Zeus: The Greek Pantheon of Gods: A Mythological Encyclopedia. Zeus message

Zeus the Thunderer, the favorite of Olympus, according to myths, loved many goddesses and mortal women. Dozens of children were born from them. We know the name of the son of Zeus and Semele - Dionysus. In the list of others, many are named after Hercules. All are labeled by name and approximately by their mothers. Hercules the sixth was born by the Mycenaean queen Alcmene, the first by Lysiphoia, the fourth by Asteria. From whom others - no information.

But he did not have a single Hercules from his third wife - the goddess Hera. And with her, according to mythology, her brother Zeus lived in incest for 300 years. But she gave birth to Hephaestus and Athena even without him, and Ares and Hebu - from nature in general: a flower from the Olensk fields and lettuce (lettuce). This is mystical mythology - a tale for centuries and millennia. The Greeks believed in it and still believe in it.

And what was the name of the son of Zeus, who was born from his thigh?

It was Dionysus. The aforementioned god loved very much in his youth the beautiful Semele, the heiress of King Cadmus (Thebes, or earlier Cadmium - the main city of Hellas). He generously gave promises to fulfill her every wish, whatever it may be. He confirmed the words with the oath of the gods, which is not customary to break.

But you need to know the goddess Hera well. She punished everyone who approached her husband. Semele, the future mother of Zeus' illegitimate son, also fell out of favor. Hera acted, as always, with cunning. She persuaded Semele to summon the king of Olympus to appear to her with excessive importance. Like, she should find out if he really is who he claims to be? Let him prove his destiny among the gods of Greece.

This meant that the future father of the child should be able to spew thunder and lightning, as he called himself. He did so, fulfilling the request of a mortal woman he respected. But something went wrong: from the fire and roar in the king's palace, everything began to burn and collapse. The clothes of the Tsar's daughter were already on fire. And then Semele realized that she would be ruined by the stated request, which the villainous goddess prompted to express.

Dionysus's Miraculous Salvation

And Semele, burning from a fierce flame, gave birth to a child who was unable to survive, Dionysus. But the father did not allow the newborn to die, covering it from the fire with instantly grown juicy ivy. Later he sewed the premature baby into his thigh and took it out when he got stronger. Then he sent Dionysus to be raised by his aunt Ino and her husband, Tsar Atamant.

Now the hated Hera decided to punish them for helping her husband. She made the Atamant insane. In a fit of rage, he began to destroy everything and everyone in the house. Ino managed to escape to the sea with Dionysus. There she jumped into the water, and the boy was saved by his brother Hermes. Now having given them up to nymphs.

Dionysus, who later accomplished many adventures and deeds, ascended to the Olympic pantheon, saved his mother. She, already under a different name, was recognized as a celestial and took a place among the revered masters of heaven and earth.

When the hero grew up and became the god of wine and fertility, he discovered the cult of the divine intoxicating drink. There were also opponents of winemaking, because, as Plutarch pointed out, celebrations with the use of wine often turned into a bacchanalia in the current sense of the word. Everywhere on God's travels around the world were accompanied by mad and raging companions and goat-footed satyrs. From the Roman translation of the name of the god Bacchus, the word "bacchanalia" comes from - drunkenness, debauchery. In Rome, where the Greek cult of Dionysus-Bacchus passed over, the earthly authorities had to tame such revelry with laws. Not all worshipers of God honored the ancient simple postulate of life: "meden agan" - "nothing beyond measure."

Zeus, the mythological god of ancient Greece, is known in our time for literary works, paintings by artists, statues of those times. Looks like a man of rather heavy build in adulthood.

Despite his mythical title of the Thunderer, won over the centuries, in many portraits he does not have an evil expression on his face, noble features are visible; thick overgrown wavy hair and beard.

Apparently, the Greeks spared him because of his age, not portraying him completely naked, as in the Roman version, or as Apollo, by the way, his own son. Usually he was in a cloth cape and always with an open mighty torso - this is what the god Zeus looks like.

