlas)
child: Lacedaemon
Note: this is not an exhaustive list.
Jupiter Casting a Thunderbolt by Faydherbe, Musees Royaux des Beasu-Art , Brussels
Juno discovering Jupiter with IO by Lastman, Pieter Pietersz - National Gallery, London
Major Gods and Goddesses
Aphrodite |
Apollo | Ares | Artemis | Athena | Demeter | Dionysus
Hades | Hephaestus | Hera | Hermes | Hestia | Poseidon | Zeus
Heroes
Achilles | Aeneas | Diomedes | Hector | Hercules | Jason | Odysseus | Perseus | Theseus
Stories
Introduction | Creation
Story | Olympians VS. Titans | Creation of Man |
Revolt
of Giants | Abduction
of Persephone | The Underworld
Visitors
to Underworld | Amzon Warriors | Ares vs. Athena | Daedalus and Icarus
Echo and Narcissus | Judgement of Paris | Perseus and Andromeda | Trojan War