The statue of Zeus is one of the seven wonders of the world

Zeus here and there

In Slavic mythology, the Greek god Zeus is known as Perun - the god of thunder, the patron saint of the rulers of the Russian lands and their military squads in the ancient Russian pagan pantheon. In ancient Roman mythology, he is Jupiter, the god of blue space, bright light and, of course, the same thunderer. He, only considerably younger, is the god of thunder and storm in German-Scandinavian myths.

Perun - the ancient Slavic analogue of Zeus

In love stories and in later images, usually by the masters of the modern era, one can see what Zeus looked like: the description of his appearance was often different. He was depicted as a young man or in the reincarnated form of a bull, a swan, an eagle, golden raindrops, a cloud or a satyr. Zeus had many lovers, and each needed a specific approach. Here are some of these women: Eurinoma, Demeter, Mnemosyne, Leto (Latona) - the mother of the gods Apollo and Artemis, Io, Europa, Leda.

Zeus' lightning bolts can be depicted materially - these are ordinary pitchforks with notches, but two-sided, or for several teeth. In modern military phraseology, it is a flamethrower.

Therefore, the pitchfork was depicted as a bundle of tongues of flame, often an eagle held in its claws - one of the attributes of Zeus. This god also harnessed eagles to his chariot, and he had it not rolling, but flying.

Jupiter - the ancient Roman God of Thunder

Zeus's tree of life

He ruled among the deities on Mount Olympus, came from a family of titans. According to the mythical gradation, the titans are the deities of the previous generation, which were replaced by the Olympians. There were six brothers and the same number of titanid sisters who entered into marriage (incest) with each other and gave birth to a new generation of gods. For example, Themis or the father of the god Helios.

The mythical wife of Zeus is by her husband the supreme goddess of the Olympic twelve gods. In addition to fulfilling her divine destinations for the female environment and obstetrics, she had a tough and unjustifiably cruel disposition, was vindictive and jealous. The latter is on the conscience of the thunderer. It was he who gave reasons for jealousy.

Hera was not the only wife. Married to Zeus were still women, at least two famous were goddesses: one of the ocean, the other of law and order on earth. One can only guess about the unknown, judging by the succession of Zeus' children. In the mythical reality, Zeus was consanguineous with some spouses. That is why the last wife of God, while the husband's father ruled for three centuries, for some reason kept secret the marriage relationship with the thunderer.

Zeus had the same mythical brothers and fifty-six sons (according to this indicator, Apollo "jumped" twice his father). Among them are a host of deities: Athena, Aphrodite, Artemis, Elena the Beautiful, Terpsichore, Melpomene, Hermes and others.

In Greek mythology, Zeus had a son, Hercules (at birth he had the name Alcides) - a half-man, a demigod. He did not have a big mind, he was considered the most powerful man on earth.

Hercules is very confident in himself.

Mythical ruler

What distinguished Zeus, except for throwing lightning? The supreme god is entrusted with dominance in heaven and the distribution of virtue and negative actions on earth, balancing the parties. Zeus defeated the titans.

During Antiquity, mythology had a huge impact on people, closely fitting into everyday life and religious customs. The main religion of this period is pagan polytheism, which was based on a large pantheon of gods. The gods of ancient Greece had a special meaning and each fulfilled its role. In different regions there was a cult of one or another god, which was largely determined by the peculiarity of life and way of life. This article provides a list and description of the gods.

The gods were humanized, endowing them with anthropomorphic demeanors. Ancient Greek mythology had a clear hierarchy - the titans, titanids and the younger generation of gods, who gave rise to the Olympians, stood out. The Olympian gods are the supreme celestials who lived on Mount Olympus. It was they who had the greatest influence on the ancient Greeks.

The ancient Greek gods of the first generation - ancient entities that gave rise to all living and nonliving, are considered the creators of the world. They entered into a relationship, due to which other gods were born, who also belong to the first generation, as well as titans. The ancestors of all ancient Greek gods were Skotos (Mist) and Chaos. It was these two entities that gave rise to the entire primary pantheon of Ancient Greece.

The primary pantheon of the gods of ancient Greece:

• Nyukta (Nikta);
• Erebus (Darkness);
• Eros (Love);
• Gaia (Earth);
• Tartarus (Abyss);
• Uranus (Sky).

Almost no description of each of these deities has survived, since the Olympians later became key to the mythology of Ancient Greece.

The gods, unlike humans, were allowed to enter into family ties, so children were often the fruits of incest.

The deities of the second generation are titans, thanks to whom the Olympic gods were born. These are 6 sisters and 6 brothers who actively married each other and fought for power. The most revered titans are Kronos and Rhea.

Olympic gods of Greece

These are the children and descendants of the children of Kronos and his wife Rhea. Titan Kronos was originally considered the god of agriculture, and later - of time. He had a harsh disposition and a thirst for power, for which he was overthrown, castrated and sent to Tartarus. His reign was replaced by the Olympian gods, led by Zeus. The life and relationships of the Olympians are detailed in ancient Greek legends and myths, they were worshiped, respected and offered gifts. There are 12 main gods.

Zeus

The youngest son of Rhea and Kronos, is considered the father and patron of people and gods, personified good and evil. He opposed his father by overthrowing him in Tartarus. After that, power on earth was divided between him and his brothers - Poseidon and Hades. He is the patron saint of lightning and thunder. His attributes were a shield and an ax, later they began to depict an eagle next to him. They loved Zeus, but they were also afraid of his punishment, so they brought valuable gifts.

People imagined Zeus as a strong and sturdy middle-aged man. He had noble features, thick hair and a beard. In myths, Zeus was portrayed as a character in love stories that deceived earthly women, as a result of which he gave rise to many demigods.

Hades

The eldest son of Kronos and Rhea, after the overthrow of the rule of the titans, became the god of the underworld of the dead. He was personified by people as a man over 40 years old who moved on a golden chariot drawn by golden horses. He is credited with a terrible environment, for example, Cerberus - a dog with three heads. They believed that he owned the untold riches of the underworld, so they feared and respected him, sometimes more than Zeus. He is married to Persephone, whom he kidnapped, thereby causing the wrath of Zeus and the inconsolable grief of Demeter.

Among people, they were afraid to pronounce his name out loud, replacing it with various epithets. One of the few gods whose cult was practically uncommon. During the rituals, black-skinned cattle, most often bulls, were sacrificed to him.

Poseidon

The middle son of Kronos and Rhea, after defeating the titans, got possession of the water element. According to myths, he lives in a majestic palace in the depths of the underwater, together with his wife Amphitrite and son Triton. Moves across the sea in a chariot drawn by seahorses. Owns a trident with great power. His blows led to the formation of springs and underwater springs. In ancient drawings, he is depicted as a mighty man with eyes blue, like the color of the sea.

The Greeks believed that he had a heavy temper and a quick-tempered character, which was contrasted with the calmness of Zeus. The cult of Poseidon was widespread in many coastal cities of ancient Greece, where rich gifts, including girls, were brought to him.

Hera

One of the most revered goddesses of Ancient Greece. She was the patroness of marriage and matrimony. She had a tough character, jealousy and a great love for power. She is the wife and sister of her brother, Zeus.

In myths, Hera is portrayed as a power-hungry woman, sending calamities and curses on Zeus's numerous mistresses and their children, which leads to grins and ridiculous antics on the part of her husband. Every year she swims in the Kanaf spring, after which she becomes a virgin again.

In Greece, the cult of Hera was widespread, she was the protector of women, she was worshiped and brought gifts to help during childbirth. One of the first deities to whom a sanctuary was built.

Demeter

Second daughter of Kronos and Rhea, sister of Hera. The goddess of fertility and the patroness of agriculture, therefore she was highly respected by the Greeks. There were large cults on the territory of the country, it was believed that it was impossible to get a harvest without bringing a gift to Demeter. It was she who taught people to cultivate the land. She presented herself as a young woman of beautiful appearance with curls of the color of ripe wheat. The most famous myth is about the abduction of her daughter by Hades.

Descendants and children of Zeus

In the mythology of Ancient Greece, the born sons of Zeus are of great importance. These are the gods of the second order, each of whom was the patron saint of one or another human activity. According to legends, they often came into contact with earthly inhabitants, where they weaved intrigues and built relationships. Key ones:

Apollo

The people called him "radiant" or "shining". He presented himself as a golden-haired youth, endowed with an extraterrestrial beauty in appearance. He was a patron of arts, patron of new settlements and a healer. Widely revered by the Greeks, great cults and sanctuaries have been found at Delos and Delphi. He is the patron saint and mentor of muses.

Ares (Arey)

God of bloody and brutal war, because of which he was often opposed to Athena. The Greeks represented him as a mighty warrior with a sword in his hand. In later sources, he is depicted next to a griffin and two companions - Eris and Enio, who sowed discord and anger among people. In myths, it is described as the lover of Aphrodite, in whose relationship many deities and demigods were born.

Artemis

Patroness of hunting and female chastity. It was believed that bringing gifts to Artemis would bring happiness in marriage and facilitate childbirth. She was often depicted next to a deer and a bear. The most famous temple was located in Ephesus, later was the patroness of the Amazons.

Athena (Pallas)

A highly revered goddess in ancient Greece. She was the patroness of organized war, wisdom and strategy. Later it became a symbol of knowledge and crafts. She was portrayed by the ancient Greeks as a tall and well-coordinated woman, with a spear in her hand. Temples to Athena were erected everywhere, the cult of veneration was widespread.

Aphrodite

Ancient Greek goddess of beauty and love, later considered the patron saint of fertility and life. It had a huge influence on the entire pantheon, in its power were both people and gods (except for Athens, Artemis and Hestia). She was the wife of Hephaestus, but she is credited with having love affairs with Ares and Dionysus. Depicted with flowers of roses, myrtle or poppy, apple. Her retinue included doves, sparrows and dolphins, and her companions were Eros and numerous nymphs. The largest cult was in the city of Paphos, located on the territory of modern Cyprus.

Hermes

An extremely controversial god of the ancient Greek pantheon. He patronized trade, eloquence and dexterity. He was depicted with a winged staff, around which two snakes are entwined. According to legends, he was able to reconcile them, wake and put people to sleep. Hermes is often depicted in sandals and a wide-brimmed hat, as well as a lamb on his shoulder. Often he not only helped the inhabitants of the earth, but also wove intrigues, bringing citizens together.

Hephaestus

God-blacksmith, who is the patron saint of blacksmithing and construction. It was he who made the attributes of most of the gods, and also made lightning for Zeus. According to legends, Hera gave birth to him without the participation of her husband, from her hip in revenge for the birth of Athena. He was often depicted as a broad-shouldered and outwardly ugly man, lame in both legs. He was the legal spouse of Aphrodite.

Dionysus

The youngest Olympian god, widely beloved by the ancient Greeks. He is the patron saint of winemaking, vegetation, fun and madness. His mother is the earthly woman Semele, killed by the Hero. Zeus personally carried the child from 6 months, giving birth to him from the hip. According to myths, this son of Zeus invented wine and beer. Dionysus was revered not only by the Greeks, but also by the Arabs. Often depicted together with a staff with a top of hops and a bunch of grapes in his hand. The main retinue are satyrs.

The ancient Greek pantheon is represented by several dozen large gods, deities, mythical creatures, monsters and demigods. The legends and myths of Antiquity have many interpretations, since different sources were used in the description. The ancient Greeks loved and respected all the gods, they were worshiped, brought gifts and turned for blessings and curses. Ancient Greek mythology was described in detail by Homer, who described all the major events and the appearance of the gods.

The story of Zeus - the supreme god of Greek mythology.
Many believed in Zeus as the only and main god even before the advent of Christianity, and the most terrible natural disasters were explained by his anger.
Heaven in Greek mythology personified a very important part of the world, and the one who controls the sky is the master of everything and everyone. Zeus was revered in every possible way as a just ruler of both people and gods.

Among the gods, Zeus occupied the highest level of the hierarchy, that is, in fact, he was the king among the gods.

As the lord of heaven, Zeus could control lightning and thunder. It was lightning that became a symbol of the power and might of Zeus. This explains another name for Zeus - the Thunderer, as the Greeks tried to explain such a natural phenomenon as lightning.

The myth of the birth of Zeus

The first mentions of Zeus were found in the records of the ancient Greek author Hesiod (Hesiod lived in the 7th century BC), he wrote a book of theogony (for the Greeks, this book was something of a book of being.)
According to legend, Zeus was not a god from the very beginning, but the myth of the birth of Zeus, begin with Zeus challenging his father, Kronos. Kronos was very powerful, he ruled over the most powerful of the deities - the Titans. (The Titans were considered the very first deities to populate the earth, but they were not particularly smart, aggressive, they only wanted to take and consume.) When Kronos decides to extend his lineage, he is forced to enter into a relationship with his sister from the Titan clan - Reya.

Initially, all gods are relatives, and therefore incest is a fairly common phenomenon in myths.

Kronos and his wife Rhea have the next generation of gods. In the future, this generation will be called the Olympians. These include Hades, Poseidon and Zeus.

Kronos initially did not want to have children, since he did not want to give up the status of the supreme ruler. He was afraid that his son would be stronger and better, that in the end he would overthrow him. For fear of losing everything, Kronos decided to act in a cardinal way. Immediately after birth, he swallowed his children alive. Of course, the children could not die (since they were immortal gods), but they no longer posed a threat to Kronos.

At that time, cannibalism in ancient Greece was something out of the ordinary, this act was considered the lot of savages.

Rhea was horrified, Kronos had already swallowed five of her children, and now she is pregnant again. To keep her children free, Rhea comes up with a plan. She escapes to a secret hideout and gives birth to a son there. It is this son who will become the king of the gods - Zeus. But Kronos was already waiting for his wife at home to devour the newly born child. Therefore, Rhea wraps a stone in a diaper and carries it to Kronos. Immediately Kronos swallows the bundle about nothing, not guessing.

Rhea decides to hide his son on the island of Crete in a secret cave. (After this, this cave will become a sanctuary for worshiping Zeus.) But it is difficult to hide someone from Kronos himself, every time little Zeus cried, the people who guarded him beat special shields that hung along the walls of the cave. The clanging of these shields prevented Kronos from hearing his son's cry.

The myth of the birth of Zeus says that the little god lived in a cave until maturity. Growing up, Zeus undergoes training, gains wisdom and strength - he becomes a real man. All this is done to achieve his goal, which Zeus set for himself - to overthrow his cruel father and seize power over the world.

A Brief Myth of Zeus - The Overthrow of Kronos

Zeus knows that the stakes are very high, if he wins, he will become the supreme ruler of the world, and if he loses, he will end up in Tartarus forever.

(Tartarus is the lower level of the kingdom of Hades, it was here that the damned fell, i.e. those who somehow offended the gods.)

Kronos was seated on Mount Olympus.

Mount Olympus in ancient Greek mythology was the home of the gods. However, it does exist in reality. This is the highest point in Greece, the mountain rises almost 3 kilometers above sea level. The Greeks themselves really believed that gods lived on this mountain.

It is at the top of Olympus that Zeus develops a plan to reclaim the throne from his father Kronos and his mighty Titans. Zeus decides to free his brothers, swallowed by Kronos and enlist their help. During this time, the brothers of Zeus, being in the stomach of Kronos, also matured and gained the power of the gods. To free his brothers, Zeus brewed a poisonous potion. Having penetrated into the chambers of Kronos, Zeus pours poison into his bowl. After drinking it, Kronos begins to feel bad, soon he vomits a stone that gave him Rhea instead of Zeus.

According to the legends, this stone formed the basis of the most revered place in ancient Greece - the Delphic temple, the shelter of the oracle. Delphi is a sanctuary where people from all over Greece came to worship and ask the gods for help. This stone, which Kronos cast out of himself, is to this day located in the very center of the Delphic temple.

According to legend, following the stone, Kronos vomited five previously eaten children. Zeus, as a good ruler, had excellent intelligence and skills to inspire and persuade others. Thanks to these skills, he was able to unite his kin and create a coalition. But even together they did not have enough strength to fight the Titans.

Then Zeus remembered the forgotten Kronos, the Cyclops and the hundred-handed Hecatoncheires. Kronos was afraid of their power, and therefore hid them in tartarus.
Zeus understood that having enlisted their help, victory would be his. Descending to Tartarus, he finds the Hecatoncheires and talks to them on equal terms and with respect, he asks them for help to overthrow his father. Moved by such reverence, the Hecatoncheira agreed to help the young Zeus.

After Zeus also freed the Cyclops. In return, they gave Zeus the power to command lightning and thunder.

The forces are determined, the battle itself will take place in Thessaly, a plain lying between the mountains of Othrys and Olympus.
A grandiose battle begins, Zeus with lightning in his hands, his brothers, Cyclops and Hecatoncheira fight with the most powerful deities - the Titans.

(Traces of great battles are still found in the Thessalian Valley.)

Soon the decisive moment comes, the battle between father and son. From the top of Mount Olympus, Zeus strikes his father's army with powerful lightning strikes. Hundred-handed Hecatoncheires chipped off huge chunks of mountains and threw them at the titans. The ground shattered under their feet, and the sounds of battle were heard throughout the world.

Scientists have found that the ancient world at that time experienced a real catastrophe. On the territory of the island of Santorine, about 3 tons. ago there was a violent volcanic eruption. Its power can be compared with five tens of thousands of Hiroshima bombs. An eruption of such power destroyed much of the Greek world, and survivors could explain this catastrophe as the wrath of the gods.

The battle of the gods continues, and Zeus begins to win. But the titans had something to do. From the depths of Tartarus, they summon Typhon.

Typhon is a terrifying monster of incredible size.

The battle between Zeus and Typhon was not long, the monster does not withstand such powerful lightning strikes and rushes back to Tartarus along with the remaining titans. There they will spend eternity.

The victory of Zeus made him the ruler of the world and the king among the rest of the gods. However, calmness and peace were not long, soon Zeus has a new enemy in the person of a loved one.

Zeus and his wife Metis

The myths of ancient Greece say that the Greek gods are not at all sinless, everyone has both strengths and weaknesses, and the gods are no exception.

One of Zeus' weakest points was his love and passion for women. According to legends, Zeus turned into various animals, people, husbands of women. All this was done in order to seduce young beauties and get in touch with them.

The young goddess Metis was the first to attract the attention of Zeus. Soon Zeus took her as his wife.

Metis is the wife of Zeus, according to legends she is incredibly beautiful, and her very name in translation means "wise"

But his feelings are overshadowed by a terrible prophecy that should take away his power. Zeus was predicted that his wife would give birth to a child who would take the throne from him. Like his father, Zeus was afraid of his future heir. But Zeus did not want to be like his father, he vowed that this time everything would be different. To keep his vow, he swallows his wife. And again, love lost to the lust for power.

While Metis was in captivity, Zev could use all of her intellectual abilities. Zeus has become smarter, wiser and more cunning than he was before.

Zeus and Hera - Zeus' new wife

Since the Metis was gone, Zeus needed a new wife. Like his father, Zeus decides to take a wife from his own family. She was his sister, the goddess Hera.
Hera was not like the others, she was very powerful. We can say that Zeus and Hera were equal.
But Hera was also quite jealous. Zeus continued to increase the number of his lovers.
The myth of Zeus says that among his mistresses were both mortals and goddesses. Each relationship between Zeus and his mistresses ended in pregnancy. They gave birth to over a hundred children from Zeus.

Such licentiousness of Zeus could be explained by the secret desire of the Greeks themselves. Dreaming of many girls, they thought that the almighty god would certainly not miss such an opportunity.

Soon more and more cities of ancient Greece wanted to become related to God himself. They announced that in their city there is a pregnant girl from Zeus himself. As a result, the founders of the local ruling dynasties were born. The cities themselves began to be called in honor of the children of Zeus: Athens, Thebes, Magnesia, Macedonia.

but , not happy with her husband's love affairs. Hera did not like the fact that she was humiliated in front of other gods, once she could not stand it and swore that she would take revenge on Zeus for his numerous betrayals.

Gathering the rest of the Olympians, Hera persuades them to revolt against Zeus. She said that it is unfair that Zeus is in charge and if all the Olympians unite, they will be able to overthrow him.
The Olympians gather and chain Zeus while he sleeps. When Zeus wakes up, he finds himself chained. He did not expect such meanness from the relatives whom he had previously saved.

Zeus was always afraid of such an uprising, because no mortal could challenge him. But having united, the Olympic gods could well overthrow him.

Soon help came to the shackled Zeus in the form of old allies - the Hecatoncheires. Hearing that Zeus is in trouble, they come to Zeus for help. They break the chains, and the Olympians scatter in fear.

Having survived this conspiracy, Zeus begins to take revenge. He hung his wife Hera on golden chains, between heaven and earth. Son Apollo and brother Poseidon were sentenced to hard labor (they had to build the impregnable walls of Troy.)

The ancient Greeks could not explain the emergence of Troy (a building of such a level could not be built at that time), and the myth explained its emergence.

Zeus' wrath and the flood

According to legend, everyone who rebelled against Zeus received a well-deserved punishment, but the wrath of God fell on people. The Flood is attributed to the wrath of Zeus.

In ancient Greece, people were very afraid of the wrath of Zeus. After all, doing a bad deed, Zeus could hit them with his lightning.
Hesiod wrote that if it were not for the fear of Zeus, then people would turn into beasts, and the weak obey the strong. Thus, Zeus brought order and justice to the world.

When natural disasters occurred in the world, the Greeks believed that Zeus sent them to punish the villains. Often at the same time, stories were invented about what so angered God.

According to legend, Zeus fell into a rage if people ate their own kind. Once seeing how people eat their own kind, Zeus fell into a rage and vowed to destroy all humanity with the help of a worldwide flood.

For nine days and nights, the strongest rain pours down, flooding the whole earth. The water reaches the top of Mount Parnassus, which rose two and a half kilometers. All over the earth people are dying. When the rain finally ended, only two mortals remained. They survived because they built the ark.

These stories are surprisingly intertwined with each other, the parallel with the Old Testament is more than obvious. Thus, we can say that different peoples of the world explained such a terrible natural phenomenon in different ways.

The overthrow of Zeus - the arrival of Christianity

The myth of Zeus says that he was able to cope with the rebellion of the Olympians, but was unable to cope with another rival Jesus Christ.
In the 1st century AD, the teachings of Jesus Christ will spread throughout the world, overthrowing the power of the supreme Greek deity.
Christianity gave people hope. The hope of salvation after death. People began to believe that after death they will have eternal life. That is why Christianity had so many followers.
The power of Zeus over people with the spread of the new religion in the Mediterranean countries gradually faded away. The people who revered him, in the end, themselves rejected him.

In ancient Greece, only the power of fate was more powerful than Zeus. Even the supreme god himself could not resist fate. As much as he wants to change her or avoid her, he still obeys her will.

Before the advent of Christianity the myth of Zeus ruled the entire Greek world for thousands of years. Zeus was the most formidable and revered of all the Olympian gods. He is one of the few deities who have left a big mark in the history of mankind: Hercules, Hades, Medusa - stories about them open a window to a long-forgotten world.

In terms of the number of gods, the ancient Greeks cannot be compared with any other people on our planet. The inhabitants of Hellas practically at every step were guided by the advice of a deity. However, among them the most important was Zeus. Who is this character This is the god of lightning and thunder, as well as the ruler of the whole world.

Who was Zeus according to ancient myths?

The chief of all the gods was considered the third son of Rhea and the titan Kronos (Homer described him as the eldest son). In addition, he was the brother of Demeter, Aida, Poseidon, Hestia and Hera. The attributes of the main deity were a double ax (labrys) and a shield. Sometimes an eagle was depicted next to Zeus. And Olympus was considered the seat of the Thunderer.

What did the god of thunder and lightning identify with?

So Zeus. Who is this almighty ruler of the world? It was believed that he is able to distribute evil and good throughout the earth. In some myths, he is associated with fate itself. In some legends, the main one, on the contrary, acts as a creature that is dominated by fate. Mythology gives Zeus the ability to foresee the future. At the same time, he announces the destiny of fate through lightning, thunder, and also dreams.

It was believed that the building of public order is the direct merit of Zeus. It was he, in their opinion, who gave laws to people and power to kings. It was believed that the main deity makes sure that all the customs and traditions of the people are strictly observed, as well as the house and family are preserved.

Birth

Zeus - who is this main god? This is a representative of the third generation of deities who overthrew their predecessors.

The post of the main deity was not given to Zeus so easily. His father, the cunning and cunning Kronos, was most afraid of the fact that his own children would take away the power over the world. And he decided to destroy them. For this, Kronos began to swallow his offspring alive. When it was Zeus's turn, Rhea hid her son on the island of Crete in one of the deep caves. At the same time, she gave her husband a stone wrapped in diapers, which he swallowed, mistaking for a baby. Only after that did Kronos calm down, believing that no one else could threaten his throne.

Childhood

Meanwhile, hidden Zeus was slowly growing up in the cave of Crete. The mythology of ancient Greece assigns a large role in his upbringing to the goat Amalthea and the nymph Melissa. The first fed the divine child with her milk. goats gave Zeus everything he needed. The nymph Melissa also took great care of the baby. She provided him with everything he could need. The nymph also gave him nutritious honey, which promotes rapid growth. According to legend, loyal guards guarded the cave in which the divine offspring was located. When the baby cried, they loudly knocked on their shields with spears so that Kronos would not hear anything.

Clash of the Titans

Years have passed. Zeus grew up and matured. In the end, events unfolded exactly as promised to Kronos. The son overthrew the abusive father, forcing him to bring all the swallowed children back to life. With six of them they defeated the tyrant.

The most powerful Zeus began to reign in heaven. His brother Hades got the underworld, and Poseidon got the sea. At the same time, they decided that they would manage the land together.

Kingdom of the gods

Olympus and Zeus in the mythology of Ancient Greece are inseparable concepts. On this high mountain, a powerful ruler decided the fate of people and all living things on earth, being surrounded by other gods who obeyed him without question.

The gates of Olympus were closed by a thick lush cloud. Near him were the goddesses of the Mountain. Their job was to clear the cloud by letting the golden chariots pass.
The kingdom of Zeus was distinguished by the fact that a gentle and warm summer constantly reigned in it. On the ground, on the other hand, thunderstorms and torrential rains were quite frequent. People believed that the god of Greece Zeus was angry with them for some reason. Therefore, it sends lightning and thunder as punishment. No wonder in ancient Greek myths and legends the main ruler of Olympus was called a cloud-killer and a thunderer.

Zeus in Olympia lived in a luxurious palace, at the gates of which there were certainly two vessels. In one of them were the gifts of Good, and in the other - Evil. At times Zeus scooped up the contents of these vessels, sending it to people.

The ancient Greek myths assigned a special place to the Moiras. Despite the omnipotence of Zeus, it was these three goddesses who determined the fate of both people and gods.

Period of reign

Ancient Greek mythology names people and gods. However, she also says that his power over the gods of Olympus is weak, and the fateful paths are often unknown to him. On the advice of Uranus-Heaven and Gaia-Earth, Zeus swallowed Metis - his first wife. By this, he avoided the birth of a son, who was supposed to become stronger than his father.

The daughter of Gaia, Themis, revealed a secret to Zeus: Thetis will have exactly the same son. Then the lord of all the gods refused to marry her and gave the goddess for the hero Peleus.
And now the second wife of Zeus was Themis - the goddess of justice. Ora are their daughters. Thanks to them, there is order and regularity in the lives of people and gods.

The third legal wife of Zeus is Hera. But in fact, it was this goddess who patronizes the marriage bonds, who became the first wife in her importance.
The reign of Zeus markedly changes the world of all Olympians. Thanks to the daughters of the main deity from Eurynoma - Harit - grace, joy and fun are brought into life. Nine Muses are born to Zeus from Mnemosyne. This fact predetermines what the Thunderer in Greek mythology is called a source that inspires ministers of science and art.

This is how Zeus gradually transforms the whole world. He gives rise to gods who bring order and law, and science, art, etc. into people's lives.

The significance of Zeus in the mythology of Ancient Greece is enormous. The main Olympic deity in the texts that have come down to us is identified with the patron saint of urban life and the community of people, and also acts as the protector of the offended.

Olympic Games

Answering the question: "Zeus - who is he?", It is impossible not to mention the Olympic Games. After all, it was he who was the founder of this spectacle, he lit the first Olympic flame, and it was in his honor from 776 BC that competitions began to be held in which ancient Greek men demonstrated their strength, dexterity and beauty. The significance of these games for people was so great that wars stopped for the period of their holding. The city-states that participated in the hostilities entered into a temporary truce.